224. ʿAbd Allah narrated to us; he said: Ishaq related to us, from Ismaʿil; he said: Qabisah told us; he said: Sufyan narrated to us, from Musa b. ʿUqbah, from Salim b. ʿAbd Allah b. ʿUmar, from his father, from Kaʿb, who said:

“The angels spoke of the deeds of the children of Adam and the sins they commit. He said to them, ‘If you were in their place, you would do what they do. So choose some of your number.’ They chose Harut and Marut. He said to the two of them, ‘Descend, and do not steal, do not commit fornication, and do not associate anything with Me.’ ⦗150⦘ And so they descended.” Ibn ʿUmar said: “Kaʿb added, ‘By Allah, they did not reach nightfall before they had done what Allah had forbidden them.’”