View source for Angels in Islam

{{Short description|Heavenly beings found in the Islamic tradition}}
[[File:Islamic angel, persian miniature.jpg|thumb|Angel in a [[Persian miniature]], in the style of [[Bukhara]], 16th century.]]
In [[Islam]], [[angel]]s ({{langx|ar|{{Script|Arab|ملاك٬ ملك}}|malāk}}; plural: {{langx|ar|{{Script|Arab|ملائِكة}}|malāʾik/malāʾikah|label=none}} or {{langx|fa|فرشته|''ferešte''}}) are believed to be [[heaven]]ly beings, created from a luminous origin by [[God in Islam|God]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |author-last=Webb |author-first=Gisela |author-link=Gisela Webb |year=2006 |title=Angel |editor-last=McAuliffe |editor-first=Jane Dammen |editor-link=Jane Dammen McAuliffe |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān]] |volume=I |location=[[Leiden]] |publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] |doi=10.1163/1875-3922_q3_EQCOM_00010 |isbn=90-04-14743-8}}</ref><ref>MacDonald, D.B. and Madelung, W., "[http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1573-3912_islam_COM_0642 Malāʾika]", in: Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition, Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, W.P. Heinrichs. Online, retrieved 4 January 2024
Erste Online-Publikation: 2012
Erste Druckedition: ISBN 9789004161214, 1960-2007</ref><ref name="Reynolds 2009">{{cite encyclopedia |author-last=Reynolds |author-first=Gabriel S. |author-link=Gabriel Said Reynolds |year=2009 |title=Angels |editor1-last=Fleet |editor1-first=Kate |editor2-last=Krämer |editor2-first=Gudrun |editor2-link=Gudrun Krämer |editor3-last=Matringe |editor3-first=Denis |editor4-last=Nawas |editor4-first=John |editor5-last=Rowson |editor5-first=Everett K. |editor5-link=Everett K. Rowson |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopaedia of Islam 3|Encyclopaedia of Islam, THREE]] |volume=3 |location=[[Leiden]] |publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] |doi=10.1163/1573-3912_ei3_COM_23204 |isbn=978-90-04-18130-4 |issn=1873-9830}}</ref><ref name="Kassim 2007">{{cite journal |author-last=Kassim |author-first=Husain |year=2007 |title=Nothing can be Known or Done without the Involvement of Angels: Angels and Angelology in Islam and Islamic Literature |editor1-last=Beentjes |editor1-first=Pancratius C. |editor2-last=Liesen |editor2-first=Jan |journal=Deuterocanonical and Cognate Literature Yearbook |volume=2007 |issue=2007 |location=[[Berlin]] |publisher=[[De Gruyter]] |pages=645–662 |doi=10.1515/9783110192957.6.645 |issn=1614-337X |s2cid=201096692}}</ref> The [[Quran]] is the principal source for the Islamic concept of angels,<ref name="burge angels1" /> but more extensive features of angels appear in [[Hadith|hadith literature]], [[Isra and Mi'raj|{{transliteration|ar|Mi'raj}} literature]], [[Tafsir|Islamic exegesis]], [[Islamic theology|theology]], [[Islamic philosophy|philosophy]], and [[Islamic mysticism|mysticism]].<ref name="Reynolds 2009"/><ref name="Kassim 2007"/><ref>Stephen Burge ''Angels in Islam: Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti's al-Haba'ik fi akhbar al-mala'ik'' Routledge 2015 {{ISBN|978-1-136-50473-0}} p. 22-23</ref>
{{Islam|beliefs }}
Belief in angels is one of the core tenets within Islam, as it is one of the [[Iman (Islam)#The Six Articles of Faith|six articles of faith]].<ref name="Uthaymeen; Syarh Usl Iman"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/beliefs/beliefs.shtml|title=BBC – Religions – Islam: Basic articles of faith|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180813005904/http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/beliefs/beliefs.shtml|archive-date=13 August 2018|url-status=live|access-date=2018-08-13}}</ref> Angels are more prominent in Islam compared to Judeo-Christian tradition.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kiel |first=Micah D. |date=2009 |title=Review of Angels: The Concept of Celestial Beings—Origins, Development and Reception (Deuterocanonical and Cognate Literature Yearbook 2007) |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/43726529 |journal=The Catholic Biblical Quarterly |volume=71 |issue=1 |pages=215–218 |jstor=43726529 |issn=0008-7912}}</ref> The angels differ from other invisible creatures in their attitude as creatures of virtue, in contrast to [[Shayatin|evil devils]] ({{langx|ar|شَيَاطِين|''šayāṭīn''}} or {{langx|fa|دیو|''dīv''}}) and ambiguous [[jinn]] ({{langx|ar|جِنّ}} or {{langx|fa|پَری|''parī''}}).<ref>(Mahmoud Omidsalar) Originally Published: December 15, 2000 Last Updated: February 7, 2012 This article is available in print. Vol. X, Fasc. 4, pp. 418-422</ref><ref name="Reynolds 2009"/><ref>{{cite book |last=el-Zein |first=Amira |year=2009 |chapter=Correspondences Between Jinn and Humans |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JjTctEZXHCQC&pg=PA20 |title=Islam, Arabs, and Intelligent World of the Jinn |location=[[Syracuse, New York]] |publisher=[[Syracuse University Press]] |series=Contemporary Issues in the Middle East |page=20 |isbn=978-0-8156-5070-6 |jstor=j.ctt1j5d836.5 |lccn=2009026745 |oclc=785782984}}</ref><ref>Reynolds, Gabriel Said, "Angels", in: Encyclopaedia of Islam, THREE, Edited by: Kate Fleet, Gudrun Krämer, Denis Matringe, John Nawas, Devin J. Stewart. Consulted online on 02 January 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1573-3912_ei3_COM_23204>
First published online: 2009
First print edition: 9789004181304, 2009, 2009-3</ref> 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.<ref>Yazaki, Saeko. "Classes of Beings in Sufism." Sufi Cosmology. Brill, 2022. 68-88.</ref>

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'tazilism|Mu'tazilites]] and many [[Salafism|Salafis]] usually hold the opinion that angels are always obedient and never fail to perform their tasks. In contrast, [[Kalam|schools of theology]] (''Kalām'') often accept the fallibility of angels. [[Ashʿarism|Ashʿarites]] agree that angels have no free agency, but argue that they may still fail and then fall. [[Maturidism|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]] and [[Sufism]], angels are related to the nature of [['aql|reason]] ('''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 [[Malakut|heavenly spheres]] (''malakūt'') through such heavenly entities associated with (''[[Nūr (Islam)|nūr]]''). In contrast, the devils attempt to disturb the connection by diverging the mind to the [[Sijjin|lower spheres]], thus associated with [[Jahannam|fire]] (''[[Nar as-samum|nār]]'').

== Etymology ==
[[File:'Angel Blowing a Woodwind', ink and opaque watercolor painting from Iran, c. 1500, Honolulu Academy of Arts.JPG|thumb|right|upright|''Angel Blowing a Woodwind'', ink and opaque watercolor painting from [[Safavid Iran]], {{c.|1500}}, [[Honolulu Academy of Arts]].]]
The Quranic word for angel ({{langx|ar|ملك|malak|links=no}}) derives either from {{transliteration|ar|Malaka}}, meaning "he controlled", due to their power to govern different affairs assigned to them,<ref>Ali, Syed Anwer. [1984] 2010. ''Qurʼan, the Fundamental Law of Human Life: Surat ul-Faateha to Surat-ul-Baqarah (sections 1–21).'' Syed Publications. p. 121.</ref> or from the triliteral root {{transliteration|ar|'-l-k}}, {{transliteration|ar|l-'-k}} or {{transliteration|ar|m-l-k}} with the broad meaning of a "messenger", just as its counterpart in [[Hebrew]] ({{transliteration|hbo|malʾákh}}). Unlike the [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] 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 {{transliteration|ar|rasul}} instead.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Burge |first=Stephan R. |date=2011 |title=The Angels in Sūrat al-Malāʾika: Exegeses of [[Q. 35:1]] |journal=[[Journal of Qur'anic Studies]] |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=50–70|doi=10.3366/E1465359109000230}}</ref>

In pre-Islamic Arabian culture, the term was also used by the [[Thamud]] for beings who deserve supplication.<ref>Al-Azmeh, Aziz. The emergence of Islam in late antiquity: Allah and his people. Cambridge University Press, 2014. p: 294</ref>

== Quran and exegesis==
The Quran describes angels in the context of earlier Middle Eastern cultural traditions, both monotheistic and polytheistic belief-systems.<ref>Kuehn, Sara, Stefan Leder, and Hans-Peter Pökel. "Introduction: Angels and Their Religious and Cosmological Contexts." The Intermediate Worlds of Angels. Ergon-Verlag, 2019. p. 18-19</ref> Belief in angels is prescribed for the believer.<ref>Reynolds, G. S. (2009)- Angels, In K. Fleet, G. Krämer, D. Matringe, J. Nawas and D. J. Stewart (eds.), Encyclopedia of Islam Three Online. Brill</ref><ref>Piras A. (2016) Angel. In Vocabulary for the stury of religion Brill</ref> [[Fatir|Surah 35]] is, in some manuscripts, named after them (''al-malā’ikah'').<ref>Reynolds, G. S. (2009)- Angels, In K. Fleet, G. Krämer, D. Matringe, J. Nawas and D. J. Stewart (eds.), Encyclopedia of Islam Three Online. Brill</ref> With a few exceptions, angels in the Quran are largely impersonal.<ref>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: 4 November 
2024 p. 4</ref> They appear in stories about the [[Mythology|mythic past]], eschatological imagery (heaven/hell), and in discussions about prophecy and worship.<ref>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: 4 November 
2024 p. 4</ref> 

While in the [[Bible]] the term 'angel' refers to 'messengers' (mundane or divine) the Quran uses the term 'rasul' instead.<ref>Kuehn, Sara, Stefan Leder, and Hans-Peter Pökel. "Introduction: Angels and Their Religious and Cosmological Contexts." The Intermediate Worlds of Angels. Ergon-Verlag, 2019. p. 26</ref><ref>S.R. Burge Journal of Qurʼanic Studies The Angels in Sūrat al-Malāʾika: Exegeses of Q. 35:1 Sep 2011. vol. 10, No. 1 : pp. 50–70</ref> Angels are solely heavenly spirits. As in Biblical tradition, angels deliver the message to [[Zechariah, father of John the Baptist|Zechariah]] (3:39) and [[Mother Mary|Mary]] (3:45).<ref>Reynolds, G. S. (2009)- Angels, In K. Fleet, G. Krämer, D. Matringe, J. Nawas and D. J. Stewart (eds.), Encyclopedia of Islam Three Online. Brill</ref> 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.<ref>Reynolds, G. S. (2009)- Angels, In K. Fleet, G. Krämer, D. Matringe, J. Nawas and D. J. Stewart (eds.), Encyclopedia of Islam Three Online. Brill</ref> God commands the angels to prostrate themselves before [[Adam in Islam|Adam]], similar to the [[Christianity in Syria|Syrian]] [[Cave of Treasures]].<ref>Reynolds, G. S. (2009)- Angels, In K. Fleet, G. Krämer, D. Matringe, J. Nawas and D. J. Stewart (eds.), Encyclopedia of Islam Three Online. Brill</ref>

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 [[Religion in pre-Islamic Arabia|pre-Islamic Arabian religion]], deities, jinn, angels, and demons are not clearly distinguished and shade into another.<ref>Izutsu, Toshihiko. "Revelation as a linguistic concept in Islam." Studies in Medieval Thought 5 (1962): 142.</ref><ref>Kuehn, Sara, Stefan Leder, and Hans-Peter Pökel. "Introduction: Angels and Their Religious and Cosmological Contexts." The Intermediate Worlds of Angels. Ergon-Verlag, 2019. p. 28</ref> Several angels in the Quran function as [[Meteorology|personified meteorological phenomena]], and may root in polytheistic [[Animism|animistic beliefs]].<ref>Kuehn, Sara, Stefan Leder, and Hans-Peter Pökel. "Introduction: Angels and Their Religious and Cosmological Contexts." The Intermediate Worlds of Angels. Ergon-Verlag, 2019. p. 29</ref>

The Quranic creation account suggests the superiority of humans over angels: When God creates [[Adam in Islam|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.<ref>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: 4 November 
2024 p. 5</ref><ref>Kuehn, Sara, Stefan Leder, and Hans-Peter Pökel. "Introduction: Angels and Their Religious and Cosmological Contexts." The Intermediate Worlds of Angels. Ergon-Verlag, 2019. p. 29</ref> As such, angels are no longer objects of deserving worship and also become distinguished from God.<ref>Kuehn, Sara, Stefan Leder, and Hans-Peter Pökel. "Introduction: Angels and Their Religious and Cosmological Contexts." The Intermediate Worlds of Angels. Ergon-Verlag, 2019. p. 29</ref> According to Quranic exegesis, some angels refused to accept the superiority of mankind and became devils (''šayāṭīn'').<ref>Reynolds, G. S. (2009)- Angels, In K. Fleet, G. Krämer, D. Matringe, J. Nawas and D. J. Stewart (eds.), Encyclopedia of Islam Three Online. Brill</ref> This debate is closely related to a discussion regarding other verses about angels.

=== Obedience ===
[[File:Maalik opens the gates of hell.jpg|thumb|upright|Muhammad requests Maalik to show him Hell during his heavenly journey. Miniature from [[The David Collection]].]]
Although sometimes denied, ''[[fallen angel|fallen angels]]'' were widely accepted in Classical [[Islam]].{{efn|"Although it is sometimes denied that Iblis was a fallen-angel, this is fully accepted by the classical commentators, e.g., Baydawi, I:51; see also Tabari, 1961 I:83.)<ref>Welch, Alford T. (2008) Studies in Qur'an and Tafsir. Riga, Latvia: Scholars Press. p. 756.</ref>}} 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.<ref name="auto">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</ref> Thus, from the traditions of [[ibn Abbas]] (angels can sin), and Hasan of Basra (angels cannot sin), two different opinions derived.<ref name="auto" /> 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."<ref name="Baydawi-2016"/>{{rp|p=546}}

==== Infallible ====
Opposition to the concept of the fallen angel is mostly found among the [[Qadariyah]] and most Mu'tazilites.<ref>Basharin, Pavel V. (April 1, 2018). "The Problem of Free Will and Predestination in the Light of Satan's Justification in Early Sufism". English Language Notes. 56 (1). Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press: 119–138. doi:10.1215/00138282-4337480. S2CID 165366613.</ref> Many [[Salafism|Salafis]] also agree with this view.<ref>Gauvain, Richard (2013). Salafi Ritual Purity: In the Presence of God. Abingdon, England: Routledge. ISBN 978-0710313560 p. 73</ref> Those who oppose angelic fallibility refer to Surah [[at-Tahrim]] (66:6)<ref>Hoffman, Valerie J. The Essentials of Ibadi Islam. Syracuse University Press, 2012. p. 188</ref> in favor of their position:

<blockquote>
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.
</blockquote>

[[Fakhr al-Din al-Razi]] is an exception to most ''[[kalam|mutakallimūn]]'', and agrees that angels are free from any form of sin and includes angelic infallibility to [[The six articles of Islamic faith|the six articles of faith]].<ref>Street, Tony. "Medieval Islamic doctrine on the angels: the writings of Fakhr al-Dīh al-Rāzī." Parergon 9.2 (1991): 111-127.</ref>
Al-Razi argues that "except Iblis" (2:34, 18:50) is read as an "interrupted exception" (''[[:wikt:استثناء#Arabic|istithna]] munqathi''), excluding Iblis from the group of angels and states that he hailed from [[jinn]] species instead.<ref>Teuma, E. (1980). The nature of" Iblis" in the Qur’an as interpreted by the commentators. p. 14</ref> [[Ibn Taimiyya]] rejects any ambiguity on the nature of Iblis and portrays him as a satanic jinni in contrast to the obedient angels.<ref name="doi.org">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_23204</ref><ref name="Sela, R. 2022 p. 78">Sela, R., Sartori, P., & DeWeese, D. (Eds.). (2022). Muslim Religious Authority in Central Eurasia (Vol. 43). Brill. p. 78</ref> Following the opinions of ibn Taimiyya and his disciple [[ibn Kathir]], many scholars of [[Salafism]] and [[Wahhabism]] agree on this.<ref>Sela, R., Sartori, P., & DeWeese, D. (Eds.). (2022). Muslim Religious Authority in Central Eurasia (Vol. 43). Brill. p. 81</ref> Furthermore, many of them regard this as a major difference between Christianity and Islam.<ref name="Sela, R. 2022 p. 78"/>

==== Fallible ====
[[File:FallenAngelsHarutandMarut.jpg|thumb|upright|The angels [[Harut and Marut]] punished by hanging over the well, condemned to teach sorcery. (c. 1703)]]

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).<ref>MacDonald, D.B., & Madelung, W. (2012). Malāʾika. In P. Bearman (ed.), Encyclopaedia of Islam New Edition Online (EI-2 English). Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/1573-3912_islam_COM_0642</ref> From among the angels, [[Iblis]] 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'').<ref>Teuma, E. (1980). ''The nature of "Iblis" in the Qur’an as interpreted by the commentators'' p. 14</ref> A possible reconciliation of Iblis' fall and the doctrine of angelic impeccability is to say that God wanted Iblis to disobey<ref>Abu-Zaid, Nasr. "The Perfect Man in Islam: A Textual Analysis." 大阪外国語大学学報 77 (1989): 123-124.</ref><ref>Öztürk, Mustafa. "The Tragic Story of Iblis (Satan) in the Qur’an." Journal of Islamic Research 2.2 (2009): 139</ref> or that Iblis' disobedience derives from a noble yet misguided motivation.<ref>Cole, Juan. "Infidel or Paganus? The Polysemy of kafara in the Quran." JAOS 140.3 (2020): 615-636.</ref> [[Mahmud al-Alusi]] resolves potential conflicts by iterating that [[Azazil|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.<ref>Iqbal, Muzaffar. "Integrated Encyclopedia of the Qur'ān." The center of Islamic Sciences (2013). p. 180</ref>

[[Abu Mansur al-Maturidi|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:<ref name="auto" /><ref name="Samarkand Brill pp. 54-56">Ulrich Rudolph Al-Māturīdī und Die Sunnitische Theologie in Samarkand Brill, 1997 ISBN 978-90-04-10023-7 pp. 54-56</ref><ref>Saleh, Walid A. "Rereading al-Ṭabarī through al-Māturīdī: New light on the third century hijrī." Journal of Qur'anic Studies 18.2 (2016): 180-209.</ref><blockquote>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, (...)</blockquote>

Those who are in support of the concept of fallen angels (including [[Tabari]], [[Suyuti]], [[Abu al-Barakat al-Nasafi|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:<ref name="Samarkand Brill pp. 54-56"/><ref>Yüksek Lisans Tezi Imam Maturidi'nin Te'vilatu'l-kur'an'da gaybi konulara İstanbul-2020  2501171277</ref><blockquote>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.<ref name="Baydawi-2016"/>{{rp|p=548}}<ref name="1573-3912_islam_COM_0642">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 {{doi|10.1163/1573-3912_islam_COM_0642}}
First published online: 2012
First print edition: {{ISBN|978-90-04-16121-4}}, 1960-2007</ref> [[Ahmad ibn Hanbal]] (d. 241/855) describes these angels, in his [[Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal|Musnad]], as boasting of their obedience, so God sends them down to earth, where they commit sins.<ref name="doi.org"/> Although not explicit in the Quran, some exegetes linked them to Iblis, and the angels with him, protesting the creation of Adam.<ref>Ayoub, Mahmoud M. Qurʾan and Its Interpreters, The, Volume 1 State University of New York Press, 30.06.1984 p. 131</ref>

== Characteristics ==
[[File:Muhammad ibn Muhammad Shakir Ruzmah-'i Nathani - The Archangel Michael - Walters W65946B - Full Page.jpg|thumb|256x256px|Illustration by [[Zakariya al-Qazwini]] depicting the Archangel [[Michael (archangel)|Michael]] (Mika'il)]]
In Islam, angels are heavenly creatures created by [[God in Islam|God]]. They are considered older than humans and [[jinn]].<ref>Kuehn, Sara, Stefan Leder, and Hans-Peter Pökel. The intermediate worlds of angels: Islamic representations of celestial beings in transcultural contexts. Orient-Institut, 2019. p. 336</ref><ref name=":2">Iqbal, Muzaffar. "Integrated Encyclopedia of the Qur'ān." ''The center of Islamic Sciences'' (2013). pp. 176-181</ref> They are aware of the thoughts of humans.<ref name=":2" /> However, they do not know the future.<ref name=":2" /> Although Muslim authors disagree on the exact nature of angels, they agree that they are autonomous entities with subtle bodies.<ref name="Baydawi-2016">{{cite book |translator1-first=Gibril Fouad |translator1-last=Haddad |first=ʿAbd Allah |last=ibn ʿUmar al-Baydawi |date=2016 |title=The Lights Of Revelation And The Secrets Of Interpretation |publisher=Beacon Books and Media Limited |isbn=978-0-9926335-7-8}}</ref>{{rp|p=508}} Yet, both concepts of angels as [[Anthropomorphism|anthropomorphic]] creatures with wings and as abstract forces are acknowledged.<ref name="burge angels1">{{cite book |author-last=Burge |author-first=Stephen |year=2015 |orig-date=2012 |chapter=Part 1: Angels, Islam, and al-Suyūṭī's ''Al-Ḥabāʾik fī akhbār al-malāʾik'' – Angels in Classical Islam and contemporary scholarship |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZzVACwAAQBAJ&pg=PA3 |title=Angels in Islam: Jalāl al-Dīn al-Suyūṭī's Al-Ḥabāʾik fī akhbār al-malāʾik |location=[[London]] and [[New York City|New York]] |publisher=[[Routledge]] |edition=1st |pages=3–15 |doi=10.4324/9780203144978 |isbn=978-0-203-14497-8 |lccn=2011027021 |oclc=933442177 |s2cid=169825282}}</ref> 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 [[Shayatin|devils]] (''shayāṭīn'') and carrying on natural phenomena.<ref name="Kassim 2007"/>

In [[Islamic philosophy]] 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.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://sorularlaislamiyet.com/kaynak/meleklere-iman#_Toc201395583 | title=Meleklere 陌man 禄 Sorularla 陌slamiyet | date=24 June 2008}}</ref> 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.<ref name="glasse 49 50">{{cite book |last1=Glassé |first1=Cyril |last2=Smith |first2=Huston |title=The New Encyclopedia of Islam |date=2003 |publisher=Rowland Altamira |isbn=978-0-759-10190-6 |pages=49–50}}</ref> Various Islamic scholars such as [[Ibn Kathir]], [[Ibn Taymiyya]], [[Al-Tabari]], [[Fakhr al-Din al-Razi]], and [[Umar Sulaiman Al-Ashqar]] also quoted that angels do not need to consume food or drinks.<ref name="Muslim.or.id Angels not eating and drink">{{cite web |author1=h Muhammad Singgih Pamungkas |title=Mengenal Alam Malaikat (1) |url=https://muslim.or.id/25445-mengenal-alam-malaikat-1.html#sdfootnote15anc |website=muslim.or.id |publisher=Al-Atsari Islamic Education Foundation /Kantor Sekretariat Yayasan Pendidikan Islam Al-Atsari (YPIA) |access-date=21 December 2023 |language=Id |date=15 December 2022 |quote=Dr. Sulaiman Al Asyqor, 'Alamul Malaikat, hal. 18}}</ref> They are also described as immortal, unlike jinn.<ref name="Islam, Arabs, and Intelligent World of the Jinn" /> In Islamic traditions, they are described as being created from incorporeal [[Nūr (Islam)|light]] ({{transliteration|ar|Nūr}}) or fire ({{transliteration|ar|Nar}}).<ref>Kuehn, Sara. "The Primordial Cycle Revisited: Adam, Eve, and the Celestial Beings." The intermediate worlds of angels (2019): 173-199.
</ref><ref>Jane Dammen McAuliffe Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān Volume 3 Georgetown University, Washington DC p. 45</ref>{{efn|Differences between {{transliteration|ar|nūr}} and {{transliteration|ar|nar}} have been debated in Islam. In Arabic, both terms are closely related [[Morphology (linguistics)|morphologically]] and [[Phonetics|phonetically]].<ref>Mustafa Öztürk ''Journal of Islamic Research'' Vol 2 No 2 December 200</ref> [[Qadi Baydawi|Baydawi]] explains that the term ''light'' serves only as a [[proverb]], but fire and light refers actually to the same substance.<ref>Houtsma, M. Th. (1993). E.J. Brill's First Encyclopaedia of Islam, 1913–1936, Band 5. Brill. p. 191. {{ISBN|978-9-004-09791-9}} p. 191</ref> Apart from light, other traditions also mention exceptions about angels created from fire, ice or water.<ref>Fr. Edmund Teuma, O.F.M. Conv ''The Nature of "Ibli'h in the Qur'an as Interpreted by the Commentators'' p. 16</ref> [[Al-Tabari|Tabari]] argued that both can be seen as the same substance, since both pass into each other but refer to the same thing on different degrees.<ref>Gauvain, Richard (2013). Salafi Ritual Purity: In the Presence of God. Abingdon, England: Routledge. p. 73. {{ISBN|978-0-7103-1356-0}} p. 302</ref> Asserting that both fire and light are actually the same but on different degrees can also be found by [[Zakariya al-Qazwini|Qazwini]] and Ibishi.<ref>Syrinx von Hees Enzyklopädie als Spiegel des Weltbildes: Qazwīnīs Wunder der Schöpfung: eine Naturkunde des 13. Jahrhunderts Otto Harrassowitz Verlag 2002 {{ISBN|978-3-447-04511-7}} page 270</ref><ref>{{cite book |first1=Seyyed Hossein |last1=Nasr |title=Islamic Life and Thought |publisher=Routledge |date=2013 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_jkNAQAAMAAJ |isbn=978-1-134-53818-8 |page=135}}</ref> In his work {{transliteration|ar|Al-Hay'a as-samya fi l-hay'a as-sunmya}}, Suyuti asserts that the angels are created from "fire that eats, but does not drink".<ref>ANTON M. HEINEN ISLAMIC COSMOLOGY A STUDY OF AS-SUYUTI'S al-Hay'a as-samya fi l-hay'a as-sunmya with critical edition, translation, and commentary ANTON M. HEINEN BEIRUT 1982 p. 143</ref> Abd al-Ghani al-Maqdisi argued that only the angels of mercy are created from light, but angels of punishment have been created from fire.<ref>Gibb, Hamilton Alexander Rosskeen (1995). The Encyclopaedia of Islam: NED-SAM. Brill. p. 94. ISBN 9789004098343</ref>}} [[Ahmad Sirhindi]], a 17th-century Indian scholar, has added, that angels can take various shapes.<ref name="Maktubat Imam Rabbani; INFORMATION ABOUT GENIES">{{cite book |author1=Ahmed Sirhindi Faruqi |title=Maktubat Imam Rabbani (Shaykh Ahmed Sirhindi) |url=http://www.maktabah.org/index.php/sufism/45-maktubat/62-maktubat-imam-rabbani.html |access-date=22 November 2023 |language=En, Pa |chapter=31 - INFORMATION ABOUT GENIES|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090810170341/http://www.maktabah.org/index.php/sufism/45-maktubat/62-maktubat-imam-rabbani.html |archive-date=2009-08-10}}</ref>

[[File:Mohammed receiving revelation from the angel Gabriel.jpg|thumb|[[Muhammad]] receiving his first revelation from the angel [[Gabriel]]. From the manuscript [[Jami' al-Tawarikh]] by [[Rashid-al-Din Hamadani]], 1307 AD.]]
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 Power|Night of Qadr]].<ref name=":2" /> Many [[hadith]]s, including [[Muwatta Imam Malik]] from one of the [[Kutub al-Sittah]], talk about angels being repelled by humans' state of impurity.<ref name="Burge 2010">{{cite journal |last=Burge |first=Stephen R. |date=January 2010 |title=Impurity / Danger! |journal=Islamic Law and Society |publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] |location=[[Leiden]] |volume=17 |issue=3–4 |pages=320–349 |doi=10.1163/156851910X489869 |issn=0928-9380 |jstor=23034917}}</ref>{{rp|323}} It is argued that if driven away by ritual impurity, the [[Kiraman Katibin|''Kiraman Katibin'']], who record people's actions,<ref name="Burge 2010"/>{{rp|325}} and the [[guardian angel]],<ref name="Burge 2010"/>{{rp|327}} 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.<ref name="Burge 2010"/>{{rp|328}} 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.<ref name="Burge 2010"/>{{rp|328}} [[Ahmad Sirhindi]] has mentioned that the angels nobility are because their substances are created from luminous light.<ref name="Maktubat Imam Rabbani; INFORMATION ABOUT GENIES" />

=== Sufism ===
[[File:Miraj by Sultan Muhammad.jpg|thumb|upright|1543 illustration of the [[Mi'raj]] from an edition of the ''[[Khamsa of Nizami|Khamsa]]'' of [[Nizami Ganjavi]] created for Shah [[Tahmasp I|Tahmasp&nbsp;I]]<ref>Bowker. ''World Religions''. p. 165.</ref>]]
[[File:Sultan_Ibrahim_ibn_Adham_of_Balkh_visited_by_angels1009_IP.jpg|thumb|upright|A miniature depicting the ''[[Dervish|Darvīsh]]'' 
[[Ibrahim ibn Adham|Sultan Ibrahim ibn Adham of Balkh]] visited by angels, 1760–70. Opaque watercolor with gold on paper, Cynthia Hazen Polsky Collection (1009-IP)]]

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 [[Logos (Islam)|Light of Muhammad]] and in his attribute of guidance, light and beauty.<ref>Awn, Peter J. (1983). Satan's Tragedy and Redemption: Iblīs in Sufi Psychology. Leiden, Germany: Brill Publishers. p. 182 {{ISBN|978-90-04-06906-0}}</ref> 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".<ref name="ReferenceA">Ayman Shihadeh ''Sufism and Theology'' Edinburgh University Press, 21 November 2007 {{ISBN|978-0-7486-3134-6}} pp. 54-56</ref>

[[al-Andalus|Andalusian]] [[scholar]] [[ibn Arabi]] argues that a human generally ranks below angels, but developed to ''[[al-Insān al-Kāmil]]'', ranks above them. While most earlier Sufis (like [[Hasan al-Basri]]) 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.<ref name="dx.doi.org">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 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1573-3912_ei3_COM_23204>
First published online: 2009 First print edition: 9789004181304, 2009, 2009-3</ref><ref>Mohamed Haj Yousef The Single Monad Model of the Cosmos: Ibn Arabi's Concept of Time and Creation ibnalarabi 2014 {{ISBN|978-1-499-77984-4}} page 292</ref> 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.<ref>Houtsma, M. Th. (1993). E.J. Brill's First Encyclopaedia of Islam, 1913–1936, Band 5. Brill. p. 191. ISBN 978-9-004-09791-9 p. 191</ref> Ibn Arabi elaborates his ranking in {{transliteration|ar|al-Futuhat}} 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.<ref>Gallorini, Louise. The Symbolic Functions of Angels in the Qur'an and Sufi Literature. Diss. 2021. p. 304</ref>

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.<ref name="dx.doi.org"/> Some authors have suggested that some individual angels in the microcosmos represent specific human faculties on a macrocosmic level.<ref>John Renard ''Historical Dictionary of Sufism'' Rowman & Littlefield, 19 November 2015 {{ISBN|978-0-8108-7974-4}} p. 38</ref> According to a common belief, if a Sufi can not find a sheikh to teach him, he will be taught by the angel [[Khidr]].<ref>Michael Anthony Sells ''Early Islamic Mysticism (CWS)'' Paulist Press 1996 {{ISBN|978-0-809-13619-3}} page 39</ref><ref>Noel Cobb ''Archetypal Imagination: Glimpses of the Gods in Life and Art'' SteinerBooks {{ISBN|978-0-940-26247-8}} page 194</ref> The presence of an angel depends on human's obedience to divine law. Dirt, depraved morality and desecration may ward off an angel.<ref name="dx.doi.org"/> A saint might be given the ability to see angels as gift (''[[karamat|karāmāt]]'') from God.<ref>Maddenin bu bölümü TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi'nin 2022 yılında Ankara'da basılan 25. cildinde, 265-268 numaralı sayfalarda "KERÂMET" başlığıyla yer almıştır. Matbu nüshayı pdf dosyası olarak indirmek için tıklayınız. Bu bölüm en son 13.02.2019 tarihinde güncellenmiştir</ref>

[[Ahmad al-Tijani]], founder of the [[Tijaniyyah]] [[tariqa|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.<ref>Wright, Zachary Valentine. "Realizing Islam, Sustainable History Monograph Pilot OA."</ref>

=== Philosophy (''Falsafa'') ===
[[File:Miniatura_Maometto.jpg|thumb|upright|A 16th-century [[Siyer-i Nebi]] image of angel [[Gabriel]] visiting Muhammad]]
Muslim philosophers, such as [[Al-Farabi|al-Fārābī]] and [[Ibn Sina|Ibn Sīnā]], drew from [[Aristotelianism]] and [[Neo-Platonism]] a hierarchy of [[Causality|causal effects]]. God created the [[Nous|divine Intellect]] known from Aristotelian cosmology<ref>Efremova, Natalia V. "The Islamization of Aristotelism in the Metaphysics of Ibn Sina." RUDN Journal of Philosophy 24.1 (2020): 20</ref><ref name="jstor.org">Webb, 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.</ref> and the writings of [[Plotinus]], identified with an angel (usually Gabriel). The archangel then influences other cosmic intellects who in turn influence the sublunary world.<ref name="saet.ac.uk">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</ref><ref name="jstor.org"/><ref>Lizzini, Olga, "Ibn Sina's Metaphysics", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2021 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = <https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2021/entries/ibn-sina-metaphysics/></ref><ref>Janssens, Jules. "Ibn Sīnā’s Ideas of Ultimate Realities. Neoplatonism and the Qur’ān As Problem-Solving Paradigms in the Avicennian System." Ultimate Reality and Meaning 10.4 (1987): 252-271.</ref> As such, the philosophers considered angels to be bodiless spirits.<ref>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: 4 November 
2024 p. 18</ref>

Muslim theologians (''mutakallimun''), for example al-Suyuti<ref>Stephen Burge Angels in Islam: Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti's al-Haba'ik fi akhbar al-mala'ik Routledge 2015 ISBN 978-1-136-50473-0</ref> and [[al-Taftazani]],<ref name="Erdinç, Z. 2021">Erdinç, Z. (2021). The Being and Essence of the Human Soul in al-Taftazanı's Thought. Nazariyat, 7(2).</ref> generally rejected the philosophical depiction of angels as immaterial beings, since angels are, according to ''[[hadith|ḥadīṯ]]'', created from light ({{transliteration|ar|nūr}}).<ref name="saet.ac.uk"/> In response to the invisibility of angels, Taftazani argues that only God is immaterial and that angels evade perception due to their transparent bodies.<ref name="Erdinç, Z. 2021"/> 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.)<ref>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: 4 November 
2024 p. 18</ref>

The influential Sunni Muslim author [[Al Ghazali|al-Ghazali]] ({{c.|1058}}–19 December 1111) reconciled the Islamic Neo-Platonist with traditional Sunni interpretations.<ref>Tamer, Georges. Islam and Rationality: The Impact of al-Ghazālī. Papers Collected on His 900th Anniversary. Vol. 1. Vol. 94. Brill, 2015. p. 103</ref><ref>Kianifard, Nazanin. "Al-Ghazali's Compatibility with the Philosophers and the Influence of Sufism." Religious Inquiries 9.17 (2020): 59</ref> He divides human nature into four domains, each representing another type of creature: animals, beasts, devils and angels.<ref>Zh. D. Dadebayev, M.T. Kozhakanova, I.K.Azimbayeva ''Human's Anthropological Appearance in Abai Kunanbayev's Works'' World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology
Vol:6 2012-06-23 p. 1065</ref><ref>Seyyed Hossein Nasr ''An Introduction to Islamic Cosmological Doctrines'' SUNY Press, 1 January 1993 {{ISBN|978-0-7914-1515-3}} p. 236</ref><ref>Syrinx von Hees Enzyklopädie als Spiegel des Weltbildes: Qazwīnīs Wunder der Schöpfung: eine Naturkunde des 13. Jahrhunderts Otto Harrassowitz Verlag 2002 {{ISBN|978-3-447-04511-7}} page 268 {{in lang |de}}</ref> The spiritual components are related to the mental domain ({{transliteration|ar|[[malakut]]}}), the plane in which symbols take on form, angels and devils advise the human hearth ({{transliteration|ar|qalb}}).<ref name="Islam, Arabs, and Intelligent World of the Jinn">{{cite book |author1=Amira El-Zein |title=Islam, Arabs, and Intelligent World of the Jinn |date=2009 |publisher=Syracuse University Press |pages=34–51 |jstor=j.ctt1j5d836 |quote=Wings It is known angels have wings.}}</ref> However, the angels also inhabit the realm beyond considered the realm from which reason ({{transliteration|ar|'aql}}) 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.<ref>Truglia, Craig. "AL-GHAZALI AND GIOVANNI PICO DELLA MIRANDOLA ON THE QUESTION OF HUMAN FREEDOM AND THE CHAIN OF BEING." Philosophy East and West, vol. 60, no. 2, 2010, pp. 143–166. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40666556. Accessed 17 Aug. 2021.</ref> In this regard, the plane of a human is, unlike whose of the {{transliteration|ar|jinn}} (here: angels and devils) <ref>Teuma, E. (1984). More on Qur'anic jinn. Melita Theologica, 35(1-2), 37-45.</ref> and animals, not pre-determined. Humans are potentially both angels and devils, depending on whether the [[Nafs|sensual soul]] or the [[Ruh|rational soul]] develop.<ref>Amira El-Zein Islam, Arabs, and Intelligent World of the Jinn Syracuse University Press 2009 {{ISBN|978-0-815-65070-6}} page 43</ref><ref>Khaled El-Rouayheb, Sabine Schmidtke The Oxford Handbook of Islamic Philosophy Oxford University Press 2016 {{ISBN|978-0-199-91739-6}} page 186</ref>

=== Bektashi Alevism ===
[[File:Konya angel wall fragment.png|thumb|Fragments of Konya city walls, c. 1220–1221.]]
Despite its [[heterodoxy]], [[Alevism|Alevis]] believe in the [[Quran]], the revelation by [[Muhammad in Islam|Muhammad]], [[Islamic eschatology|the afterlife]], and angels, pretty much as Sunnis do.<ref>Topuz, Birol. "Three Concepts That Are Confused With Each Other In Academia: Alevism, Bektashism, and Shiism." Journal of Alevism-Bektashism Studies 27 (2023): 65.</ref> Like orthodox Muslims, Alevis believe that Muhammad undertook the [[Isra' and Mi'raj|heavenly journey]] guided by the angel Gabriel ({{langx|tr|Cebrâil}}), mentioned in the Quran ([[Al-Isra'|Surah 17]]), as evident from the ''miraçlama'', a form of poetry (''deyiş'') remniscient of [[Turkish folk music|Anatolian folk songs]].<ref>Suzuki, Manami. "< Special Feature “The Encounter with Religious Others through Music and Musician in the Islamic World”> The Transmission of Alevi Ritualistic Practices in Austria as the Religious Other's Society." イスラーム世界研究 16 (2023): 49.</ref> 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.<ref name="Shindeldecker, John 1998. p. 4">Shindeldecker, John. Turkish Alevis Today. Sahkulu Sultan Külliyesi Vakfı, 1998. p. 4</ref> Some Alevis believe that good and bad angels are merely symbols and do not believe in their literal existence.<ref name="Shindeldecker, John 1998. p. 4"/>

Angels are also mentioned in Alevi-spiritual literature. The cosmology outlined in the [[Buyruks]] 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.<ref>Gezik, E. (2015). How Angel Gabriel Became Our Brother of the Hereafter (On the Question of Ismaili Influence on Alevism). British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, 43(1), 64-65. https://doi.org/10.1080/13530194.2015.1060154</ref> Whereby, the destroyed angels feature as an example of spiritual ignorance.<ref>Gezik, E. (2015). How Angel Gabriel Became Our Brother of the Hereafter (On the Question of Ismaili Influence on Alevism). British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, 43(1), 65. https://doi.org/10.1080/13530194.2015.1060154</ref> Similar to the Quran, the story continues with that the angel ''[[Azazil|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.<ref name="DOĞAN, Eşref p. 185">DOĞAN, Eşref, and Hasan ÇELİK. "HÛ ERENLER! HÂYYʼDAN GELDİK HÛʼYA GİDERİZ: ALEVÎ-BEKTÂŞÎ DEYİMLERİNİN TÜRK EDEBİYATINA YANSIMALARI." p. 185</ref> In contrast to Sunni tradition however, the light symbolizes [[Ali]] and Muhammad, not [[Adam in Islam|Adam]].<ref name="DOĞAN, Eşref p. 185"/> Besides Gabriel and Azazil, other angels, such as the ''[[Kiraman Katibin]]'' also appear in the text.<ref>EKİNCİ, Mustafa. "ALEVİUGIN TEMEL KAYNAKLARINDAN BIRI OLAN BUYRUK'UN İMAN VE İSLAM ESASLARI AÇlSINDAN DEGERLENDIRILMESI." p. 19</ref>

=== Contemporary views ===
[[Islamic Modernism|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.<ref>Iqbal, Muzaffar. "Integrated Encyclopedia of the Qur'ān." The center of Islamic Sciences (2013). p. 180</ref> [[Muhammad Abduh]], [[Rashid Rida]],<ref>Iqbal, Muzaffar. "Integrated Encyclopedia of the Qur'ān." The center of Islamic Sciences (2013). p. 180</ref> [[Muhammad Asad]] and [[Ghulam Ahmed Parwez]] have thus suggested a metaphorical reinterpretation of the concept of angels.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Guessoum|title=Islam's Quantum Question: Reconciling Muslim Tradition and Modern Science|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zaL3AgAAQBAJ&q=angels&pg=PT165|isbn=978-0-85773-075-6|date=2010-10-30|publisher=I.B.Tauris}}</ref>

Orthodox forms of Islam, on the other hand, emphasizes a literal interpretation of angels, as recently affirmed by a [[fatwa]] from [[al-Azhar University]].<ref>Kuehn, Sara, Stefan Leder, and Hans-Peter Pökel. "Introduction: Angels and Their Religious and Cosmological Contexts." The Intermediate Worlds of Angels. Ergon-Verlag, 2019. p. 16</ref> [[Wahhabism]] and [[Salafism]], also considers metaphorical interpretation as a form of [[kufr|unbelief]] or [[Bid'ah|illicit innovation]] (''bidʿah''), brought by [[secularism]] and [[positivism]], as stated by [[Muhammad ibn al-Uthaymin]].<ref name="Uthaymeen; Syarh Usl Iman">{{cite book |author1=Muhammad ibn al-Uthaymin |editor1-last=Saleh al-Saleh |title=شرح اصل الايمان/Explaining the foundations of faith |date=1998 |publisher=Cooperative Office for Call & Islamic Guidance at Unaizah; King Fahd National Library Cataloging-in-Publication Data; Riyadh |isbn=9960-783-17-0 |pages=49–54 |url=https://archive.org/details/FP0523/mode/2up |access-date=19 November 2023 |chapter=The Belief in Angel}}</ref>

In contrast to traditional orthodox accounts, many Salafis, such as members of the [[Muslim Brotherhood]] [[Sayyid Qutb]] and [[Umar Sulaiman Al-Ashqar|Umar Sulaiman al-Ashqar]], differ by also disregarding material previously well-accepted in Islamic tradition, such as the [[Harut and Marut#Tale of Harut and Marut|story of ''Harut and Marut'']] (''qiṣṣat Hārūt wa-Mārūt'') or the name the Angel of Death (''ʿAzrāʾīl'').<ref name="ReferenceB">Stephen Burge ''Angels in Islam: Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti's al-Haba'ik fi Akhbar al-malik'' Routledge 2015 {{ISBN|978-1-136-50473-0}} p. 13-14</ref> Al-Ashqar not only rejects the traditional material itself, he furthermore disapproves of scholars who use them.<ref name="ReferenceB"/>

== Classification of angels ==
[[File:Muhammad and the Angel Gabriel by Abd al-Razzak.jpg|thumb|Muhammad and the Angel Gabriel by Abd al-Razzak]]
Islam has no standard hierarchical organization that parallels the [[Christian angelic hierarchy|division into different "choirs" or spheres]] hypothesized and drafted by early medieval [[Christian theology|Christian theologians]], but generally distinguishes between the angels in heaven ({{transliteration|ar|karubiyin}}) fully absorbed in the ''[[ma'rifa]]'' (knowledge) of God and the messengers (''rasūl'') who carry out divine decrees between heaven and earth.<ref>Wensinck, A. J. (2013). The Muslim Creed: Its Genesis and Historical Development. Vereinigtes Königreich: Taylor & Francis. p. 200</ref><ref>Imam Abu Hanifa's Al Fiqh Al Akbar Explained By أبو حنيفة النعمان بن ثابت Abu 'l Muntaha Ahmad Al Maghnisawi Abdur Rahman Ibn Yusuf"</ref> 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).<ref>Serdar, Murat. "Hıristiyanlık ve İslâm'da Meleklerin Varlık ve Kısımları." Bilimname 2009.2 (2009). p. 156</ref> Since angels are not equal in status and are consequently delegated to different tasks to perform, some [[Tafsir|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.<ref name="Baydawi-2016"/>{{rp|p=509}}

[[Fakhr al-Din al-Razi]] (d. 1209) divided the angels into eight groups, which shows some resemblance to Christian angelology:<ref>Serdar, Murat. "Hıristiyanlık ve İslâm'da Meleklerin Varlık ve Kısımları." Bilimname 2009.2 (2009).
</ref>
* [[Bearers of the Throne|Hamalat al-'Arsh]], those who carry the {{transliteration|ar|'Arsh}} ([[Throne of God]]),<ref name="auto1">{{Cite quran|40|7|s=ns}}</ref> comparable to the Christian [[Seraph]]im.
* [[Cherub#In Islam|Muqarrabun]] (Cherubim), who surround the throne of God, constantly praising God (''tasbīḥ'')
* [[Archangel]]s, such as [[Gabriel#Islam|Jibrāʾīl]], [[Michael (archangel)#Islam|Mīkhāʾīl]], [[Israfil|Isrāfīl]], and [[Azrael#Significance in Islam|ʿAzrāʾīl]]
* [[Riḍwan|Angels of Paradise]], such as Riḍwān.
* [[Zabaniyah|Angels of Hell]], [[Maalik|Mālik]] and ''Zabānīya''
* [[Mu'aqqibat|Guardian angels]], who are assigned to individuals to protect them
* [[Kiraman Katibin|The angels who record the actions of people]]
* [[Nature spirits|Angels entrusted with the affairs of the world]], like the angel of thunder.

== Angels in Islamic art ==
[[File:Siyer-i Nebi 298a.jpg|thumb|upright|Muhammad advancing on Mecca, with the angels [[Gabriel#Islam|Gabriel]], [[Michael (archangel)#Islam|Michael]], [[Israfil]] and [[Azrail]]. ([[Siyer-i Nebi|''Siyer-i Nebi'']], 16th century)]] 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.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Images of Paradise in Islamic Art|last=Blair|first=Sheila|publisher=Hood Museum of Art|year=1991|location=Dartmouth College|page=36}}</ref> Islamic depictions of angels resemble winged Christian angels, although Islamic angels are typically shown with multicolored wings.<ref name=":0" /> 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]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Holy Qur'an|last=Ali|first=Mualana Muhammad|pages=149–150}}</ref> Nevertheless, later depictions of angels in Islamic art are more feminine and androgynous.<ref name=":0" />

The 13th century book ''Ajā'ib al-makhlūqāt wa gharā'ib al-mawjūdāt'' ''[[ʿAjā'ib al-makhlūqāt wa gharā'ib al-mawjūdāt|(The Wonders of Creation)]]'' by [[Zakariya al-Qazwini]] 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.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.wdl.org/en/item/8961/|title=The Wonders of Creation|date=1750|website=www.wdl.org|access-date=2019-03-09}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":1"/> Angels are also illustrated in [[Timurid Empire|Timurid]] and [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] manuscripts, such as ''The Timurid Book of the Prophet Muhammad's Ascension'' ({{transliteration|ar|Mir'ajnama}}) and the ''[[Siyer-i Nebi]]''.<ref name="Gruber, Christiane J. 2008 p. 254">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</ref>

== See also ==
{{Commons category|Angels in Islam}}
* [[Angels in art]]
* [[Angels in Judaism]]
* [[List of theological angels]]
* [[List of theological demons]]
* [[Peri]]

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}
{{Reflist|group="Notes"}}
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== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{Angels in Abrahamic Religions}}
{{Characters and Names in Quran}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Islamic View Of Angels}}
[[Category:Angels in Islam| ]]
[[Category:Ritual purity in Islam|Angels]]