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6. Angels Angels are immaterial beings The Arabic word for angel is malak, of which the plural form is malā’ika.1 The Holy Quran speaks of the creation of man from dust and of the creation of jinn from fire, but it does not speak of the origin of angels. There is, however, a Hadith report according to which the Holy Prophet said that the jinn are created from fire (nār), and that the angels are created from light (nūr).2 This shows that angels are immaterial beings, and further, that the jinn and the angels are two different classes of beings, and that it is a mistake to consider them as belonging to one class. In the Holy Quran angels are spoken of as “messengers flying on wings” (31). Their description has reference to their spiritual function of bearing Divine messages. Sacred history, indeed, represents angels as possessing wings, but so far as the Quran is concerned, it would be a grievous mistake to confuse the wing of an angel with the fore-limb of a bird which fits it for flight. The wing is a symbol of the power which enables those immaterial beings to execute their functions with all speed; and in Arabic, the word here for ‘wing’, janāḥ, is used in a variety of senses. In birds it is the wing, and in man his hand is spoken of as his janāḥ. The word has further been used metaphorically in the Quran in several places, as in 188 and 2215, where the “lowering of the wing” stands for “being kind”. Angels are immaterial beings, and in them a material wing cannot be thought of; it is simply the symbol of a power which is speedily brought into action. It is commonly thought that the immaterial beings, whom we call angels, can assume any shape they like, but the Holy Quran gives no support to this idea. On the contrary, it is repeatedly stated in answer to the demands of the Holy Prophet’s opponents, who desired to see an angel or to have an angel as a messenger, that angels could not be seen and that an angel would have been sent as a messenger if angels, and not human beings, lived on earth: “And nothing prevents people from believing, when the guidance comes to them, except that they say: Has Allah raised up a mortal to be a messenger? Say: If there had been in the earth angels walking about secure, We would have sent down to them from the heaven an angel as messenger.” — 1995 Twice it is related in the Quran that the angelic hosts sent to help Muslims were not seen by human eye: “Then Allah sent down His calm upon His Messenger and upon the believers, and sent armies which you did not see…” — 26 “Call to mind the favour of Allah to you when armies came against you, so We sent against them a strong wind and forces that you did not see.” — 39 There is, however, a story related in the Holy Quran about Abraham’s guests3 who first came to him and gave him the good news of a son, Isaac, and then went to Lot and bade him leave the city along with his followers, since punishment was about to overtake his people. It is generally supposed that these were angels, as angels alone are deputed to deliver messages to prophets, and the Bible says that they were angels. But the Quran speaks of them only as the guests of Abraham and as “Our messengers”, and nowhere says that they were angels. Had they been angels, they would have delivered the Divine message to Abraham and Lot in the manner in which the angels deliver such messages, which is by revealing the Divine message to the heart of the prophet; and the angel, though he may come in the shape of a man, is not seen by the physical eye of the prophet but by his spiritual eye. Therefore, if the guests spoken of were angels, their appearance to both Abraham and Lot must have been in a vision, the state in which revelation comes to the prophets of God; but if it was with the physical eye that Abraham and Lot beheld them, then they were men and not angels. Nature of angels Though angels are spoken of as beings, they are not endowed with powers of discrimination like those of human beings; in this respect, indeed, they may be said to partake more of the attributes of the powers of nature than of man. Their function is to obey and they cannot disobey. The Holy Quran says plainly: “They do not disobey Allah in what He commands them, but do as they are commanded.” — 66 As man is endowed with a will while the angel is not, man is superior to the angel. This superiority is also evident from the fact that angels were commanded to make submission to him.4 The angel’s coming to the Holy Prophet It is true that the angel Gabriel is spoken of as coming to the Holy Prophet with the Divine revelation, but as has been already shown (page here), it was with the spiritual senses that the Holy Prophet received the revelation, and therefore it was not with the physical eye that he beheld Gabriel. The angel came to him sometimes in the shape of a man; the Prophet heard the words of revelation, on occasions, with the force of the ringing of a bell; yet those who were sitting next to him, while fully conscious of the change coming over him, neither saw the angel, nor heard the words of the revelation. And even when Gabriel came to him at other times, it was always with the spiritual eye that the Holy Prophet saw him. The Holy Prophet’s wife Aishah is very explicit on this point. It is related that on a certain occasion the Holy Prophet said to her: “ ‘O Aishah! Here is Gabriel offering salutation to you’. She said: ‘And on him be peace and the mercy and blessings of Allah; you see what I do not see’.5 This shows that even Aishah never saw Gabriel, whether he came with revelation or on other occasions. There are, however, a few stray incidents, related in certain Hadith reports, from which inference is drawn that others besides the Holy Prophet saw Gabriel, but, from what has been stated above, it is clear that either it was in a vision, and therefore it was with the spiritual senses that the few people present with the Holy Prophet shared his vision, or that there had been some misunderstanding in relating the incident. Angelic function In the Holy Quran, angels are generally described as having a connection with the spiritual state of man. It was an angel, Gabriel by name, who brought revelation to the Holy Prophet (97, 2193–194) and the prophets before him (163). The same angel is mentioned as strengthening the prophets (87) and the believers (522). While angels generally are spoken of as descending on believers and comforting them (430), they are also intermediaries in bringing revelation to those who are not prophets, as in the case of Zacharias (39) and Mary (42, 45). Angels were sent to help the believers against their enemies (12–125, 12); they pray for blessings on the Holy Prophet (356) and on the believers (343); they ask forgiveness for all human beings, believers as well as non-believers (45); they cause believers to die (132) and also non-believers (97, 128); they write down the deeds of human beings (810, 12) and will intercede for them on the Day of Judgment (526). There is no clear reference to their function in the physical world unless the causing of death may be treated as such, but it should be classed as a spiritual function because death makes both the believers and unbelievers enter a new life. It may be added here that Hadith mentions an angel of birth, that is an angel appointed for everyone while he is in the mother’s womb.6 There are, however, verses in the Holy Quran which show that the angelic hosts have some sort of connection with the physical world. The most important of these verses are those which speak of the creation of man (Adam). When God wished to create man, He communicated His wish to the angels (30, 128, 371). This shows that the angels were there before man was created, and, therefore, must have had some sort of connection with the physical world and with the forces which brought about the creation of man. Unless they are treated as intermediaries carrying out the Divine will, the communication to them of the Divine will to create man is meaningless. These verses, therefore, lead us to the conclusion that the laws of nature find expression through angels. It is due to this function of theirs that they are called messengers (275, 31). Expression of the Divine will is a Divine message, and the angels as bearers of that message carry it into execution. Their description as bearers of the Throne of the Lord (47, 617) leads to the same conclusion; for, as already stated, the Throne (‘arsh) stands for the Divine control of the universe, and the angels, the bearers of that control, are in fact the intermediaries through whom that control is exercised. Vastly greater importance is, however, attached to the angelic function in the spiritual world, because it is primarily with the spiritual development of man that the Holy Quran is concerned. To put it briefly, the function of the angel in the spiritual world is the same as his function in the physical world — to serve as an intermediary in carrying out the Divine will which, in the latter case, is to bring about the evolution of creation, and in the former, the evolution of man. According to the teachings of Islam, the angel has a close connection with the life of man from his birth, even from the time he is in the mother’s womb till his death, and even after death, in his spiritual progress in Paradise and his spiritual treatment in Hell. The different functions of the angel in connection with the spiritual life of man may be broadly divided into the classes which are detailed below. 1. Angels as intermediaries in bringing revelation The most important and, at the same time, the most prominent function of the angel, in the spiritual realm, is the bringing down of Divine revelation or the communication of Divine messages to the prophets. The prophet not only sees the angel but also hears his voice, and the angel is to him, therefore, a reality. This has been the universal experience of humanity in all ages. As the angel is an immaterial being, the prophet sees him sometimes in the shape of a human being and sometimes in other forms. According to the Holy Quran, the angel who brought revelation to the Holy Prophet is known by the name of Gabriel (97), the Arabic form of which is jibrīl. Gabriel is also mentioned in the Quran as Rūḥ al-Amīn or the Faithful Spirit (2193), and Rūḥ al-Qudus or the Holy Spirit (1102). In all these places, Gabriel or the Faithful Spirit or the Holy Spirit is said to have revealed the Quran to the Holy Prophet. The revelation to the prophets that appeared before him is said to have been granted in a similar manner (163). Gabriel is also called the messenger (rasūl) through whom God speaks to His prophets (451). Angels generally are said to bring revelation to other righteous servants of God: “He sends down angels with revelation (al-rūḥ) by His command on whom He pleases of His servants…” — 12 “Exalter of degrees, Lord of the Throne of Power, He casts the spirit (al-rūḥ) by His command on whom He pleases of His servants…” — 415 These are general statements. In the case of Mary who was undoubtedly not a prophet, the angels are also spoken of as bearing Divine messages: “And when the angels said: O Mary, surely Allah has chosen you and purified you…” — 42, see also 45. Also in the case of Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist: “So the angels called to him as he stood praying in the sanctuary: Allah gives you good news of John…” — 39 And the believers generally are thus spoken of: “As for those who say, Our Lord is Allah, then continue in the right way, the angels descend upon them, saying: Do not fear, nor grieve, and receive good news of the Garden which you were promised.” — 430 2. Angels as intermediaries in strengthening believers The second function of the angels, as revealed in the Holy Quran, is to strengthen the righteous servants of God, prophets as well as others, and to give them comfort in trials and affliction. Jesus Christ, because of the serious allegations of the Jews against him, is mentioned as being strengthened with the Holy Spirit which, as shown earlier (page here), is another name of Gabriel. And the believers generally are said to be strengthened with the Holy Spirit: “These are they into whose hearts He has impressed faith, and strengthened them with a Spirit from Himself.” — 522 Again we find in the Holy Quran that the angels are spoken of as friends or guardians of the faithful in this life and in the Hereafter (431). It was in this sense, i.e., to strengthen the believers, that the angels were sent to help them in their struggle against the unbelievers, as in the verse: “When you sought the aid of your Lord, so He answered you: I will assist you with a thousand of the angels…” — 9 The Holy Quran itself explains why the angels were sent: “And Allah made it only a good news for you and that your hearts might be at ease thereby.” — 126, 10 It was through the strengthening of the believers’ hearts that the angels worked (12). These angelic hosts were sent when the Muslims had to fight in defence against heavy odds, and the strengthening of the heart through the angels is, therefore, a solid fact of history. 3. Angels as intermediaries in carrying out Divine punishment Closely allied with this strengthening of the believers is the third function of the angels — that of executing Divine punishment against the wicked, because in the contest between the righteous and the wicked the punishment of the latter and the help of the former are identical. Often would those who sought to extirpate the truth by physical force say that if there were a God Whose messenger the Prophet was, and if there were angels who could help his cause, why did they not come? For example: “Why have not angels been sent down to us, or why do we not see our Lord?” — 221 (see also 210, 133, 158.) To these demands, the Holy Quran replies in the following words: “And on the day when the heaven bursts apart with clouds, and the angels are sent down, as they are sent. The Kingdom on that day rightly belongs to the Beneficent, and it will be a hard day for the disbelievers.” — 225–26 And on one occasion, the demand and the answer are thus put together: “And they say … Why do you not bring the angels to us if you are truthful? We do not send angels but with truth, and then they would not be given respite.” — 18 4. Angels’ intercession and prayers for people Another very important function of the angels is that of intercession — an intercession which includes all, both the believer and the unbeliever. As God “has ordained mercy on Himsel” (12), and His “mercy encompasses all things” (156) — in fact, it was to show mercy that “He created them” (1119) — it was necessary that His angels, who are intermediaries carrying out His will, should include everyone in their intercession. The intercession of the angels is mentioned in the Holy Quran on one occasion in particular: “And how many angels are there in the heavens whose intercession does not avail except after Allah gives permission to whom He pleases and chooses.” — 526 Now intercession is really a prayer to God on behalf of the sinners on the Day of Judgment, but we are told that the angels pray for people even in this life: “…the angels celebrate the praise of their Lord and ask forgiveness for those on earth.” — 45 “Those on earth” include both the believer and the unbeliever. And while this prayer by the angels is all-comprehensive, it grows stronger in the case of believers: “Our Lord, You embrace all things in mercy and knowledge, so protect those who turn to You and follow Your way… and make them enter the Gardens of perpetuity which You have promised them and such of their fathers and their wives and their offspring as are good… and guard them from evil.” — 47–9 As a result of the prayers of the angels, the faithful are actually guided forth from every kind of darkness into light: “He it is Who sends His blessings on you and [so do] His angels, that He may bring you forth out of darkness into light.” — 343 And as regards the Prophet, the angels bless him: “Surely Allah and His angels bless the Prophet. O you who believe, call for blessings on him…” — 356 Thus the angels’ connection with man grows stronger as he advances in righteousness. As regards people generally, the angels pray for their forgiveness so that punishment in respect of their evil deeds may be averted; as regards the faithful, they lead them forth from darkness into light, and thus enable them to make progress spiritually; and as regards the Prophet, they bless him and are thus helpful in advancing his cause in the world. 5. Angels’ promptings to noble deeds Every good and noble deed is the result of the promptings of the angel. The Holy Quran speaks of the angel and the devil as leading man to two different courses of life: the former, as shown above, to a good and noble life aiming at the development of the human faculties, and the latter, as will be shown later, to a base and wicked life tending to the deadening of those faculties. Every person is said to have two associates, an associate angel and an associate devil. The first is called a “witness” (shahīd) and the second a “driver” (sā’iq): “And every soul comes, with it a driver and a witness. You [O soul] were indeed heedless of this, but now We have removed from you your veil, so that your sight is sharp this day.” — 521–22 The driver is the devil who makes evil suggestions and leads man to a state of degradation, and the witness is the angel who helps man on to a good and noble end. Man is said to be heedless of it here, there being a veil over his eyes, so that he cannot see to what condition he is being led, but he will see the result clearly on the Day of Judgment. In Hadith we are told that every human being has an associate angel and an associate devil. Thus there is a report in Sahih Muslim: “The Prophet said: There is not one among you but there is appointed over him his associate from among the jinn and his associate from among the angels. The Companions said: And what about you, Prophet of Allah? He said: The same is the case with me, but Allah has helped me over him [i.e., over the associate jinn], so he has submitted and does not command me anything but good.” 7 6. Angels recording deeds of human beings Another spiritual function of the angels, on which special stress is laid in the Holy Quran, is the recording of the good and evil deeds of man. These angels are called “honourable recorders”, the words being taken from the verse of the Quran: “And surely there are keepers over you, honourable recorders (kirām-an kātibīn), they know what you do.” — 810–12 and elsewhere we have: “When the two receivers receive, sitting on the right and on the left. He utters not a word but there is by him a watcher at hand.” — 517–18 “Alike [to Him] among you is he who conceals the word and he who speaks openly, and he who hides himself by night and who goes forth by day. For him are angels guarding the consequences [of his deeds], before him and behind him, who guard him by Allah’s command.” — 11–11 The guarding in the last verse refers to the guarding of man’s deeds. The angels are immaterial beings, and hence also their recording is effected in a different manner from that in which a human being would prepare a record. In fact, their record exists, as elsewhere stated, in the form of the effect which an action produces: “And We have made every human being’s actions cling to his neck, and We shall bring forth to him on the Day of Resurrection a book which he will find wide open.” — 113 The clinging of a man’s actions to his neck is clearly the effect which his actions produce and which he is powerless to obliterate, and we are told that this effect will be met with in the form of an open book on the Resurrection Day, thus showing that the angel’s recording of a deed is actually the producing of an effect. The different functions of angels in the spiritual world are thus connected, in one way or another, either with the awakening of the spiritual life in man or its advancement and progress. Herein lies the reason why faith in angels is required along with a faith in God: “…righteous is the one who believes in Allah, and the Last Day, and the angels, and the Book and the prophets.” — 177 “The Messenger believes in what has been revealed to him from his Lord, and so do the believers. They all believe in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers.” — 285 Faith or belief in any doctrine, according to the Holy Quran, is essentially the acceptance of a proposition as a basis for action. Faith in angels, therefore, means that there is a spiritual life for man, and that he must develop that life by working in accordance with the promptings of the angel and by bringing into play the faculties which God has given him; and that is why — though the existence of the devil, who makes the evil suggestions, is as much a fact as the existence of the angel who makes the good suggestions — the Holy Quran requires a belief in angels but a disbelief in devils.8 The significance is that one must obey the commandments of God and refuse to follow the suggestions of the devil. Faith in the angels, therefore, only means that every good suggestion — and such is the suggestion of the angel — must be accepted, because it leads to the spiritual development of man. Iblīs is not an angel but one of the jinn There is a popular misconception that Iblī or the Devil is one of the angels. This has arisen from the fact that where the angels are commanded to make submission to Adam, there is also mention of Iblīs and his refusal to make the submission: “And when We said to the angels, Be submissive to Adam, they submitted, but Iblīs [did not]. He refused and was proud, and he was one of the disbelievers.” — 34 From these words it is clear enough that Iblīs or the Devil was one of the unbelievers and refused to obey, and therefore he could not be an angel, because, regarding the angels, it is plainly said that: “They do not disobey Allah in what He commands them, but do as they are commanded.” — 66 And elsewhere it is stated of Iblīs: “He was from among the jinn, so he transgressed the commandment of his Lord.” — 150 Now jinn and angels are two different classes of beings; their origin and their functions have nothing in common. It is, therefore, an obvious error to look upon the jinn as being a branch of the angelic creation or Iblīs as an angel. The Jinn — first sense The word jinn is derived from janna meaning he covered or concealed or hid or protected. The word jinn has been used in the Holy Quran distinctly in two senses. It is applied in the first place to the spirits of evil or the beings that invite man to evil, as opposed to the angels who invite him to good, both being imperceptible with the senses. The origin of these beings is said to be fire, and their function is described as that of exciting evil passions or low desires. The Holy Quran is explicit on both these points. As regards the creation of jinn, it says: “And the jinn We created before of intensely hot fire.” — 127 “And He created the jinn of a flame of fire.” — 515 And to show that the jinn and the devils are one, the devil is spoken of as saying: “I am better than he [i.e., man]; You have created me of fire while him You did create of dust.” — 12 As regards the function of jinn, the Holy Quran is equally clear: “…the slinking devil who whispers into the hearts of people, from among the jinn and mankind.” — 116 A Hadith report has already been quoted showing that every person has with him an associate from among the angels who inspires him with good and noble ideas, and an associate from among the jinn who excites his baser passions. The question is often asked, why has God created beings which lead man astray? There is a misunderstanding in this question. God has created every human being with two kinds of passions, the higher which awaken in him a higher or spiritual life, and the lower which relate to his physical existence; and corresponding to these two passions there are two kinds of beings, the angels and the devils. The lower passions are necessary for a person’s physical life, but they become a hindrance to him in his advancement to a higher life when they run riot and are out of control. Man is required to keep these passions in control. If he can do so, they become a help to him in his advancement instead of a hindrance. This is the meaning underlying the Holy Prophet’s reply in the report already quoted, when he was asked if he too had an associate jinn. “Yes,” he said, “but Allah has helped me over him, so he has submitted and does not command me anything but good.” That is to say, he became a help to him in the development of his higher life. Such is the true significance underlying the story of Adam. The devil at first refuses to make obeisance to man, i.e., to become helpful in his spiritual advancement, and is determined, by hook or by crook, to set him on the wrong course and excite his baser passions.9 But he is subdued by the help of the Divine revelation, and those who follow the revelation have no fear of the devil’s misleading: “Then Adam received [revealed] words from his Lord, and He turned to him mercifully… Surely a guidance from Me will come to you, then whoever follows My guidance, no fear shall come upon them, nor shall they grieve.” —37–38 The presence of the devil thus indicates that, in the earlier stages of spiritual development, man has to contend with him by refusing to obey his evil promptings, and anyone who makes this struggle is sure to subdue the evil one; while in the higher stages, the lower passions having been brought into subjection, the devil actually becomes helpful, “not commanding anything but good,” so that even physical desires become a help in the spiritual life of man. Without struggle there is no advancement in life, and thus even in the earlier stages, the devil is the ultimate means of man’s good, unless, of course, man chooses to follow instead of stubbornly resisting him. The word jinn as applied to humans — second sense The other use of the word jinn is with regard to men of a certain category. Even the word devil (shaiṭān), or devils (shayāṭīn), has been applied to men in the Holy Quran, and the leaders of evil are again and again called devils.10 But the use of the word jinn when speaking of certain persons was recognized in Arabic literature before Islam. It is said that Arabs liken a man who is sharp and clever in affairs to a jinni and a shaiṭān.11 In pre-Islamic poetry the word jinn has also been used to denote great or brave men. In addition to this, the word jinn is explained by Arabic lexicologists as meaning the bulk of mankind.12 In the mouth of an Arab, the main body of men would mean the non-Arab world. They called all foreigners jinn because they were concealed from their eyes. It is in this sense that the word jinn is used in the Holy Quran in the story of Solomon: “And of the jinn there were those who worked before him by the command of his Lord. ... They made for him what he pleased of synagogues and images…” — 312–13 The description of the jinn here as builders shows them to have been men. And they are also spoken of as devils (shayāṭīn) in 337, where they are called builders and divers, and it is further added that some of them were “fettered in chains”. Surely those who built buildings and dived into the sea were not invisible spirits, nor do invisible spirits require to be fettered in chains. These were in fact the strangers whom Solomon had subjected to his rule and forced into service In one place in the Holy Quran, jinn and people are addressed as one class or community (ma‘shar): “O community of jinn and people, did not messengers come to you from among you, relating to you My messages and warning you of the meeting of this day of yours?” — 130 Now the messengers who are mentioned in the Holy Quran or Hadith all belong to mankind, and the Holy Book does not speak of a single messenger from among the jinn. The jinn in this case, therefore, are either non-Arabs or the iniquitous leaders who mislead others. In one verse, it is stated: “If jinn and people should combine together to bring the like of this Quran, they could not bring the like of it, though they helped one another.” — 188 while in another verse (23), in an exactly similar challenge, the expression “your helpers” or “leaders” has been used instead of jinn.13 The jinn mentioned at the beginning of chapter 72 of the Quran are evidently foreign Christians, since they are spoken of as holding the doctrine of sonship.14 In 76, they are called rijāl (pl. of rajul), which word is applicable to the males of human beings only. Again, in the 46th chapter the word jinn has been used in the sense of foreigners when a party of the jinn is stated to have come to the Holy Prophet and listened to the Holy Book and believed in it15 because all the injunctions contained in the Holy Quran are for human beings, and there is not one for the jinn. This was evidently a party of the Jews of Nisibus as reports show, and the Quran speaks of them as believers in Moses.16 At any rate, the Holy Quran and the Hadith do not speak of the jinn as they exist in the popular imagination, interfering in human affairs or controlling the forces of nature or assuming human or any other shape or taking possession of men or women and affecting them with certain diseases. Go to: List of Contents • Previous / Next (7. Revealed Books)
Notes to Chapter 6
1. Malā’ika is derived from ‘alk or ‘alūka, meaning risāla or the ‘bearing of messages’. Some authorities trace it to the root malk or milk, meaning ‘power’. 2. Muslim, book 55: ‘Piety and Softening of hearts’, ch. 10, h. 2996 (DS: book 53, ch. 10, h. 7495). 3. The Quran, 1670, 151–52, 5225. 4. The Quran, 34. 5. Bukhari, book 59: ‘Beginning of Creation’, ch. 6, h. 3217. 6. Ibid.,h. 3208. 7. Muslim, book 52: ‘Description of Judgment Day’, ch. 16, h. 2814b (DS: book 50, ch. 16, h.7109). Editor’s Note: The previous hadith in this chapter (h. 2814a or DS: h. 7108) mentions only “his associate from among the jinn”, while this one adds: “and his associate from among the angels”. 8. The Quran, 256. 9. “And he [the devil] said: Certainly I will take of Your servants an appointed portion, and certainly I will lead them astray and excite in them vain desires” (the Quran, 118–119). 10. The Quran, 14, 174, 48, 117, 282, etc. 11. Al-Tabrizi’s Exposition of al-Hamāsah quoted in Lane’s Lexicon. 12. Qāmūs, Tāj al-‘Arūs and Lane’s Lexicon. 13. Editor’s Note: Since in 188 it is stated that jinn cannot produce the like of the Quran, this shows that such jinn must have been known to be able to compose books, and that too in Arabic. Thus they were human beings. 14. The Quran, 74. 15. The Quran, 429. 16. The Quran, 430. |