قَالَ فَمَا تَقُولُ فِي الْمَلَكَيْنِ هَارُوتَ وَ مَارُوتَ وَ مَا يَقُولُ النَّاسُ بِأَنَّهُمَا يُعَلِّمَانِ النَّاسَ السِّحْرَ He said, ‘So what are you -asws saying regarding the two Angels, Harut and Marut, and what the people are saying that they both taught sorcery to the people?’ قَالَ إِنَّهُمَا مَوْضِعُ ابْتِلَاءٍ وَ مَوْقِفُ فِتْنَةٍ تَسْبِيحُهُمَا الْيَوْمَ لَوْ فَعَلَ الْإِنْسَانُ كَذَا وَ كَذَا لَكَانَ كَذَا وَ لَوْ يُعَالِجُ بِكَذَا وَ كَذَا لَصَارَ كَذَا أَصْنَافَ سِحْرٍ فَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مِنْهُمَا مَا يَخْرُجُ عَنْهُمَا فَيَقُولَانِ لَهُمْ إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ فِتْنَةٌ فَلَا تَأْخُذُوا عَنَّا مَا يَضُرُّكُمْ وَ لَا يَنْفَعُكُمْ He -asws said: ‘They were both a place of Trial and a Fitna.
Their phrases today, if the human being were to do such and such, such would happen, and if one were to treat with such and such, such would happen, types of sorcery. So they were learning from them what came out from them. They (Angels) were saying to them, ‘But rather, we are a Trial, so do not take from us what would harm you and will not benefit you’.
قَالَ أَ فَيَقْدِرُ السَّاحِرُ أَنْ يَجْعَلَ الْإِنْسَانَ بِسِحْرِهِ فِي صُورَةِ الْكَلْبِ أَوْ الْحِمَارِ أَوْ غَيْرِ ذَلِكَ He said, ‘Is the sorcerer able to make by his sorcery, the human being to be in an image of the dog, or the donkey, or other than that?’ قَالَ هُوَ أَعْجَزُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَ أَضْعَفُ مِنْ أَنْ يُغَيِّرَ خَلْقَ اللَّهِ إِنَّ مَنْ أَبْطَلَ مَا رَكَّبَهُ اللَّهُ وَ صَوَّرَهُ غَيْرَهُ فَهُوَ شَرِيكٌ لِلَّهِ فِي خَلْقِهِ تَعَالَى عَنْ ذَلِكَ عُلُوّاً كَبِيراً لَوْ قَدَرَ السَّاحِرُ عَلَى مَا وَصَفْتَ لَدَفَعَ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ الْهَرَمَ وَ الْآفَةَ وَ الْأَمْرَاضَ وَ لَنَفَى الْبَيَاضَ عَنْ رَأْسِهِ وَ الْفَقْرَ عَنْ سَاحَتِهِ He -asws said: ‘He is frustrated from that and weaker from deceiving the creatures of Allah -azwj .
One who nullifies what Allah -azwj has Installed and had Imaged something else, then he would be an associate of Allah -azwj in His -azwj creation. He -azwj is more Exalted than that, Loftier, Great! If the sorcerer was able upon what you have described, he would have repelled from himself the old age, and the disabilities, and the sicknesses, and would have negated the whiteness from his head, and the poverty from his courtyard (life).