Belief in Angels as a Pillar of Faith

Belief in the angels (al-iman bil-mala'ikah) is the second of the six pillars of Islamic faith (arkan al-iman), following belief in Allah and preceding belief in the divine books, the messengers, the Last Day, and the divine decree. Its inclusion as a pillar — not a secondary or optional doctrine — reflects the centrality of angelic reality to the Islamic understanding of how Allah relates to creation, how revelation was transmitted, and how the universe is administered.

The Quran explicitly links belief in angels to the definition of comprehensive faith: 'The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and so have the believers. All of them have believed in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers' (Al-Baqarah: 285). Denying the existence of angels, or denying specific doctrines about them that are established by clear textual proof, represents a deficiency in or denial of this pillar of faith.

What does belief in angels practically require? Al-Ashqar identifies several dimensions: affirming their existence as real, created beings (not symbolic or metaphorical figures); affirming their specific characteristics as described in revelation (created from light, possessing wings, sinless by nature); affirming their specific roles as described (carrying the Throne, delivering revelation, recording deeds, managing natural phenomena, being present at death and in the grave); and affirming what is known of specific named angels without elaborating beyond what revelation has established.

Belief in angels also has a profound devotional implication: it reminds the believer that they are never alone. Every act of worship is performed in the presence of noble witnesses. Every moment of struggle is known to beings of light who pray for the believer's forgiveness. Every circle of knowledge is attended by divine visitors. This awareness, consistently maintained, transforms the quality of worship from a private mechanical act to a participation in the cosmic worship that permeates the universe.

Al-Ashqar concludes his treatment of this pillar by noting the practical fruits of correct belief in angels: an increased sense of reverence and modesty before Allah's observers, a greater motivation for righteous speech and action, a deeper appreciation of the magnitude of divine revelation (which was carried to earth by the greatest of angels), and a more vivid expectation of the angelic presence at death — either as the ambassadors of mercy or as the enforcers of the decree. Belief in angels is thus not a metaphysical abstract but a living doctrine that, when genuinely held, shapes the believer's daily consciousness and long-term spiritual orientation.