Angels in Islam
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Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
,
angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...
s (; plural: or ) are believed to be
heaven Heaven, or the Heavens, is a common Religious cosmology, religious cosmological or supernatural place where beings such as deity, deities, angels, souls, saints, or Veneration of the dead, venerated ancestors are said to originate, be throne, ...
ly beings, created from a luminous origin by
God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...
. The
Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...
is the principal source for the Islamic concept of angels, but more extensive features of angels appear in hadith literature, literature, Islamic exegesis,
theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...
,
philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...
, and
mysticism Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute (philosophy), Absolute, but may refer to any kind of Religious ecstasy, ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or Spirituality, spiritual meani ...
. Belief in angels is one of the core tenets within Islam, as it is one of the six articles of faith. Angels are more prominent in Islam compared to Judeo-Christian tradition. The angels differ from other invisible creatures in their attitude as creatures of virtue, in contrast to evil devils ( or ) and ambiguous
jinn Jinn or djinn (), alternatively genies, are supernatural beings in pre-Islamic Arabian religion and Islam. Their existence is generally defined as parallel to humans, as they have free will, are accountable for their deeds, and can be either ...
( or ). Despite being considered to be virtuous beings, angels are not necessarily bringers of good news, as per Islamic tradition, angels can perform grim and violent tasks. Angels are conceptualized as heavenly beings. As such, they are said to lack passion and bodily desires. If angels can nevertheless fail, is debated in Islam. Mu'tazilites and many Salafis usually hold the opinion that angels are always obedient and never fail to perform their tasks. In contrast, schools of theology (''Kalām'') often accept the fallibility of angels. Ashʿarites agree that angels have no free agency, but argue that they may still fail and then fall. Māturīdites say that the heavenly creatures are tested, and angels may fail such a test, whereupon they are dismissed from their duties. In
Islamic philosophy Islamic philosophy is philosophy that emerges from the Islamic tradition. Two terms traditionally used in the Islamic world are sometimes translated as philosophy—''falsafa'' (), which refers to philosophy as well as logic, mathematics, and p ...
and
Sufism Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...
, angels are related to the nature of
reason Reason is the capacity of consciously applying logic by drawing valid conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking the truth. It is associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, religion, scien ...
(aql''). According to Sufi cosmology, they connect the higher realms of the intellect with the lower world of matter. Thus, the human mind is conceptualized to form a connection with the
heavenly spheres ''Heavenly Spheres'' (L'Harmonie des Sphères) is an a cappella choral album by the Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal under the direction of Christopher Jackson (keyboardist), Christopher Jackson. Recorded in 1998, it features songs from ...
(''malakūt'') through such heavenly entities associated with ('' nūr''). In contrast, the devils attempt to disturb the connection by diverging the mind to the lower spheres, thus associated with
fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a fuel in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. Flames, the most visible portion of the fire, are produced in the combustion re ...
('' nār'').


Etymology

The Quranic word for angel () derives either from , meaning "he controlled", due to their power to govern different affairs assigned to them, or from the triliteral root , or with the broad meaning of a "messenger", just as its counterpart in
Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
(). Unlike the
Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
word, however, the term is used exclusively for heavenly spirits of the divine world, as opposed to human messengers. The Quran refers to both angelic and human messengers as instead. In pre-Islamic Arabian culture, the term was also used by the
Thamud The Thamud () were an ancient tribe or tribal confederation in pre-Islamic Arabia that occupied the northwestern Arabian Peninsula. They are attested in contemporaneous Mesopotamian and Classical inscriptions, as well as Arabic ones from the e ...
for beings who deserve supplication.


Quran and exegesis

The Quran describes angels in the context of earlier Middle Eastern cultural traditions, both monotheistic and polytheistic belief-systems. Belief in angels is prescribed for the believer. Surah 35 is, in some manuscripts, named after them (''al-malā’ikah''). With a few exceptions, angels in the Quran are largely impersonal. They appear in stories about the mythic past, eschatological imagery (heaven/hell), and in discussions about prophecy and worship. While in the
Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
the term 'angel' refers to 'messengers' (mundane or divine) the Quran uses the term 'rasul' instead. Angels are solely heavenly spirits. As in Biblical tradition, angels deliver the message to Zechariah (3:39) and Mary (3:45). In the Quran, angels are not limited to be messengers but are also part of the heavenly council. They serve as scribes (50:17-18), serve as God's warriors (9:26), and carry God's throne. God commands the angels to prostrate themselves before
Adam Adam is the name given in Genesis 1–5 to the first human. Adam is the first human-being aware of God, and features as such in various belief systems (including Judaism, Christianity, Gnosticism and Islam). According to Christianity, Adam ...
, similar to the
Syrian Syrians () are the majority inhabitants of Syria, indigenous to the Levant, most of whom have Arabic, especially its Levantine and Mesopotamian dialects, as a mother tongue. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend ...
Cave of Treasures The ''Cave of Treasures'' (, , Ge'ez: ''Baʿāta Mazāgebet'', Tigrinya: መዝገብ ገዛ), is an apocryphal and pseudoepigraphical work, that contains various narratives related to the Christian Bible. It was written in the Syriac language ...
. The Quran portrays the '' Jahiliyyah'' as worshipping angels as minor deities (Surah 53:19-22; 6:100; 16:57; 37:149), believed to function as intercessors (Surah 10:18). In the pre-Islamic Arabian religion, deities, jinn, angels, and demons are not clearly distinguished and shade into another. Several angels in the Quran function as personified meteorological phenomena, and may root in polytheistic animistic beliefs. The Quranic creation account suggests the superiority of humans over angels: When God creates
Adam Adam is the name given in Genesis 1–5 to the first human. Adam is the first human-being aware of God, and features as such in various belief systems (including Judaism, Christianity, Gnosticism and Islam). According to Christianity, Adam ...
, he taught him the names of all things, knowledge the angels lack. Muslim exegetes read this as a demonstration of the a unique capacity (exercise of aql'') whereas the angels are lacking. As such, angels are no longer objects of deserving worship and also become distinguished from God. According to Quranic exegesis, some angels refused to accept the superiority of mankind and became devils (''šayāṭīn''). This debate is closely related to a discussion regarding other verses about angels.


Obedience

Although sometimes denied, '' fallen angels'' were widely accepted in Classical
Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
. Objection towards the concept of fallen angels, however, is attested as early as to the influential Hasan of Basra (d. 728), who is often considered one of the first who asserted the doctrine of angelic infallibility. When discussing the nature of Iblis, Tabari does not mention angelic infallibility, the idea might not have been universal in early Islam.Erdağı, D. Evil in Turkish Muslim horror film: the demonic in "Semum". SN Soc Sci 4, 27 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-024-00832-w Thus, from the traditions of
ibn Abbas ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbbās (; c. 619 – 687 CE), also known as Ibn ʿAbbās, was one of the cousins of the Prophets and messengers in Islam, prophet Muhammad. He is considered to be the greatest Tafsir#Conditions, mufassir of the Quran, Qur'an. ...
(angels can sin), and Hasan of Basra (angels cannot sin), two different opinions derived. In a comment by Gibril Haddad on Qadi Baydawi's defense on angelic fallibility, in his '' Tafsir al-Baydawi'', it is said that the angels' "obedience is their nature while their disobedience is a burden, while human beings' obedience is a burden and their hankering after lust is their nature."


Infallible

Opposition to the concept of the fallen angel is mostly found among the Qadariyah and most Mu'tazilites. Many Salafis also agree with this view. Those who oppose angelic fallibility refer to Surah at-Tahrim (66:6) in favor of their position:
O believers! Protect yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is people and stones, overseen by formidable and severe angels, who never disobey whatever Allah orders—always doing as commanded.
Fakhr al-Din al-Razi is an exception to most '' mutakallimūn'', and agrees that angels are free from any form of sin and includes angelic infallibility to the six articles of faith. Al-Razi argues that "except Iblis" (2:34, 18:50) is read as an "interrupted exception" ('' istithna munqathi''), excluding Iblis from the group of angels and states that he hailed from
jinn Jinn or djinn (), alternatively genies, are supernatural beings in pre-Islamic Arabian religion and Islam. Their existence is generally defined as parallel to humans, as they have free will, are accountable for their deeds, and can be either ...
species instead. Ibn Taimiyya rejects any ambiguity on the nature of Iblis and portrays him as a satanic jinni in contrast to the obedient angels.Reynolds, G. S. (2009). Angels. In K. Fleet, G. Krämer, D. Matringe, J. Nawas and D. J. Stewart (eds.), Encyclopaedia of Islam Three Online. Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/1573-3912_ei3_COM_23204Sela, R., Sartori, P., & DeWeese, D. (Eds.). (2022). Muslim Religious Authority in Central Eurasia (Vol. 43). Brill. p. 78 Following the opinions of ibn Taimiyya and his disciple
ibn Kathir Abu al-Fida Isma'il ibn Umar ibn Kathir al-Dimashqi (; ), known simply as Ibn Kathir, was an Arab Islamic Exegesis, exegete, historian and scholar. An expert on (Quranic exegesis), (history) and (Islamic jurisprudence), he is considered a lea ...
, many scholars of
Salafism The Salafi movement or Salafism () is a Islamic fundamentalism, fundamentalist Islamic revival, revival movement within Sunni Islam, originating in the late 19th century and influential in the Islamic world to this day. The name "''Salafiyya''" ...
and
Wahhabism Wahhabism is an exonym for a Salafi revivalist movement within Sunni Islam named after the 18th-century Hanbali scholar Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab. It was initially established in the central Arabian region of Najd and later spread to oth ...
agree on this. Furthermore, many of them regard this as a major difference between Christianity and Islam.


Fallible

Surah 2:30 portrays the angels arguing with God about the creation of Adam, since Adam's progeny will cause suffering, thus, according to those object to infallibility, showing flaws such as (slander, pride, malice, proposing faults with God). From among the angels,
Iblis Iblis (), alternatively known as Eblīs, also known as Shaitan, is the leader of the Shayatin, devils () in Islam. According to the Quran, Iblis was thrown out of Jannah#Jinn, angels, and devils, heaven after refusing to prostrate himself bef ...
refuses to pay homage to Adam and is banned. The phrase "except Iblis" in 2:34 and 18:50 is understood as an uninterrupted exception (''istithna' muttasil''). A possible reconciliation of Iblis' fall and the doctrine of angelic impeccability is to say that God wanted Iblis to disobey or that Iblis' disobedience derives from a noble yet misguided motivation. Mahmud al-Alusi resolves potential conflicts by iterating that ʿAzāzīl was first an infallible angel, but then God removed his angelic nature and replaced it with satanic attributes, whereupon he becomes Iblis and sinned. Al-Maturidi (853–944 CE) rejects that angels are free from sin altogether, stating that angels too are tested and also have free-will based on the Quran:Ulrich Rudolph Al-Māturīdī und Die Sunnitische Theologie in Samarkand Brill, 1997 ISBN 978-90-04-10023-7 pp. 54-56
By calling the stars adornment of the heavens, we can deduce another meaning: that is, the inhabitants of the heavens themselves are put to the test to see which of them is the best in deeds, (...)
Those who are in support of the concept of fallen angels (including Tabari, Suyuti, al-Nasafi, and al-Māturīdī) refer to ''al-Anbiya'' (21:29) stating that angels would be punished for sins and arguing that, if angels could not sin, they would not be warned to refrain from committing them:
Whoever of them were to say, "I am a god besides Him", they would be rewarded with Hell by Us ../blockquote> Besides the case of Iblis, the presence of Harut and Marut in the Quran, further hindered their complete absolution from potentially sinning.MacDonald, D.B. and Madelung, W., "Malāʾika", in: Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition, Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, W.P. Heinrichs. Consulted online on 12 October 2021 First published online: 2012 First print edition: , 1960-2007
Ahmad ibn Hanbal Ahmad ibn Hanbal (; (164-241 AH; 780 – 855 CE) was an Arab Muslim scholar, jurist, theologian, traditionist, ascetic and eponym of the Hanbali school of Islamic jurisprudence—one of the four major orthodox legal schools of Sunni Islam. T ...
(d. 241/855) describes these angels, in his Musnad, as boasting of their obedience, so God sends them down to earth, where they commit sins. Although not explicit in the Quran, some exegetes linked them to Iblis, and the angels with him, protesting the creation of Adam.


Characteristics

In Islam, angels are heavenly creatures created by
God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...
. They are considered older than humans and
jinn Jinn or djinn (), alternatively genies, are supernatural beings in pre-Islamic Arabian religion and Islam. Their existence is generally defined as parallel to humans, as they have free will, are accountable for their deeds, and can be either ...
.Iqbal, Muzaffar. "Integrated Encyclopedia of the Qur'ān." ''The center of Islamic Sciences'' (2013). pp. 176-181 They are aware of the thoughts of humans. However, they do not know the future. Although Muslim authors disagree on the exact nature of angels, they agree that they are autonomous entities with subtle bodies. Yet, both concepts of angels as anthropomorphic creatures with wings and as abstract forces are acknowledged. Angels play an important role in Muslim everyday life by protecting the believers from evil influences and recording the deeds of humans. They have different duties, including their praise of God, interacting with humans in ordinary life, defending against devils (''shayāṭīn'') and carrying on natural phenomena. In
Islamic philosophy Islamic philosophy is philosophy that emerges from the Islamic tradition. Two terms traditionally used in the Islamic world are sometimes translated as philosophy—''falsafa'' (), which refers to philosophy as well as logic, mathematics, and p ...
angelic qualities, just as devilish ones, are assumed to be part of human's nature, the angelic one related to the spirit (''ruh'') and reason (''aql''), while the devilish one to egoism. Angels might accompany aspiring saints or advise pious humans. One of the Islamic major characteristic is their lack of bodily desires; they never get tired, do not eat or drink, and have no anger. Various Islamic scholars such as
Ibn Kathir Abu al-Fida Isma'il ibn Umar ibn Kathir al-Dimashqi (; ), known simply as Ibn Kathir, was an Arab Islamic Exegesis, exegete, historian and scholar. An expert on (Quranic exegesis), (history) and (Islamic jurisprudence), he is considered a lea ...
, Ibn Taymiyya,
Al-Tabari Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn Jarīr ibn Yazīd al-Ṭabarī (; 839–923 CE / 224–310 AH), commonly known as al-Ṭabarī (), was a Sunni Muslim scholar, polymath, historian, exegete, jurist, and theologian from Amol, Tabaristan, present- ...
, Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, and Umar Sulaiman Al-Ashqar also quoted that angels do not need to consume food or drinks. They are also described as immortal, unlike jinn. In Islamic traditions, they are described as being created from incorporeal
light Light, visible light, or visible radiation is electromagnetic radiation that can be visual perception, perceived by the human eye. Visible light spans the visible spectrum and is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400– ...
() or fire (). Ahmad Sirhindi, a 17th-century Indian scholar, has added, that angels can take various shapes. Angels believed to be engaged in human affairs are closely related to Islamic purity and modesty rituals. Angels may descend to the believers, such as during the Night of Qadr. Many
hadith Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...
s, including
Muwatta Imam Malik ''Al-Muwaṭṭaʾ'' (, 'the approved') or ''Muwatta Imam Malik'' () of Malik ibn Anas, Imam Malik (711–795) written in the 8th-century, is one of the earliest collections of hadith texts comprising the subjects of Sharia, Islamic law, compile ...
from one of the
Kutub al-Sittah (), also known as () are the six canonical hadith collections of Sunni Islam. They were all compiled in the 9th and early 10th centuries, roughly from 840 to 912 CE and are thought to embody the Sunnah of Muhammad. The books are the of al ...
, talk about angels being repelled by humans' state of impurity. It is argued that if driven away by ritual impurity, the ''Kiraman Katibin'', who record people's actions, and the
guardian angel A guardian angel is a type of angel that is assigned to protect and guide a particular person, group or nation. Belief in tutelary deity, tutelary beings can be traced throughout all antiquity. The idea of angels that guard over people played ...
, will not perform their tasks assigned to the individual. Another hadith specifies, during the state of impurity, bad actions are still written down, but good actions are not. When a person tells a lie, angels nearby are separated from the person from the stench the lie emanates. Angels also depart from humans when they are naked or are having a bath out of decency, but also curse people who are nude in public. Ahmad Sirhindi has mentioned that the angels nobility are because their substances are created from luminous light.


Sufism

Just as in non-Sufi-related traditions, angels are thought of as created of light. Al-Jili specifies that the angels are created from the Light of Muhammad and in his attribute of guidance, light and beauty. Influenced by Ibn Arabi's Sufi metaphysics, Haydar Amuli identifies angels as created to represent different names/attributes of God's beauty, while the devils are created in accordance with God's attributes of Majesty, such as "The Haughty" or "The Domineering".Ayman Shihadeh ''Sufism and Theology'' Edinburgh University Press, 21 November 2007 pp. 54-56 Andalusian
scholar A scholar is a person who is a researcher or has expertise in an academic discipline. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researcher at a university. An academic usually holds an advanced degree or a termina ...
ibn Arabi argues that a human generally ranks below angels, but developed to ''
al-Insān al-Kāmil In Islamic theology, ''al-Insān al-Kāmil'' (), also rendered as ''Insān-i Kāmil'' ( Persian/Urdu: ) and ' ( Turkish), is an honorific title to describe Muhammad, the prophet of Islam. The phrase means "the person who has reached perfection ...
'', ranks above them. While most earlier Sufis (like
Hasan al-Basri Abi Sa'id al-Hasan ibn Yasar al-Basri, often referred to as al-Hasan al-Basri, was an ancient Muslim preacher, ascetic, theologian, exegete, scholar, and judge. Born in Medina in 642,Mourad, Suleiman A., “al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī”, in: ''Encyc ...
) advised their disciples to imitate the angels, Ibn-Arabi advised them to surpass the angels. The angels being merely a reflection of the Divine Names in accordance within the spiritual realm, humans experience the Names of God manifested both in the spiritual and in the material world.Reynolds, Gabriel Said, "Angels", in: Encyclopaedia of Islam, THREE, Edited by: Kate Fleet, Gudrun Krämer, Denis Matringe, John Nawas, Everett Rowson. Consulted online on 17 August 2021 First published online: 2009 First print edition: 9789004181304, 2009, 2009-3 This reflects the major opinion that prophets and messengers among humans rank above angels, but the ordinary human below an angel, while the messengers among angels rank higher than prophets and messengers among humans. Ibn Arabi elaborates his ranking in based on a report by ''Tirmidhi''. Accordingly, Muhammad intercedes for the angels first, then for (other) prophets, saints, believers, animals, plants and inanimate objects last, this explaining the hierarchy of beings in general Muslim thought. In Sufism, angels do not appear as merely models for the mystic but also their companions. Humans, in a state between earth and heaven, seek angels as guidance to reach the upper realms. Some authors have suggested that some individual angels in the microcosmos represent specific human faculties on a macrocosmic level. According to a common belief, if a Sufi can not find a sheikh to teach him, he will be taught by the angel Khidr. The presence of an angel depends on human's obedience to divine law. Dirt, depraved morality and desecration may ward off an angel. A saint might be given the ability to see angels as gift ('' karāmāt'') from God.
Ahmad al-Tijani Abū al-ʻAbbās Ahmad ibn Muhammad at-Tijāniyy or Ahmed Tijani (, 1735–1815), was an Algerian people, Algerian Sharif who founded the Tijaniyyah tariqa (Sufi order). Life Tijani was born in 1735 in Aïn Madhi, the son of Muhammad al-Mukhta ...
, founder of the
Tijaniyyah The Tijjani order () is a Sufi Tariqa, order of Sunni Islam named after Ahmad al-Tijani. It originated in Algeria but now more widespread in Maghreb, West Africa, particularly in Senegal, The Gambia, Gambia, Mauritania, Mali, Guinea, Niger, ...
order, narrates that angels are created through the words of humans. Through good words an angel of mercy is created, but through evil words an angel of punishment is created. By God's degree, if someone repents from evil words, the angel of punishment may turn into an angel of mercy.


Philosophy (''Falsafa'')

Muslim philosophers, such as al-Fārābī and Ibn Sīnā, drew from
Aristotelianism Aristotelianism ( ) is a philosophical tradition inspired by the work of Aristotle, usually characterized by Prior Analytics, deductive logic and an Posterior Analytics, analytic inductive method in the study of natural philosophy and metaphysics ...
and Neo-Platonism a hierarchy of causal effects. God created the divine Intellect known from Aristotelian cosmologyWebb, Geoffrey. “Aristotle and the Angels: Convergence of Islam and Christianity.” Studies: An Irish Quarterly Review 79, no. 315 (1990): 293. http://www.jstor.org/stable/30091976. and the writings of
Plotinus Plotinus (; , ''Plōtînos'';  – 270 CE) was a Greek Platonist philosopher, born and raised in Roman Egypt. Plotinus is regarded by modern scholarship as the founder of Neoplatonism. His teacher was the self-taught philosopher Ammonius ...
, identified with an angel (usually Gabriel). The archangel then influences other cosmic intellects who in turn influence the sublunary world.Stephen Burge. 2024. 'Angels (malāʾika)', St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology. Edited by Brendan N. Wolfe et al. https://www.saet.ac.uk/Islam/Angels Accessed: 21 November 2024 p. 18 As such, the philosophers considered angels to be bodiless spirits. Muslim theologians (''mutakallimun''), for example al-Suyuti and al-Taftazani,Erdinç, Z. (2021). The Being and Essence of the Human Soul in al-Taftazanı's Thought. Nazariyat, 7(2). generally rejected the philosophical depiction of angels as immaterial beings, since angels are, according to '' ḥadīṯ'', created from light (). In response to the invisibility of angels, Taftazani argues that only God is immaterial and that angels evade perception due to their transparent bodies. Although Mutazilites and Asharites agree upon that everything in the world is bound to matter, including angels and demons, they disagree on the nature of their bodies: While for the Mutazilites angels were luminous, the Asharites maintained that their bodies are airy and could condence in order to interact with the physical world (i.e. becoming visible, fighting in battle, destroying a city, etc.) The influential Sunni Muslim author
al-Ghazali Al-Ghazali ( – 19 December 1111), archaically Latinized as Algazelus, was a Shafi'i Sunni Muslim scholar and polymath. He is known as one of the most prominent and influential jurisconsults, legal theoreticians, muftis, philosophers, the ...
(–19 December 1111) reconciled the Islamic Neo-Platonist with traditional Sunni interpretations. He divides human nature into four domains, each representing another type of creature: animals, beasts, devils and angels. The spiritual components are related to the mental domain (), the plane in which symbols take on form, angels and devils advise the human hearth (). However, the angels also inhabit the realm beyond considered the realm from which reason () derives from and devils have no place. While the angels endow human mind with reason, advices virtues and leads to worshipping God, the devil perverts the mind and tempts to abusing the spiritual nature by committing sins, such as lying, betrayal, and deceit. The angelic natures advices how to use the animalistic body properly, while the devil perverts it. In this regard, the plane of a human is, unlike whose of the (here: angels and devils) and animals, not pre-determined. Humans are potentially both angels and devils, depending on whether the sensual soul or the rational soul develop.


Bektashi Alevism

Despite its
heterodoxy In religion, heterodoxy (from Ancient Greek: , + , ) means "any opinions or doctrines at variance with an official or orthodox position". ''Heterodoxy'' is also an ecclesiastical jargon term, defined in various ways by different religions and ...
, Alevis believe in the
Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...
, the revelation by
Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...
, the afterlife, and angels, pretty much as Sunnis do. Like orthodox Muslims, Alevis believe that Muhammad undertook the heavenly journey guided by the angel Gabriel (), mentioned in the Quran ( Surah 17), as evident from the ''miraçlama'', a form of poetry (''deyiş'') remniscient of Anatolian folk songs. Alevis affirm the Quranic message that angels were ordered to bow down before Adam, and for that reason, believe that humans inherent a special status.Shindeldecker, John. Turkish Alevis Today. Sahkulu Sultan Külliyesi Vakfı, 1998. p. 4 Some Alevis believe that good and bad angels are merely symbols and do not believe in their literal existence. Angels are also mentioned in Alevi-spiritual literature. The cosmology outlined in the
Buyruks The Buyruks are a collection of spiritual books providing the basis of the Alevi value system. ''Buyruk'' means “command” or “order” in Turkish language, Turkish. Topics addressed in the Buyruks include müsahiplik ("spiritual brotherhoo ...
ascribes a central role to angels. Accordingly, when God created the angels, God tested them by asking who they are. Those angels who responded "You are the Creator and I am the created." were the good angels, while those who claimed independency by stating "You are you; I am I" were burned. Whereby, the destroyed angels feature as an example of spiritual ignorance. Similar to the Quran, the story continues with that the angel '' Azâzîl'', overcome by his ego, refuses to bow before the light, arguing that the light is a created thing and thus, cannot be the creator, and accordingly unworthy of prostration.DOĞAN, Eşref, and Hasan ÇELİK. "HÛ ERENLER! HÂYYʼDAN GELDİK HÛʼYA GİDERİZ: ALEVÎ-BEKTÂŞÎ DEYİMLERİNİN TÜRK EDEBİYATINA YANSIMALARI." p. 185 In contrast to Sunni tradition however, the light symbolizes Ali and Muhammad, not
Adam Adam is the name given in Genesis 1–5 to the first human. Adam is the first human-being aware of God, and features as such in various belief systems (including Judaism, Christianity, Gnosticism and Islam). According to Christianity, Adam ...
. Besides Gabriel and Azazil, other angels, such as the '' Kiraman Katibin'' also appear in the text.


Contemporary views

Islamic Modernist scholars, eager to promote Islam as a "science-friendly and rational religion, devoid of any supernatural elements", attempted to interprete supernatural forces, such as angels, as natural forces or moral manifestations of the heart without any external reality. Muhammad Abduh, Rashid Rida,
Muhammad Asad Muhammad Asad (born Leopold Weiss; 2 July 1900 – 20 February 1992) was an Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian Muslim polymath, born in modern day Ukraine. He worked as a journalist, traveler, writer, List of political theorists, political theori ...
and Ghulam Ahmed Parwez have thus suggested a metaphorical reinterpretation of the concept of angels. Orthodox forms of Islam, on the other hand, emphasizes a literal interpretation of angels, as recently affirmed by a
fatwa A fatwa (; ; ; ) is a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law (sharia) given by a qualified Islamic jurist ('' faqih'') in response to a question posed by a private individual, judge or government. A jurist issuing fatwas is called a ''mufti'', ...
from
al-Azhar University The Al-Azhar University ( ; , , ) is a public university in Cairo, Egypt. Associated with Al-Azhar Al-Sharif in Islamic Cairo, it is Egypt's oldest degree-granting university and is known as one of the most prestigious universities for Islamic ...
.
Wahhabism Wahhabism is an exonym for a Salafi revivalist movement within Sunni Islam named after the 18th-century Hanbali scholar Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab. It was initially established in the central Arabian region of Najd and later spread to oth ...
and
Salafism The Salafi movement or Salafism () is a Islamic fundamentalism, fundamentalist Islamic revival, revival movement within Sunni Islam, originating in the late 19th century and influential in the Islamic world to this day. The name "''Salafiyya''" ...
, also considers metaphorical interpretation as a form of unbelief or illicit innovation (''bidʿah''), brought by
secularism Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on naturalistic considerations, uninvolved with religion. It is most commonly thought of as the separation of religion from civil affairs and the state and may be broadened ...
and
positivism Positivism is a philosophical school that holds that all genuine knowledge is either true by definition or positivemeaning '' a posteriori'' facts derived by reason and logic from sensory experience.John J. Macionis, Linda M. Gerber, ''Soci ...
, as stated by Muhammad ibn al-Uthaymin. In contrast to traditional orthodox accounts, many Salafis, such as members of the Muslim Brotherhood
Sayyid Qutb Sayyid Ibrahim Husayn Shadhili Qutb (9 October 190629 August 1966) was an Egyptian political theorist and revolutionary who was a leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood. As the author of 24 books, with around 30 books unpublished for differe ...
and Umar Sulaiman al-Ashqar, differ by also disregarding material previously well-accepted in Islamic tradition, such as the story of ''Harut and Marut'' (''qiṣṣat Hārūt wa-Mārūt'') or the name the Angel of Death (''ʿAzrāʾīl'').Stephen Burge ''Angels in Islam: Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti's al-Haba'ik fi Akhbar al-malik'' Routledge 2015 p. 13-14 Al-Ashqar not only rejects the traditional material itself, he furthermore disapproves of scholars who use them.


Classification of angels

Islam has no standard hierarchical organization that parallels the division into different "choirs" or spheres hypothesized and drafted by early medieval Christian theologians, but generally distinguishes between the angels in heaven () fully absorbed in the ''
ma'rifa In Sufism, maʿrifa ("experiential knowledge" or " gnosis") is the mystical understanding of God or Divine Reality. It has been described as an immediate recognition and understanding of the true nature of things as they are. Ma'rifa encompasses a ...
'' (knowledge) of God and the messengers (''rasūl'') who carry out divine decrees between heaven and earth. Others add a third group of angels, and categorize angels into ''İlliyyûn Mukarrebûn'' (those around God's throne), ''Mudabbirât'' (carrying the laws of nature), and ''Rasūl'' (messengers). Since angels are not equal in status and are consequently delegated to different tasks to perform, some authors of ''tafsir'' (''mufassirūn'') divided angels into different categories. Al-Baydawi records that Muslim scholars divide angels in at least two groups: those who are self-immersed in knowledge of "the Truth" (al-Haqq), based on "they laud night and day, they never wane" (21:20), they are the "highmost" and "angels brought near" and those who are the executors of commands, based on "they do not disobey Allah in what He commanded them but they do what they are commanded" (66:6), who are the administers of the command of heaven to earth. Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (d. 1209) divided the angels into eight groups, which shows some resemblance to Christian angelology: * Hamalat al-'Arsh, those who carry the ( Throne of God), comparable to the Christian
Seraph A seraph ( ; pl.: ) is a celestial or heavenly being originating in Ancient Judaism. The term plays a role in subsequent Judaism, Islam and Christianity. Tradition places seraphim in the highest rank in Christian angelology and in the fif ...
im. * Muqarrabun (Cherubim), who surround the throne of God, constantly praising God (''tasbīḥ'') *
Archangel Archangels () are the second lowest rank of angel in the Catholic hierarchy of angels, based on and put forward by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite in the 5th or 6th century in his book ''De Coelesti Hierarchia'' (''On the Celestial Hierarchy'') ...
s, such as Jibrāʾīl, Mīkhāʾīl, Isrāfīl, and ʿAzrāʾīl * Angels of Paradise, such as Riḍwān. * Angels of Hell, Mālik and ''Zabānīya'' * Guardian angels, who are assigned to individuals to protect them * The angels who record the actions of people * Angels entrusted with the affairs of the world, like the angel of thunder.


Angels in Islamic art

Angels in Islamic art often appear in illustrated manuscripts of Muhammad's life. Other common depictions of angels in Islamic art include angels with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, angels discerning the saved from the damned on the Day of Judgement, and angels as a repeating motif in borders or textiles. Islamic depictions of angels resemble winged Christian angels, although Islamic angels are typically shown with multicolored wings. Angels, such as the archangel Gabriel, are typically depicted as masculine, which is consistent with God's rejection of feminine depictions of angels in several verses of
Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...
. Nevertheless, later depictions of angels in Islamic art are more feminine and androgynous. The 13th century book ''Ajā'ib al-makhlūqāt wa gharā'ib al-mawjūdāt'' '' (The Wonders of Creation)'' by
Zakariya al-Qazwini Zakariyya' al-Qazwini ( , ), also known as Qazvini (), (born in Qazvin, Iran, and died 1283), was a Cosmography, cosmographer and Geography in medieval Islam, geographer. He belonged to a family of jurists originally descended from Anas bin Mal ...
describes Islamic angelology, and is often illustrated with many images of angels. The angels are typically depicted with bright, vivid colors, giving them unusual liveliness and other-worldly translucence. While some angels are referred to as "Guardians of the Kingdom of God," others are associated with hell. An undated manuscript of ''The Wonders of Creation'' from the Bavarian State Library in Munich includes depictions of angels both alone and alongside humans and animals. Angels are also illustrated in Timurid and Ottoman manuscripts, such as ''The Timurid Book of the Prophet Muhammad's Ascension'' () and the '' Siyer-i Nebi''.Gruber, Christiane J. (2008). The Timurid "Book of Ascension" (Micrajnama): A Study of the Text and Image in a Pan-Asian Context. Patrimonia. p. 254


See also

*
Angels in art Angels have appeared in works of art since early Christian art, and they have been a popular subject for Byzantine Empire, Byzantine and European paintings and sculpture. Normally given wings in art, angels are usually intended, in both Christ ...
* Angels in Judaism * List of theological angels * List of theological demons * Peri


Notes


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Islamic View Of Angels Angels