- ʿAbd Allah narrated to us; he said: Ismaʿil b. Rashid narrated to us; he said: Yahya b. Abi Bukayr narrated to us; he said: Zuhayr b. Muhammad narrated to us, from Musa b. ⦗147⦘ Jubayr, from Nafiʿ, the freedman of ʿAbd Allah b. ʿUmar, from ʿAbd Allah b. ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him), that he heard the Prophet of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say:
“When Adam (peace be upon him) was sent down to the earth by Allah, the angels said, ‘Our Lord, “Will You place in it one who spreads corruption therein and sheds blood, while we glorify You with praise and proclaim Your holiness?”’ (Q 2:30). They added, ‘Our Lord, we are more obedient to You than the children of Adam.’
Allah said to the angels, ‘Bring Me two angels so that I may send them down to earth and see how they act.’ They said, ‘Our Lord, [let them be] Hārūt and Mārūt.’ So the two were sent down, and Venus (al-Zuhrah) was shown to them in the form of a woman—one of the most beautiful of humankind. She approached them, and they asked her for herself. She replied, ‘By Allah, not unless you utter these words of polytheism.’ They said, ‘By Allah, we will never associate anything with Allah,’ and she left them.
She then returned carrying a small boy. They again asked her for herself, and she said, ‘By Allah, not unless you kill this child.’ They said, ‘By Allah, we will never kill him,’ and she went away.
Later she came back holding a cup of wine. They asked her for herself, and she said, ‘By Allah, not until you drink this wine.’ They drank, became drunk, lay with her, and killed the child. ⦗148⦘ When they regained their senses, the woman said, ‘By Allah, there is nothing you once refused me that you have not done now that you are drunk.’ They were then given the choice between punishment in this world and punishment in the Hereafter, and they chose the punishment of this world.”