powers?
Praise be to Allaah.
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 Allaah.
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
(Peace & Blessings of Allaah 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 ‘Aa’ishah reported: "The Messenger of Allah
(Peace & Blessings of Allaah 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.’" (Reported by Muslim, no. 2996).
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 (interpretation
of the meaning): "Behold, your Lord said to the angels: ‘I will create a vicegerent on earth.’ . .
." [al-Baqarah 2:30] The fact that Allah told them of His intention to create man indicates that they
already existed.
Their great size
Allaah 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]
The greatest of all the angels is Jibreel (Gabriel), upon whom be peace, who was described in
the following report:
"From ‘Abdullaah ibn Mas‘ood, who said: the Messenger of Allah
(Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him)
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
(Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) 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 Allaah), who were described in
the following report:
"From Jaabir ibn ‘Abdullaah from the Prophet
(Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him), who said: ‘I have
been given permission to speak about one of the angels of Allaah 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).
They have wings
Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Praise be to Allaah, 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]
Their beauty
Allaah said, describing Jibreel, upon whom be peace (interpretation of the meaning):
"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]
Ibn ‘Abbaas said: "‘Dhoo Mirrah means that he has a beautiful appearance." Qutaadah said:
"He is tall and beautiful."
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]
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‘aadh ibn Rifaa‘ah al-Zuraaqi from his father, who had
been one of the people present at Badr. He said: "Jibreel came to the Prophet
(Peace & Blessings of Allaah 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.’" (Reported by al-Bukhaari, no. 3992).
They do not eat or drink
This is indicated by the conversation between Ibraaheem, the "friend" of Allaah and the angels
who visited him. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Then he turned quickly to his household, brought out a fatted calf, and placed it before them.
He 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]
Elsewhere, Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"But when he [Ibraaheem] 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]
They do not get bored or tired of remembering and worshipping Allah
Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"They celebrate His praises night and day, nor do they ever slacken." [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 become tired (nor feel themselves above it)." [Fussilat 41:38]
Their number
The angels are many, and their number is known only to Allah. The Prophet
(Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) 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).
‘Abdullaah said: "The Messenger of Allaah
(Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) 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).
Their 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 Qur’aan and Sunnah texts, as a part of general belief in the angels.
Among the names of angels that are known to us are:
(1) Jibreel (Gabriel) and (2) Mikaa’eel (Michael)
"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 -
Whoever is an enemy to Allah, and His angels and prophets, to Jibreel and Mikaa’eel - Lo!
Allah is an enemy to those who reject Faith." [al-Baqarah 2:97-98]
(3) Israafeel
From Abu Salamah ibn ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn ‘Awf, who said: "I asked ‘Aa’ishah the Mother
of the Believers about what the Prophet
(Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) used to start his prayer
with when he got up to pray at night (qiyaam 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, Mikaa’eel and
Israafeel, 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.’" (Reported by Muslim,
no. 270).
(4) Malik
He is the Keeper of Hell, as Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): "They [the people in
Hell] will cry: ‘O Malik! Would that your Lord put an end to us!’. . ." [al-Zukhruf 43:77]
(5) Munkar and (6) Nakeer
From Abu Hurayrah, who said: "The Messenger of Allah
(Peace & Blessings of Allaah 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.’"
(reported by al-Tirmidhi, no. 1071. Abu ‘Isa said: It is a ghareeb hasan hadeeth. It is judged hasan in Saheeh
al-Jaami‘, no. 724).
(7) Haaroot and (8) Maaroot
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
". . . and such things as came down at Babylon to the angels Haaroot and Maaroot . . ."
[al-Baqarah 2:102]
". . . and none can know the forces of your Lord, except He. And this is no other than a
warning to mankind."
[al-Muddaththir 74:31]
Their powers
The angels have great powers given to them by Allaah, 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 (Mary) in the form of a man, as Allah says:
". . . Then We sent to her Our angel, and he appeared before her as a man in all respects."
[Maryam 19:17]
Angels also came to Ibraaheem 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 & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) in different forms: sometimes
he would appear in the form of Dihyah al-Kalbi, a Sahaabee who was very handsome, and
sometimes in the form of a Bedouin. The Sahaabah saw him in his human form, as is reported
from ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab in the two Saheehs. (‘Umar) said:
"One day while we were sitting with the Messenger of Allah
(Peace & Blessings of Allaah 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 & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him). Resting his knees against
his and placing his hands on his thighs, he said: ‘O Muhammad, tell me about Islam.’. . ."
(Saheeh Muslim, no. 8).
Many other ahaadeeth refer to the angels taking human forms, such as the hadeeth 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 & Blessings of Allaah 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, Jibril, upon whom be peace. Allah says:
"Say: whoever is an enemy to Jibreel - for he brings down the (revelation) to your heart by
Allah’s will. . . " [al-Baqarah 2:97]
"Which the trustworthy spirit has brought down,
Upon your heart, that you may be (one) of the warners."
[al-Shu‘araa’ 26:193-194]
Another is responsible for rain, directing it wherever Allah wishes. This is Mikaa’eel, 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 Israafeel 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.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "Say: ‘the Angel of Death, put in charge of you, will
(duly) take your souls, then shall you be brought back to your Lord.’" [al-Sajdah 32:11] There is
no proof in any saheeh hadeeth that his name is ‘Azraa’eel.
Others are responsible for protecting the slave throughout his life, when he stays home and
when he travels, when he is asleep and when he is awake. These are the "angels in succession"
concerning whom Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"It is the same (to Him) whether any of you conceal his speech or declare it openly, whether he
be hid by night or go forth freely by day.
For each (person), there are angels in succession, before and behind him. They guard him by
the Command of Allaah. Verily! Allaah 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 Allaah). But when Allaah wills a people’s punishment, there can
be no turning back of it, and they will find besides Him no protector."
[al-Ra‘d 13:10-11]
Others are responsible for recording the deeds of man, good and bad. These are the
"honourable scribes" (kiraaman kaatibeen) and are referred to in the aayaat (interpretation of the
meanings):
". . . and He sends guardians (angels guarding and writing all of one’s good and bad deeds)
over you . . ." [al-An‘aam 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."
[al-Zukhruf 43:80]
"(Remember!) that the two receivers (recording angels) receive (each human being after he or
she has attained the age of puberty), one sitting on the right and one on the left (to note his or
her actions).
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,
Kiraaman (honourable) kaatibeen - writing down (your deeds)."
[al-Infitaar 82:10-11]
Others are responsible for testing people in the grave. These are Munkar and Nakeer. From
Abu Hurayrah who said: "The Messenger of Allah
(Peace & Blessings of Allaah 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. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And those who kept their duty to their Lord will be led to Paradise in groups, till, when they
reach it, its gates will be opened and its keepers will say: Salaamun ‘alaikum (peace be upon
you!). You have done well, so enter here, to abide therein."
[al-Zumar 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. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And those who disbelieved will be driven to Hell in groups, till, when they reach it, the gates
thereof will be opened. And its keepers will say, ‘Did not the Messengers come to you from
yourselves, - reciting to you the Verses of your Lord, and warning you of the Meeting of this
Day of yours?’ They will say: ‘Yes, but the Word of torment has been justified against the
disbelievers!’" [al-Zumar 39:71]
"Then. let him call upon his council (of helpers),
We will call the guards of Hell (to deal with him)!" [al-‘Alaq 97:17-18]
"And what will make you know exactly what Hell-fire is?
It spares not (any sinner), nor does it leave (anything unburnt)!
Burning the skins!
Over it are nineteen (angels as guardians and keepers of Hell).
And We have set none but angels as guardians of the Fire, and We have fixed their number
only as a trial for the disbelievers - in order that the People of the Scripture may arrive at a
certainty and the believers may increase in Faith . . ." [al-Muddaththir 74:27-31]
"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.’" [al-Zukhruf 43:77]
One of the angels is responsible for the sperm in the womb, as is mentioned in the hadeeth of
Ibn Mas‘ood (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: "The Messenger of Allah
(Peace & Blessings of Allaah 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 foetus), 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." (Reported by al-Bukhaari, al-Fath, no. 3208 and by Muslim, no. 2643).
Some angels carry the Throne of Allaah, as He describes in the Qur’aan (interpretation of the
meaning):
"Those (angels) who bear the Throne (of Allaah) and those around it glorify the praises of their
Lord, and believe in Him, and ask forgiveness for those who believe (in the Oneness of Allaah)
(saying): ‘Our Lord! You comprehend all things in mercy and knowledge, so forgive those who
repent and follow Your way, and save them from the torment of the blazing Fire!’" [Ghaafir 40:7]
Some of the angels travel throughout the world, seeking out gatherings of dhikr (remembrance
of Allaah). Abu Hurayrah said: "The Messenger of Allaah
(Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) said:
‘Allah, be He be 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 asked then, 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 Allaah, 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 Allaah, 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 Allaah, 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)."’" (Reported
by al-Bukhaari, al-Fath, no. 6408).
Some of them are responsible for the mountains. ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her)
asked the Prophet
(Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him): "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 ‘Abd Yaalayl ibn ‘Abd al-Kalaal 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‘aalib. 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 & Blessings of Allaah 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." (Reported by al-Buhaari, Fath, no. 3231).
Some of them visit the Much Frequented House (al-bayt al-ma‘moor). In the lengthy hadeeth
describing the Israa’ and Mi‘raaj (the Night Journey and the Ascent to Heaven), the Prophet
(Peace & Blessings of Allaah 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 & Blessings of Allaah 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 Allaah. By Allaah, 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 Allaah.’" (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, no. 2312)
This is a summary of Islamic teachings concerning the noble angels of Allaah. We ask Allaah to
make us believe in them and love them. May Allah bless our Prophet Muhammad.
From Abu Salamah ibn ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn ‘Awf, who said: "I asked ‘Aa’ishah the Mother
of the Believers about what the Prophet
(Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) used to
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