Give a full account of the Muslim belief in Angels
- Angels are spiritual beings created from light by Allah. They are invisible to humans unless Allah wills them to appear in human form. They are pure, sinless, and entirely obedient to Allah’s commands.
- And He taught Adam the names – all of them. Then He showed them to the angels and said, "Inform Me of the names of these, if you are truthful.”
- Angels serve as Allah’s messengers, delivering revelations to prophets. For example, Hazrat Jibrael (Gabriel) revealed the Quran to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and brought messages to other prophets like Hazrat Zakaria and Hazrat Maryam.
- Angels perform various tasks, such as protecting humans, recording deeds, administering punishments, and carrying out Allah’s commands. They also strengthen believers, instill fear in enemies, and intercede for forgiveness.
- Hazrat Jibrael (Gabriel): The chief angel who delivers divine revelations.
- Hazrat Izrael (Angel of Death): Responsible for taking souls at the time of death.
- Hazrat Israfil: Will blow the trumpet to signal the Day of Judgment.
- Hazrat Mikail: Oversees natural phenomena like rain and sustenance.
- Two angels, known as the "respected recorders," accompany each person, recording their good and bad deeds. These records will be presented on the Day of Judgment.
- After death, angels like Munkar and Nakir question individuals in their graves about their faith and deeds.
- Angels constantly glorify and praise Allah. They do not eat, sleep, or tire, and they have no free will, acting solely according to Allah’s commands.
- angels are a part of the unseen world, that they are
created from light with the sole purpose of obeying God. Angels were created
before the creation of Adam. They are truthful and innocent of any sin. There
are angels for guarding people throughout their lives. They breathe the soul
into the human. They do not need rest or food. They play a part in the
everyday lives of Muslims
- Angels are not to be worshipped or considered deities. They are Allah’s servants, and worshipping them is considered shirk (associating partners with Allah).
- Angels will welcome believers into Paradise, guarded by Hazrat Ridwan, and punish wrongdoers in Hell, overseen by Hazrat Malik.
- The Quran emphasizes the role of angels as Allah’s agents, stating, "He sends down His angels with inspiration of His command to whom He wills of His servants" (16:2).
- angels appeared before prophets. For example, Ibrahim, Lut and Muhammad (pbuh). The story
of Ibrahim in the Qur’an (al-Dhariyat, 51:26–28) tells us that they visited him in
the form of men to give him the glad tidings of the birth of a son. He offered
them a calf cooked in their honour which they refused to eat and when
Ibrahim became fearful, it was then that they revealed to him that they were
angels.
Angels appeared before Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as we know from the
Hadith of Jibril ‘…whose clothes were exceedingly white and whose hair was
exceedingly black…