It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) concerning the saying of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic: "And what was sent down to the two angels at Babylon, Harut and Marut" [Surah al-Baqarah: 102] , that he said: After Sayyiduna Adam (peace be upon him), when people fell into shirk, took idols as objects of worship and began worshipping others besides Allah, the angels began to supplicate against them, saying: O our Lord! You created these servants of Yours and gave them the finest form, You provided for them and were generous to them, yet they disobeyed You and began worshipping others; they kept supplicating against them continuously. Then the Lord, the Mighty and Majestic, said to them: They are in the unseen (a state of trial). But the angels did not accept their excuse. Then Allah said: Choose two from among yourselves whom I will send down to the earth and give commands and prohibitions. So they chose Harut and Marut. Then the narrator related their lengthy story and said: When the two of them drank wine and became intoxicated, they committed an evil act with the woman and killed a soul. At this there was an uproar among the angels; they looked at the two of them and at their deeds. Then Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, revealed this verse: "And the angels glorify with the praise of their Lord and seek forgiveness for those on earth." [Surah al-Shura: 5] The narrator says: After that the angels began to understand the excuse of the people of the earth and to supplicate for them. This hadith is sahih (authentic) in its chain of narration, and the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it.