Appearance
Verses 102–103
وَاتَّبَعُوا مَا تَتْلُو الشَّيَاطِينُ عَلَىٰ مُلْكِ سُلَيْمَانَ ۖ وَمَا كَفَرَ سُلَيْمَانُ وَلَٰكِنَّ الشَّيَاطِينَ كَفَرُوا يُعَلِّمُونَ النَّاسَ السِّحْرَ وَمَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَى الْمَلَكَيْنِ بِبَابِلَ هَارُوتَ وَمَارُوتَ ۚ وَمَا يُعَلِّمَانِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ حَتَّىٰ يَقُولَا إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ فِتْنَةٌ فَلَا تَكْفُرْ ۖ فَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مِنْهُمَا مَا يُفَرِّقُونَ بِهِ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَزَوْجِهِ ۚ وَمَا هُمْ بِضَارِّينَ بِهِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ ۚ وَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مَا يَضُرُّهُمْ وَلَا يَنْفَعُهُمْ ۚ وَلَقَدْ عَلِمُوا لَمَنِ اشْتَرَاهُ مَا لَهُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِنْ خَلَاقٍ ۚ وَلَبِئْسَ مَا شَرَوْا بِهِ أَنْفُسَهُمْ ۚ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ ١٠٢ وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ آمَنُوا وَاتَّقَوْا لَمَثُوبَةٌ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ ۖ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ ١٠٣
(2:102-103) And they followed what the satans chanted [of sorcery] against the kingdom of Solomon; and Solomon was not an unbeliever, but the satans disbelieved; they taught men sorcery and what was sent down to the two angels at Babylon, Hārūt and Mārūt. Yet these two taught no one until they had said: Surely we are only a trial, therefore do not be a disbeliever. Even then men learned from these two, that by which they might cause a separation between a man and his wife; and they cannot hurt with it any one except with Allah’s permission; and they learned what harmed them and did not profit them; and certainly they knew that he who bought it should have no share [of good] in the hereafter, and vile was the price for which they sold their souls; had they but known [this]. And if they had believed and guarded themselves [against evil], reward from Allah would certainly have been better; had they but known [this].
Commentary
(2:102) And they followed what the satans chanted [of sorcery] against the kingdom of Solomon …: The exegetes have disputed among themselves about each and every aspect of this verse; so much so that the resulting picture of the differences is almost unparalleled in the whole Qur’an. A list of the differences is given below:
“they followed”: Does the pronoun, “they,” refer to the Jews of the Solomon’s time, or to those at the time of the Prophet, or to all?
“chanted”: The Arabic word is tatlu which may be translated as “chanted,” “recited,” “told a lie about,” “faked” or “followed and acted according to.” In which sense the word is used here? Every meaning has some supporters.
“satans”: Does it refer to the satans of jinn? Or to those among the human beings? Or to both?
“about”: The Arabic participle is ʿalā (against, on, about, upon). Does the phrase mean, about the kingdom of Solomon? Or, during the reign of Solomon? Or, against his kingdom? Or, on his reign?
“the satans disbelieved”: Some say, they disbelieved because they published the sorcery among the people. Others say, they disbelieved because they ascribed the sorcery to Solomon. Still others say, the disbelief, as mentioned here, actually means sorcery.
“they taught men sorcery”: It means they instructed them as a teacher instructs his students. No! it means that they buried
the chants under Solomon’s chair, and then directed the men to it who brought it out and learnt it.
“and what was sent down”: The word translated here as “what” is mā which is a relative pronoun (“what”); also, it is a particle of negation (“not”). “And” is mostly used as a conjunctive; but not infrequently, it is also used to begin a new sentence. A group says that mā means “what,” and the conjunctive joins it to “what the satans chanted” (the Jews followed what was sent down). Another party is of the opinion that the conjunctive joins it to “sorcery” (the satans taught them sorcery and that which was sent down). A third group thinks that mā means “not,” and the word “and” begins a new sentence (And sorcery was not sent down to the two angels, contrary to what the Jews claimed).
“sent down”: Was it sent down from the heavens? Or from the high lands?
“the two angels”: They were the angels from the heaven. No! They were two good men, or men who feigned to be good. No! It is not al-malakayn (two angels); it is al-malikayn (two kings).
“Babylon”: It is the famous ancient city of Iraq. No! It is a city in Damawand (Iran); Wrong! It is the land between Naṣibayn (Turkey) and Raʿsul ʿAyn.
“these two taught no one”: Teaching is used in its common meaning of instruction. No! It means, these two apprised no one.
“do not be a disbeliever”: By learning sorcery? Or, by practising it? Or, by both?
“the men learned from these two”: The “two” refers to the two angels. No! It means, they learned from the two subjects, sorcery and disbelief. Wrong! They learned the practice of sorcery, in place of the advice given by the angels.
“that by which they might cause a separation between a man and his wife”: Some exegetes say that they caused love or hate between the couple with the help of their sorcery. Others think that they misled one of the spouses to disbelief and polytheism, and the apostasy caused the separation mentioned here. A third group say that they created hatred and enmity between the couple with their calumny and slander.
This, in short, gives a glimpse of the differences of opinions concerning the explanations of the words and clauses of the verse. There are still more differences about the event referred to—whether it narrates an actual happening or is just a parable; and so on and so forth. Compute the differences mentioned above and you will get nearly one million and two hundred sixty thousand possible explanations (4 x 39 x 24)!!
It seems an astounding quality of the Qur’an, that a verse that is subjected to so many divergent interpretations, still maintains its highest standard of eloquence; that in spite of all these vagaries of the exegetes, its meaning is not disjointed, nor its beauty marred.
A similar treatment has been meted out to the verse: Is he then who has with him clear proof from his Lord, and a witness from him recites it and before it [is] the Book of Moses, a guide and a mercy ().
However, it appears from the context that this verse deals with a hitherto unmentioned affair of the Jews, that is, their wide spread use of sorcery. They based this practice on one or two stories, which were very popular among them.
The Jews were addicted to making alterations and interpolations in, and omissions from, their Divine books, let alone the historical narrations. They used to change their books and records fitting them to the prevalent moods of their times. A story narrated by them was not to be relied upon. But this Qur’anic admonition is based on their own belief, because it was they who used to narrate these stories.
The verse proves that the practice of sorcery was prevalent among the Jews, and that they ascribed it to Solomon. They presumed that Solomon got the kingdom and subjugated the jinn, the human beings, the animals and the birds—all with the help of sorcery; and all the supernatural miraculous events related to him depended on witchcraft. And they claimed that some of the enchantments in their hands had come down to them from him. The remaining portion was attributed to the two angels at Babylon, named Hārūt and Mārūt.
The Qur’an refutes the stories, saying that the Prophet Solomon never indulged in witchcraft and sorcery. How could he, when sorcery was nothing but disbelief in God? Solomon could not be an unbeliever as he was a sinless, innocent prophet. All this is clearly seen from the words of God: “and Solomon was not an unbeliever, but the satans disbelieved, they taught men sorcery”; “and certainly they knew that he who bought it should have no share (of good) in the hereafter.” Solomon’s position was too distinguished, his rank too high, and his name too sacred to be associated with disbelief and sorcery. He was the prophet whose outstanding position has been eulogized in several places in the chapters of Meccan period, long before this Chapter of the Cow was revealed. See, for example, the chapters of The Cattle (6th), The Prophets (21st), The Ant (27th) and Ṣad (38th). You shall find therein that Solomon was an excellent servant of God, a prophet and a messenger; God gave him the knowledge and the wisdom; and granted him a kingdom which was not fit for any one after him. Obviously, Solomon could not indulge in sorcery; it was just a mythical story invented by the satans, which they dictated to their human friends; and it was the satans who disbelieved because they misguided the men by teaching them sorcery.
As for the story of the two angels at Babylon, the Qur’anic stand is as follows:
The two angels, Hārūt and Mārūt, were certainly given some sorcery as a means of test and trial for the human beings—and no objection could be raised against that; after all, God has taught the human nature the ways of evil too in order that He may test them with it. Likewise, sorcery was sent down to the two angels; but they did not teach it to anyone until they had said to him: Surely we are only a trial, therefore do not become a disbeliever by using it for wrongful purposes; you must use it only to nullify the effect of witchcraft, to expose the viles of the sorcerers and things like that. But the men learned from them that by which they might destroy the domestic peace and turn the love between husband and wife—the best of the things ingrained in human nature—into hatred, causing a separation between them. Also they learned what harmed them and did not benefit them.
The verse therefore may be explained as follows:
And they (that is, the Jews coming after the reign of Solomon—every generation passing on the legacy to the later one) followed what the satans from among the jinn faked and lied about the kingdom of Solomon. Tatlū (translated here as recited or chanted) actually has the connotation of “lied about” or “faked about,” because it is followed by the preposition ʿalā (on) which has changed its semantic value. Why do we say that the satans were from the jinn? The following two verses read together provide the answer to this question: And of the satans there were those who dived for him and did other work beside that, and We kept guard over them (); and when he fell down, the jinn came to know plainly that if they had known the unseen, they would not have tarried in abasing torment (). The first verse shows that the satans were reduced to subjection by Solomon who kept them away from mischief by assigning to them very heavy task; and the second verse refers to the same slavish group as the jinn.
… and Solomon was not an unbeliever, but the satans disbelieved; they taught men sorcery and what was sent down to the two angels at Babylon, Hārūt and Mārūt: The conjunction “and” is used here in the meaning of “while.” Solomon did not indulge in sorcery; therefore, it was not he who disbelieved; rather it was the satans who disbelieved, because they misled the people by teaching them sorcery.
… and what was sent down: The Jews followed that which was sent down—through inspiration—to the two angels at Babylon, Hārūt and Mārūt. Yet these two did not teach any one any thing of the sorcery, without warning him not to practice it. They admonished every one who wanted to learn sorcery: Surely we are only a trial for you. What we teach you is but a means of test for you. Beware! Don’t become an unbeliever by practising sorcery.
… Even then men learned from these two, that by which they might cause a separation between a man and his wife; and they cannot hurt with it any one except with Allah’s permission: “From these two,” that is, from the two angels, Hārūt and Mārūt. “That by which they might cause a separation,” that is, the sorcery which caused separation “between a man and his wife.”
… and they cannot hurt with it any one except with Allah’s permission: It is a parenthetic sentence, to remove a possible misunderstanding: One could assume, on hearing that the sorcerers caused separation between a husband and his wife, that the sorcerers were powerful enough to disturb the divinely ordained arrangement of the world; that they could undo the Divine Decree and change the system created by God. This sentence clears the air and emphasizes the fact that sorcery draws its strength from the Divine Decree; it cannot affect any thing but with the permission of God. Therefore, the sorcerers act within the framework of the system designed by God.
This sentence was placed where it is because only the preceding sentence (that by which they might cause a separation … ) mentions the effect of sorcery. Therefore, it was explained that whatever effect it had was based on the permission of God. The following clause (and they learned what harmed them and did not profit them) is not concerned with this aspect of sorcery, and the above-mentioned clarifying parenthetic sentence, if placed after it, would have looked out of place.
… and they learned what harmed them and did not profit them; and certainly they knew that he who bought it should have no share [of good] in the hereafter, and vile was the price for which they sold their souls; had they but known [this]: They knew it because their reason and intellect told them that the sorcery was the most wicked source of disorder in the society. Also, they were made aware of it by Moses when he had said: and the magician shall not be successful wheresoever he may come from ().
… and vile was the price for which they sold their souls; had they but known [this]: They knew that sorcery was bad for them and ruinous for their future abode; yet it was as though they did not know it—because they did not act according to their knowledge. If a knowledge fails to lead the knower to the straight path, then it is not knowledge; it is ignorance. God says: Have you then seen him who takes his low desire for his Allah, and Allah has made him err in spite of [his] knowledge … (). Therefore, it was completely in order to wish for them knowledge and guidance, even if they had the knowledge before.
وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ آمَنُوا وَاتَّقَوْا لَمَثُوبَةٌ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ ۖ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ ١٠٣
(2:103) And if they had believed and guarded themselves [against evil], reward from Allah would certainly have been better; had they but known [this].
If they had followed the dictates of belief and piety, instead of following the satans’ yarns and practising sorcery which is nothing short of disbelief, they would have got its reward from God. This verse indicates that the disbelief emanating from sorcery is a disbelief within the sphere of action, like that which results from withholding zakāt; it is not a disbelief within the sphere of faith. Had the sorcery been a disbelief within the sphere of faith, God would have only said, “And if they believed,” without adding “and guarded themselves (against evil).” The Jews had believed, no doubt; but they did not guard themselves against evil and did not desist from the things forbidden by God; therefore, God did not attach any importance, any value, to their belief, and they were called the disbelievers.
… reward from Allah would certainly have been better; had they but known [this]: that is, better than the rewards and profits they seek through sorcery and amass through disbelief.
Examining Narrations
- al Bāqir said, inter alia, explaining the words of God, And they followed what the satans chanted [of sorcery] against the kingdom of Solomon …: “When Solomon died, Iblīs invented sorcery and wrote it in a book; then folding it, wrote on its back: ‘This is the valuable treasure of knowledge which Asif b. Barkhiya produced for the king Solomon, son of David. Whoever wanted such and such thing, should do so and so.’ Then he buried it under his throne. Thereafter, he unearthed it for the Jews and recited it (before them). The disbelievers said: ‘Solomon had not gained supremacy over us but because of this.’ And the believers said: ‘Nay! He was a servant of God and His prophet.’ Thus God, Great is His remembrance! said: And they followed what the satans chanted [of sorcery] against the kingdom of Solomon.” (al-Tafsīr, al-ʿAyyāshi, al-Qummi )
Author’s comment: This tradition says that it was the Satan, that is, Iblīs, who invented sorcery and wrote and recited it. There is no discrepancy between this statement and the verse under discussion which ascribes these things to the satans from among the jinn. Even their deeds are ultimately attributed to the Iblīs, because he is the source of all evil; it is he who instigates his friends to wickedness and evil. Such usage is common in the traditions.
It appears from this tradition that the verb, tatlu in this verse is derived from al-tilāwah (to recite, to chant). It not in conflict with the interpretation given by us in the commentary that it gives the meaning of “lied about” or “faked about”; because, as we said there, this connotation emerges from the preposition, ʿalā which has changed its semantic value. The sentence, therefore, may be interpreted as follows: The satans chanted the sorcery, reciting it, and faking it, lying about the kingdom of Solomon.
Etymologically, talā, yatlū, tilāwatan returns to waliya, yali, wilāyatan which has the semantic value of being near to, governing and following; one owns a thing gradually, one part following the other—reciting is called al-tilawah simply because in recitation one word follows the other.
A full discourse of this subject will be given under the verse: Verily, your guardian is only Allah and His Messenger and those who believe, those who establish prayer and pay zakāt while they bow down ().
- al-Riḍā said, inter alia, in his discussion with al Maʾmūn: “And as for Hārūt and Marūt, they were two angels; they taught sorcery to the people in order that they could protect themselves from the enchantments of the sorcerers, and could nullify their devices. And they did not teach any one any (enchantment) until they had said to him: ‘Surely we are only a trial, therefore do not be a disbeliever.’ But a group became disbelievers by practising what they were warned against; and they caused a separation between a man and his wife with their practice (of sorcery). God has said: and they cannot hurt with it any one except with God’s permission.” (ʿUyun al-akhbār)
On Some Spurious Narrations
- Ibn Jarir has narrated from Ibn ʿAbbās that he said: “Whenever Solomon wanted to enter the toilet or to attend to some of his affairs, he gave his ring to al-Jaradah, his wife. When God decided to test Solomon in the way He tested him, one day Solomon gave his ring (as usual) to al-Jarādah. Then Satan came to her in the likeness of Solomon and said: ‘Give me my ring.’ So he took it and put it on. As soon as he did so, the satans (from the jinn and the human beings) came under his control. Then came Solomon and said to her: ‘Give me my ring.’ She said: ‘You are a liar; you are not Solomon.’ So Solomon knew that it was a trial to test him. The satans got a free hand, and wrote, in those very days, some books containing enchantments and disbelief, and buried them under the chair of Solomon. Thereafter they unearthed them and recited them before the people. And they said: ‘It was because of these books that Solomon dominated over the people.’ Thus the people avoided Solomon and accused him of disbelief. (It continued) until God sent Muḥammad and revealed to him: and Solomon was not an unbeliever, but the satans disbelieved.” (al-Durr al-manthūr)
Author’s comment: This story is found in other traditions too. It is a long story forming a part of a multitude purporting to show the supposed sins and mistakes of the prophets.
- Said b. Jarir and al-Khaṭīb (in his al-Tārīkh) have quoted Nāfiʿ as saying: “I went on a journey with Ibn ʿUmar. When the night was coming to its end, he said: ‘O Nāfiʿ! Look at the red star, has it risen?’ Twice or thrice I said: ‘No.’ Then I said: ‘It has risen.’ He said: ‘No welcome to it!’ I said: ‘Praise the Lord! (It is but) a star, subjugated, obedient (and) submissive!’ He said: ‘I have not told you except that which I heard the Messenger of God saying. He said: “The angels (once) said: ‘O Lord! How doest Thou bear with the mistakes and sins of the children of Adam?’ (God) said: ‘I have put them to trial and given them some dispensation.’ They said: ‘If we were in their place, we would not have disobeyed Thee.’ He said: ‘Then select (for trial) two angels from among yourselves.’ They spared no effort in the selection and (finally) selected Hārūt and Mārūt. They came down (to the earth); and God created in them the lust.” (At this juncture, Nāfiʿ said: ‘And what is lust?’ He said: ‘Sexual urge.’) “Then there came a woman, al-Zuhrah (that is, Venus) by name, and both felt attracted towards her, each concealing his feeling from his companion. Then one of them asked the other: ‘Do you feel in your heart what I do in mine?’ The other said: ‘Yes!’ Thereupon, they asked her for themselves. She said: ‘I will not give you power (over myself) until you teach me the name by which you ascend to, and descend from, the heaven.’ They refused to do so. Then they asked her again; and again she refused. At last they did (teach her the name). When she flew (to the heaven), God effaced her into a star and cut her wings. Then the (two angels) sought pardon from God; and He gave them an option, saying: ‘If it is your wish, I shall let you return to the position you held before, and then you shall be punished on the Day of Resurrection. Or, if you wish, I shall chastise you in this world, and when the Day of Resurrection comes you shall be reinstated to your previously held position.’ So one of them said to the other: ‘The punishment of this world will come to an end and will be short-lived.’
Therefore, they opted for this world’s chastisement against the punishment of the next world. And God revealed to them to go to Babylon. They went there and the earth swallowed them up; they are hanging upside-down between the heaven and the earth, undergoing punishment up to the Day of Resurrection.” ’ ” (al-Durr al-manthūr)
Author’s comment: Something like this has been narrated in some Shia books too from Imam al-Bāqir. al-Ṣuyūṭī, the Sunni traditionalist, has narrated more than twenty traditions of the same theme about Hārūt, Mārūt and the Venus; some of those traditions have been confirmed as having “correct” chains of narrators; and the chains end on various companions, like Ibn ʿAbbās, Ibn Masʿūd, ʿAlī, Abu al-Dardāʾ, ʿUmar, ʿĀʾishah and Ibn ʿUmar.
These are fictitious stories, which collectively ascribe to the angels of God the worst type of polytheism and the most heinous sins, that is, idol-worship, murder, fornication and liquor drinking. Could the angels indulge in such sins, when they are known to be the honored servants of God who are purified from all sins and mistakes? And they accuse the planet Venus to be a woman of loose character, who was transformed into a luminary body—have you ever heard of such a punishment!!—while it is known to be a heavenly body, free from any defect in its creation or any flaw in its system; a planet by which God swears in the Qur’an: But nay! I swear by the stars that run their course [and] hide themselves … (). Moreover, the astronomy has today unveiled its reality, and found out in detail the elements it is made of, as well as their quantity and combination—in short all matters related to it.
This story, like that given earlier (about Solomon and his ring), is in complete agreement with the legends popular among the Jews. They remind one of the Greek mythology related to the stars and the planets.
A discerning reader will agree that these traditions, like those slandering and defaming the prophets and messengers, are but a few samples of the intrigues and machinations of the Jews.
Their prevalence in the Muslims’ books of traditions is a living proof of the hold they held on the Muslims’ minds in the early days of Islam. The Jews toyed with the Muslim traditions in any way they liked; and the Muslim traditionalists were their willing partners in these interpolations.
But God has kept His Book under His Own protection. The enemies of truth cannot play with it. Whenever one of their satans tries to steal a hearing he is chased away by a visible flame. God has said: Surely We have revealed the Reminder and We will most certainly be its guardian (); and most surely it is a Mighty Book: Falsehood shall not come to it from before it nor from behind it; a revelation from the Wise, the Praised One (); And We reveal of the Qur’an that which is a healing and mercy to the believers, and it adds only to the perdition of the unjust (). The promise given in these verses is unconditional. Every interpolation, every alteration is repulsed by the Qur’an. The Book of God unmasks the true face of the interpolators, adding to their perdition. Also, the Messenger of God has said: “Whatever is in conformity with the Book of God, take it; and whatever is against it, leave it.” The ummah has been given this frame of reference; it is this yardstick with which all the traditions attributed to the Prophet and his Ahl al-Bayt are to be measured. The Qur’an removes every falsehood and exposes every deception. God says: Nay! We cast the truth against falsehood, so that it breaks its head, and lo! it vanishes (); and Allah desired to manifest the truth of what was true by His words … that He may manifest the truth of what was true and show the falsehood of what was false, even though the guilty ones disliked (). God confirms the truth and erases the falsehood by showing the true faces of both.
Some people, and especially those with materialistic outlook, who are overawed by the western civilization, have used the above-mentioned historical fact as a pretext to throw away all the traditions attributed to the Prophet. They looked at some traditionalists and al-Haruriyyah and found that they accepted every tradition—without any scrutiny whatsoever. They reacted to it by going to the other extreme and rejecting every tradition—without any scrutiny whatsoever.
It needs not much intelligence to realize that the total acceptance of the traditions is as bad as its total rejection.
Its unconditional acceptance nullifies the standard laid down for the purpose of differentiating between the truth and the falsehood; and encourages one to ascribe lies to the Prophet. Likewise, its indiscriminate rejection casts aside the said standard and leads one to the rejection of the Book of God itself—the Mighty Book that falsehood does not come to it from before it nor from behind it. God has said in this Book: and whatever the Messenger gives you, take it; and from whatever he forbids you, keep back (); And We did not send any Messenger but that he should be obeyed by Allah’s permission (). If the sayings of the Prophet had no authority, or if his words—reported to his contemporaries who were absent from his gathering or to the generations coming after his time—had no validity then nothing of the religion could survive at all.
Man by his instinct relies and accepts the reports brought by others—he cannot survive without it. As for the alterations and interpolations, it is not a disease peculiar to the traditions of the Prophet. The society depends on the reported news and information; and the motives to tell lies, to make changes and alterations to suit one’s purpose, to twist the words and to quote them out of context, are much more stronger in the case of the worldly affairs. So, what do we do? Do we reject all reports and information? No! We scrutinize every report with the help of some well-established and relevant standard; what passes the test, is accepted as truth; and that which fails is thrown aside as falsehood; and if no clear result emerges from the test, if we are unable to decide whether the report was true or not, we reserve our judgment—as our nature tells us to do in such cases.
The above procedure is applied regarding the subjects we have some expertise about. As for a subject outside our specialty, the common practice is to refer it to the specialists in that field and accept their judgment.
This is, in short, the dictate of human nature for the smooth running of the society. The self same system is adhered to in religion for distinguishing truth from falsehood. The litmus paper of this test is the Book of God—if a tradition conforms to it, its truth is confirmed; if it clearly goes against it, its falsehood is known; and if no definite stand may be taken because of some ambiguities, then the judgment is reserved. This system has been explained in the authentic traditions of the Prophet and the imams (of the Ahl al-Bayt). It applies to all the traditions that are not concerned with jurisprudence; as for those dealing with the law and jurisprudence, they are governed by the Principles of Jurisprudence.
Discourse
The discussions “A Philosophical Discourse on Sorcery and Witchcraft”; “An Academic Description of Various Kinds of Magic” appear here in the printed volume. Read them in the Al-Mizan App.
The red star refers to the Mars, but as will be seen later, Ibn ʿUmar is supposed to talk about the Venus. Obviously, the man who forged this “tradition” did not know the difference between the Mars and the Venus. (Trans.) ↩︎