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ISLAMIC -
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angel.
Question:
What do you believe about angels regarding their function, appearance,
form and powers?
Answer: Praise
be to Allah.
Belief in angels is one of the six pillars of belief or faith without
which there is no faith. Whoever does not believe in any of these
pillars is not a believer (mumin). These pillars are belief in: Allah,
His angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Last Day, and that
predestination, both good and bad, comes from Allah.
Angels are a part of the world of the “Unseen” which we cannot
comprehend. Allah has told us about them in many places in the Quran and
via His Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
There follows a number of proven reports concerning the angels, which
hopefully will make you realize the greatness of the Creator and the
greatness of this religion which has told us so much about them:
Of what are they created?
They are created from light, as ‘Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her)
reported:
"The
Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ‘The
angels are created from light, just as the jinn are created from
smokeless fire and mankind is created from what you have been told
about.’" (Muslim).
When were they created?
We have no knowledge of precisely when they were created, because there
is no text to tell us this. But they were created before mankind for
certain, because the Quran says:
“Behold when your Lord said to the angels, I am going to place in the
earth a vicegerent (human)………" (Al-Baqarah
2:30)
Their great size
Allah says concerning the angels of Hell:
"O ye who believe! save yourselves and your families from a Fire whose
fuel is Men and Stones, over which are (appointed) angels stern (and)
severe, who flinch not (from executing) the Commands they receive from
Allah, but do (precisely) what they are commanded.” (At-Tahrim
66:6)
The greatest of all the angels is Jibreel, upon whom be peace, who was
described in the following report:
Related by ‘Abdullah ibnMas‘ood (may Allah be pleased with him) who
said:
“The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saw
Jibreel in his true form. He had six hundred wings, ……….”
It was reported by Ahmad in al-Musnad, and Ibn Katheer
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said,
describing Jibreel:
"I saw Jibreel descending from heaven, and his great size filled the
space between heaven and earth." (Muslim)
Among the greatest angels are those who carry the Throne (of Allah), who
were described in the following report:
Reported From Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) from
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who said: ‘I
have been given permission to speak about one of the angels of Allah who
carry the Throne. The distance between his ear-lobes and his shoulders
is equivalent to a seven-hundred-year journey.’" (Abu
Dawood)
They have wings
“Praise be to Allah, Who created (out of nothing) the heavens and the
earth, Who made the angels, messengers with wings,- two, or three, or
four (pairs): He adds to Creation as He pleases: for Allah has power
over all things” (Fatir
35:1)
Their beauty
Allah said, describing Jibreel, upon whom be peace (interpretation of
the meaning):
“He (the
prophet) has been Taught by One Mighty in power
(5)
Endued with Wisdom: for he appeared (in stately form)
(An-Najm
53:5-6)
Ibn ‘Abbas said: "‘Dhoo Mirrah means that he has a beautiful
appearance." Qutadah said: "He is tall and beautiful."
Their differences in size and status
The angels are not all of one size or status; there are differences
between them just as there are differences in virtue. The best of them
are those that were present at the battle of Badr, as is stated in the
hadeeth narrated by Mu‘adh ibn Rifa‘ah al-Zuraqi from his father, who
had been one of the people present at Badr. He said:
"Jibreel came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon Him)
and asked, ‘How do you rate the people among you who were present at
Badr?’ He said: ‘They are the best of the Muslims,’ or something
similar. [Jibreel] said: ‘So it is with the angels who were present at
Badr.’" (Al-Bukhaari)
They do not eat or drink
This is indicated by the conversation between Ibrahim, the "friend" of
Allah, and the angels who visited him. Allah says (interpretation of the
meaning):
“Then he (Ibraheem, pbuh) turned quickly to his household, brought out a
fatted calf, (26) And
placed it before them (angels), he said, "Will ye not eat?" (27) (When
they did not eat), He conceived a fear of them. They said, "Fear not,"
and they gave him glad tidings of a son endowed with knowledge. (Adh-Dharyat
51:26-28)
They do not get bored or tired of remembering and worshipping Allah.
Allah says:
They (i.e.
the angels) glorify His Praises night and day, (and) they never slacken
(to do so)” (Al-
Anbiya’ 21:20)
Their number
The angels are many, and their number is known only to Allah. The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, describing the
Much-Frequented House (al-Bayt al-M’amoor) in the seventh heaven:
"Then I was taken up to the Much-Frequented House: every day seventy
thousand angels visit it and leave, never returning to it again, another
[group] coming after them." (Al-Bukhaari).
Angels known names
The angels have names, but we know only the names of a few of them. We
have to believe in the names reported in the Quran and Sunnah (prophetic
teachings) texts, as a part of general belief in the angels. Among the
names of angels that are known to us are:
(1) Jibreel and (2) Mikail
"Say: Whoever is an enemy to Jibreel - for he brings down the
(revelation) to your heart by Allah’s will, a confirmation of what went
before, and guidance and glad tidings to those who believe"
(Al-Baqara 2:97)
(3) Israfil
From Abu Salamahibn ‘Abd al-Rahmanibn ‘Awf, who said:
"I asked ‘Aishah, the Mother of the Believers, about what the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to start his prayer with
when he got up to pray at night (qiyam al-layl). She said: ‘When he got
up to pray at night, he would start his prayer (with the words): ‘O
Allah, Lord of Jibreel, Mikail and Israfil, Creator of heaven and earth,
Knower of the unseen and the seen, You are the Judge of the matters in
which Your slaves differ; guide me with regard to disputed matters of
truth by Your permission, for You guide whomever You will to the
straight path.’" (Muslim)
(4) Malik
He is the Keeper of Hell, as Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"They [the people in Hell] will cry: "…
O Malik (Keeper of Hell)! Let your Lord make an end of us…"
(Az- Zukhruf 43:77)
(5) Munkar and (6) Nakeer
From Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said:
"The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
‘When the deceased is buried (or he said: when one of you is buried),
there come to him two blue-black angels, one of whom is called Munkar
and the other Nakeer. They ask him, ‘What did you used to say about this
man?’ and he says what he used to say: ‘He is the slave and Messenger of
Allah: I bear witness that there is no god except Allah and that
Muhammad is the slave and Messenger of Allah. They say, ‘We knew
beforehand that you used to say this.’ Then his grave will be widened
for him to a size of seventy cubits by seventy cubits and it will be
illuminated for him. Then they tell him, ‘Sleep.’ He says, ‘Go back to
my family and tell them.’ They tell him, ‘Sleep like a bridegroom whom
no-one will wake up except his most beloved,’ until Allah raises him up.
If (the deceased) was a hypocrite, he says, ‘I heard the people saying
something so I said something similar; I do not know.’ They say: ‘We
knew beforehand that you used to say this.’ The earth will be told to
squeeze him, so he will be crushed until his ribs are interlocked, and
he will remain like that until Allah raises him up.’" (Al-Tirmidhi).
(7) Haroot and (8) Maroot
Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“….. they
taught men sorcery and that was sent down to the two angels at Babel,
Harut and Marut, yet these two taught no man until they had said,
"Surely we are only a trial, therefore do not be a disbeliever….”(Al-Baqarah
2:102)
Their powers
The angels have great powers given to them by Allah, including the
following:
The ability to take on different forms. Allah has given the angels the
ability to take on forms other than their own. Allah sent Jibreel to
Maryam in the form of a man, as Allah says:
“…. then We
sent her our angel, and he appeared before her as a man in all respects”
(Maryam 19:17)
Angels also came to Ibrahim in human form, and he did not know that they
were angels until they told him so. Similarly, angels came to Lut in the
form of young men with beautiful faces. Jibreel used to come to the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon Him) in different forms:
sometimes he would appear in the form of Dihyah al-Kalbi, a sahaabee
(companion) who was very handsome, and sometimes in the form of a
Bedouin. The sahaabah (companions) saw him in his human form, as is
reported from ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) in
the two Saheehs Al-Bukhari and Muslim). (‘Umar) said:
"One day while we were sitting with the Messenger of Allah (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him), there appeared before us a man whose
clothes were exceedingly white and whose hair was exceedingly black; no
signs of travel were to be seen on him, and none of us knew him. He
walked up and sat down by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him). Resting his knees against his and placing his hands on his
thighs, he said: ‘O Muhammad, tell me about Islam.’..." (Muslim).
Many other ahadeeth (report) refer to the angels taking human forms,
such as the hadeeth (report) about the one who killed a hundred, in
which it says "...
there came to them an angel in human form . . ." and
the hadeeth about the blind man, the bald man and the leper.
Their speed
The greatest speed known to man today is the speed of light; the angels
are able to travel much faster than this. Hardly had an enquirer
completed a question to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him), but Jibreel would bring the answer from Allah.
Their duties
Among the angels is one whose task it was to convey the revelation from
Allah to His Messengers; this is al-Rooh al-Ameen, Jibreel, upon whom be
peace. Allah says:
“Say: whoever is an enemy to Jibreel – for he brings down the the
(revelation) to your heart by Allah’s will
….." (Al-Baqara
2:97)
They can even enter body and relay Allah message in heart.
“Which the trustworthy spirit has brought down, upon your heart(193) That
you may be (one) of the warners.” (Ash-Shura
26:193-194)
Another is responsible for rain, directing it wherever Allah wishes.
This is Mikail, upon whom be peace. He has helpers, who do what he tells
them, by the command of his Lord; they direct the winds and clouds, as
Allah wills.
Another is responsible for blowing the Trumpet, which will be blown by
Israfil at the onset of the Hour (the Day of Judgement).
Others are responsible for taking people’s souls: these are the Angel of
Death and his helpers. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Say: "The
Angel of Death, put in charge of you, will (duly) take your souls: then
shall ye be brought back to your Lord."(As-Sajda
32:11)
There is no proof in any saheehhadeeth (authentic report) that his name
is ‘Azrail.
“It is the same (to Him) whether any of you conceal his speech or
declare it openly; whether he be hid by night or walk forth freely by
day” (10) For
each (person), there are angels in succession, before and behind him.
They guard him by the Command of Allah. Verily! Allah will not change
the good condition of a people so long as they do not change their state
of goodness themselves (by committing sin and by being ungrateful and
disobedient to Allah). But when Allah wills a people’s punishment, there
can be no turning back of it, and they will find besides Him no
protector”
(Ar-Rad 13:10-11)
Others are responsible for recording the deeds of man, good and bad.
These are the "honourable scribes" (kiramankatibeen) and are referred to
in the ayat/verses (interpretation of the meanings):
"…. And He
sends guardians (angels guarding and writing all of one’s good and bad
deeds) over you …..”
(Al-An’am 6:61)
“Or do they think that We hear not their secrets and their private
counsel? (Yes We do) and Our Messengers (appointed angels in charge of
mankind) are by them, to record” (Az-Zukhruf
43:80)
“Behold, two (guardian angels) appointed to learn (his doings) learn
(and noted them), one sitting on the right and one on the left. (17)Not
a word does he (or she) utter, but there is a watcher by him ready (to
record it). (Qaaf
50:17-18)
“But verily, over you (are appointed angels in charge of mankind) to
watch you (10) Kind
and honourable,- Writing down (your deeds)
(11) They
know (and understand) all that ye do” (Al-Infitar
82:10-12)
Others are responsible for testing people in the grave. These are Munkar
and Nakeer. From Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said:
"The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
‘When the deceased is buried (or he said: when one of you is buried),
there come to him two blue-black angels, one of whom is called Munkar
and the other Nakeer. They ask him, ‘What did you used to say about this
man?’ . . ." [The
hadeeth is quoted in full above]
Some of them are the keepers of Paradise. Allah says (interpretation of
the meaning):
"And those who feared their Rabb will be led to the garden in crowds,
until, behold, they arrive there; its gates will be opened and its
keepers (angels) will say "Peace be upon you! Well have you done! Enter
here, to dwell therein" (Az-Zumr
39:73)
Some of them are the keepers of Hell, the "guards of Hell", whose number
is nineteen and whose leader is Malik, upon whom be peace. Allah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"The
Unbelievers will be led to Hell in crowd: until, when they arrive,
there, its gates will be opened. And its keepers will say, "Did not
messengers come to you from among yourselves, rehearsing to you the
Signs of your Lord, and warning you of the Meeting of This Day of
yours?" The answer will be: "True: but the Decree of Punishment has been
proved true against the Unbelievers!"
(Az-Zumr 39:71)
“Over it (Hell) are nineteen (angels as guardians and keepers of Hell) (30) And
We have set none but angels as Guardians of the Fire; and We have fixed
their number only as a trial for Unbelievers ….” (Al-Mudadathir
74:30-31)
“And they will cry: "O Malik (Keeper of Hell)! Let your Lord make an end
of us." He will say: "Verily you shall abide forever" (Az-Zukhruf
43:77)
One of the angels is responsible for the sperm in the womb, as is
mentioned in the hadeeth (report) of Ibn Mas‘ood (may Allah be pleased
with him), who said:
"The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),
whose truthfulness is confirmed, said: ‘The way that each of you is
created is that he is gathered in his mother’s womb for forty days as a
sperm drop, and then for a similar length of time as a blood-clot, and
then for a similar length of time as a lump of flesh. Then an angel is
sent and he breathes the spirit into (the fetus), and is charged with
four commands: to write down his provision, his life-span, his actions,
and whether he will be wretched or happy. By the One besides Whom there
is no other god, one of you may do the deeds of the people of Paradise
until he is just a cubit away from entering it, then his fate will
overtake him and he will begin to do the deeds of the people of Hell, so
he will enter Hell; and one of you may do the deeds of the people of
Hell until he is just a cubit away from entering it, then his fate will
overtake him and he will begin to do the deeds of the people of
Paradise, so he will enter Paradise." (Al-Bukhaari,
Muslim).
Some angels carry the Throne of Allah, as He describes in the Quran
(interpretation of the meaning):
“Those (angels) who sustain the Throne (of Allah) and those around it
Sing Glory and Praise to their Lord; believe in Him; and implore
Forgiveness for those who believe: "Our Lord! Thy Reach is over all
things, in Mercy and Knowledge. Forgive, then, those who turn in
Repentance, and follow Thy Path; and preserve them from the Penalty of
the Blazing " (Al-Ghafir
40:7)
Some of the angels travel throughout the world, seeking out gatherings
of dhikr (remembrance of Allah). Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with
him) said:
"The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon Him) said:
‘Allah, be He blessed and exalted, has angels who travel the highways
seeking out the people of dhikr. When they find people remembering
Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, they call out to one another, "Come to
what you hunger for!" and they enfold them with their wings, stretching
up to the lowest heaven. Their Lord asks them, and He knows better than
them, "What are My slaves saying?" They say: "They are glorifying,
magnifying, praising and extolling You." He asks, "Have they seen Me?"
They say, "No, by Allah, they have not seen You." He asks, "And how
would it be if they saw Me?" They say, "They would be even more fervent
and devoted in their praise and worship." He asks, "What are they asking
me for?" They say, "They ask You for Paradise." He asks, "And have they
seen it?" They say, "No, by Allah, O Lord, they have not seen it." He
asks, "And how would it be if they saw it?" They say: "They would be
even more eager for it and they would beseech You even more earnestly."
He asks, "And what do they seek My protection from?" They say, "From the
Fire of Hell." He asks, "Have they seen it?" They say, "No, by Allah,
they have not seen it." He asks, "And how would it be if they saw it?"
They say: "They would be even more afraid and anxious to escape it."
Allah says: "You are My witnesses that I have forgiven them." One of the
angels says: "So-and-so is not really one of them; he came (to the
gathering) for some other reason." Allah says, "They were all in the
gathering, and one of them will not be excluded (from forgiveness)." (Al-Bukhaari).
"Have you ever faced any day more difficult than the day of Uhud?" He
said: "I suffered at the hands of your people and the worst that I
suffered was what I suffered at their hands on the day of ‘Aqabah. That
was when I went to call Ibn ‘AbdYalaylibn ‘Abd al-Kalal to Islam, and he
did not respond. I left, feeling depressed and hardly knowing where I
was going. I did not recover until I found myself in Qarn al-Tha‘alib. I
raised my head and saw that I was being shaded by a cloud. I looked, and
saw Jibreel in the cloud. He called me and said: ‘Allah has heard what
your people said and how they responded to you. He has sent the Angel of
the Mountains so that you can tell him to do to them whatever you want.’
The Angel of the Mountains called me and greeted me, then said: ‘O
Muhammad, tell me what you want me to do. If you want, I can crush them
between two mountains.’" The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) said: "All I hope for is that Allah will bring forth from
their loins people who will worship Allah alone and not associate any
partner with Him." (Al-Buhaari).
Some of them visit the Much Frequented House (Al-Bayt al-M’amoor). In
the lengthy hadeeth describing the Isra and M’iraj (the Night Journey
and the Ascent to Heaven), the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) said:
"Then I was taken up to the Much-Frequented House: every day seventy
thousand angels visit it and leave, never returning to it again, another
[group] coming after them."
There are also angels standing in rows, who never get tired or sit down,
and others who bow or prostrate, and never raise their heads, as was
reported by Abu Dharr, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
"The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
‘I see what you do not see and hear what you do not hear. The heaven
makes a noise like groaning, and it has the right to (or it is no
surprise), for there is no space in it the width of four fingers, but
there is an angel there, placing his forehead in sujood (prostration) to
Allah. By Allah, if you knew what I know, you would laugh little and
weep much, you would not enjoy your relationships with women and you
would go out in the street praying to Allah.’" (Al-Tirmidhi).
This is a summary of Islamic teachings concerning the noble angels of
Allah. We ask Allah to make us believe in them and love them. May Allah
bless our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
And Allah knows best.
the Angels of Allah
NATURE OF ANGELS
Angels were created from light before
human beings were created, and thus their graphic or symbolic
representation in Islamic art is rare. Nevertheless, they are
generally beautiful beings with wings as described in Muslim scripture.
Also, angels
love the believers and beseech God to forgive them their sins.
They do not eat or drink. The angels do not get bored or tired of
worshipping God, Angels are genderless and do not
require sleep, food, or drink.
They are
naturally obedient creatures, worshipping Allah and carrying out His
commands. Angels have no free choice, so it is simply not in their
nature to disobey.
The Quran says, "… They do not disobey Allah’s Commands
that they receive;they do precisely what they are commanded.” (At-Tahrim 66:6)
ROLE OF ANGELS
In Arabic, angels are called mala'ika,
which means "to assist and help." The Quran describes that angels have been created to worship Allah and
carry out His commands:
“Everything in the heavens and every
creature on the earth prostrates to Allah, as do the angels.
(49) They are not puffed up with pride. They
fear their Lord above them and do everything they are ordered to do”
(An-Nahl 16:49-50).
Angels are involved in carrying out
duties in both the unseen and physical worlds.
ANGELS MENTIONED BY NAME
Several angels are mentioned by name
in the Quran, with a description of their responsibilities. Seven of
them are specially described.
Jibreel (Gabriel) - The greatest of them is Gabriel.
The Prophet of Islam actually saw him in his original form.
Israfeel (Raphael) - in charge of blowing the
trumpet to mark the Day of Judgment.
Mikail (Michael) - in charge of rainfall
and sustenance.
Munkar and Nakeer - after death, these angels will
question souls in the grave about their faith and deeds.
Malak Am-Maut (Angel of Death) - in charge of
taking possession of souls after death.
Malik - guardian of hell.
Ridwan - guardian of heaven.
Other angels are mentioned, but not
specifically by name. There are angels who carry Allah's throne, angels
who act as guardians and protectors of believers, and angels who record
a person's good and bad deeds, among other tasks.
Angels in
human form
As unseen creatures made from light,
angels have no specific bodily shape but can rather take on a variety of
forms. The Quran does mention that angels have wings (Faatir 35:1), but Muslims don't speculate on
what exactly they look like. Muslims find it blasphemous, for example,
to engage in making images of angels as cherubs sitting in clouds. It is
believed that angels can take the form of human beings when required to
communicate with the human world. For example, the Angel Jibreel
appeared in human form to Mary the mother of Jesus, and to the Prophet Muhamad (pbuh)
when questioning him about his faith and message.
The Number of Angels
How many angels are there? Only God
knows. The Much-Frequented House is a sacred heavenly sanctuary
above the Kaaba, the black cube in the city of Mecca. Every day
seventy thousand angels visit it and leave, never returning to it again,
followed by another group.[1]
Angelic Abilities
The angels possess great powers given
to them by God. They can take on different forms. The Muslim
scripture describes how at the moment of Jesus’ conception, God sent
Gabriel to Mary in the form of a man:
“…. then We sent her our angel, and he appeared before her as a man in
all respects”
(Maryam 19:17)
Angels also visited Abraham in human
form. Similarly, angels came to Lot to deliver him from danger in
the form of handsome, young men. Gabriel used to visit Prophet
Muhammad in different forms. Sometimes, he would appear in the
form of one of his handsome disciples, and sometimes in the form of a
desert Bedouin.
Angels have the ability to take human
forms in some circumstances involving common people.
Gabriel is God’s heavenly messenger
to mankind. He would convey the revelation from God to His human
messengers. God says:
“Say: whoever is an enemy to Jibreel –
for he brings down the the (revelation) to your heart by Allah’s will
….." (Al-Baqara 2:97)
Tasks of the Angels
Some angels are put in charge of
executing God’s law in the physical world. Michael is responsible
for rain, directing it wherever God wishes. He has helpers who
assist him by the command of his Lord; they direct the winds and clouds,
as God wills. Another is responsible for blowing the Horn, which
will be blown by Israafeel at the onset of the Day of Judgment.
Others are responsible for taking souls out of the bodies at the time of
death: the Angel of Death and his assistants. God says:
"Say: "The Angel of Death, put in charge of you, will (duly) take your
souls: then shall ye be brought back to your Lord."
(As-Sajda 32:11)
Then there are guardian angels
responsible for protecting the believer throughout his life, at home or
traveling, asleep or awake.
Others are responsible for recording
the deeds of man, good and bad. These are known as the "honorable
scribes."
Two angels, Munkar and Nakeer,
are responsible for testing people in the grave.
Among them are keepers of Paradise
and the nineteen ‘guards’ of Hell whose leader is named ‘Malik.’
There are also angels responsible for
breathing the soul into the fetus and writing down its provisions,
life-span, actions, and whether it will be wretched or happy.
Some angels are roamers, traveling
around the world in search of gatherings where God is remembered.
There are also angels constituting God’s heavenly army, standing in
rows, they never get tired or sit down, and others who bow or prostrate,
and never raise their heads, always worshipping God.
As we learn from above, the angels
are a grandiose creation of God, varying in numbers, roles, and
abilities. God is in no need of these creatures, but having knowledge
and belief in them adds to the awe that one feels towards God, in that
He is able to create as He wishes, for indeed the magnificence of His
creation is a proof of the magnificence of the Creator.
"FALLEN" ANGELS?
In Islam, there is no concept of
"fallen" angels, as it is in the nature of angels to be faithful
servants of Allah. They have no free choice to disobey. Unseen beings
who do have free choice, and who are often confused with "fallen"
angels, are called jinn (spirits).
The most
famous of the jinn is Iblis, who is also known as Shaytan (Satan). Muslims believe that Satan is a
disobedient jinn, not a "fallen" angel. Video about Angels
The World of the Angels (Part 1 ) by KarimAbuZaid
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