What kind of creations are angels? Why can we not see angels? What are the names of the archangels and what are their duties?Explain the benefits of believing in angels.
Topics:
- The nature and attributes of angels
- The names of the archangels and their duties
- The benefits of believing in angels
THE ENTITY AND ATTRIBUTES OF ANGELS
The second condition of faith is to believe in angels. Angels are the beings that are created from divine light. They do not eat or drink, nor are they male or female.
Angels are the beloved servants of Allah. They execute Allah’s commands flawlessly; they do not commit any sins.
Allah the Almighty has created beings in various forms. Some of these forms can be seen by us and others cannot. Thus, some beings cannot be seen by humans. This is because a human’s eye has not been created to see everything; rather its ability to see is limited.
For example, just as we cannot see very small substances, we can also not see the air, wind, our souls or our minds. The electric current that passes through wire cannot be seen either. We know that it exists, but we cannot actually see it. Therefore, angels are the beings that exist even though they cannot be seen by us.
We cannot see angels because they are subtle beings created from divine light. Yet, we believe in their existence because Allah the Almighty informed us of the existence of angels in the Qur’an. Our Prophet has seen angels and He has also informed us of them. Everything that Allah the Almighty and our beloved Prophet notified us is correct. Consequently, we faithfully believe with certainty in the existence of angels.
THE NAMES OF ARCHANGELS AND THEIR DUTIES
Angels: They exist on earth, in the sky, in our environment and everywhere. Their numbers are only known by Allah. Each of them has a duty entrusted to them by Allah.
Some of them uninterruptedly worship Allah. Some are charged with the duty of managing and coordinating the universe. They perform the big tasks that the strength of people cannot compete.
There are angels sent to help believers in troublesome times, preach goodness to people and protect them from harm. Allah the Almighty has shown His endless power with the existence of angels.
Archangels and their duties
1) Jibreel: The greatest of angels. Has a responsibility in acting as a messenger between Allah and His Prophets, revealing Allah’s books to the prophets. Jibreel brought our book, the Qur’an to our Prophet from Allah.
2) Mikail: has a responsibility in managing the nature. (Like the pouring of rain, the blowing of the wind, the growing of crops etc.)
3) Israfil: has a responbility in dealing with the Doomsday and the resurrection of people.
4) Azrael: has a responsibility in taking the lives of people who have reached the end of their lifespan.
In addition to the above mentioned Archangels, some of the other angels are as follows:
Kiraman Katibin (The Noble Recorders): They are two angels. One stays on a person’s right side and the other on his left. The one on the right records the good deeds performed and the one on the left records the bad deeds performed. Thus, a “Book of Deeds” is compiled for every person where good and bad deeds are recorded.
Munkar & Nakir: They are the two angels tasked with asking questions to people in the grave after they die.
Ridwan: The head angel in paradise.
Malik: The head of all the angels in hell.
THE BENEFITS OF BELIEVING IN ANGELS
There are angels who never leave us, they are with us at all times and places. As mentioned earlier, the duties of the angels named “Kiraman Katibin” are to record our all the good and bad deeds. Therefore, a person is not alone even if there is not anyone else nearby. There are angels that always observe and record everything that a person does.
A Muslim believing in angels cannot engage in mischief by saying “No-one can see me; I will do whatever I want.” This is because no matter where they are, they know that there are angels observing and recording all the good and bad deeds. Thus, our faith in angels prevents us from doing harm to others.
In addition to these, there are other angels that protect us from harm and lead us to goodness. The example of goodness and beauty in this world is the angel and the example of evilness and ugliness is satan. The angel calls a person to goodness, whereas satan calls to evil.
For example, when we come across a poor person who is hungry and in need of assistance, a feeling of pity appears. A secret voice calls out to us to “help the poor person.” This is the voice of the angel. Meanwhile, a different voice inside us tries to discourage us from helping the poor by whispering, “If you help, your money will decrease, desist from helping.” This whisper is the voice of satan.
In this situation, we should follow the voice advising us to help the poor. This is the voice of a friend who likes kindness and lead us to perform good deeds. Complying with this will lead us to good deeds and is a means to earn reward. We must refrain from complying with the voice of satan because he will hinder us from kindness and try to deceive us into committing sin.
It can be seen that believing in angels enables us to avoid harm to others and it beautifies our morality.
Our Prophet (saw) commands the following:
“Both satan and angels bring something to the heart of a person. Satan’s duty is to call upon mischief and ward off rightness. The duty of an angel is to call upon rightness, goodness and keep the believer away from mischief.
Whoever hears a voice inside them calling for goodness should know that this is the voice of an angel. They should immediately obey the voice and give thanks to Allah.
And whoever hears a voice inside them calling for mischief should know that this is the voice of satan. They should move away from them and take refuge in Allah.”[4]
Source: Presidency Of Religious Affairs The Turkey, Basics of Islam, Seyfettin Yazıcı
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