I was asked the above question by a cousin recently and I decided to write him a small response. I decided to tweak it a little and share, despite knowing full well that more can be added. Alas, something is better than nothing and I think the amount given in the response is enough to pique interest. If this post is able to add something new to readers' knowledge or, even better, encourage them to engage the literature a little I will consider the post worthwhile and a success. وما توفيقي إلا بالله
Q: why is belief in Angels important and why should one read about them?
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Belief in angels is an important part of faith and integral to it. The Qur’an reads,
“The Messenger believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord, as do the faithful. They all believe in Allah, His angels, His scriptures and His messengers. ‘We make no distinction between any of His messengers’, they say, ‘we hear and obey. Grant us Your forgiveness, our Lord. To You we all return.’” (2:285)
It is clear from this verse that all believers must believe in angels as they believe in God. Belief in angels is a matter of certainty, there is no room for doubt or scepticism.
Angels are the most common means through which God communicates with humans. Denial in angels results, amongst many other things, in the rejection of the Prophet having received the Qur’an from above and thus, by extension, the Prophet becomes a liar - Allah protect us from such heresy.
Furthermore, like God, societies have long held beliefs and superstitions regarding angels. The Qur’an intends to correct these misunderstandings, some of which are incredibly blasphemous. For example, the Arab pagans believed angels were the daughters of God. This is despite their own contempt and bias towards women, they were known to tilt their heads in shame and embarrassment upon the birth of a girl and it was customary to bury them alive. The Qur’an argues with them as follows,
“Now, ask the disbelievers: is it true that your Lord has daughters while they choose sons for themselves? Did We create the angels as females while they were watching? No indeed! It is one of their lies when they say, ‘God has begotten.’ How they lie!
Did He truly choose daughters in preference to sons? What is the matter with you? How do you form your judgements? Do you not reflect? … ” (37: 149-155)
At another juncture, Allah assures to have their blasphemy recorded and interrogate them about it in the Hereafter,
“They consider the angels — God’s servants — to be female. Did they witness their creation? Their claim will be put on record and they will be questioned about it.” (43:19)
The above may help explain why belief in angels is so important and why it is included in the faith pronouncement, “I believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His Messengers, the last day … ”
The sequence of the pronouncement seems to follow a logical order from the heavens to the earth and then back to Him again.
Angels are an extraordinary creation of Allah. By reflecting upon their magnitude, quantity and the other descriptions provided in the sources, one can appreciate Allah’s creation and glory, and grow in awe of His power and magnificence.
For example, Jibril once told the Prophet about how each day seventy thousand angels pray at the Ka’bah in the heavens and never return to it (this Ka'bah is referred to as al-bayt al-ma'mur in the Qur'an). The Prophet also said, “there is not the space of a hand or foot in the skies above but that there is an angel there, standing, bowing and prostrating in prayer… ”. Another example is of how Hell will be brought forward on the day of judgement via seventy thousand ropes, each rope will be pulled by seventy thousand angels. This means just the number of angels that will bring out Hell will be forty nine million. There is plenty of this in the sources if they are scoped carefully.
Taking a comparative look at how Allah favoured Man and the status given to him provides one with a liberating framework no philosophy has conceived and can do wonders for one’s faith and observance. It is only religion that preaches us the sanctity of Man (to the degree that it does), of God having created Man in His image, and, in this case, how God favoured Man over the angels, demonstrated His flawless judgement over their words of demurral and, upon creation, asked them to prostrate to him. Subhanka Ya Rabb.
In addition, there is the sense of God impressing upon “believers in the unseen” the element of the divine and metaphysical in their daily interactions and affairs — the possibilities and, in cases, inevitabilities of divine assistance and metaphysical intervention. This is so that their reliance is never solely upon the material, nor is their attention diverted from the centre of their focus, Allah; nor is their consciousness sidetracked from the final and ultimate destination, the Hereafter, both of which belong to the category of the unseen.
One can look at how these ‘honoured servants’ (the Qur’an describes the angels as such) interact with Man, in particular the believers, how they serve their interests, pray for them and assist them in their endeavours. Each believer has the potential for this honour and ought to strive for it.
These are some points that come to mind. Sincere reflection will yield more no doubt. For the guiding principle here is that Allah is the all-Wise and there is great wisdom in all that He does.
Allah knows best.
U.N.
