.</strong></blockquote>
Angels are a part of the world of the “ghayb” (unseen) that humans cannot comprehend. Both <strong>Muslim and non-Muslim religious scholars</strong> and philosophers agree that angels exist. Angels are pure spiritual beings that represent the good aspect in existence, while Satan and his minions represent the evil aspect. Angels invite us to true guidance, inspire us with belief, good conduct and virtue, and call us to resist the temptations of Satan and our carnal selves.
Angels (<em>Malaika</em> in Arabic) are spiritual beings created from “light” according to the hadith narrated by Aisha, the Prophet’s wife. Being made of light, angels move very rapidly and can be in multiple places at the same time. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Being servants of God</strong></span> with no carnal self, they obey God’s commands. There is nothing to cause quarrels or disputes among them because they are innocent, their realm is vast, their nature is pure, and their stations are fixed.
Angels ask no reward for their services; their reward is the spiritual contentment of nearness to their Creator. Prayer, worship, recitation of God’s Names, and <em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">glorification of Him are their nourishments</span></em>, as are light and sweet fragrances. Angels look on God’s acts with wonder and admiration and present to Him the glorification and worship. Their worship varies according to their different natures and functions. <strong>No event in the universe can be conceived</strong> of or occurs without the function of the angels. There are angels representing or responsible for every event in the universe and every species on the earth. For example, some of them, the chief of whom is Michael, are <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>responsible for the growth of vegetation.</strong></span> Michael superintends the growth of all kinds of corn and provision by God’s Will and Power; he is the head of all the angels who may be likened to farmers.
There are other kinds or species of angels such as Gabriel, who carried revelation to the prophets; <em><strong>Azrail, whom God employs in taking the lives of people;</strong></em> and Israfil, who will blow the Trumpet during the final destruction of the world and the resurrection of the dead.
Angels do not sin or disobey, for they do not have a freewill. They have fixed ranks, and so are neither promoted nor abased. <em><strong>They have no negative qualities, such as envy, rancor, and enmity.</strong></em> They have no gender, do not eat or drink, and do not feel hunger or thirst.
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<strong>Further Reading:</strong>
Ünal, Ali trans. <em>The Qur’an with Annotated Interpretation in Modern English</em>. New Jersey: Tughra Books, November 2008.
Gülen, Muhammad Fethullah. <em>The Essentials of the Islamic Faith</em>. Somerset, New Jersey: Light, 2006.
Nursi, Said. <em>Risāla-i Nur Collection, The Words. </em>Somerset, New Jersey: The Light Publishing, 2007.)
Belief in angels is one of the six teachings of faith without which there is no faith. Every Muslim must believe in angels, as declared in the Qur’an:
“The Messenger believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord, and so do the believers; each one believes in God, and His angels, and His Books, and His Messengers..” (2:285).
Angels are a part of the world of the “ghayb” (unseen) that humans cannot comprehend. Both Muslim and non-Muslim religious scholars and philosophers agree that angels exist. Angels are pure spiritual beings that represent the good aspect in existence, while Satan and his minions represent the evil aspect. Angels invite us to true guidance, inspire us with belief, good conduct and virtue, and call us to resist the temptations of Satan and our carnal selves.
Angels (Malaika in Arabic) are spiritual beings created from “light” according to the hadith narrated by Aisha, the Prophet’s wife. Being made of light, angels move very rapidly and can be in multiple places at the same time. Being servants of God with no carnal self, they obey God’s commands. There is nothing to cause quarrels or disputes among them because they are innocent, their realm is vast, their nature is pure, and their stations are fixed.
Angels ask no reward for their services; their reward is the spiritual contentment of nearness to their Creator. Prayer, worship, recitation of God’s Names, and glorification of Him are their nourishments, as are light and sweet fragrances. Angels look on God’s acts with wonder and admiration and present to Him the glorification and worship. Their worship varies according to their different natures and functions. No event in the universe can be conceived of or occurs without the function of the angels. There are angels representing or responsible for every event in the universe and every species on the earth. For example, some of them, the chief of whom is Michael, are responsible for the growth of vegetation. Michael superintends the growth of all kinds of corn and provision by God’s Will and Power; he is the head of all the angels who may be likened to farmers.
There are other kinds or species of angels such as Gabriel, who carried revelation to the prophets; Azrail, whom God employs in taking the lives of people; and Israfil, who will blow the Trumpet during the final destruction of the world and the resurrection of the dead.
Angels do not sin or disobey, for they do not have a freewill. They have fixed ranks, and so are neither promoted nor abased. They have no negative qualities, such as envy, rancor, and enmity. They have no gender, do not eat or drink, and do not feel hunger or thirst.
Further Reading:
Ünal, Ali trans. The Qur’an with Annotated Interpretation in Modern English. New Jersey: Tughra Books, November 2008.
Gülen, Muhammad Fethullah. The Essentials of the Islamic Faith. Somerset, New Jersey: Light, 2006.
Nursi, Said. Risāla-i Nur Collection, The Words. Somerset, New Jersey: The Light Publishing, 2007.
