2️⃣

Belief in Angels

Belief in their existence, as creations of God who have no right to be worshipped,

The Messenger ˹firmly˺ believes in what has been revealed to him from his Lord, and so do the believers. They ˹all˺ believe in Allah, His angels, His Books, and His messengers. ˹They proclaim,˺ “We make no distinction between any of His messengers.” And they say, “We hear and obey. ˹We seek˺ Your forgiveness, our Lord! And to You ˹alone˺ is the final return.” (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:285)

• Angels are a part of the unseen world, that they are created from light with the sole purpose of obeying God.

• They do not need rest or food.

• The angels are very large.

• They are neither male nor female.

• They can take on the form of humans.

• They have wings.

Belief in the names by which they are identified and the tasks assigned to them in the Qur’an and Sunna,

• Their sole purpose is to worship, obey and serve God.
  • e.g: Baytul Ma'mur

Angels play a significant role in the everyday lives of human beings e.g.

• According to Muslim belief they breathe life into the foetus a few months after conception with the permission of God;

• An angel then writes the answer to four questions in this human being’s book of deeds: Will it be male or female? Will this person be happy or sad? How long will his/her life be and will the person perform good or bad deeds.

• Angels are also responsible for guarding people throughout their lives;

• Candidates could quote the Qur’an here, Sura 13 verse 11. Each person has been assigned two recording angels;

  For each one there are successive angels before and behind, protecting them by Allah’s command. Indeed, Allah would never change a people’s state ˹of favour˺ until they change their own state ˹of faith˺. And if it is Allah’s Will to torment a people, it can never be averted, nor can they find a protector other than Him. [13:11]

• Apart from the four angels constantly guarding and recording, other angels visit human beings to witness the prayer and listen to recited verses of the Qur’an.

• Angels helped the Prophet and his small band of followers in the Battle of Badr and helped them gain victory.

• The angels are a means of communication between God and the prophets.
  • God sent angels to prophet Ibrahim to inform him of the birth of his son,
  • Angels were sent throughout history to other prophets like Lot etc.
  • Gabriel was the angel who visited Mary and brought the revelation to Prrophet Muhammad.

Names of Angels and their duties

• Jibril is in charge of communicating Allah’s words to His prophets.

• Mikail who provide daily sustenance to humankind by bringing forth rain.

• Israfil will blow the trumpet first, to mark Yawmul Qiyamah and second, to commence the Resurrection.

• Izrail has the task of taking life with the permission of Allah

• Munkar & Nakir questions man after he dies in the grave.

• Raqib & 'Atid are names of the angels who are attendant on the right and left of humans, writing down their good and bad deeds and manners.

• Ridhuan serves as the guardian of heaven.

• Malik serves as the guardian of hell.

Significance

• Belief in angels makes a Muslim’s faith stronger.
  • Beliefs in angels is a part of a Muslim’s faith and without it their faith would not be complete.
  • By believing in them, even though they cannot be seen, a Muslim is confirming his/her firm belief in all that the Qur’an says about them and what the Prophet (pbuh) has said about them.
  • The revealed faiths prior to Islam also believe in angels and this belief confirms the Muslim belief that Islam is a continuation and culmination of the previous faiths revealed by God hence making their faith even stronger.
  • By believing in angels (e.g. Jibra’il being the angel who brought revelations to the Prophet) Muslims are convinced of the Qur’an being sent by God which in turn makes their faith stronger.
  • Angels are the recorders of our deeds and belief in this task of theirs keeps Muslims righteous.