What is the interpretation of the verse (And they followed what the devils recited... and what was not sent down to the two angels)?

The questioner : The interpretation, O Shaykh, in the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful: What is the interpretation of the noble verse? I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan: ?

The Shaykh : There is no doubt that there is disagreement among the scholars of tafsir regarding this verse, but the position that is stronger in my personal view is that here is not a negation, but rather a connective, meaning: Allah the Mighty and Majestic sent down the two angels to teach people sorcery, as sorcery had become rampant and widespread in that time, and its matter had become mixed with some of the miracles that some of the prophets would perform, such as the story of the sorcerers with Musa (peace be upon him), where Pharaoh, through the sorcerers, sought to mislead the people from the truth of Musa's call by claiming that what he brought was nothing but sorcery. Then, as we know, Allah the Mighty and Majestic decreed the destruction of the sorcerers' work, and they submitted and believed in Allah, the Lord of the worlds. Their knowledge of sorcery became a means for them to distinguish between what was illusion and sorcery and what was reality. The reality is that when Musa (peace be upon him) threw his staff, . This was a truth that they believed in before all other people, namely the sorcerers, because their knowledge of sorcery told them that it was mere deception and misguidance with no reality. But when they were confronted with the miracle of Musa (peace be upon him), the difference between the truth and sorcery became apparent to them, so:
So the wisdom of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) necessitated that He send down the two angels: Harut and Marut, to teach people sorcery. They did not teach sorcery for the sake of sorcery, but so that people could use it to distinguish the sorcery that many of the false messiahs (dajjals) of that time used to deceive people and enslave them, as mentioned in the story of the boy and the monk, which you probably remember; the story is well known.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : The summary of it, and this summary is necessary: The king of that time, who is the owner of the Ditch mentioned in the Qur'an, used to exploit a magician to enslave the people. When he felt that the magician had grown old and aged, he said to him: "Choose a boy from the people to succeed you after me." Why? So that he could continue to enslave the people with sorcery. This is how kings in ancient times used to exploit people with sorcery.
The Shaykh: So Allah (Mighty and Majestic) sent the two angels to teach all people, and not as the magician of the king of the Ditch did, when he said to him: "Choose a boy for me." It was not fitting for him to spread the knowledge of sorcery among all people, because they would know that the king was deceiving them with the sorcery that they had come to know.
So the wisdom of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) necessitated that He send the two angels to teach people sorcery so that they could distinguish between sorcery and a miracle, and because sorcery is undoubtedly a tool of corruption. He said in the same context of the story: . So they came to teach sorcery for this purpose, but this teaching may turn into a trial (fitnah); so they learn what harms them and does not benefit them, and what they use to separate a man from his wife. This is what I see in the interpretation of this verse, and Allah knows best.