Angelic · Islamic angels · c. 650 CE
Harut and Marut
Also called Hārūt wa-Mārūt
Two angels sent to Babylon, who teach magic and warn as they do it that they are a trial. Angels who cause harm take some accommodating in Islamic theology.
Single lineage
The Qur'an says magic was taught at Babylon by two angels, Harut and Marut, who told no one anything without first saying 'we are only a trial, so do not disbelieve.' This creates a real difficulty: angels in Islamic theology cannot disobey, yet these two impart knowledge that damages people. The commentators divide sharply — some read them as genuine angels administering a sanctioned test, others read the word as referring to two men, and a widespread later story has them descending to prove they could resist human temptation and failing. The passage remains among the most argued-over in the Qur'an.
Identity
Where does the name come from?
Where it was actually worshipped
Babylon, where the Qur'an places them teaching magic — named as a location rather than as a cult, and the point of the passage is that they warn people off it.
A figure with temples and a figure that only ever existed on a page are different kinds of thing, and the difference is easy to lose once both are entries in a list.
At a glance
Vitals
Vitals
Also known as
- First attested
- Qur'an & Hadith · 7th c. CE onward
- Named there as
- Hārūt and Mārūt
- Rank
- Angels of Babylon
- Order
- Islamic angels
- Base of operations
- Babylon, where the Qur'an places them teaching magic — named as a location rather than as a cult, and the point of the passage is that they warn people off it.
- Era
- c. 650 CE
- Traditions
- Islamic
- Placed in
- The Offices of the Mala'ika
Traits
- Domain
- Sorcery, testing, the teaching of what should not be taught
- Traditional form
- Two angels at Babylon
Stats
Known connections
Identified with
4 attributed
What is it said to do?
Where these powers cluster
The 4 offices attributed to Harut and Marut, grouped by kind. Segment width is the share of powers falling in each category.
A bar dominated by one colour means a specialist; an even spread means a figure the sources credit with almost anything.
- knowledge1
- divination1
- martial1
- malefic1
1 texts
Which texts say so?
Teach at Babylon what separates a man from his wife, but only after declaring themselves a trial.
“We are only a trial, so do not disbelieve.”
Connections
What is it connected to?
Placement
Where does it sit in the hierarchies?
Answered from the sources
Common questions
Which texts mention Harut and Marut?
Is Harut and Marut the same as Azazel?
What rank is Harut and Marut?
How else is Harut and Marut spelled?
What is Harut and Marut said to do?
How old is Harut and Marut?
Nearest in the corpus
If Harut and Marut is what you came for, these are next
Chosen by proximity rather than by popularity: the same pantheon first, then the same rank, then the same kind of figure.
The book behind Harut and Marut
Every claim on this profile is attributed to one of these. It is public domain, listed oldest first, and each links to a full text where one is freely available.
Qur'an & Hadith
Various · 7th c. CE onward · Arabic
Read Qur'an & Hadith in full ↗Cover: Public domain · AnonymousUnknown author · Wikimedia file page
Corpus last revised 29 August 2026. A reference site’s credibility rests on being maintained, so this is the date the sourced records last changed — not the date the page was rebuilt.