Albalaqulmubin(Openly describe" The Message of Allah"): Angels

Angel Gabriel brought Allah’s words to the Prophet Muhammad  and therefore we 

call Gabriel the Messenger Angel. There are many other angels and we can read 

about them in the Quran.





Each of us has two angels who accompany him. These angels take note of 

everything we do. They write down our good deeds and our bad deeds. We call 

these angels the Writing Angels. There are other angels, too. For example, 

there is an angel who helps people when they die. This angel brings death, so 

we call him the Angel of Death.





We cannot see the angels because they are made of things which our eyes cannot 

see. But all the same, we know that they are there, because Allah has told us 

so. Sometimes, we can even feel the presence of these angels.





Angels are created by Allah, just as man and everything else has been created 

by Him. Angels obey Allah and are His servants. They perform many tasks and 

keep the world in being by obeying Allah’s commands.





We know that when the sun rises and sets, when the clouds move in the sky, when 

the raindrops fall, when the plants grow and many other things happen in 

nature, it is Allah Who has crated them and Allah Who sustains them. Nothing 

can happen without Allah’s will. In the same way, Allah created the angels who 

obey Him. They carry out His will, and take great care that everything goes 

according to Allah’s will. They are the obedient servants of Allah. 





Allah wanted man to obey Him, to pray to Him and to do good. He wanted man to 

know about Allah. That is why the Angel Gabriel was sent by Allah. The Angel 

Gabriel told Muhammad what Allah wanted man to do. This was Gabriel’s task. 

Through the Angel Gabriel, Allah had spoken to many prophets before Muhammad, 

so that man would remember and not forget what Allah wants him to do. We can 

read about this in the Quran. Here there are the stories of Adam, Nuh, Ibrahim, 

Musa (Alaih Salwat Ajmaeen) and many other prophets. All of them have said to 

man:





IN ALLAH ALONE YOU SHOULD BELIEVE 



ALLAH ALONE YOU SHOULD WORSHIP 



ONLY GOOD DEEDS YOU SHOULD DO

THE ANGEL POSSESSED OF POWER: JIBRIL (also called Gabriel / Jibreel)

Truly it is the speech of a noble Messenger, (Surat at-Takwir, 19)

He is the Raiser of ranks, the Possessor of the Throne, He sends the Spirit by His command to whichever of His servants He wills so that he may warn mankind about the Day of Meeting: (Surah Ghafir, 15)

It is nothing but Revelation revealed, taught him by one immensely strong, possessing power and splendour. He stood there stationary - (Surat an-Najm, 4-6)

And veiled herself from them. Then We sent Our Spirit to her and it took on for her the form of a handsome, well-built man. She said, 'I seek refuge from you with the All-Merciful if you guard against evil.' He said, 'I am only your Lord's messenger so that He can give you a pure boy.' She said, 'How can I have a boy when no man has touched me and I am not an unchaste woman?' He said, 'It will be so! Your Lord says, "That is easy for Me. It is so that We can make him a Sign for mankind and a mercy from Us." It is a matter already decreed.' (Surah Maryam, 17-21)

JIBRIL'S SPLENDID BEAUTY

It is nothing but Revelation revealed, taught him by one immensely strong, possessing power and splendour. He stood there stationary. (Surat an-Najm, 4-6)

PROPHET MUHAMMED'S (PBUH) SEEING JIBRIL

And certainly he saw him in another descent, at the farthest lote-tree; near which is the garden, the place to be resorted to. When that which covers covered the lote-tree; the eye did not turn aside, nor did it exceed the limit. Certainly he saw of the greatest signs of his Lord. (Surat an-Najm, 13-18)

JIBRIL'S APPEARANCE ON THE HORIZON

He saw him on the clear horizon. (Surat at-Takwir, 23)

JIBRIL'S DESCENT TO MARYAM IN THE FORM
of a Handsome Man

TWO OBSERVING AND RECORDING ANGELS AT EVERYBODY'S SIDE

We created man and We know what his own self whispers to him. We are nearer to him than his jugular vein. And the two recording angels are recording, sitting on the right and on the left. He does not utter a single word, without a watcher by him, pen in hand! (Surah Qaf, 16-18)

Standing over you are guardians, noble, recording, who know what you do. (Surat al-Infitar, 10-12)

Everyone has a succession of angels in front of him and behind him, guarding him by Allah's command. Allah never changes a people's state until they change what is in themselves. When Allah desires evil for a people, there is no averting it. They have no protector apart from Him. (Surat ar-Ra'd, 11)

MESSENGER AnGELS WITH WINGS - TWO, THREE AND FOUR

Praise be to Allah, the Bringer into Being of the heavens and earth, He Who made the angels messengers, with wings - two, three or four. He adds to creation in any way He wills. Allah has power over all things. (Surah Fatir, 1)

STERN AND STRONG ANGELS OVER THE FIRE OF HELL

You who believe! Safeguard yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is people and stones. Harsh, terrible angels are in charge of it who do not disobey Allah in respect of any order He gives them and carry out what they are ordered to do. (Surat at-Tahrim, 6)

ANGELS ASCEND TO the PRESENCE OF Allah IN A DAY
FIFTY THOUSAND YEARS long

The angels and the Spirit ascend to Him in a day whose length is fifty thousand years. (Surat al-Ma'arij, 4)

ANGELS' WITNESSING

On the Day We gather them all together and then say to the angels, 'Was it you whom these people were worshipping?' they will say, 'Glory be to You! You are our Protector, not them. No, they were worshipping the jinn. They mostly had faith in them.' (Surah Saba, 40-41)

But Allah bears witness to what He has sent down to you. He has sent it down with His knowledge. The angels bear witness as well. And Allah suffices as a Witness. (Surat an-Nisa, 166)

Allah bears witness that there is no god but Him, as do the angels and the people of knowledge, upholding justice. There is no god but Him, the Almighty, the All-Wise. (Surah Al 'Imran, 18)

THE FAVOURED ANGELS' SERVITUDE TO Allah

The Messiah would never disdain to be a slave to Allah nor would the angels near to Him. If any do disdain to worship Him, and grow arrogant, He will in any case gather them all to Him. (Surat an-Nisa, 172)

ANGELS CIRCLING ROUND THE THRONE

You will see the angels circling round the Throne, glorifying their Lord with praise. It will be decided between them with truth. And it will be said: 'Praise be to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds.' (Surat az-Zumar, 75)

ANGELS DRAWN UP IN RANKS AND GLORIFYING ALLAH

There is not one of us who does not have a known station. We are those drawn up in ranks. We are those who glorify.' (Surat as-Saffat, 164-166)

The thunder glorifies His praise, as do the angels, out of fear of Him. He discharges the thunderbolts, striking with them anyone He wills. Yet still they argue about Allah when He is inexorable in His power! (Surat ar-Rad, 13)

The heavens are all but rent asunder from above when the angels glorify their Lord with praise and ask forgiveness for those who are on the earth. Allah is the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Merciful (Surat ash-Shura, 5)

ANGELS PROSTRATING themselves TO the PROPHET ADAM (as)

When your Lord said to the angels, 'I am putting an overlord on the earth,' they said, 'Why put on it one who will cause corruption on it and shed blood when we glorify You with praise and proclaim Your purity?' He said, 'I know what you do not know.' He taught Adam the names of all things. Then He arrayed them before the angels and said, 'Tell me the names of these if you are telling the truth.' They said, 'Glory be to You! We have no knowledge except what You have taught us. You are the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.' He said, 'Adam, tell them their names.' When he had told them their names, He said, 'Did I not tell you that I know the Unseen of the heavens and the earth, and I know what you make known and what you hide?' We said to the angels, 'Prostrate to Adam!' and they prostrated, with the exception of Iblis. He refused and was arrogant and was one of the disbelievers. (Surat al-Baqara, 30-34)

ANGELS FEAR THEIR LORD AND DO WHAT THEY ARE ORDERED TO DO

Everything in the heavens and every creature on the earth prostrates to Allah, as do the angels. They are not puffed up with pride. They fear their Lord above them and do everything they are ordered to do. (Surat an-Nahl, 49-50)

ANGELS RANK UPON RANK

And your Lord arrives with the angels rank upon rank (Surat al-Fajr, 22)

ANGELS' PRAYER THAT BELIEVERS BE BROUGHT OUT OF
DARKNESS INTO THE LIGHT

You who believe! Remember Allah much, and glorify Him in the morning and the evening. It is He Who calls down blessing on you, as do His angels, to bring you out of the darkness into the light. He is Most Merciful to the believers. (Surat al-Ahzab, 41-43)

ANGELS' ASKING FOR BLESSINGS ON THE PROPHET

Allah and His angels call down blessings on the Prophet. You who believe! Call down blessings on him and ask for complete peace and safety for him. (Surat al-Ahzab, 56)

ANGELS' DESCENDING TO BELIEVERS AND GIVING THEM GLAD TIDINGS

The angels descend on those who say, 'Our Lord is Allah,' and then go straight: 'Do not fear and do not grieve but rejoice in the Garden you have been promised. We are your protectors in the life of this world and the hereafter.You will have there all that your selves could wish for. You will have there everything you demand. Hospitality from One Who is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful.' (Surah Fussilat, 30-32)

Allah ASSISTS BELIEVERS WITH ANGELS

Remember when you called on your Lord for help and He responded to you: 'I will reinforce you with a thousand angels riding rank after rank.' Allah only did this to give you good news and that so your hearts would be at rest. Victory comes from no one but Allah. Allah is Almighty, All-Wise. (Surat al-Anfal, 9-10)

Allah helped you at Badr when you were weak so have fear of Allah, so that hopefully you will be thankful. And when you said to the believers, 'Is it not enough for you that your Lord reinforced you with three thousand angels, sent down?' Yes indeed! But if you are steadfast and guard against evil and they come upon you suddenly, your Lord will reinforce you with five thousand angels, clearly identified. Allah only did this for it to be good news for you and so that your hearts might be set at rest by it (help comes from no one but Allah, the Almighty, the All-Wise) and so that He might cut off a group of those who are disbelievers, or overwhelm them so that they retire, frustrated. (Surah Al 'Imran, 123-127)

You who believe! Remember Allah's blessing to you when forces came against you and We sent a wind against them and other forces you could not see. Allah sees what you do. (Surat al-Ahzab, 9)

ANGELS' DESCENDING TO EARTH ON THE NIGHT OF POWER
BY THEIR LORD'S AUTHORITY

Truly We sent it down on the Night of Power. And what will convey to you what the Night of Power is? The Night of Power is better than a thousand months. In it the angels and the Spirit descend by their Lord's authority with every ordinance. It is Peace -until the coming of the dawn. (Surat al-Qadr, 1-5)

THEIR CURSE UPON DISBELIEVERS

But as for those who disbelieve and die while they are disbelievers, the curse of Allah is upon them and that of the angels and all mankind. (Surat al-Baqara, 161)

ANGELS ARE HONOURED SERVANTS

They say, 'The All-Merciful has a son.' Glory be to Him! No, they are honoured servants! They do not precede Him in speech and they act on His command. He knows what is in front of them and what is behind them. They only intercede on behalf of those with whom He is pleased, and even they are apprehensive out of fear of Him. Were any of them to say, 'I am a god apart from Him,' We would repay him with Hell. That is how We repay wrongdoers. (Surat al-Anbiya, 26-29)

ANGELS THAT CAME IN TO the PROPHET Ibrahim (as)

And tell them about the guests of Ibrahim. When they came in to him, they said, 'Peace!' He said, 'Truly we are afraid of you.' They said, 'Do not be afraid. We bring you the good news of a boy of great knowledge.' He said, 'Do you bring me this good news despite the fact of old age having reached me? What kind of good news are you bringing me?' They said, 'We bring you good news of the truth, so do not be among those who despair.' He said, 'Who despairs of the mercy of his Lord except for misguided people?' He added, 'What is your business, messengers?' They said, 'We have been sent to a people who are evildoers -with the exception of the family of Lut, all of whom We will save, except for his wife. We have decreed her to be one of those who stay behind.' (Surat al-Hijr, 51-60)

Our messengers brought the good news to Ibrahim. They said, 'Peace!' and he too said, 'Peace!' and brought in a roasted calf without delay. When he saw that their hands were not reaching for it, he suspected them and felt afraid of them. They said, 'Have no fear! We have been sent to the people of Lut.' His wife was standing there and she laughed out loud. So We gave her the good news of Ishaq, and beyond Ishaq, Ya'qub. She said, 'Woe is me! How can I give birth when I am an old woman and my husband here is an aged man? This is indeed an astonishing thing!' They said, 'Are you astonished at Allah's command? May Allah's mercy and His blessings be upon you, People of the House! He is Praiseworthy, All-Glorious.' (Surah Hud, 69-73)

ANGELS THAT CAME TO the PROPHET LUT (as)

When the Messengers came to the family of Lut, he said, 'You are people we do not know.' They said, 'We have come to you with what they had doubts about. We have brought you the truth and we are certainly truthful men. Travel with your family in the dead of night, following behind with them in front of you. None of you must look back. Go where you are ordered to.' (Surat al-Hijr, 61-65)

When Our Messengers came to Lut, he was distressed on their account, feeling incapable of protecting them. They said, 'Do not fear and do not grieve. We are going to rescue you and your family - except for your wife; she will be one of those who stay behind. We will bring down on the inhabitants of this city a devastating punishment from heaven because of their deviance.' (Surat al-Ankabut, 33-34)

When Our messengers came to Lut, he was distressed for them, and very concerned for them, and said, 'This is a dreadful day.' (Surah Hud, 77)

ANGELS THAT CAME TO the PROPHET Zakariyya (as)

The angels called out to him while he was standing in prayer in the Upper Room: 'Allah gives you the good news of Yahya, who will come to confirm a Word from Allah, and honorable and chaste and a Prophet and one of the righteous.' He said, 'My Lord, how can I possibly have a son when I have reached old age and my wife is barren?' He said, 'It will be so. Allah does whatever He wills.' He said, 'My Lord, appoint a Sign for me.' He said, 'Your Sign is that you will not speak to people for three days, except by gesture. Remember your Lord much and glorify Him in the evening and after dawn.' (Surah Al 'Imran, 39-41)

'Zakariyya! We give you the good news of a boy named Yahya, a name we have given to no one else before.' He said, 'My Lord! How can I have a boy when my wife is barren and I have reached advanced old age?' He said, 'It will be so! Your Lord says, "That is easy for me to do. I created you before, when you were not anything."' He said, 'My Lord, give me a Sign.' He said, 'Your Sign is not to speak to people for three nights despite the fact that you are perfectly able to.' (Surah Maryam, 7-10)

ANGELS THAT CAME TO MARYAM (as)

And when the angels said, 'Maryam, Allah has chosen you and purified you. He has chosen you over all other women. Maryam, obey your Lord and prostrate and bow with those who bow.' This is news from the Unseen which We reveal to you. You were not with them when they cast their reeds to see which of them would be the guardian of Maryam. You were not with them when they quarrelled. When the angels said, 'Maryam, your Lord gives you good news of a Word from Him. His name is the Messiah, 'Isa, son of Maryam, of high esteem in this world and the hereafter, and one of those brought near. He will speak to people in the cradle, and also when fully grown, and will be one of the righteous,' she said, 'My Lord! How can I have a son when no man has ever touched me?' He said, 'It will be so.' Allah creates whatever He wills. When He decides on something, He just says to it, 'Be!' and it is. (Surah Al 'Imran, 42-47)

DEATH ANGELS

How will it be when the angels take them in death, beating their faces and their backs? That is because they followed what angers Allah and hated what is pleasing to Him. So He made their actions come to nothing. (Surah Muhammad, 27-28)

The angels ask those they take while they are wronging themselves, 'What were your circumstances?' They reply, 'We were oppressed on earth.' They say, 'Was Allah's earth not wide enough for you to have migrated to elsewhere in it?' The shelter of such people will be Hell. What an evil destination! (Surat an-Nisa', 97)

Who could do greater wrong than someone who invents lies against Allah or denies His Signs, or who says, 'It has been revealed to me,' when nothing has been revealed to him, or someone who says, 'I will send down the same as Allah has sent down'? If you could only see the wrongdoers in the throes of death when the angels are stretching out their hands, saying, 'Disgorge your own selves! Today you will be repaid with the punishment of humiliation for saying something other than the truth about Allah, and being arrogant about His Signs.' (Surat al-An'am, 93)

As for those the angels take in death while they are wronging themselves, they will offer their submission: 'We did not do any evil.' Oh yes you did! Allah knows what you were doing. Enter the gates of Hell, remaining in it timelessly, for ever. How evil is the abode of the arrogant!' When those who have fear of Allah are asked, 'What has your Lord sent down?' their reply is, 'Good!' There is good in this world for those who do good, and the abode of the hereafter is even better. How wonderful is the abode of those who guard against evil: Gardens of Eden which they enter, with rivers flowing under them, where they have whatever they desire. That is how Allah repays those who guard agaisnt evil: those the angels take in a virtuous state. They say, 'Peace be upon you! Enter the Garden for what you did.' What are they waiting for but the angels to come to them or your Lord's command to come? That is like what those before them did. Allah did not wrong them; rather they wronged themselves. (Surat an-Nahl, 28-33)

ANGELS BEARING THE THRONE

And Heaven will be split apart, for that Day it will be very frail. The angels will be gathered round its edge. On that Day, eight will bear the Throne of their Lord above their heads. (Surat al-Haqqa, 16-17)

HARUT AND MARUT

They follow what the satans recited in the reign of Sulayman. Sulayman did not become disbeliever, but the satans did, teaching people sorcery and what had been sent down to Harut and Marut, the two angels in Babylon, who taught no one without first saying to him, 'We are merely a trial and temptation, so do not become disbelievers.' People learned from them how to separate a man and his wife but they cannot harm anyone by it, except with Allah's permission. They have learned what will harm them and will not benefit them. They know that any who deal in it will have no share in the hereafter. What an evil thing they have sold themselves for if they only knew! (Surat al-Baqara, 102)

ANGELS BEARING THE ARK

Their Prophet said to them, 'Allah has appointed Talut to be your king.' They said, 'How can he have kingship over us when we have much more right to kingship than he does? He has not even got much wealth!' He said, 'Allah has chosen him over you and favoured him greatly in knowledge and physical strength. Allah gives kingship to anyone He wills. Allah is All-Encompassing, All-Knowing.' Their Prophet said to them, 'The sign of his kingship is that the Ark will come to you, containing serenity from your Lord and certain relics left by the families of Musa and Harun. It will be borne by angels. There is a sign for you in that if you are believers.' (Surat al-Baqara, 247-248)

ANGELS ON THE DAY OF RISING

The Day when Heaven is split apart in clouds, and the angels are sent down rank upon rank. The Kingdom that Day will belong in truth to the All-Merciful. It will be a hard Day for the disbelievers. (Surat al-Furqan, 25-26)

And your Lord arrives with the angels rank upon rank and that Day Hell is produced, that Day man will remember; but how will the remembrance help him? (Surat al-Fajr, 22-23)

On that Day, the Occurrence will occur and Heaven will be split apart, for that Day it will be very frail. The angels will be gathered round its edge. On that Day, eight will bear the Throne of their Lord above their heads. (Surat al-Haqqa, 15-17)

On the Day when the Spirit and the angels stand in ranks, no one will speak, except for him who is authorised by the All-Merciful and says what is right. (Surat an-Naba, 38)

ANGELS OF PARADISE

Those the angels take in a virtuous state. They say, 'Peace be upon you! Enter the Garden for what you did.' (Surat an-Nahl, 32)

And those who guard against evil of their Lord will be driven to the Garden in companies and when they arrive there, finding its gates open, its custodians will say to them, 'Peace be upon you! You have done well so enter it timelessly, for ever.' (Surat az-Zumar, 73)

Gardens of Eden which they will enter, and all of their parents, wives and children who were righteous. Angels will enter in to welcome them from every gate: 'Peace be upon you because of your steadfastness! How wonderful is the Ultimate Abode!' (Surat ar-Rad, 23-24)

ANGELS OF HELL (CUSTODIANS)

There are nineteen in charge of it. We have only appointed angels as masters of the Fire and We have only specified their number as a trial for those who disbelieve; so that those who were given the Book might gain in certainty, and those who believe might increase in their faith, and both those who were given the Book and the believers might have no doubt; and so that those with sickness in their hearts and the disbelievers might say, 'What did Allah intend by this example?' In this way Allah misguides those He wills and guides those He wills. No one knows the legions of your Lord but Him. This is nothing but a reminder to all human beings. (Surat al-Muddaththir, 30-31)

It all but bursts with rage. Each time a group is flung into it its custodians will question them:'Did no warner come to you?' (Surat al-Mulk, 8)

Those who disbelieve will be driven to Hell in companies and when they arrive there and its gates are opened its custodians will say to them, 'Did Messengers from yourselves not come to you, reciting your Lord's Signs to you and warning you of the meeting on this Day of yours?' They will say, 'Indeed they did, but the decree of punishment is justly carried out against the disbelievers.' They will be told, 'Enter the gates of Hell and stay there timelessly, for ever. How evil is the abode of the arrogant!' (Surat az-Zumar, 71-72)

They will call out, 'Master, let your Lord put an end to us!' He will say, 'You will stay the way you are.' We brought you the truth but most of you hated the truth. (Surat Zukhruf, 77-78)

The Angels

Angels are unseen beings of a luminous and spiritual substance that act as intermediaries between God and the visible world. Belief in their existence enters into the definition of faith itself: "The Messenger believes in what was sent down to him from his Lord, and the believers: Each one believes in God, His angels, His Books, and His Messengers" (Quran II:285; cf. II:177, IV:136).

The word for angel, malak, whose root meaning is "messenger", occurs more than eighty times in the Quran and repeatedly in the Hadith. The Islamic concepts of creation, revelation, prophecy, the events that occur in the world, worship, the spiritual life, death, resurrection, and the central position of man in the cosmos cannot be understood without reference to the angels.

In philosophical and Sufi texts, angelology is often an essential component of both cosmology and spiritual psychology, since the angels enter into the definition of both the macrocosm and the microcosm.

Angels in Qur'an & Hadith

The angels belong to the "world of the unseen" ('alam al-ghayb). When the unbelievers asked why an angel had not been sent down with the Prophet Muhammad, God replied, "Had We made him an angel, yet assuredly We would have made him a man" (VI, 9).

Even if the angels were to be seen by the outward eye, they would appear in forms suitable for the visible world (al-shahadah). Moreover, if God had sent down an angel, then "the matter would be judged, and no respite would be given [to mankind]" (VI, 8)

For, "upon the day when they see the angels -- no good tidings that day for the sinners ... On the day when the heavens and the clouds are split asunder and the angels are sent down in a grand descent, the dominion that day will belong truly to the All-Merciful; it will be a harsh day for the unbelievers" (XXV, 25-26)

The Quran often refers to the angels' eschatological function not only at the resurrection, but also at death and in heaven and hell: "The angel of death, who has been charged with you, will gather you; then to your Lord you will be returned" (XXXII, 11).

"If you could only see when the evildoers are in the agonies of death and the angels are stretching out their hands: 'Give up your souls!' " (VI, 93). "Believers, guard yourselves and your families against a Fire whose fuel is men and stones, and over which are harsh, terrible angels" (LXVI, 6).

"Gardens of Eden which they shall enter ... and the angels shall enter unto them from every gate" (XIII, 23).

Several of these angels are mentioned by name. Ridwan ("Good-pleasure", IX, 21; LVII, 20) is taken to be the proper name of the angel given charge of paradise, whereas Malik ("Master",XLIII, 77) rules over hell. Nakir and Munkar, the two angels who question the dead in their graves, are mentioned in many hadiths; traditions also speak of Ruman, who subjects the dead to various trials.

The sacred history of the Prophet's mission provides many examples of explicit angelic activity in key events. As an infant, the Prophet was visited by "two men clothed in white, carrying a gold basin full of snow."

In the Prophet's own words, these angelic beings "split open my breast and brought forth my heart. This also they split open, taking from it a black clot which they cast away. Then they washed my breast with the snow."

God revealed the Quran to the Prophet by means of the angel Gabriel, who also acted as his guide on the Night of Ascension (Laylat al-mi'raj). Many witnesses reported the participation of angels in battles fought by the nascent community.

Concerning the battle of Badr, the Quran itself says: "When thy Lord revealed to the angels, 'I am with you, so confirm the believers. I shall cast terror into the unbelievers' hearts, so strike off their heads and smite their every finger'" (VIII, 12).

In this world, before death the angels record the deeds of men: "There are over you watchers, noble writers, who know whatever you do" (LXXXII, 10-12). "Over every soul there is a watcher" (LXXXVI, 4). The Prophet added, "They mind your works: when a work is good, they praise God, and when one is evil, they ask Him to forgive you."

The Prophet also reported that angels take turns watching over men and assemble together at the afternoon and dawn prayers. "Those who spent the night among you then ascend, and their Lord asks them -- though He is best informed about you -- how they left His servants. They reply, 'We left them while they were praying, and we came to them while they were praying.' "

In the same way, when people gather together to remember (dhikr) God, "the angels surround them, mercy covers them, peace descends on them, and God remembers them among those who are with Him." Among the important pious acts Muslims perform -- in imitation of God and the angels -- is the invocation of blessings (salat) upon the Prophet: "God and His angels bless the Prophet. Oh believers, you also bless him, and pray him peace" (XXXIII, 56).

Here the angels also perform a second function; in the words of the Prophet, "God has angels who travel about in the earth and convey to me greetings from my people." As for the evildoers, they call down upon themselves the angels' curses.

According to a hadith, "If anyone sells a defective article without calling attention to the defect, he will be the object of God's anger and the angels will curse him continually."

The angels are worthy of special veneration; when the name of a major angel is mentioned in Islamic texts, it is usually followed by the same formula ('alayhi's-salam, "upon him be peace') that follows the name of a prophet.

In his Sahifat al-sajjaiyyah, the fourth Shi'ite Imam, Zayn al-'Abidn 'Ali ibn al-Husayn (d. 95/714), has left a remarkable prayer, often recited by the pious, asking God to bestow blessings upon the various angels.

The Qur'an provides many keys to the nature and ontological status of the angels. A verse constantly quoted represents the words of the angels themselves: "None of us there is but has a known station" (XXXVII, 164). God also says, "They are honored servants who precede Him not in speech and act as He commands" (XXI, 27).

Basing themselves on these and other verses, the Quran commentators were able to discern a hierarchy of different kinds of angels, each performing a specified task. The Sufi 'Izz al-Din Kashani (d. 735/1334-35), author of the well-known Persian paraphrase of Abu Hafs Suuhrawardi's 'Awarif al-ma'arif, summarizes these discussions as follows:

All believers have faith in the existence of the angels, who dwell in the monasteries of holiness and the communities of divine intimacy ... Some of them are more excellent, others lower in degree. Their stations are various and their ranks multiple, as is explained by the verse, "By the rangers in their ranks" (XXXVII, 1).

Some have been brought nigh to the Presence of Majesty and cling to the Threshold of Perfection; these are alluded to in the words, "Then those who are foremost in going ahead" (LXXIX, 4). Others govern the affairs of creation: "Then those who govern the Command" (LXXIX, 5).

Another group guards the doorway to the Court of Magnificence: "By the drivers driving" (XXXVII, 2). Others sing the praises of the Presence of Kingship and the Divine Books: "By the reciters of a Remembrance" (XXXVII, 3).

Others carry news and relay reminders: "By those who deliver a reminder" (LXXXVII, 5). Many are their levels and ranks; each busies himself with a specific command and possess a known station: "None of us there is but has a known station" (XXXVII, 164).

In his 'Aja'ib al-makhluqat (Marvels of Creation) the famous cosmographer al-Qazwini (d. 682/1283) utilizes the Quran, the Hadith, and the later tradition to provide a detailed description of fourteen kinds of angels.

Angelic Hierarchy

1. The Bearers of the Throne

Mentioned in the Quran (XL, 7), these are called "Those brought nigh" (IV, 172). According to Ibn 'Abbas, God will add four more to their number on the Day of Resurrection; hence, the Quran says, "On that day the Terror shall come to pass and heaven shall be split ... ; the angles shall stand upon its borders, and on that day eight shall carry above them the Throne of thy Lord" (LXIX, 15-17).

2. The Spirit

He occupies one rank, and the remaining angles together occupy another rank, a fact alluded to in the verse, "On the day the Spirit and the angels stand in ranks..." (LXXXVIII, 38). He is charged with governing the spheres, the planets, and everything beneath the moon -- in other words, all the affairs of heaven and earth. Certain traditions place all the angels under his control, making him correspond to the Creative Principle itself.

3. Israfil

He delivers commands, places spirits within bodies, and will blow the trumpet on the Last Day. With one of his four wings he fills the west, with the second he fills the east, with the third he descends from heaven to earth, and with the fourth he keeps himself veiled. His two feet are below the seventh earth, and his head reaches the pillars of the Throne. When God wants something to happen in creation, He causes the Pen to write upon the Tablet, which is situated between Israfil's eyes, and then Israfil relays the command to Michael.

4. Gabriel

According to 'A'ishah and others, the Prophet saw him in his true form only twice, as is indicated by the Quran: "this is naught but a revelation revealed, taught him by one terrible in power, very strong [i.e., Gabriel]; he stood poised, being on the higher horizon ... He saw him another time by the Lote Tree of the Far Boundary" (LIII, 4-14). The first vision took place at the cave of Hira', during the revelation of the first verses of the Quran, the second during the mi'raj.

According to another account, having seen Gabriel in his true form, the Prophet fainted. Regaining consciousness, he said, "Glory be to God! I did not know that any of the creatures were like this!" Gabriel replied, "What if you had seen Israfil? He has twelve wings, one of which is in the east and the other in the west. The Throne rests upon his shoulders, yet he shrinks because of God's tremendousness until he becomes like a suckling child."

5. Michael

Mentioned by name once in the Quran (II, 98), he is charged with providing nourishment for bodies and knowledge for souls. He stands above the "Swarming Sea" (LII, 6) in the seventh heaven, and if he were to open his mouth, the heavens would fit within it like a mustard seed in the ocean.

According to a hadith, "Every prophet has two viziers from the inhabitants of heaven and two from the inhabitants of earth; my two from heaven are Gabriel and Michael." When Israfil blows the trumpet, Gabriel will stand at his right hand and Michael at his left.

6. Izra'il

He is mentioned by the Quran as the "angel of death"; his name is supplied by the commentators.

7. Cherubim (al-karrubiyyun)

They have withdrawn into the precinct of Holiness and turned their attention away from all but God; drowned in the contemplation of His Beauty, they "glorify Him by night and day, never failing" (XXI, 20).

8. Angels of the seven heavens

Ibn 'Abbas mentions the form of these angels and the name of the angel in charge of each heaven as follows (beginning with the sphere of the moon): cattle, Isma'il; eagles, Mikha'il; vultures, Sa'idya'il; horses, Salsa'il; houris, Kalka'il; heavenly youths (ghilman), Samkha'il; mankind, Rufa'il.

9. The guardian angels

They are also called the "honored writers" (LXXXII, 11); two of them are charged with each human being.

10. Attendant angels (XIII, 11)

They descend upon mankind with blessings and ascend with news of their works.

11. Nakir and Munkar

They question the dead in their graves.

12. Journeyers (sayyahun)

They visit assemblies where men remember the Name of God.

13. Harut & Marut (II, 102)

When the sons of Adam were given the earth, the angels marveled at their iniquities and protested to God: "Our Lord, Thou hast favored these dust-creatures of the earth, but they disobey Thee." God replied, "If that sensuality that is within them were within you, your state would be the same." The angels said, "We would not rebel against Thee and disobey Thy command."

At God's request they chose two of their number to be sent to the earth possessing sensuality and the other attributes of man. Harut and Marut were the most worshipful and humble of the angels; sending them down to the earth, God commanded them to avoid idolatry, fornication, wine, and the unjust spilling of blood. Eventually they committed all these sins and God gave news of their state to the angels in heaven.

From that day on, the angels have continued to "ask forgiveness for everyone on earth" (XLIII, 5), for they realize that man's sensuality is a tremendous burden, and those able to overcome it are truly the best of creatures.

14. Angels charged with every living thing

They keep things in good order and ward off corruption. The number of them charged with each thing is known only to God.

Islamic spirituality can only be envisaged in connection with the angels, who are intertwined with all dimensions of human life as seen by Islam. The key events of sacred history, such as the Revelation itself, the Prophet's Nocturnal Ascent, and the battle of Badr, are explicit instances of angelic intervention.

The angels record the deeds of each individual from birth to death. They are the constant companions of the faithful, participating with them especially in their prayers, and play a soteriological and illuminative function for those who follow the path of spiritual realization.

By God's leave they govern all macrocosmic and microcosmic forces, and they accompany man to the next abode on his departure from the earthly plane. To speak of Islamic spirituality from its most popular to its most esoteric level is to call attention to the role of the angelic hierarchy.

Allah

Mar 2, 2011

Angels