An Analysis of the Story of Hārūt and Mārūt in Light of the Asbāb al-Nuzūl

The Qur an is a divine book, which was revealed over a period of some 23 years. This fact shows the significance of two points in terms of understanding the scripture: one is the occasions on which revelation came down, and the other is how the scripture was understood and interpreted by the first addressees who witnessed the whole course of revelation. However, certain verses which posed no problems to the first addressees in understanding them has become complicated and troublesome because of the fact that their historical occasions have vanished over time. A striking example of such problems is the verse in 2/al-Baqara: 102, where the story of Hārūt and Mārūt is narrated. This article intends to analyze this particular verse from the point of view that the Qur’an is an address to people and a form of speech, and offers a new interpretation of the verse in accordance with the principle that in order for us to attain the original meaning of the scripture, we have to take into consideration the psycho-sociological conditions of the first addressees.