Angels in Islam
Angels in Islam
Allah (subhan wa ta’ala) has created many different types of creatures and one of those creatures are called Angels (or ‘al-Malaikah’ in the Quran). We usually cannot see them and they are made of pure light. They only do whatever Allah (SWT) tells them to do and they cannot ever disobey God because unlike us human’s, they have no choice of their own –they have no ‘Free Will.’
They pray, worship and glorify Allah all the time. Belief in the Angels is a big part of our Faith as Muslims, like the belief in ONE God and the many Prophets of God too. There are some very special angels who are given extra special tasks by Allah. Some of them are mentioned below.
- Jibrael(Gabriel): He is a very important angel. He is the angel of revelation and revealed the Quran to the Prophet Muhammad (saw). He also communicated with all the Prophet’s and is responsible for bringing down Allah’s blessings on Laylatul Qadr (The Night of Power) on one of the last 10 days of Ramadan. He is also responsible for bringing punishment on to nations who do many wrongs. Jibrael (alayhis salaam) is mentioned in the Quran several times.
- Mikael(Michael): Responsible for directing the rain and winds according to the will of Allah.
- Israfeel:Responsible for blowing the trumpet that will signal the ‘End of Time’ on this earth.
- Azrael: Also known as Malak al-maut(Judeo-Christian, Azrael), is the angel of death. He is responsible for parting the soul from the body. He is only referred as malak al-maut, meaning angel of death, in the Quran.
- Malik: The main guardian of hell.
- Munkar and Nakeer: Stern angels who question humans upon death as to their beliefs. They ask three questions: Who is your God? Who is your Prophet? What is your Religion? They punish those in the grave who did not believe, or were bad and disobedient in their lives.
- Haroot and Maroot:Two angels who came to earth and taught men some of ‘black magic’ such as breaking up family, marriage etc as a test
- Kirama Katibeen:These two angels sit on every person’s right and left shoulder to record his/her good or bad
What do Angels look like?
According to Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), we know these facts about angels:
- They are made of pure LIGHT, whereas the Jinn are made from fire, and mankind is from a type of ‘clay.’
- The angels are very large.
- They have wings, sometimes in pairs of two, three or four.
- They are extremely beautiful. With the exception of the Angel of Death.
- They are neither male nor female.
- They can take on the form of humans.
- The angels do not eat.
Q & A
What are angels made of?
Light
Can they ever be bad?
No. They have no ‘free Will’ They ALWAYS carry out their duties and are obedient to Allah.
Do they eat and drink?
No. They do not need to. They were made to constantly glorify and praise Allah as well as carry out tasks given to them by Allah.
How many are there?
Too many to count.
Do they have wings?
Yes. Some have 2, 4 or even 100’s of wings.
How big or small are they?
They are gigantic – bigger than mountains, but they can come in Human form.
Are Angels male or female?
Neither.
When do angels come to a home?
Whenever they hear Allah being mentioned or they hear the Quran being recited, they fly over and protect that home. They LOVE listening to the Quran.
Bad Jinn’s (or Shayteen), are very afraid of angels because they can ZAP them with a ball of light.
When does an angel leave the home?
Angels are very sensitive to bad words so if there is swearing going on they immediately leave. They also do not like pictures of humans or animals displayed on the walls or dogs living inside the home.
