A pillar of iman

When Jibril came to Nabi ﷺ in the form of a man and asked him about iman, Nabi ﷺ said: to believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and qadr¹. So believing in the angels is the second pillar of iman.

Allah praises the believers: they all believe in Allah, His angels, His books and His messengers². And He warns that whoever rejects them has gone far astray³.

Angels belong to the unseen (al-ghayb): real things we cannot see with our eyes. We know about them only through the Quran and the sahih hadith. So in this chapter, we say only what those two sources say. Where they are silent, we stay silent too.

What angels are

• Created from light. Nabi ﷺ said: the angels were created from light, the jinn from a flame of fire, and Adam from what you have been told, clay⁴.
• They always obey. They never disobey Allah in what He commands, and they do what they are told⁵. They have no wish to sin.
• They never tire. They praise Allah night and day, and never grow tired⁶.
• They are honored servants, not children of Allah and not partners with Him. They do not speak before He speaks, and they act on His command⁷.
• They have wings: two, three or four, and Allah adds to creation what He wills⁸. Nabi ﷺ saw Jibril in his real form with six hundred wings⁹. He was so huge that he filled the whole horizon¹⁰.
• They can take human form by Allah's permission. Jibril came to Maryam as a man¹¹, and to Nabi ﷺ as a man in very white clothes¹².
• They do not eat. When angels visited Ibrahim as guests, he served them a roasted calf. Their hands did not reach for it¹³.
• They are not female. The Quran blames people who called the angels females without any knowledge¹⁴.

How many are there?

Only Allah knows. On the night of the Mi'raj, Nabi ﷺ was shown a house in the heavens called Al-Bayt al-Ma'mur. Jibril told him: 70,000 angels pray here every day, and when they leave, they never come back¹⁵. Every day, a new 70,000. And Allah says: no one knows the soldiers of your Lord except Him¹⁶.

Angels named for us

Allah told us the names of a few angels. When Nabi ﷺ stood for the night prayer, he began with this dua: O Allah, Lord of Jibril, Mika'il and Israfil, Creator of the heavens and the earth¹⁷.

The work of the angels

Allah does not need the angels. He is able to do everything. But He chose to run many parts of His creation through them, as an honor for them and a sign for us. Here is what the Quran and sahih hadith tell us they do:

• Bringing revelation to the prophets, through Jibril³⁰.
• Writing our deeds. Two angels sit with each person, one on the right and one on the left³¹. Not a word comes out of his mouth without a watcher ready to write it³². They are noble writers who know what you do³³.
• Guarding us. Each person has angels in front and behind, guarding him by Allah's command³⁴.
• In the womb. Allah sends an angel to the unborn child, who writes its provision, its lifespan, its deeds, and whether it will be happy or not. Then the soul is breathed in³⁵.
• Taking souls at death³⁶, and questioning in the grave³⁷.
• Carrying the Throne. These angels ask forgiveness for the believers: our Lord, You cover everything with mercy and knowledge, so forgive those who repent³⁸.
• Taking turns with us. Angels come to us in shifts, by night and by day. They meet at Fajr and Asr. When they go up, Allah asks them how they left His servants. They say: we left them praying, and we came to them while they were praying³⁹.
• Coming down on Laylat al-Qadr with every matter, by their Lord's permission⁴⁰.
• Helping the believers. At the battle of Badr, Allah sent a thousand angels to help⁴¹.
• Guarding the Fire, as Allah's stern keepers⁴²⁴³.

Angels in our daily lives

Angels are not far away in the sky only. Nabi ﷺ told us they are close to the believers, often in the most ordinary moments.

• They say amin with you. Nabi ﷺ said: when the imam finishes Al-Fatiha, say amin. Whoever's amin matches the amin of the angels, his past sins are forgiven⁴⁵.
• They fill gatherings of dhikr. Allah has angels who travel around looking for gatherings where Allah is remembered. When they find one, they sit with the people and cover them with their wings, up to the sky⁴⁶.
• They surround Quran circles. When people gather in a masjid to read and study the Quran, calm comes down on them, mercy covers them, the angels surround them, and Allah mentions them to those near Him⁴⁷.
• They pray for teachers of good. Nabi ﷺ said: Allah, His angels, and everyone in the heavens and the earth, even the ant in its hole and the fish, send blessings on the one who teaches people good⁴⁸.
• They pray for you while you wait. As long as you stay in your place of prayer with wudu, the angels keep saying: O Allah, forgive him. O Allah, have mercy on him⁴⁹.
• They pray for the front rows of the congregation⁵⁰.
• They pray for you when you pray for others. When you make dua for someone behind their back, an angel says: and for you the same⁵¹.
• They love whom Allah loves. When Allah loves a servant, He tells Jibril, who loves him and calls out to the people of heaven to love him too. Then acceptance is placed for him on earth⁵².

In the dhikr gathering hadith, the angels tell Allah about a man who was not really part of the group. He just passed by and sat down. Allah says: I forgive him too. These are people whose companions are never left unhappy⁵³. Good company brings good even to the one who just sits with it.

What keeps angels away

Nabi ﷺ said: angels do not enter a house in which there is a dog or a picture of a living being⁵⁶.

Once Jibril promised to visit Nabi ﷺ at a set time, but he did not come. Nabi ﷺ found a small puppy under his bed. It was taken out, and Jibril came. He said: the dog in your house kept me away. We do not enter a house with a dog or a picture⁵⁷.

Scholars explain this hadith carefully:

• Which angels? Scholars say these are the angels of mercy and blessing. The angels who write your deeds and guard you never leave you.
• Working dogs are allowed. Nabi ﷺ allowed keeping a dog for guarding farms or animals, or for hunting⁵⁸. Many scholars include guide dogs and guard dogs in this.
• Pictures on cloth. One of the narrators of this hadith explained that Nabi ﷺ made an exception for patterns on cloth⁵⁹. Scholars also differ about modern photos, pictures on money, and children's toys. Learn from a scholar you trust, and do not judge others over it.
• Bad smells. Nabi ﷺ told people who had eaten raw onion or leek not to come near the masjid, because the angels are bothered by what bothers people⁶⁰.

How believing in angels changes us

Believing in the angels is not just a fact to learn. It changes how you live:

• You think before you speak. Every word is written⁶¹. That includes what you post, type and promise.
• You feel shy in a good way. Nabi ﷺ fixed his clothes when Uthman came in, and said: should I not be shy before a man the angels are shy of?⁶². Knowing angels are near helps us be modest, even when alone.
• You are never alone. Allah's angels guard you by His command⁶³, and pray for you when you do good.
• You love good gatherings. A circle of Quran or dhikr has guests from the heavens⁶⁴.
• You keep your home a place of mercy: clean, with Quran and dhikr in it.
• Your worship stays pure. Angels are servants, not lords. No prophet would ever tell you to take the angels and prophets as lords⁶⁵. So we never pray to angels or ask them for help. We ask Allah, their Lord and ours.

Common questions

Can people see angels?

Not usually. The prophets saw them, and some Companions saw angels in human form, like the man in white clothes who was Jibril⁶⁶. We should not believe someone who claims to see angels and get messages from them. Revelation ended with Nabi ﷺ.

Do angels have free will like us?

They do not disobey. They do what they are commanded⁶⁷. They are not tested the way humans and jinn are.

Can I ask an angel for help?

No. Dua is worship, and worship is for Allah alone. Ask Allah, and He may send His angels to help you, as He did at Badr⁶⁸.

Do the angels leave when I sin?

The angels who write your deeds stay with you, so be careful. But remember the good news: a bad deed is written only once, and a good deed many times⁶⁹. And repentance wipes it away.

We have family photos on the wall. Will the angels not come in?

Scholars differ about photos. Some say a camera photo is not the kind of picture the hadith means. Others say pictures of people and animals on display should be removed. Learn from a scholar you trust. Many families keep photos in albums or on the phone instead of on the walls, to be careful.

My child loves angel stories with names and details. Are they true?

Many popular stories are not from the Quran or sahih hadith. Tell your child the true ones in this chapter. They are wonderful enough.