3. THEY SAY THE BELIEVERS’ DU‘A
THEY SAY THE BELIEVERS’ DU‘A
When a Muslim makes du‘a (supplication) for his Muslim brother, an angel says, “Amin.”(“Amin” means asking Allah to accept the supplication.) Abi ad-Darda’ reported that the Prophet (pbuh) said:
<A Muslim’s du‘a for his brotherin his absence is answered (by Allah). There is an angel who remains present by his head, and whenever he asks good things for his brother, the angel says, “Amin, and may you receive the same.”> (This was recorded by Muslim (2732-2733).)
Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet (pbuh) said:
<Surely, when the imam (of the prayer) says “amin” (after reciting al-Fatihah), the angels in the heavens also say “amin.” So say “Gmin” when the Imam says it. Indeed, whoever says “amin” at the same time as the angels, his previous sins will be forgiven.’> (This is a combined report from al-Bukhari (780) and Muslim (410).)
Umm Salamah reported that the Prophet (pbuh) said:
<When you are present with a sick or dying person, say good things, because the angels say “admin” to what you say.> (This was recorded by Muslim (919).)
THEY INTERCEDE FOR THE BELIEVERS
With Allah’s permission, the angels may intercede for the believers. Interceding for them means: asking Allah to forgive them and save them from the Fire. Allah (swt) says:
«How many angels there are in the heavens whose intercession will be of no help except after Allah has permitted and accepted it.» (An-Najm 53:26.)
THEY STAY WITH THE BELIEVERS
The angels are with the believers all the time— except when the believers undress or go to the toilet. (As an exception, the recording angels never leave us.) Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet (pbuh) said:
<There are two groups of angels who stay with you, one during the night and one during the day. They all meet at the fajr and ‘asr prayers. Those who have passed the night with you ascend to heaven, and Allah asks them, though He knows everything about them, “How did you leave my servants?” The angels reply, “When we left them, they were praying; also when we came to them, they were praying.”> (This was recorded by al-Bukhari (555) and Muslim (632).)
THEY HELP AND PROTECT THE BELIEVERS
The angels love the believers and protect them from jinns, Satan, disaster, and harm. Allah says:
«(For each person) there are (angels) who follow each other. They stay before and behind him, guarding him by Allah’s decree.» (Ar-Ra‘d 13:11.)
Why do the angels protect the believers, and why do they stay with them? The answer is that a true believer always tries his best to obey Allah and His Messenger (pbuh) and do good deeds. He constantly remembers Allah (swt) with his tongue and in his heart. He remains aware of Allah in all his actions. This is why the angels guard a believer and love him.
THEY LOVE AND HELP THE SEEKERS OF KNOWLEDGE
The angels love the knowledge of Islam that brings a person closer to Allah. They also love anyone who seeks to learn this important knowledge.
Safwan Bin “Assal reported that he went to the Prophet (pbuh) and told him that he came to seek knowledge of Islam. The Prophet (pbuh) said:
<Welcome, seeker of knowledge. Indeed, the angels surround a seeker of knowledge and shade him with their wings. Then they mount on top of each other up to the lowest heaven because they love what he seeks.> (This was recorded by Ahmad, Ibn Hibbdan, and others. It was verified to be hasan by al-Albani (Sahih-ut-Targhib 71).)
Abu ad-Darda’ reported that the Prophet (pbuh) said:
<Indeed, the angels lay down their wings for the seeker of knowledge because they are pleased with what he seeks.> (This was recorded by Abi Dawid, at-Tirmidhi, and others. It was verified to be hasan by al-Albani (Sahih-ut-Targhib 70 and Sahih-ul-Jami‘ 1956).)
THEY TAKE CARE OF THE BELIEVERS AFTER DEATH
The angels take care of the righteous believers and martyrs after their death. They cover them with their wings, and they wash them if they need to be washed.
Jabir Bin ‘Abdillah reported that when his father died in the battle of Uhud, Jabir’s aunt Fatimah started weeping. The Prophet (pbuh) told her:
<Do not weep, because the angels continued shading him with their wings until he was raised (for burial).> (This was recorded by al-Bukhari (1244) and Muslim (2471).)
Ibn ‘Abbas reported:
<Hamzah Bin ‘Abd il-Mutalib and Hanzalah Bin ar-Rahib were both killed during the battle of Uhud, so Allah’s Messenger said, <I saw the angels washing them.> (This was recorded by at-Tabarani and Ibn Sa‘d. It was verified to be authentic by al-Albani (Ahkam-ul-Jana’iz 75).)
We will also see later in this chapter that the angels washed Adam (as) when he died.
THEY FIGHT ALONGSIDE THE BELIEVERS
The angels fought in many battles on the side of the Muslims. For example, Allah (swt) says about the battle of Badr:
«(Remember) when your Lord told the angels, “Surely, I am with you, so help the believers. I will put fear in the hearts of the disbelievers. So hit (with your swords) over their necks, and on their fingers.”» (Al-Anfal 8:12.)
And the Prophet (pbuh) said on that day:
<I see Jibril holding the reins of his horse and ready with weapons for the battle.> (This was recorded by al-Bukhari (3995) from Ibn ‘Abbas.)
THEY REMIND THE BELIEVERS OF DOING GOOD
While devils whisper to people to do bad things, the angels whisper to the believers to do good things. Ibn Mas’ud reported that the Prophet (pbuh) said:
<For each one of you is assigned a companion from the jinns and a companion from the angels.>
The sahabah asked the Prophet (pbuh), “Do you too have a companion from the jinns, O Allah’s Messenger?” He said:
<Yes, I do too. But Allah has helped me to make him a Muslim. So he only tells me to do good things.> (This was recorded by Muslim (2814).)
Ibn Mas’ud also reported that the Prophet (pbuh) said:
<A human is touched by a devil and an angel. As for the devil’s touch, it is that he calls to doing evil and denying the truth. And as for the angel’s touch, it is that he calls to doing good and accepting the truth. When you feel this (the angel’s touch), know that it is from Allah and praise Allah for it. And when you feel the other touch, seek Allah’s protection from the Devil.> (This was recorded by Ahmad and at-Tirmidhi. It was verified to be authentic by al-Albani (al-Mishkat 70).)
THEY TEACH THE BELIEVERS
Most of the good things that the people learnt from their prophets were taught to them by the angels. Jibril taught the Qur’an and many other things to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
The angels also taught us practical things to do in our life. For example, Ubayy Bin Ka‘b reported that Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) said:
<When Adam died, the angels washed him with water an odd number of times, dug his grave, and said, “This will be a guidance (in funerals) for Adam’s descendants.”> (This was recorded by al-Hakim and at-Tabarani, and was verified to be authentic by al-Albani (Sahih-ul-Jami‘ 5207 a ad-Da‘ifah 2872).)
Also, Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet (pbuh) said:
«After Allah created Adam, He told him, “Go to those angels sitting out there, give them salam, and listen to how they will respond to you because that will be your greeting and your offspring’s. So Adam went to them and said, “As-Salamu ‘alaykum—peace be on you,” and they responded, “Assalamu ‘alayka wa-rahmat-ullah—peace be on you, and Allah’s mercy,” adding “Allah’s mercy” to what he salamu said.» (This was recorded by al-Bukhari (3326) and Muslim (2841).)
Thus, the angels taught Adam (as) how to answer the salam of others.
THEY SPEAK UPON THE TONGUES OF THE BELIEVERS
The angels are Allah’s witnesses in the heavens. They cause the righteous believers to say the right thing about a person—whether he is good or bad.
Anas reported that the Prophet (pbuh) said:
<The angels are Allah’s witnesses in the heavens, and you (the believers) are Allah’s witnesses on Earth. Indeed, Allah has angels who speak upon the tongues of people telling what good or evil is in a person.> (This was recorded briefly by al-Bukhari (1367), Muslim (949),and with more detail by others (as-Sahihah 1694).)
This means that the angels cause the righteous people to have a true opinion about others. For example, if the righteous people say that someone is good, most probably he is.
THE ANGELS WITH THE PROPHETS
Of all believers, the angels have a special love and respect for the prophets. They took Allah’s revelation to them, and they gave them advice and guidance.
In particular, we will see below that the angels do special things for our prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
THEY SAY SALAH UPON THE PROPHET
The angels say salah upon the Prophet (pbuh). This means that they make du‘a for him. Allah (swt) says:
<Surely, Allah and His angels say salah upon the Prophet.> (Al-Ahzab 33:56.)
THEY DELIVER SALAM TO THE PROPHET
There are angels whose job is to receive the salah and salam that the Muslims say for the Prophet (pbuh). They then take them to him in his grave. ‘Abdullah Bin Mas’ud reported that the Prophet (pbuh) said:
<Surely, Allah has angels that travel over the earth and bring to me the salam from my followers.> (This was recorded by Ahmad and an-Nasa’i. It was verified to be authentic by al-Albani (Sahih-ul-Jami‘ 2174 and al-Mishkat 884).)
Abu Bakr reported that the Prophet (pbuh) said:
<Say salah for me in plenty. Indeed, Allah has appointed an angel by my grave. When one of my followers says salah for me, the angel says, “O Muhammad, so-and-so has just said salah for you.”> (This was recorded by ad-Daylami, at-Tabarani, and others, and was verified to be hasan by al-Albani (as-Sahihah 1530).)
THEY PROTECTED THE PROPHET FROM HARM
Abu Hurayrah reported that the evil disbeliever Abu Jahl once wanted to harm the Prophet(pbuh). He said, “Surely, if I see Muhammad praying at the Ka‘abah, I will step on his neck.” But when he tried doing this, he was scared by great fires and wings that he saw in front of him. When the Prophet (pbuh) heard of this, he said:
<if he came any closer, the angels would surely have torn him to pieces.> (This was recorded by Muslim (2797).)
There is an angel whom Allah has made in charge of the mountains. He was ready to destroy the disbelievers who harmed the Prophet (pbuh). ‘A’ishah reported that the Prophet (pbuh) said:
<I have suffered so much harm from your people (the Quraysh). The hardest was during the Day of ‘Aqabah!. I became so depressed that I walked for a long time without paying attention to anything. Finally, I found myself at Qarn-uth-Tha‘alib (This was a hill approximately one kilometer beyond Mina.). A cloud covered me and, looking up, I saw Jibril. He said, “Indeed, Allah has heard what your people said and did to you. He has sent to you the Angel of Mountains so you would tell him what you want him to do to them.” After giving me salam, the Angel of Mountains said, “O Muhammad, whatever you wish! If you wish, I will break down the two great mountains (of Makkah) over them.” I said, “Rather, I hope that Allah will raise from among their offspring those who will worship Allah alone, not joining any partners with Him.”> (This was recorded by al-Bukhari (3231) and Muslim (1795).)
The Angels with the Sinners and Disbelievers
The angels hate those who disbelieve in Allah(swt)and do things that displease Him. They hate sins and sometimes curse those who commit them.
THEY CURSE THE DISBELIEVERS
The angels curse the kuffar because they do not believe in Allah and they do bad things. Allah (swt) Says:
«Surely, those who disbelieve in Allah and die as kuffar, on them is the curse of Allah, the angels, and all people.» (Al-Baqarah 2:161-162.)
THEY PUNISH THE DISBELIEVERS
Sometimes, the angels bring down Allah’s punishment and anger upon the disbelievers and wrongdoers. As an example, we saw earlier (In Chapter 2.) that the angels who came to Ibrahim were also sent to punish the people of Lut. Allah (swt) punished those people by making the angels drop down upon them poisonous stones from hell.
THEY STAY AWAY FROM SINNERS
A sinner loses the company of angels and gains the company of devils. He can only change this by quickly repenting to Allah (swt).
Ibn ‘Abbas reported that the Prophet (pbuh) said:
«There are three individuals whom the angels do not approach: a junub (“Junub” is a person who is in a state of major impurity or uncleanliness requiring ghusl (bath). It is prohibited to remain junub for a long time, because this would prevent from prayer and from remembering Allah.), a drunken person, and a man who wears khaluq (“Khaluq” is a women’s perfume that contains saffron. It is prohibited for men to wear it.).»> (This was recorded by al-Bazzar and al-Bukhari (in at-Tarikh). It was verified to be authentic by al-Albani (as-Sahihah 1804).)
Other Things the Angels Do
THEY CONDUCT ALL AFFAIRS
Allah (swt) can do everything by Himself. Things can happen immediately by Allah’s command. But Allah’s great wisdom has dictated that things in this world happen through some means. And the angels are among the means for doing most things. Allah (swt) decreed that the angels bring down His revelation, record our deeds, take our souls, and manage rain, plants, and food.
Allah (swt) describes the angels as:
«And (I swear by) those (angels) who arrange all matters (according to Allah’s orders).» (An-Nazi‘at 79:5.)
He (swt) also says:
«And (I swear by) those (angels) who distribute all things (according to Allah’s orders).» (Ath-Thariyat 51:4.)
As an example, the Prophet (pbuh) tells us that thunder is actually the sound of an angel who praises Allah and manages the clouds. Ibn ‘Abbas reported that the Prophet (pbuh) said:
<Thunder is one of Allah’s Angels. He is in charge of the clouds, and he has spears of fire that he uses for driving the clouds wherever Allah wills.> (This was recorded by Ahmad, at-Tirmidhi, and others. It was verified to be authentic by al-Albani (as-Sahihah 1872).)
THEY PROTECT THE SACRED PLACES
The angels protect the three sacred cities: Makkah, al-Madinah, and Jerusalem. The Prophet (pbuh) said:
<There are angels around the corners of al-Madinah, so that plague and ad-Dajjal (the Great Liar) may not enter it.> (This was recorded by al-Bukhari (1880) from Abu Hurayrah)
Anas reported that the Prophet (pbuh) said:
<Every town will be entered by ad-Dajjal, except for Makkah and al-Madinah. There are angels lined up to guard every corner around them.> (This was recorded by al-Bukhari (1881) and Muslim (2943).)
Zayd Bin Thabit reported that the Prophet (pbuh) said:
<Glad news are for Sham (Jerusalem and the surrounding area). Allah’s angels spread their wings over Sham.> (This was recorded by at-Tirmidhi and al-Hakim. It was verified to be authentic by al-Albani (as-Sahihah 503).)
By Muhammad Al-Jibaly
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