The
Message, Part One
Who Are The Angels ?
Part One :-
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 (mu’min). These pillars are belief in: Allaah, 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 Qur’aan and
via His
Prophet Muhammad . 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:
1. What are they created of ?
They are created from light, as ‘Aa’ishah reported: "The
Messenger of
Allah (pbuh) 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.’" (Reported by Muslim, no. 2996).Â
2. 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 Qur’aan says : "Behold, your Lord said to the
angels: ‘I
will create a vicegerent on earth.’ . . ." [al-Baqarah 2:30]
The fact that Allah (swa) told them of His intention to create
man indicates
that they already existed
3. What is their size ?
Allah says concerning the angels of Hell:
"O you 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." [al-Tahreem 66:6]Â
The greatest of all the angels is Jibreel (Gabriel), who was
described in
the following report: "From ‘Abdullaah ibn Mas‘ood, who said:
the
Messenger of Allah saw Jibreel in his true form. He had six
hundred wings,
each of which covered the horizon. There fell from his wings
jewels, pearls
and rubies, only Allah knows about them." It was reported by
Ahmad in
al-Musnad, and Ibn Katheer said in al-Bidaayah 1/47 that its
isnaad is
jayyid.
The Messenger of Allah said, describing Jibreel: "I saw Jibreel
descending
from heaven, and his great size filled the space between heaven
and earth."
(Reported by Muslim, no. 177).
Among the greatest angels are those who carry the Throne (of
Allah), who
were described in the following report:
"From Jaabir ibn ‘Abdullaah from the Prophet , 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.’" (Sunan Abee Daawood, Kitaab
al-Sunnah,
Baab fi’l-Jahamiyyah)
4. Do they have wings ?
Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"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)
adds to Creation as He pleases: for Allah has power over all
things."
[Faatir 35:1]Â
5. What is their beauty like ?
Allah said, describing Jibreel, upon whom be peace "He [the
Prophet] has
been taught by one Mighty in Power, Dhoo Mirrah (free from any
defect in
body and mind), then he rose and became stable." [al-Najm 53:5-6]
"‘Dhoo Mirrah" means that he has a beautiful appearance.
The idea that angels are beautiful is firmly established in all
people’s
minds, so much so that they liken a beautiful human to an angel,
as the
women said about Yoosuf: ". . . When they [the women] saw him,
they did
extol him and (in their amazement) cut their hands: they said: ‘Allah
preserve us! no mortal is this! This is none other than a noble
angel!’"
[Yoosuf 12:31]
6. What is 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. On the
day of Badr, "Jibreel came to the Prophet 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.’" (Reported by al-Bukhaari,
no.
3992).Â
7. Do they eat or drink ?
Angels do not eat or drink. This is indicated by the conversation
between
Ibraaheem, the "friend" of Allah and the angels who visited him.
Allah says
: "Then he turned quickly to his household, brought out a fatted
calf, and
placed it before them. He (SWT) said, ‘Will you not eat?’
(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." [al-Dhaariyaat
51:26-28]
Also , Allah (swa) says : "But when he [Ibrahim] saw their hands
went not
towards the (meal), he felt some mistrust of them, and conceived
a fear of
the. They said: ‘Fear not: we have been sent against the people
of
Lut.’" [Hud 11:70]
8. Do they get bored or tired of remembering and worshipping
Allah ?
Allah says : "They celebrate His praises night and day, nor do
they ever
flag or intermit." [al-Anbiyaa’ 21:20]
". . . For in the presence of your Lord are those who celebrate
His praises
by night and by day. And they never flag (nor feel themselves
above it)."
[Fussilat 41:38]
9. What is their number ?
The angels are many, and their number is known only to Allah. The
Prophet
said, described the Much-Frequented House (al-Bayt al-Ma‘moor)
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." (Reported by al-Bukhaari, Fath, no.
3207).
The Messenger of Allah said: ‘Hell will be brought forth that
day by means
of seventy thousand ropes, each of which will be pulled by
seventy thousand
angels." (Reported by Muslim, no. 2842).
Inshalla in part two, I will go over some of the known Angels to
us from the
Qur'an and Sunnah. May Allah bless us with thier prayers.
The Message, Part
Two
Who Are The Angels ?
Part Two :-
1. MUSLIM belief in the existence of the angels of Allah and that
they over
"honoured servants". "They do not speak before HE does, and they
act only by
His command "(21:26) Allah created them and they worshipped and
obeyed HIM.
According to the Holy Book and the Hadith of Muhammad, the
immediate servant
of Allah to carry out His will are the angels. In the Quran we
are told:
"Angels, strong and severe, who resist not Allah in that He
commandeth them,
but do that which they are commanded."Â (66:6 )
2. What is the nature Of Angels ?
Although classified as beings, the angels are sexless and are not
endowed
with powers of discrimination like those of the human beings.
Theirs is to
obey Allah and do precisely what they are commanded. Unlike
humans, they
have no will of their own. Human is superior to angel. This is
evident in
Holy Qur'an where angels were commanded to make obeisance to man:
" And
behold, We said to the angels, 'Bow down to Adam'; and they bowed
down;
except Iblis (satan). He refused because of pride (of his
so-called superior
origin) and so be became a disbeliever." (2:34)
3. Can angels be seen?
Angels are not settlers on earth. They are sent down from heaven.
The Holy
Quran mentions of the angelic hosts sent to help Muslims were not
seen by
human eyes. The manner in which Divine message is delivered by
angel is by
revealing it to the hearts of Prophets. There instances in the
lives of
several prophets especially Muhammad (pbuh) when the angel
Jibrail was seen
by the prophet coming with the Divine revelation, sometimes in
the shape of
a man. This, however, was not seen with the physical eyes but
hose of
spiritual. There were occasions when Prophet Muhammad received
the Divine
message while he was sitting among his Companions, yet no one
heard the
message nor saw the angel.
4. Do Angels have names, and what it their Function ?
There is a host of angels in the kingdom of Allah. Prominent
among them as
stated in the Quran and Hadith are:
A. Jibrail or Gabriel
Chief among the angels, Jibrail is also called Ruh al Amin or
the
Faithful Spirit ( he brought the Qur'an to the prophet Muhammad)
and Ruh al
Qudus or the Holy Spirit. (who was with prophet Jesus).
Jibrail's main function is to communicate God's message to mortal
prophets.
He revealed to Adam the twenty-one leaves, taught him the
cultivation of
wheat, the working of iron and the letters of the alphabet and he
took him
to the site of Mecca where he taught him the rites of pilgrimage.
To Noah, he showed how to build the Ark. He saved Ibrahim from
the flame. It
as Jibrail who helped Moses to fight against the magicians of
Egypt. He was
also instrumental in the destruction of Pharao's army in the Red
Sea. He
appeared to Samuel and Daud to whom he taught the art of making
coats-of-mail. And of course it was him who took the prophet
Muhammad (pbuh)
from Makka to Bait al Maqdis (jerosoulem) all the way to Heaven
in the
Isra'a & Mi'araj event.
B. Mikail or Michael
God commands Mikail to look after the universe, the movement of
stars and
planets and all the galaxies, and the forces of nature. "Whoever
is an enemy
to Allah and His angels and apostles, to Jibrail and Mikail,
verily Allah is
an enemy to the unbelievers."Â ( 2:98)
C. Izrail
Izrail is also known malakal Maut or Angel of Death. When Allah
wanted to
create man, He commanded Jibrail to snath from earth a handful of
its main
constituents. But Jibrail and then Mikail and Israfil who also
failed. It
was Izrail who turned a deaf ear to the earth and did what was
commanded of
him. When Izrail brought the handful of earth to Allah, God said
that it was
Izrail who brought the elements to create Adam and it shall also
be Izrail
who will take away the lives of Adam and his generation.
D. Israfil
In the Holy Quran, it is stated that when the time comes for the
Day of
Judgement, a trumpet will sound the blast to arouse men from the
graves. It
is the duty of Israfil to blow the trumpet. "Then, when one blast
is sounded
on the trumpet, and the earth is moved and its mountains, and
they are
crushed to powder at one stroke; on that day shall the great
Event come to
pass, and the sky will be rent as sunder, for it will that Day be
flimsy,
and the angels will be on its sides and eight will, that Day bear
the Throne
of thy Lord above them. That day shall you be brought to
Judgement: not one
act of yours that you hide will be hidden."Â ( 69: 13-20 )
E. Ridhuan
Guardian of Heaven, who welcomes the Prophets (a.s.) and the
righteous who
have been blessed by Allah SWT.
F. MunkarÂ
To question the dead on issues relating to his/her God, prophet,
religion,
belief, deeds, etc.
G. Naakir
To question the dead on issues relating to his/her God, prophet,
religion,
belief, deeds, etc.
H. RaqeebÂ
Sits on man's right shoulder to record his/her good deeds.