Among the fundamentals of the belief (Iman) is to believe in the angels. When Angel Jibril asked the Prophet about al-Iman (the belief), the Prophet said: <<To believe in Allah, His Angels, His Revealed Books, His Messengers, the Day of Judgment, and to believe in destiny — both good and evil (that is all decreed by Allah)>>.
Allah created the angels from light. Imam Muslim narrated that the Prophet said: << Allah created the angels from light, created the jinn from the pure flame of fire, and created Adam from that which was described to you (i.e., the clay)>>. This Hadith proves that Iblis was not an angel since he was created from fire. In fact, Iblis was a jinn.
Allah created the angels as they are now. They do not grow or develop or age. In their original form, they are intangible bodies which cannot be grasped or held by the hand. Unlike humans and jinn, Angels do not have internal cavities and consequently, they do not eat or drink. This is why, when Prophet Ibrahim gave food to the angels who visited him in the shape of men, they did not eat. Allah gave the angels the power to change their shapes, and it is permissible that they would take the shape of a man, however, without the male genital organs. Angels do not take the form of women. In fact, it is blasphemous for one to believe that the angels are female. Surat an-Najm, Ayah 27 means: [Those who do not believe in the Hereafter would ascribe to the angels feminine names, (i.e., believe that they are female)]. The angels have different body parts: feet, shoulders, ears, hands, and wings. Some angels have two (2) wings, some have three (3), and others have four (4). Some, like Angel Jibril, have up to six hundred (600) wings. If just one of his wings was spread open, it would cover what is between east and west.
Angels are obedient slaves to Allah; they never disobey Allah in what He orders them to do. Although they do have a will, they choose only to be obedient to Allah. Therefore, it is not true that the two angels, Harut and Marut, were seduced by a woman named az–Zuhrah, and as a result, they drank alcohol, committed fornication, killed someone unrightfully and prostrated to an idol. These claims are fabrications.
Angels are the most numerous kind of creation of Allah. There are more angels than the other creations of Allah, including the humans and jinn—even the trees. At-Tirmidhiyy related the hadith of the Messenger of Allah in which he said: <<There is no space equivalent to (the width of) four fingers in the sky except one would find an angel praying to Allah whether in the standing, bowing or prostrating position. >>
Allah endowed the angels with the strength that enables them to fulfil the tasks assigned to them by Allah without getting tired, and without being in need of food, drink, sleep, or rest.
Angel Jibril is the Messenger of Allah to his prophets. Angel Israfil is the angel assigned to blow the horn on the Day of Judgment. ^Azra’il is the Angel of death, Ridwan is the angel in charge of Paradise, Malik is the angel in charge of Hellfire and so on. There are angels in charge of the clouds, the winds, and the plants. There are other angels who roam around, writing down the leaves that fall from the trees. Some angels are in charge of delivering the salutations to the Messenger of Allah in his grave. There is an angel in charge of the womb of the woman. There are the angels who carry the ^Arsh. Rata’il is the angel in charge of relieving the sadness of the believers; Mika’il is the angel in charge of the rain. There are two angels who write down the deeds of the person- one writes the good deeds, and the other writes the bad deeds. Munkar and Nakir are the angels who question the person in the grave, and many, many more. Among all the angels, Angel Jibril is the one with the most merit and highest status. He is in charge of bringing the Revelation to the prophets.
