In Islamic belief, Maalik ( ar, مالك, mālik) denotes an

angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles inclu ...

in Hell/

Purgatory Purgatory (, borrowed into English via Anglo-Norman and Old French) is, according to the belief of some Christian denominations (mostly Catholic), an intermediate state after physical death for expiatory purification. The process of purgatory ...

( ar, جهنم,

jahannam In Islam, the place of punishment for unbelievers and other evildoers in the afterlife, or hell, is an "integral part of Islamic theology", Thomassen, "Islamic Hell", Numen, 56, 2009: p.401 and has "occupied an important place in the Muslim imagi ...

) who administrates the Hellfire, assisted by 19 mysterious guards (Sura 74:30) known as

Zabaniyya In Islam the Zabaniyah ( ar, الزبانية, link=no) (also spelled Zebani) are the tormentors of the sinners in hell. They appear namely in the Quran in verse . Identified with the ''Nineteen Angels of Hell'' in and , they are further calle ...

( ar, الزبانية, az-zabānīya). In the

Qur'an The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , s ...

, Maalik is mentioned in Sura as the chief of angels of hell. The earliest codices offer various alternative spellings of this word including , meaning "angel", instead of a proper name.

In Qur'an

In and the following, the Qur'an describes Maalik telling the people in hell that they must remain there: "Surely, the disbelievers will be in the torment of hell to abide therein forever. he tormentwill not be lightened for them, and they will be plunged into destruction with deep regrets, sorrows and in despair therein. We wronged them not, but they were the wrongdoers. And they will cry: 'O Malik! Let your Lord make an end of us!' He will say: 'Surely, you shall abide forever.' Indeed we have brought the truth to you, but most of you have a hatred for the truth." points out, that the punishments are carried out by God's command: "O you who believe! Save yourselves and your families from a fire ahannamwhose fuel is men and stones, over which are ppointedangels stern and severe, who flinch not rom executingthe commands they receive from God, but do reciselywhat they are commanded".

In Muhammad's Night Journey

According to Islamic tradition,

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mo ...

met the angel Maalik during his heavenly journey. Therefore, Muhammad arrived in heaven and all the angels greeted him with a smile except Maalik. When Muhammad asked Jibra'il, why he remains taciturn therefore, he reveals Maalik as the guardian of Hell who never smiles. After that, Muhammad asked him to show Hell and Maalik opened its gates, showing him a glimpse of suffering for the inmates.Brooke Olson Vuckovic ''Heavenly Journeys, Earthly Concerns: The Legacy of the Mi'raj in the Formation of Islam'' Routledge 2004 page 37

References

{{Angels in Abrahamic Religions Angels in Islam Individual angels Jahannam

In Qur'an

In Muhammad's Night Journey

See also

References