Angels
Religious Studies A: AQA GCSE Religions, topic 4.1.5
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
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]
Test yourself on Angels
How are angels involved in the lives of humans?