Angels ~ FHE

We always hear our friends  and sometimes our family talk about angels.
We see angels in the movies and in paintings. We even see some statues or figurines of angels in
the gift shops. What is the truth about angels?.
We can find the truth about angels in the book given to us by God, the Quran.
Let us think about some of the common questions about angels and find their answers in the Quran.

(1) Do angels really exist?

God teaches us in the Quran that He created angels as well as He created us, the humans.
God expects us to believe in angels,
to believe that they exist ,and that they are creatures of God who do whatever God tells them to do.

I seek refuge in God from Satan the rejected

In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

[2:285]

The messenger has believed in what was sent down to him

from his Lord, and so did the believers. They believe in

GOD, His angels, His scripture, and His messengers: "We

make no distinction among any of His messengers." They

say, "We hear, and we obey. Forgive us, our Lord. To You

is the ultimate destiny."

-----------------------------

[2:177]

Righteousness is not turning your faces towards the east

or the west. Righteous are those who believe in GOD, the

Last Day, the angels, the scripture, and the prophets;

and they give the money, cheerfully, to the relatives,

the orphans, the needy, the traveling alien, the beggars,

and to free the slaves; and they observe the Contact

Prayers (Salat) and give the obligatory charity (Zakat);

and they keep their word whenever they make a promise;

and they steadfastly persevere in the face of

persecution, hardship, and war. These are the truthful;

these are the righteous.

-------------------------------

[4:136]

O you who believe, you shall believe in GOD and His

messenger, and the scripture He has revealed through His

messenger, and the scripture He has revealed before that.

Anyone who refuses to believe in GOD, and His angels, and

His scriptures, and His messengers, and the Last Day, has

indeed strayed far astray.

Vocabulary

distinction = making a difference.

scripture = sacred book, for example the Quran and the Bible.

righteousness = acting according to God's law.

steadfast= firm in belief.

persevere= to persist or continue in his state or action.

persecution = harassment, bothering or annoyed.

hardship = difficulty.

rejoice= to feel joy.

implore = to pray or call upon.

(2) Do we have guardian angels ?

God teaches us in the Quran that He sends angels to be with us,  and to record everything

we do. For the believers, the angels protect them, guard, support and help them if necessary.

[13:11]

Shifts (of angels) take turns, staying with each one of

you - they are in front of you and behind you. They stay

with you, and guard you in accordance with GOD's

commands. Thus, GOD does not change the condition of any

people unless they themselves make the decision to

change. If GOD wills any hardship for any people, no

force can stop it. For they have none beside Him as Lord

and Master.

----------------------------

[33:43]

He is the One who helps you, together with His angels, to

lead you out of darkness into the light. He is Most

Merciful towards the believers.

-------------------------

[50:17]

Two recording (angels), at right and at left, are

constantly recording.

-------------------------

[41:30]

Those who proclaim: "Our Lord is GOD," then lead a

righteous life, the angels descend upon them: "You shall

have no fear, nor shall you grieve. Rejoice in the good

news that Paradise has been reserved for you.

------------------------

[3:124]

You told the believers, "Is it not enough that your Lord

supports you with three thousand angels, sent down?"

[3:125]

Indeed, if you steadfastly persevere and maintain

righteousness, then they attack you suddenly, your Lord

will support you with five thousand* angels, well

trained.

------------------------

[8:9]

Thus, when you implored your Lord to come to the rescue,

He responded to you: "I am supporting you with one

thousand angels in succession."

--------------------------

[33:43]

He is the One who helps you, together with His angels, to

lead you out of darkness into the light. He is Most

Merciful towards the believers.

(3) Can we see the angels?

If God wills we can see angels. This happens to some people who are given a special message from God. It is not a common thing to happen and usually is a very personal and special message to that person. God told us in the Quran about few cases when he sent the angels to the people to give them special messages. The angels spoke with Abraham, Mary, Zacharia, and Lot, for example.

[3:39]

The angels called him  (Zacharia) when he was praying in the

sanctuary: "GOD gives you good news of John; a believer

in the word of GOD, honorable, moral, and a righteous

prophet."

--------------------------

[3:42]

The angels said, "O Mary, GOD has chosen you and purified

you. He has chosen you from all the women.

----------------------------

[3:45]

The angels said, "O Mary, GOD gives you good news: a Word

from Him whose name is `The Messiah, Jesus the son of

Mary. He will be prominent in this life and in the

Hereafter, and one of those closest to Me.'

----------------------------

[11:81]

(The angels) said, "O Lot, we are your Lord's messengers,

and these people cannot touch you. You shall leave with

your family during the night, and let not anyone of you

look back, except your wife; she is condemned along with

those who are condemned. Their appointed time is the

morning. Is not the morning soon enough?"

Vocabulary

sanctuary = a room or place where worship is held.

honorable = deserving honor and respect.

condemn = to pronounce guilty.

purify= to make pure.

What do Angels look like ?

Although the movies and TV made us think of angels in a certain way, it is not the true picture of angels. Angels are created different than human beings. They can see us but we cannot see them in their original form. When the angels went  to Abraham and Lot they went to him like regular human beings so they could see them and talk to them. God described the angels in the Quran as having wings but this could be just to make it simple for us to understand.

[35:1]

Praise be to GOD, Initiator of the heavens and the earth,

and appointer of the angels to be messengers with wings -

two, three, and four (wings). He increases the creation

as He wills. GOD is Omnipotent.

What do Angels do?

The word, angel by definition means a messenger, to bring a message, announce or proclaim. If we study the Quran, we will find this definition very clear.  Angels like all the creations of God are always praising God and glorifying Him. As we can see from the previous verses and the next ones, Angels do a variety of things; act as messengers of God in bringing His message to us, guard us, protect us, keep records of  what we do, fight next to us in our battles, carry out God's orders, including giving to us the blessing or passing down the punishment or ending the life of those whose life come to the end.

[97:4]

The angels and the Spirit descend therein, by their

Lord's leave, to carry out every command.

----------------------

[16:2]

He sends down the angels with the revelations, carrying

His commands, to whomever He chooses from among His

servants: "You shall preach that there is no other god

beside Me; You shall reverence Me."

---------------------

[22:75]

GOD chooses from among the angels messengers, as well as

from among the people. GOD is Hearer, Seer.

---------------------

[16:49]

To GOD prostrates everything in the heavens and

everything on earth - every creature - and so do the

angels; without the least arrogance.

What is the Angels' Shahada (declaration of faith)?

It is the same Shahada like that of God and like that of the believers who know

their religion right. It is "There is no god except the One GOD." "La Elaha Ella Allah"

[3:18]

GOD bears witness that there is no god except He, and so

do the angels and those who possess knowledge. Truthfully

and equitably, He is the absolute god; there is no god

but He, the Almighty, Most Wise.

Do Good People Become Angels When They Die?

NO. People are people and angels are angels, they are a different creations than us. When we die ,

our soul goes up to heaven and we stay as we were before, human souls.

[39:42]

GOD puts the souls to death when the end of their life

comes, and also at the time of sleep. Thus, He takes some

back during their sleep, while others are allowed to

continue living until the end of their predetermined

interim. This should provide lessons for people who

reflect.

Do angels know everything?

NO. Only God knows everything. Angels know only what God wants them to know.

[2:30]

Recall that your Lord said to the angels, "I am placing a

representative (a temporary god) on Earth." They said,

"Will You place therein one who will spread evil therein

and shed blood, while we sing Your praises, glorify You,

and uphold Your absolute authority?" He said, "I know

what you do not know."

Vocabulary

initiator= the one who causes the beginning.

Omnipotent= having unlimited power, authority and influence.

reverence= to honor and respect deeply.

equitably= fairly

predetermined= to determine ahead of time.

interim= an interval or intervening time.

Should we pray to the angels, praise them or thank them ?

NO. Angels do not do anything on their own. Anything that happens to us, happens because of God ,

not the angels. Praying should be ONLY to God, praising and thanking should be ONLY to God.

People who pray to angels or believe that the angels can do anything on their own are not believers.

If you need to pray for anything, health, success, money, friends, brothers or sisters you should pray to God ALONE.

God is very near to us and He listens to those who pray to Him, if they listen to Him.