Who are Harut and Marut?

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – There are diverse views about Harut and Marut. According to a tafsir expert, KH Prof Muhammad Quraisy Shihab in his book ‘Kumpulan Tanya Jawab Mistik, Seks, dan Ibadah’, the two are human beings. However, according to Prof Quraish Shihab, Harut and Marut were once so pious in life that people began to nickname them like angels. Another view holds that Harut and Marut were indeed angels. The story begins when the angels witnessed the misconduct and bloodshed among humans. Then they thought how much better it would be if the task of Allah’s khalifah on earth (khalifatullah fil ‘ardh) were carried out by angels, not humans. They then conveyed this unease to Allah. ’This is the angels’ second ‘grievance’, after the first one described in QS (Al-Qur’an, Surah) al-Baqarah 2:30-33,’ explained Quraish Shihab. Thereafter, Allah commanded the angels to choose two among them to carry out the duties of khalifatullah fil ’ardh. Indeed, this command is a test. Is it true that angels are better at carrying out the office of khalifah than humans? The two chosen angels were Harut and Marut. They then descended to earth, equipped with human potentials. But on their journey, Harut and Marut faced many temptations. Eventually, the two fell into sin as they could not resist the lure of wrongdoing. Some narrations say a woman deceived them.