Majmu Fatawa - Salih Al-Fawzan - (1/139)

Majmu FatawaSalih Al-Fawzan

That is because the Jews rejected Muhammad ﷺ, even though they find his description and the proof of his messengership in the very Book of Allah that is in their hands—the Torah. By disbelieving in Muhammad ﷺ they were, in effect, disbelieving in their own Scripture and hurling it behind their backs. They then exchanged the Book of Allah for books of magic and charlatanry—an instance of trading the good for the vile and a punishment from Allah; for whoever abandons the truth is tried with falsehood. Having turned away from the Book of Allah, they took in its place works on sorcery and satanic writings. Such is the established way of Allah, exalted is He, with anyone who shuns His Book and the Sunnah of His Prophet ﷺ: he is afflicted with misguidance.

“And they followed what the devils recited during the reign of Solomon” (2:102)⁠—that is, the sorcery the devils practised during Solomon’s kingdom, meaning in his time. Because the devils were working magic in that era, the Jews assumed that the sorcery they discovered had been done by Solomon عليه السلام . Hence Allah said, “Solomon did not disbelieve,” meaning that this magic was not his doing, for such sorcery is disbelief, and the prophets are immune from acts of disbelief: “Solomon did not disbelieve, but the devils disbelieved—teaching people magic.” This shows that learning and teaching magic is itself disbelief.

“As well as what was sent down to the two angels in Babylon…” (2:102) —according to the majority of scholars, the two were angels who descended from heaven as a test for humankind. They taught magic only as a trial, and for that reason they would caution anyone who wished to learn it by saying, “We are only a fitnah (trial), so do not disbelieve.” Thus they warned him that magic is disbelief and urged him not to learn it; but if he went ahead and learnt it by his own choice, that was evidence of his corruption and evil. According to the majority, then, they were angels who came down from heaven to test the servants.

Some scholars, however, read the phrase as “what was sent down upon the two kings,” with a kasrah under the lām, making them human kings. Yet the first reading is the more widespread and manifest, and the two are Hārūt and Mārūt.

وذلك أن اليهود كفروا بمحمد ﷺ الذي يجدون أوصافه وإثبات رسالته في كتاب الله الذي بأيديهم وهو التوراة، ولما كفروا بمحمد ﷺ، كانوا كافرين بكتابهم ونابذين له وراء ظهورهم، ثم إنهم اعتاضوا عن كتاب الله، بكتب السحر والشعوذة، وهذا من استبدال الخبيث بالطيب، ومن عقوبة الله لهم؛ لأن من ترك الحق ابتلي بالباطل، فهم لما تركوا كتاب الله اعتاضوا عنه كتب السحر والكتب الشيطانية، وهذه سنة الله جل وعلا فيمن أعرض عن كتابه وسنة نبيه ﷺ، أنه يبتلى بالضلال ﴿وَاتَّبَعُوا مَا تَتْلُو الشَّيَاطِينُ عَلَى مُلْكِ سُلَيْمَانَ﴾ : يعني ما كانت الشياطين تعمله من السحر على ﴿مُلْكِ سُلَيْمَانَ﴾ ، يعني في عهد سليمان، فإن الشياطين كانت تعمل السحر في عهد سليمان، فظن اليهود أن السحر الذي وجدوده ظنوه من عمل سليمان ﵇، لهذا قال: ﴿وَمَا كَفَرَ سُلَيْمَانُ﴾ ، يعني: وليس هذا السحر من عمله؛ لأن هذا السحر كفر، والأنبياء مبرءون من عمل الكفر، ﴿وَمَا كَفَرَ سُلَيْمَانُ وَلَكِنَّ الشَّيَاطِينَ كَفَرُوا يُعَلِّمُونَ النَّاسَ السِّحْرَ﴾ ، فدل على أن تعلم السحر وتعليمه كفر. ﴿وَمَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَى الْمَلَكَيْنِ بِبَابِلَ﴾ : الجمهور على أن المراد بهما ملكان نزلا من السماء لابتلاء العباد، وكانا يعلمان السحر ابتلاءً للعباد، ولهذا كانا ينصحان من يريد تعلم السحر بقولهما: ﴿إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ فِتْنَةٌ فَلَا تَكْفُرْ﴾ فينصحانه بأن السحر كفر فلا تتعلمه، فإذا أقدم وتعلمه باختياره فهذا دليل على فساده وشره، فهما ملكان عند الجمهور نزلا من السماء لابتلاء العباد وامتحانهم، ومن العلماء من قرأ: "وَمَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَى الْمَلِكَيْنِ" بكسر اللام، فيكونان من ملوك البشر، ولكن الأول أشهر وأظهر، وهما هاروت وماروت.