Angels (Mala'ikah) in Islam
Suggest editNature and Creation of Angels
Angels (ملائكة, mala'ikah) are among the greatest of Allah's creations — beings of light, created before humanity, who exist in a realm beyond human perception and who carry out the commands of Allah with perfect obedience. The Prophet said: 'Angels were created from light, jinn were created from smokeless fire, and Adam was created from what has been described to you' (Sahih Muslim 2996). Belief in the angels is the second pillar of iman, established explicitly in the verse: 'The Messenger believes in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and so do the believers. All of them believe in Allah, His angels, His books, and His messengers' (Quran 2:285).
Angels do not possess gender, do not eat or drink, do not sleep, do not sin, and do not procreate. They are described in the Quran as servants of Allah who 'do not disobey Allah in what He commands them but do what they are commanded' (Quran 66:6). Their worship of Allah is continuous and unceasing — some bow in perpetual ruku' and others in perpetual sujud, never tiring and never ceasing.
Notable Angels and Their Functions
- Jibril (Gabriel): The Angel of Revelation, described in the Quran as Ruh al-Qudus (the Holy Spirit) and Ruh al-Amin (the Trustworthy Spirit). He brought the divine revelation to all prophets, appearing to Muhammad in his true form with 600 wings that filled the horizon (Sahih al-Bukhari 3232). He is the greatest of the angels.
- Mika'il (Michael): Responsible for rain, wind, and the provisions of creation. He oversees the natural processes by which Allah provides for all living beings.
- Israfil: The angel assigned to blow the Sur (trumpet) — once to cause all creation to die, and again to resurrect all of humanity on the Day of Judgment (Quran 39:68).
- Izra'il — Malak al-Mawt (Angel of Death): Tasked with taking the souls of the dying. The Quran says: 'Say: The angel of death, who has been entrusted with you, will take you' (Quran 32:11). He has assistants who help him in this immense task.
- Munkar and Nakir: The two angels who question the deceased in the grave about their Lord, their religion, and their prophet. The answers determine whether the grave becomes a garden of Paradise or a pit of Hellfire.
- Raqib and Atid (Kiraman Katibin): The two recording angels assigned to every person — one on the right recording good deeds, one on the left recording bad deeds (Quran 50:17-18).
- Malik: The guardian angel of Jahannam, described in the Quran as the one the inhabitants of Hellfire will call upon to intercede (Quran 43:77).
- Ridwan: The guardian of Jannah, who welcomes the people of Paradise with peace.
Angels and Human Life
Angels are intimately present in human life, though unseen. The Prophet described angels who attend the Jumu'ah prayer and record the names of those who arrive (Sahih al-Bukhari 929), angels who attend gatherings of dhikr and relay to Allah the remembrance of His servants, and angels who descend upon the dying believer with glad tidings of Paradise (Quran 41:30). The Prophet said that when a person stands in prayer, the angels align behind them in rows as they do behind the imam, and that the space between the shoulders of a single angel is like the distance between the east and the west (Sahih Muslim 430).
Angels and the Preserved Tablet
The Quran describes al-Bayt al-Ma'mur — the Frequented House in the seventh heaven, directly above the Ka'bah — where 70,000 angels pray daily and never return to it again (Sahih al-Bukhari 3207). This fact alone reveals the incomprehensible vastness of the angelic creation, which no human mind can fully grasp. Belief in the angels is therefore an act of submission to the unseen (al-ghayb), one of the defining characteristics of the true believer.