Angels in Islam

In Islam, an angel is a supernatural being created by Allah (God) from light. Angels are considered to be pure and obedient servants of Allah who carry out His commands without question. They have no free will or ability to sin, unlike humans who have been granted free will and are capable of making choices that can lead them towards sin or righteousness.

Angels play an important role in Islamic belief and are mentioned frequently in the Quran and Hadith. They are responsible for carrying out various tasks assigned to them by Allah, such as delivering messages, recording human deeds, protecting individuals, and carrying out punishments.

Muslims believe that angels are invisible to human beings unless Allah chooses to reveal them. They are also believed to be present in large numbers around humans, especially during prayer and other acts of worship.

Angels in Islam are seen as important agents of Allah's will, and their existence is considered to be a fundamental aspect of Islamic faith.


Quranic verses about angels in Islam:

1. Jibril (Gabriel): Jibril is one of the most prominent angels mentioned in the Quran. He is the archangel who is responsible for delivering Allah's message to the prophets. He is also known as the "holy spirit" or "reliable spirit." The Quran mentions Jibril in several verses, including:

"Say, [O Muhammad], 'Whoever is an enemy to Jibril - it is [none but] he who has brought the Qur'an down upon your heart, [O Muhammad], by permission of Allah, confirming that which was before it and as guidance and good tidings for the believers.'" (2:97)

"The trustworthy Spirit has brought it down, upon your heart, [O Muhammad], that you may be one of the warners." (26:193-194)

2. Mika'il (Michael): Mika'il is another prominent angel mentioned in the Quran. He is the angel of mercy and is responsible for providing sustenance to living beings. The Quran mentions Mika'il in the following verse:

"Whoever is an enemy to Allah and His angels and His messengers and Gabriel and Michael - then indeed, Allah is an enemy to the disbelievers." (2:98)

3. Israfil: Israfil is the angel who is responsible for blowing the trumpet on the Day of Judgment to signal the end of the world. The Quran mentions Israfil in the following verse:

"The Day the Horn will be blown. And We will gather the criminals, that Day, blue-eyed." (20:102)

4. Azrael: Azrael is the angel of death who takes the souls of the deceased. The Quran mentions Azrael in the following verse:

"Say, 'The angel of death will take you who has been entrusted with you. Then to your Lord you will be returned.'" (32:11)

Quran doesn't call him Azrael, but the angel of Death.

5. Raqib and Atid: Raqib and Atid are two angels who are responsible for recording a person's good and bad deeds throughout their life. The Quran mentions them in the following verses:

"He is not questioned about what He does, but they will be questioned." (21:23)

"Indeed, We have created man and know what his soul whispers to him, and We are closer to him than [his] jugular vein. When the two receivers receive, seated on the right and on the left. Man does not utter any word except that with him is an observer prepared [to record]." (50:16-18)

6. Harut and Marut: Harut and Marut are two angels who are mentioned in a story in the Quran where they are sent to test people's faith. The story is mentioned in the following verse:

"And they [i.e., the Children of Israel] followed [instead] what the devils had recited during the reign of Solomon. It was not Solomon who disbelieved, but the devils disbelieved, teaching people magic and that which was revealed to the two angels at Babylon, Harut and Marut. But the two angels do not teach anyone unless they say, 'We are a trial, so do not disbelieve [by practicing magic].' And [yet] they learn from them that by which they cause separation between a man and his wife. But they do not harm anyone through it except by permission of Allah. And the people learn what harms them and does not benefit them. But the Children of Israel certainly knew that whoever purchased the magic would not have in the Hereafter any share.

7. Angels of the Seven Heavens: The Quran also mentions angels who are responsible for different aspects of the natural world. For example, in Surah Al-Hijr, the Quran mentions:

"And We have placed within the heaven great stars and have beautified it for the observers. And We have protected it from every devil expelled [from the mercy of Allah] except one who steals a hearing and is pursued by a clear burning flame. And the earth - We have spread it and cast therein firmly set mountains and caused to grow therein [something] of every well-balanced thing. And We have made for you therein means of living and [for] those for whom you are not providers. And there is not a thing but that with Us are its depositories, and We do not send it down except according to a known measure. And We have sent the fertilizing winds and sent down water from the sky and given you drink from it. And you are not its retainers." (15:16-22)

These verses suggest that there are angels responsible for protecting the heavens from evil influences, as well as angels who are responsible for the growth of plants, the distribution of resources, and the regulation of natural phenomena such as winds and rain.

In addition to these examples, the Quran also mentions other angels by name or by their functions, such as the angels who will escort the believers to Paradise on the Day of Judgment, the angels who will punish the disbelievers in Hell, and the angels who will serve the believers in Paradise.

Overall, the concept of angels is an important part of Islamic theology and is mentioned frequently throughout the Quran. Muslims believe that angels are created beings who play a vital role in carrying out Allah's will and are an essential component of the spiritual world.


Angels in Hadith:

Here are some examples of angels mentioned in hadiths (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad) along with their reference numbers:

1. Jibril (Gabriel): Jibril is mentioned in many hadiths, including:

"The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, 'Jibril said to me, "O Muhammad, live as you wish, for you will die. Love whom you wish, for you will be separated from him. Do what you wish, for you will be recompensed for it. Know that the nobility of the believer is in his prayer during the night, and his honor is in his humility.'"'" (Musnad Ahmad, 10706)

"The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, 'Jibril led me in prayer at the House (i.e., the Ka'bah) and prayed the morning prayer with me.'" (Sahih al-Bukhari, 329)

2. Munkar and Nakir: Munkar and Nakir are two angels who question the deceased in their graves. They are mentioned in the following hadith:

"It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said: 'The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, "When the deceased is buried, two black and blue angels come to him, one called Munkar and the other called Nakir. They say: 'What did you used to say about this man?' He says: 'He is the slave of Allah and His Messenger. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.' They say: 'We knew that you would say that.'"'" (Sunan Ibn Majah, 1475)

3. Ridwan: Ridwan is the angel who guards the gates of Paradise. He is mentioned in the following hadith:

"The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, 'When Allah created Paradise, He said to Ridwan, "Go and look at it." He went and looked at it, then he came back and said, "By Your might, no one who hears of it will fail to enter it."'" (Sunan Ibn Majah, 4319)

4. Mika'il (Michael): Mika'il is mentioned in the following hadith:

"The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, 'Mika'il came to me and greeted me, then he said, 'This is a door of Paradise which Allah has opened for you, so accept it.' I looked and saw that it was a good deed, and I said, 'O Mika'il, describe it to me.' He said, 'It is to say Subhan Allah, wa Alhamdulillah, wa La ilaha illallah, wa Allahu Akbar [Glory be to Allah, praise be to Allah, there is no god but Allah, and Allah is the Greatest].'" (Sunan Ibn Majah, 3793)

5. Israfil: Israfil is the angel responsible for blowing the trumpet on the Day of Judgment to signal the end of the world. He is mentioned in the following hadith:

"The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, 'How can I feel at ease when the Angel of the Trumpet (i.e., Israfil) has put his lips to the Trumpet and is waiting for the order to blow it?'" (Sahih al-Bukhari, 6222)

7. Raqib and Atid: Raqib and Atid are two angels who record the deeds of humans. They are mentioned in the following hadith:

"The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, 'Verily, there are two angels who sit on the shoulders of every human being. One of them records his good deeds and the other records his evil deeds.''" (Sunan Ibn Majah, 4208)

8. Harut and Marut: Harut and Marut are two angels who were sent down to teach magic to the people of Babylon as a test of their faith. They are mentioned in the following hadith:

"The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, 'Harut and Marut taught people magic and said, "We are only a test, so do not disbelieve."'" (Sahih al-Bukhari, 3128)

9. Malik: Malik is the angel who guards the gates of Hell. He is mentioned in the following hadith:

"The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, 'Then I was taken to the gate of Hell and I saw Malik, the keeper of the gate, and I said to him, "Will you open the gate for me?" He said, "Did you not know that there will never be anyone who comes to it but that it will never be opened for him?"'" (Sahih al-Bukhari, 1217)

10. Azrael: Azrael is the angel of death who is responsible for taking the souls of humans. He is mentioned in the following hadith:

"The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, 'When the soul of a believer is taken, two angels descend from the heavens with white faces like the sun, and they sit next to him until they take his soul. Then they take it and wrap it in a shroud of silk and musk, and they take it up to the heavens. The gates of the heavens are opened for it, and the angels do not stop carrying it until they bring it to the One Who created it. When He sees it, He says, "Welcome, O soul that was at rest! Enter among My righteous servants."'" (Sunan Ibn Majah, 1477)

11. Kiraman Katibin: Kiraman Katibin are two angels who record the deeds of humans. They are mentioned in the following hadith:

"The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, 'Verily, there are two angels who accompany each person and record his deeds. They are called Kiraman Katibin (the noble recorders). One of them records his good deeds and the other records his evil deeds.'" (Sunan Ibn Majah, 4208)

12. Jundub: Jundub is the angel who is in charge of the well of Zamzam in Mecca. He is mentioned in the following hadith:

"The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, 'The best water on the face of the earth is the water of Zamzam. It is a food for the hungry and a cure for the sick.' Then he said, 'Jundub is the angel who is in charge of the well of Zamzam, and he sends it forth.'" (Sunan Ibn Majah, 3062)

13. Raqeeb and 'Ateed: Raqeeb and 'Ateed are two angels who watch over humans and protect them. They are mentioned in the following hadith:

"The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, 'Allah has appointed an angel over every believer as a guardian and protector. The angel says, "O Allah, forgive him, for he is one of Your servants."'" (Sunan Abu Dawud, 5090)

14. Munkar and Nakir: Munkar and Nakir are two angels who question humans about their faith and deeds in their graves. They are mentioned in the following hadith:

"The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, 'When the deceased is buried, two angels come to him and ask him, "Who is your Lord, what is your religion, and who is your Prophet?" If he is a believer, he will answer them correctly, and they will tell him, "Rest in peace, for you have been guided aright." But if he is a disbeliever, he will say, "I do not know," and they will say, "May Allah never guide you."'" (Sahih al-Bukhari, 1267)

15. Ridwan: Ridwan is the angel who guards the gates of Paradise. He is mentioned in the following hadith:

"The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, 'I saw Ridwan, the guardian of the gates of Paradise, and I heard him say, "There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His Messenger. O people of Paradise, welcome to you! You are living and will never die, and you are healthy and will never fall sick, and you are young and will never grow old."' (Sahih al-Bukhari, 6575)

These are just a few more examples of the many angels mentioned in hadiths. Angels are an integral part of Islamic belief and play a crucial role in the lives of humans.



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