Surah Al-Baqara (2) — Ayah 102

102. And they (the Jews) followed what the devils used to recite during the reign of Solomon. Solomon never disbelieved, but it was the devils [118] who disbelieved, teaching people magic. And they also followed what was revealed to the two angels, Harut [119] and Marut, in Babylon. Yet these two would never teach anyone without first saying, "We are only a trial, so do not disbelieve." But still, people learned from them that by which they could cause separation between a man and his wife [120]. But they could not harm anyone except by Allah’s permission. And they learned what would harm them and not benefit them. And they surely knew that whoever purchased such things would have no share in the Hereafter. How evil was that for which they sold their souls, if only they knew.

[118] In this verse, another deceitful characteristic of the Jews has been made clear. When the Jews entered a period of moral and material decline, they set aside the Torah and its commandments and became engrossed in magic, talismans, amulets, and charms, seeking such means by which all their tasks could be accomplished merely through incantations and spells, without any effort or struggle. Thus, they became busy learning and teaching magic and the like. This was during the reign of Sayyiduna Sulaiman ؑ. When he became aware of this tendency among the Jews, he confiscated all such books from the magicians and had them archived.

The Jews’ Accusation of Magic Against Sayyiduna Sulaiman ؑ:

Now, the miracles that were granted to Sulaiman ؑ were, according to divine wisdom, such that they were beyond the reach of magic and magicians. For example, Allah Almighty had subjugated all rebellious jinn to him, and Sulaiman ؑ would assign them arduous tasks. The winds were also subjugated to him, which would carry his throne over journeys of months in an instant. Birds were also subjugated to him, and he would employ them as well. He understood the language of birds, and the birds understood his speech, and so on. When Sulaiman ؑ passed away, those devilish Jews said that Sayyiduna Sulaiman ؑ accomplished all this through the power of magic, and as proof, they presented the fact that there were countless books of magic in Sulaiman’s archives.

Learning and Teaching Magic is Disbelief (Kufr):

Thus, the very action Sulaiman ؑ had taken to put an end to this mischief, these Jews made that mischief the foundation of his kingdom and leveled a vile accusation against him. At this point, Allah Almighty refuted this accusation, stating that it was not Sulaiman who committed this act of disbelief, but rather those devilish people who learned and taught magic. Incidentally, from this verse it is also understood that learning and teaching magic is disbelief (kufr).
[119]
The Story of Harut and Marut and the Crowd of Those Learning Magic:

After this action of Sulaiman's action to stop magic, Allah Almighty tested the Jews in another way, which was that in the city of Babylon (where present-day Kufa is), He sent down two angels, Harut and Marut, in the guise of saints and ascetics. The purpose of this test was to see whether the Jews’ minds had been cleansed of their attachment and love for magic and charms. When the Jews learned of the arrival of these saints and ascetics in Babylon, they immediately began to turn to them. The angels were commanded that if anyone came to them to learn these charms, they should first warn him thoroughly that this is an act of disbelief and that they had come only as a test for them, so they should not commit disbelief. Yet, if anyone insisted on learning, they should teach him. Thus, whoever came to them to learn magic, the angels would fully warn him, but they would not desist from this act of disbelief and would insist on learning, and crowds upon crowds of such people would gather at the angels’ place to learn these charms.
[120]
Causing Separation Between Husband and Wife Through Magic:

The strange thing is that the majority of those who came to learn were people who wanted to learn such acts by which a husband and wife could be separated, and then the wife would fall in love with the one who had learned the charm. Causing separation between husband and wife is the greatest corruption in society. Thus, it is mentioned in a hadith that Iblis sits on his throne in the sea and sends his minions and followers daily to spread corruption and misguide people. In the evening, they all gather before Iblis and recount their deeds. One says, “I caused such-and-such mischief,” another says, “I caused such-and-such evil,” but Iblis pays them no attention and says, “You have done nothing.” Then another minion comes and says, “I have caused separation between such-and-such husband and wife,” so Iblis becomes happy, praises him, embraces him, and says, “This is the deed that was worth doing, which he has accomplished.” [مسلم، كتاب صفة المنافقين، باب تحريش الشيطان و بعثة سراياه لفتنة الناس۔۔ الخ] Reflecting on the content of this hadith makes it clear how far the Jews had sunk into moral decline in that era, that not only did they learn acts to cause separation between husband and wife (from which they themselves gained no benefit), but they also learned further acts and charms by which the separated wife would fall in love with the one who had the charm performed.
[121] The following points are understood from this verse.

1. Why is Magic Disbelief (Kufr)?

The purpose of magic is generally to harm people. No one ever performs or has magic performed for anyone’s benefit. From this, it is also understood that those who are harmed become enemies of both the magician and the one who has magic performed, and many people are enemies of magicians for this very reason, and the magician himself always remains unsuccessful. As Allah Almighty has said in another place, verse ﴿وَلَا يُفْلِحُ السَّاحِرُ حَيْثُ اَتيٰ﴾ [69: 20]
2. It is not necessary that magic and the like always have an effect. If it is in Allah Almighty’s will, it will have an effect; otherwise, it will not.
3. The Jews were fully aware that this was an act of disbelief and that they would certainly be punished for it in the Hereafter.