Explanation of the Author's Statement: "And His Angels and His Books"
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The Shaykh : Yes, "Belief in Allah and His Angels"
"His Angels": The angels are the plural of malak, and the root of malak is ma'lik because it is derived from al-uluqah, which in the Arabic language means a message. Allah the Exalted said:[Fatir 35:1]
So, we say in their legal definition: They are a hidden realm created by Allah (Mighty and Majestic) from light, and He made them obedient to Him and humble before Him. Each of them has duties that Allah has assigned to them. And we know of their duties:
First: Jibril is in charge of the revelation, bringing it down from Allah the Exalted to the messengers or the prophets.
Second: Israfil is in charge of blowing the Trumpet, and he is also one of the bearers of the Throne.
Third: Mikail is in charge of the rain and vegetation.
These three are all in charge of what brings life to humans. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would seek nearness to Allah through His lordship over them in the opening supplication of the night prayer, saying:Mishkat al-Masabih 1212 He would begin his prayers with this, (peace and blessings be upon him), in the night prayer.
Likewise, we know that among them are those in charge of taking the souls of the children of Adam, or of taking the soul of every living being. They are the Angel of Death and his assistants. He is not called Azrael because it is not established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that this is his name. The Angel of Death and his assistants are in charge of taking souls. Allah the Exalted said:[Al-An'am 6:61] And He said: [As-Sajdah 32:11] And He said: [Az-Zumar 39:42] There is no contradiction between these three verses, for the angels take the soul. When the Angel of Death extracts it from the body, if there are angels with him, they descend. If the man is from the people of Paradise, may Allah make us among them, he will be with them, wrapped in shrouds from Paradise and clothed in garments from Paradise. They take this pure soul and place it in this shroud and ascend with it to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) until it stands before Allah. Then He says: "Write the book of My servant in 'Iliyyun and return it to the earth." So the soul returns to the body for the questioning from your Lord? What is your religion? And who is your prophet? If the deceased is not a believer, may Allah protect us, then angels descend with them, shrouds from the Fire and garments from the Fire. They take the soul, may Allah protect us, and place it in this shroud, then ascend with it to the sky, and the doors of the sky are closed against it. Then it returns to the earth. And following that, Allah the Exalted said: [Al-Hajj 22:31] Then Allah says: "Write the book of My servant in Sijjin." We ask Allah for safety.
These are in charge of taking the soul from whom? From the Angel of Death when he takes it, and the Angel of Death is the one who directly takes it. So there is no contradiction, and the One who commands it is Allah, so in reality He is the One who causes death.
Good, there are also angels who travel in the earth seeking the circles of dhikr. When they find a circle of dhikr and knowledge, they sit with them.
Likewise, there are angels who record the deeds of man:[Al-Infitar 82:10-12] [Qaf 50:18].
One of the companions of Imam Ahmad entered upon him while he was ill, may Allah have mercy on him, and found him groaning from the illness. So he said to him: "O Abu 'Abdullah, you are groaning, and Tawus, Tawus from the Tabi'un, said: 'The angel writes even the groaning of the sick person.'" Because Allah says:[Qaf 50:18] So Abu 'Abdullah, Imam Ahmad, tried to be patient and stopped groaning, because everything is written. Everything you say is written. [Qaf 50:18] "From" is an extra word for emphasis of generality, meaning any word you say is written. But it may be rewarded with good or evil, according to the word that was said.
There are also angels who succeed one another over the children of Adam in the night and the day.[Ar-Ra'd 13:11]
There are angels who bow and prostrate to Allah in the heavens. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2312 Do you know what the creaking is? The creaking is the sound of the saddle. When you buy a camel and it is carrying a heavy load, you hear a creaking from the weight of the load. So the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Allah is the Greatest. What is the vastness of the sky, and in it are the great angels.
For this reason, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said regarding the Bayt al-Ma'mur, which he passed by on the Night of Ascension, saying: Understanding the meaning, every day seventy thousand angels come, who did not come yesterday and will not return to it forever. Other angels come, other than those who came before. And this indicates the multitude of the angels. For this reason, Allah the Exalted said: [Al-Muddaththir 74:31]
Among them are angels in charge of Paradise and angels in charge of the Fire. The keeper of the Fire is named Malik. The people of the Fire say:[Az-Zukhruf 43:77] What does "Our Lord, destroy us" mean? It means, let us perish and die. They call upon Allah to make them die because they are in punishment, may Allah protect us, which one cannot bear. They say: [Az-Zukhruf 43:77] He says: Then it is said to them: [Az-Zukhruf 43:78]
The important thing is that it is obligatory for us to believe in the angels.
How do we believe in the angels, O brothers? We believe that they are a hidden realm. Do they see or not? No, but they may be seen. However, the original state is that they are a hidden realm, created from light, charged with what Allah has charged them with of worship, and they are submissive to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) in the most complete submission.[At-Tahrim 66:6]
Likewise, we believe in the names of those whose names we have known, and we believe in the duties of those whose duties we have known. It is obligatory for us to believe in that.
So if someone says: "I have not seen them," we say: "The One who created them, who is Allah (Mighty and Majestic), has informed you about them. Do you know? Good. If the One who created them, who is Allah, has informed you about them, it is obligatory for you to believe in them."
Good, are they bodies or spirits? They are bodies, as evidenced by:[Fatir 35:1] And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw Jibril in the form in which he was created, having six hundred wings that filled the horizon. So if they are bodies, this is contrary to those who said: "They are spirits."
Good, if someone says: "Do they have intellects?" We say to him: "Do you have an intellect or not?" Yes. Only a madman asks about this. For this reason, some of the modern writers said: "The angels are spirits without bodies and that they have no intellects." I seek refuge in Allah.[At-Tahrim 66:6] And he says without intellect, yet he praises them with this praise. [Al-Anbya 21:20] We say: "Do these not have intellects?!" They obey the command of Allah and do what Allah has commanded and convey the revelation. And we say: "Do they have no intellects?!" Who is more deserving of being described as having no intellect than the one who says: "They have no intellect"? Good. If someone says: "How do I believe in them when I have not seen them?" We say: "The One who created them has informed you about them, and you believe in Him, so it is obligatory for us to believe in them." Sometimes they are seen. Jibril came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) once in the form of a man, intense in the whiteness of his clothes and intense in the blackness of his hair. The Companions said: Did they exist or not? They existed. This is established. And sometimes some of the dying see the angels who take the soul, as many people have told us that they see the angels who came to take their souls. Yes, and this is common. And on this basis, we say: The existence of the angels is a matter... and the scales. [Al-Hadid 57:25] And this indicates that every messenger has a book. And this indicates that every messenger has a book. But we do not know all the books. What do we know of them? We see: The Scrolls of Ibrahim and Musa, the Torah, the Gospel, the Psalms, the Qur'an. Six, because some say that the Scrolls of Ibrahim are the Torah, and some say they are other than that. If they are the Torah, then it is five, and if they are other than that, then it is six. Nevertheless, we believe in every book that Allah sent down to the messengers, even if we do not know about it, we believe in it in general.
"His Angels": The angels are the plural of malak, and the root of malak is ma'lik because it is derived from al-uluqah, which in the Arabic language means a message. Allah the Exalted said:
[who] made the angels messengers
جَاعِلِ الْمَلائِكَةِ رُسُلاًSo, we say in their legal definition: They are a hidden realm created by Allah (Mighty and Majestic) from light, and He made them obedient to Him and humble before Him. Each of them has duties that Allah has assigned to them. And we know of their duties:
First: Jibril is in charge of the revelation, bringing it down from Allah the Exalted to the messengers or the prophets.
Second: Israfil is in charge of blowing the Trumpet, and he is also one of the bearers of the Throne.
Third: Mikail is in charge of the rain and vegetation.
These three are all in charge of what brings life to humans. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would seek nearness to Allah through His lordship over them in the opening supplication of the night prayer, saying:
O God, the Lord of Gabriel, Michael and Israfil, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, who knowest the unseen and the seen, Thou decidest among Thy servants concerning their differences. Guide me on account of different opinions regarding the truth by Thy permission; verily Thou guidest whom Thou wilt to a straight path.
اللهم رب جبرائيل وميكائيل وإسرافيل، فاطر السماوات والأرض، عالم الغيب والشهادة، أنت تحكم بين عباد فيما كانوا فيه يختلفون، اهدني لما اختلف فيه من الحق بإذنك إنك تهدي من تشاء إلى صراط مستقيمLikewise, we know that among them are those in charge of taking the souls of the children of Adam, or of taking the soul of every living being. They are the Angel of Death and his assistants. He is not called Azrael because it is not established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that this is his name. The Angel of Death and his assistants are in charge of taking souls. Allah the Exalted said:
until, when death comes to one of you, Our messengers take him, and they do not fail [in their duties].
حَتَّى إِذَا جَاءَ أَحَدَكُمُ الْمَوْتُ تَوَفَّتْهُ رُسُلُنَا وَهُمْ لا يُفَرِّطُونSay, "The angel of death will take you who has been entrusted with you
قُلْ يَتَوَفَّاكُمْ مَلَكُ الْمَوْتِ الَّذِي وُكِّلَ بِكُمْAllah takes the souls at the time of their death
اللَّهُ يَتَوَفَّى الأَنْفُسَ حِينَ مَوْتِهَاAnd he who associates with Allah - it is as though he had fallen from the sky and was snatched by the birds or the wind carried him down into a remote place.
وَمَنْ يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَكَأَنَّمَا خَرَّ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ فَتَخْطَفُهُ الطَّيْرُ أَوْ تَهْوِي بِهِ الرِّيحُ فِي مَكَانٍ سَحِيقٍThese are in charge of taking the soul from whom? From the Angel of Death when he takes it, and the Angel of Death is the one who directly takes it. So there is no contradiction, and the One who commands it is Allah, so in reality He is the One who causes death.
Good, there are also angels who travel in the earth seeking the circles of dhikr. When they find a circle of dhikr and knowledge, they sit with them.
Likewise, there are angels who record the deeds of man:
(10) And indeed, [appointed] over you are keepers, (11) Noble and recording; (12) They know whatever you do.
وَإِنَّ عَلَيْكُمْ لَحَافِظِينَ كِرَاماً كَاتِبِينَ يَعْلَمُونَ مَا تَفْعَلُونَMan does not utter any word except that with him is an observer prepared [to record].
مَا يَلْفِظُ مِنْ قَوْلٍ إِلاّ لَدَيْهِ رَقِيبٌ عَتِيدٌOne of the companions of Imam Ahmad entered upon him while he was ill, may Allah have mercy on him, and found him groaning from the illness. So he said to him: "O Abu 'Abdullah, you are groaning, and Tawus, Tawus from the Tabi'un, said: 'The angel writes even the groaning of the sick person.'" Because Allah says:
Man does not utter any word except that with him is an observer prepared [to record].
مَا يَلْفِظُ مِنْ قَوْلٍ إِلاّ لَدَيْهِ رَقِيبٌ عَتِيدٌMan does not utter any word
مَا يَلْفِظُ مِنْ قَوْلٍThere are also angels who succeed one another over the children of Adam in the night and the day.
For each one are successive [angels] before and behind him who protect him by the decree of Allah.
لَهُ مُعَقِّبَاتٌ مِنْ بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِ يَحْفَظُونَهُ مِنْ أَمْرِ اللَّهِThere are angels who bow and prostrate to Allah in the heavens. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
The Heavens moan, and they have the right to moan
أطت السماء وحق لها أن تئطThe sky has groaned, and it has a right to groan. There is no place in it the width of four fingers except that there is an angel in it standing for Allah, or bowing, or prostrating.
أطت السماء وحق لها أن تَئِط ما من موضع أربع أصابع منها، إلا وفيه ملك قائم لله أو راكع أو ساجدFor this reason, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said regarding the Bayt al-Ma'mur, which he passed by on the Night of Ascension, saying:
Indeed, this is the Most Sacred House, and seventy thousand angels circumambulate it, or he said: enter it, every day, and then they do not return to it for the rest of their lives.
إن هذا البيت المعمور يطوف به أو قال : يدخله سبعون ألف ملك كل يوم، ثم لا يعودون إليه آخر ما عليهمAnd none knows the soldiers of your Lord except Him
وَمَا يَعْلَمُ جُنُودَ رَبِّكَ إِلاّ هُوَAmong them are angels in charge of Paradise and angels in charge of the Fire. The keeper of the Fire is named Malik. The people of the Fire say:
O Malik, let your Lord put an end to us!
يَا مَالِكُ لِيَقْضِ عَلَيْنَا رَبُّكَlet your Lord put an end to us
ليقض علينا ربكIndeed, you will remain [there]
إِنَّكُمْ مَاكِثُونَWe had certainly brought you the truth, but most of you, to the truth, were averse.
لَقَدْ جِئْنَاكُمْ بِالْحَقِّ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَكُمْ لِلْحَقِّ كَارِهُونَThe important thing is that it is obligatory for us to believe in the angels.
How do we believe in the angels, O brothers? We believe that they are a hidden realm. Do they see or not? No, but they may be seen. However, the original state is that they are a hidden realm, created from light, charged with what Allah has charged them with of worship, and they are submissive to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) in the most complete submission.
they do not disobey Allah in what He commands them but do what they are commanded.
لا يَعْصُونَ اللَّهَ مَا أَمَرَهُمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَLikewise, we believe in the names of those whose names we have known, and we believe in the duties of those whose duties we have known. It is obligatory for us to believe in that.
So if someone says: "I have not seen them," we say: "The One who created them, who is Allah (Mighty and Majestic), has informed you about them. Do you know? Good. If the One who created them, who is Allah, has informed you about them, it is obligatory for you to believe in them."
Good, are they bodies or spirits? They are bodies, as evidenced by:
[who] made the angels messengers having wings
جَاعِلِ الْمَلائِكَةِ رُسُلاً أُولِي أَجْنِحَةٍGood, if someone says: "Do they have intellects?" We say to him: "Do you have an intellect or not?" Yes. Only a madman asks about this. For this reason, some of the modern writers said: "The angels are spirits without bodies and that they have no intellects." I seek refuge in Allah.