The existence of angels is a universally accepted
doctrine in different countries and different religions. However,
they are sometimes discussed under other titles, the distinction
being only one of nomenclature. Similarly, the nature of angels
is understood differently among the followers of different religions.
Islam speaks of angels as celestial beings of a spiritual nature
who have their own entity as persons. The major role they play
is the transmission of messages from God to human beings. But
they are misunderstood by many, even within Islam, as having
human shape or some shape and form, which in fact is an inseparable
idea from that of material existence. Matter must have shape
and a well defined boundary. But spirit lies beyond the five
dimensions of man's understanding. One can only believe in the
existence of spirit if he is a religious person; otherwise it
is beyond his reach to conceive the shape and form of spirits.
Perhaps to resolve this problem and to make it easier for man
to visualise angels, they are sometimes mentioned in religious
books as appearing to holy people in the form of human beings.
Not only that; they are also known to have appeared to some messengers
of God in the form of certain birds. The Holy Ghost appeared
to Jesus in the form of a dove:
As soon as Jesus was baptised,
he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven opened,
and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting
on him. (Matthew 3:16)
These various references found in religious
books were perhaps largely responsible for the misperceptions
about the form and nature of angels prevailing among the adherents
of various religions. Out of angels, in some religions, deyotas
and gods were created, while the original books may have only
mentioned them as agencies specifically created by God for performing
certain tasks in the universe; of this we have ample evidence
in many divine books. So, it is not unlikely that some people
misunderstand the significance of these statements and start
treating angels as junior partners of God.
Let us now try to comprehend the nature of angels
with reference only to the Quran and the traditions of the Holy
Prophet of Islam, and not with reference to commonly held views.
According to the Quran, the entire material universe as well
as the entire religious universe is governed by some spiritual
powers, which are referred to as angels. Although some angels
are referred to as single persons -- such as Gabriel, Michael
or Israel -- they in fact do not work alone. For each function
there is one leader or one supreme angel who governs that function
and under him work a host of angels, who are referred to in the
Holy Quran as the Junood of the Lord. Whatever they do
is completely subject to the will of God and the design that
He has created for things. They cannot make the slightest deviation
from the set course of functions allocated to them, or from the
overall plan of things made by God.
According to the Quran, for each human being
two angels are appointed to record good deeds and misdeeds, as
the case may be. In this way the task of the angels is to organise
the most intricate and profound system of recording. It does
not mean that each has a book in his hand, jotting down in it
whatever he observes. In fact, angels are responsible for a very
complex system of registering the effect of man's deeds on his
soul and personality so that a good man develops a healthy soul
and a bad man breeds an unhealthy one.
The soul as it is takes shape in every man till
his death, needs a conscious organiser who transfers the effects
of human thoughts, actions etc. to the soul. This is an intricate
process not fully comprehended by man. However, we do partially
witness this in the case of criminals acquiring a different visage
from those of noble conduct. It is not at all impossible for
anyone to observe such a difference, although it cannot be described
in terms of black and white or other material terms. In fact,
the administration of the huge universe, right from its inception
through the entire course of the billions of years of its evolutionary
history, requires an enormous organisation of constant attention
and control. This is performed by innumerable angels, who literally
govern the vast universe and its intricate system of laws, as
agents of God.
As far as the traditions go, we can comprehend
to a degree the versatility of angels in being able to materialise
in various forms or apparitions, which have no relation to their
real form or existence, which is beyond man's comprehension and
has different dimensions from those known to us.
Once it is reported that a stranger suddenly
entered the mosque where the founder of Islam was sitting along
with his companions. This man approached the assembly, sat respectfully
in the front row, and started to ask questions regarding the
nature of Islam. Having finished his list of questions, he took
leave and departed. Those present were amazed because first this
man was a complete stranger who must have travelled some distance
to reach the mosque. In small townships the knowledge of such
visits does not remain a secret, and everybody seems to know
who has arrived and for what purpose. In his case, the arrival
was so sudden that it appeared mysterious. Secondly, there were
no marks of a journey on his bearing or his clothes. A fresh
looking gentleman, he was of immaculately clean dress. Moreover
the manner in which he began to ask questions without any introduction,
and his abrupt departure, was extremely unusual to say the least.
Before the companions of the Holy Prophet (sa)
could say anything, the Holy Prophet (sa) himself informed them
that the person had actually been the angel Gabriel, who had
asked the leading questions so that the companions become acquainted
with the facts contained in the answers given. Some companions
ran out of the mosque to meet the angel in disguise, as they
thought, but there was no trace of him anywhere. No-one in the
township admitted to seeing such a man. As this incident is reported
in the highly authentic books of tradition, we can safely infer
that angels sometimes appear in ordinary human form for the purpose
of discharging sundry errands. We find mention of angels in many
other traditions, particularly in relation to the battles of
Badr and Uhad, but it would be inappropriate perhaps to enter
into a lengthy discourse on this issue.
As against the Quranic view explained above,
almost in every country the commonly held view about angels among
followers of various religions is more on the pattern of fairy
tales than of them belonging to a celestial form of existence.
They are said to have wings like birds or fairies, flapping them
about as they fly from place to place. This misconcept is perhaps
born out of over- much literalising of religious terminology,
which is cryptic and has, most often, metaphorical allusions.
Thus we also find mention in the Holy Quran of wings in relation
to angels, which speaks of them as having wings in twos, threes
and fours:
All praise belongs to Allah
the Maker of the heavens and the earth, Who employs the angels
as messengers, having wings, two, three and four. Surah
Al-Fatir (Ch. 35, v. 2)
The Holy Quran has a very special style of elucidating
all such passages where there lies a danger of obscurity -- it
does this with the help of other similar usages. About the wings,
for instance, we also find these mentioned in relation to a son's
attitude towards his elderly parents. Building this subject,
the Holy Quran admonishes the son to lower his wing of mercy
over his parents, as they brought him up from the time of his
infancy. 'Wing' only means attributes and powers, and we believe
it is in this sense that wings are attributed to angels, or to
persons claiming divine manifestation from among the various
religions. For instance, in Gita, Krishna is known to have possessed
four arms instead of two. There the extra pair of arms serve
the same purpose as the wings found in other divine books.
Angels are responsible for controlling and maintaining
the laws of nature. Virus and bacteria are governed, organised
and maintained by specific angels, who work in harmony with each
other to maintain a perfect balance. Similarly, eco-systems are
not accidental or chaotic, but are regulated by the invisible,
spiritual beings that we call angels.
The Case of the Fallen Angel
There is another very much misunderstood episode
concerning Satan. It is said, and it is believed, that prior
to his fall he belonged to the category of angels. The Holy Quran
rejects this view and presents Satan as possessing a fiery nature,
thus belonging to such forms of life as are created from fire,
for example the Djinn.
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