Belief in the
Angels
Selected by Abdullah
Angels are
beings of a different nature from man. While man is created from soil, they
are created from light. [Sahih Muslim, Kitab az-Zuhd, 1227]. And thus human
beings — except
Prophets — cannot see them in their original nature, but may see them if they
take a physical form. Our knowledge of them is therefore almost entirely based
on what Allah and His Prophets tell us about them.
But why should
we bother to know about them? Because they play a very big role in conducting
our affairs. To know about them could perhaps be said to be useful to us in the
same manner as knowledge of the working of natural causes and other people's
behaviour is useful.
We are told
that these almost innumerable beings who are extremely powerful are created in
such a way that they always obey and never go against Divine commands, and
continuously server and never tire of serving the Lord. [Anbiya, XXI, 19-20;
Tahrun, LXVI:6].
But in spite of
this, they are — as a species — in a lower degree than the
human species, and this is symbolised in the fact that when Hadhrat Adam
(Alaihis Salaam) was created, the angels were ordered to prostrate themselves
before him as a sign of greeting and respect.
[This verse —
Isra, XVII:70] has been given (by some) as an evidence for the fact that the
human species is better than the: species of angels by Ibn Kathir in his Tafsir
of the Holy Qur'aan.
Here are some
of their activities in connection with human beings. Their main task, the one
from which then name is derived is that of conveying Allah's messages to His
chosen prophets. This great honour is assigned mainly to then- leader Gabriel
(or Jibril as the name is pronounced in Arabic).
"A noble
messenger having power, with the Lord of the Throne, secure, obeyed there (in
heaven) and trusty." [Takwir, LXXXI: 19-21]
A message
carried by beings of such a nature is sure to reach its destination intact.
They attend to
and watch over us. They keep a record of our good and bad deeds, and never a
word we mention passes without being registered by them either for or against
us. [Qaf, L: 17-18]
They play a
role in the causing and happening of seemingly purely natural phenomena, like
"wind and rain and death. [Nazi'at, LXXIX: 1-5]
And
to them is assigned the role of helping the believers to the extent of fighting
on their side in times of war. ['Al-i-Imran, 11:124], and of protecting them
[Ra'd, XIII: 11], and praying for them. [Ghafir, XL: 7]
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