Angels

Angels are very important in Muslim tradition. They are the only beings who can receive the word of God directly. Angels are one of the main six articles of faith for Sunni Muslims.

Features of Angels

Allah created Angels from Light.
They are purely spiritual beings who cannot sin, which is why they can bring God’s message to mankind.
They do not have free will and thus are incapable of sin. This is unlike humans who do have free will but sometimes misuse it.

Groups of Angels

Some angels guard and protect humans from birth to death; others note down all human behaviour in a book of deeds, which gets presented to God on the Day of Judgement.
The angel Israfil is the angel who will announce the Day of Judgement by blowing his trumpet.
The angel of death (Azra'il) has helpers who take people’s souls to Allah.
Some angels take people to paradise or hell after the judgement.

Angels' interactions with humans

Angels are fully involved in the lives of humans.
They can communicate with humans, and at times can appear like humans if they are being sent with a message from Allah.
This happened to Ibrahim (Abraham) and Maryam (Mary).

Jibril and Mik’ail are two of the most important angels. Together Mik'ail and Jibril bring physical and spiritual blessings to the world. Being an enemy to either of them means you are an enemy of Allah.

Jibril

Jibril, who is known to Christians and Jews as Gabriel or Gavriel, has a special position in Islamic tradition.
He is the entrusted angel to bring God’s message to people and in particular to Muhammad. Jibril communicated God’s words (the Qur’an) to Muhammad.

Mik'ail

Mik'ail, known to Christians and Jews as Michael, is an angel of mercy who rewards good people for their behaviour on earth.
He's also tasked with sending blessings in the form of rain, lightning and thunder.

Quote

‘Whoever is an enemy to Allah and His angels and His messengers and Jibril and Mik'ail - then indeed, Allah is an enemy to the disbelievers.’ [Qur’an, Surah 2 : 98]

1Buddhism

2Christianity

2.1Key Beliefs

2.1.1The Nature of God

2.1.2The Problem of Evil

2.1.3Monotheism

2.1.4Creation

2.1.5Bible Accounts of Creation

2.1.6The Trinity and Creation

2.1.7Afterlife

2.1.8Heaven and Hell

2.1.9The Influence of Afterlife on Life

2.1.10End of Topic Test - Christianity Key Beliefs

2.1.11Exam-Style Questions - Christian Beliefs

2.2Jesus Christ & Salvation

2.2.1The Incarnation

2.2.2Jesus - Divine & Human

2.2.3The Crucifixion

2.2.4Jesus' Betrayal

2.2.5Resurrection & Ascension

2.2.6Sin

2.2.7Original Sin

2.2.8Punishment

2.2.9The Means of Salvation

2.2.10Achieving Salvation

2.2.11Disagreements About Salvation

2.2.12The Role of Christ in Salvation

2.2.13Theories of Salvation

2.2.14End of Topic Test - Jesus Christ & Salvation

2.3Worship & Festivals

2.3.1Different Forms of Worship

2.3.2Prayer

2.3.3Sacrament

2.3.4Baptism

2.3.5Other Sacraments

2.3.6Eucharist

2.3.7Pilgrimage & Celebrations

2.3.8Christmas & Easter

2.3.9End of Topic Test - Worship and Festivals

2.4Community

2.4.1Local Community

2.4.2Mission, Evangelism & Church Growth

2.4.3Worldwide Church

2.4.4Reconciliation

2.4.5Persecution

2.4.6Caring for Those in Need

2.4.7End of Topic Test - Community

2.4.8Exam-Style Questions - Christian Practices

3Catholicism (Christianity)

4Islam

5Judaism

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