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- ʿAbd Allah narrated to us; he said: Abu Nasr al-Tammār narrated to us; he said: Ḥammād b. Salamah narrated to us, from ʿAlī b. Zayd, from Abū ʿUthmān, from Ibn ʿAbbās and Ibn Masʿūd, who both said: ⦗146⦘ “When the sins of the children of Adam became numerous, the heaven, the earth, and the angels prayed, ‘Our Lord, destroy them!’ Allah revealed to the angels: ‘If I were to place desire and Satan within you as I have within the children of Adam, you would behave exactly as they do.’ The angels then said to themselves that, were they tested, they would surely keep themselves chaste. Allah therefore revealed to them: ‘Select two of your finest angels.’ They chose Hārūt and Mārūt, who were sent down to earth as judges. Venus (al-Zuhrah) descended in the form of a woman—whom the Persians call Baydukht. Before this, the angels used to seek forgiveness for the believers, saying, ‘Our Lord, You have encompassed all things in mercy and knowledge, so forgive those who repent and follow Your way’ (Q 40:7). But when the two of them fell into sin they sought forgiveness for everyone on earth—yet Allah alone is the All-Forgiving, the Most Merciful. The two angels were then given the choice between punishment in this world and punishment in the Hereafter, and they chose the punishment of this world.”}
٢٢١ - حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو نَصْرٍ التَّمَّارُ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ زَيْدٍ، عَنْ أَبِي عُثْمَانَ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، وَابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ، قَالَا: ⦗١٤٦⦘ " لَمَّا كَثُرَ يَعْنِي ذُنُوبَ بَنِي آدَمَ دَعَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّمَاءُ وَالْأَرْضُ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ: رَبَّنَا أَهْلِكْهُمْ. فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ إِلَى الْمَلَائِكَةِ: إِنِّي لَوْ أَنْزَلْتُ الشَّهْوَةَ وَالشَّيْطَانَ مِنْكُمْ مَنْزِلَتَهُمَا مِنْ بَنِي آدَمَ لَفَعَلْتُمْ مِثْلَمَا يَفْعَلُونَ. فَحَدَّثُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ أَنَّهُمْ إِنِ ابْتُلُوا أَنَّهُمْ يَسْتَعْصِمُونَ، فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ ﷿ إِلَيْهِمْ: أَنِ اخْتَارُوا مِنْ أَفْضَلِكُمْ مَلَكَيْنِ، فَاخْتَارُوا هَارُوتَ وَمَارُوتَ، فَهَبَطَا إِلَى الْأَرْضِ حَكَمَيْنِ، وَهَبَطَتِ الزُّهَرَةُ فِي صُورَةِ امْرَأَةٍ، وَأَهْلُ فَارِسَ يُسَمُّونَهَا بَيْذُخْتَ، وَكَانَتِ الْمَلَائِكَةُ قَبْلَ ذَلِكَ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا: ﴿رَبَّنَا وَسِعْتَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ رَحْمَةً وَعِلْمًا فَاغْفِرْ لِلَّذِينَ تَابُوا وَاتَّبَعُوا سَبِيلَكَ﴾ [غافر: ٧] ، فَلَمَّا وَقَعَا فِي الْخَطِيئَةِ اسْتَغْفَرُوا لِمَنْ فِي الْأَرْضِ؛ إِلَّا أَنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ، فَخُيِّرَا بَيْنَ عَذَابِ الدُّنْيَا وَعَذَابِ الْآخِرَةِ، فَاخْتَارُوا عَذَابَ الدُّنْيَا "