|
In the name of Allah, all Praise is due to Allah, and may the
peace and blessings of Allah be upon His beloved Messenger. Upon
him, his family and companions, and those that follow them in
righteousness till the final day.
The Prophet Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam ,was sitting in his
home, his lower legs uncovered. Abu Bakr ,Radi Allahu Anhu ,came
in and then Umar , Radi Allahu Anhu ,and the Prophet ,Sal
Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam ,remained in his position. Then when
Uthman ,Radi Allahu Anhu ,arrived the Prophet ,Sal Allaahu
Alayhi wa Sallam ,sat up, covered his lower leg and greeted him
with the warmest greeting. Aisha ,Radi Allahu Anha ,witnessed
this and she later questioned the Messenger of Allah ,Sal
Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam ,about his action. He ,Sal Allaahu
Alayhi wa Sallam ,said, "Should I not be shy from he whom the
angels are shy from?"
In the hadith we began explaining last week, when Jibraeel came
to the Prophet ,Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam ,and asked him
about Islam, Eeman, and Ihsan, the Messenger of Allah ,Sal
Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam ,said when asked, 'What is Eeman?' He,
Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam ,said, "Eeman is to believe in
Allah, in
His angels, His books, His Messengers, the Last Day, and the
divine decree ,the good and the bad thereof." Today we shall
talk about Eeman in the Angels.
All throughout the stages of our creation the angels have been
there with some duty. When we were nothing in our mothers
stomach, an angel was there breathing a soul into us. They are
there every day reporting to Allah our Salah. They are there
every second recording what we whisper and speak. When the time
of our death comes they are ready to take our soul. And when the
day of Judgement commences, an angel will blow the trumpet to
announce it.
Having belief or Eeman in the Angels is a pillar of a Muslims
Eeman. Angels are a creation of Allah. They were created from
light, they do not eat or drink, they are characterized by
neither feminine or masculine, and they do not tire. Some spend
their entire existence in Ruku', others in Sujood. And then when
the Judgement is called they will raise their heads and say:
Glory be to you, our Lord, we did not worship you in a way
befitting your Majesty.
The are the creation of Allah, a creation that took place before
the creation of our father Adam ,Alayhis Salam. The Messenger of
Allah ,Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam ,told us about their
characteristics and duties. Amongst these characteristics are
the following:
Firstly: That their creation is huge. The Prophet ,Sal Allaahu
Alayhi wa Sallam ,said, "I saw Jibraeel in the fashion that he
was originally created in. He had 600 wings. Each wing filling
the (entire) horizon. (The east to the west ,as far as the eye
could see). This event was mentioned in the Quran [And indeed he
(Muhammad ,Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam) saw him (Jibraee-Alayhis
Salam) in the clear horizon (to the east)] Takweer 81-23.
Secondly: That they have the ability to change shape, as we know
in the story of Maryam, and in this hadith of Jibraeel when all
the companions saw him with an intense white garment, with
intense black hair.
Thirdly: They live in the heavens and from there they descend to
carry out the duties appointed to them. Allah ,Subhaanahu wa Ta
'Aala ,says [Nearly the heavens might rent asunder from above
them (by His majesty) and the angels glorify the praises of
their Lord] Shura 42/5 Takadus Samawaatu yatta fattarna min
fawqihinna^Å
This is just a glimpse at some of their characteristics. As for
their relationship with Mu'mineen (those who have Eeman), the
relationship is a very close one.
· The Prophet ,Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam ,told us that they
witness the gatherings of Muslims in which Allah ,Subhaanahu wa
Ta 'Aala ,is remembered. He ,Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam ,said:
"Allah has some angels who look for those who celebrate the
Praises of Allah on the roads and paths. And when they find some
people celebrating the Praises of Allah, they call each other,
saying, "Come to the object of your pursuit.' " He added, "Then
the angels encircle them with their wings up to the sky of the
world." He added, "(After those people celebrated the Praises of
Allah, and the angels go back), their Lord, asks them (those
angels)--though He knows better than them--'What do My slaves
say?' The angels reply, 'They say: Subhan Allah, Allahu Akbar,
and Alham-du-lillah.' Allah then says 'Did they see Me?' The
angels reply, 'No! By Allah, they didn't see You.'
Allah says, How it would have been if they saw Me?' The angels
reply, 'If they saw You, they would worship You more devoutly
and celebrate Your Glory more deeply, and declare Your freedom
from any resemblance to anything more often.' Allah says (to the
angels), 'What do they ask Me for?' The angels reply, 'They ask
You for Paradise.' Allah says (to the angels), 'Did they see
it?' The angels say, 'No! By Allah, O Lord! They did not see
it.' Allah says, How it would have been if they saw it?' The
angels say, 'If they saw it, they would have greater
covetousness for it and would seek It with greater zeal and
would have greater desire for it.' Allah says, 'From what do
they seek refuge?' The angels reply, 'They seek refuge from the
(Hell) Fire.' Allah says, 'Did they see it?' The angels say, 'No
By Allah, O Lord! They did not see it.' Allah says, How it would
have been if they saw it?' The angels say, 'If they saw it they
would flee from it with the extreme fleeing and would have
extreme fear from it.' Then Allah says, 'I make you witnesses
that I have forgiven them.' " Allah's Apostle added, "One of the
angels would say, 'There was so-and-so amongst them, and he was
not one of them, but he had just come for some need.' Allah
would say, 'These are those people whose companions will not
fall into misery.' "
· They love the believers. The Prophet ,Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa
Sallam , said, "When Allah ,Subhaanahu wa Ta 'Aala ,loves
someone he calls to Jibreel saying, 'O Jibreel, I love such and
such a person so love him.' Then Jibreel will call to the
(angels) of the heavens, 'Allah loves such and such a person so
love him.' And the angels will love. And then Allah , Subhaanahu
wa Ta 'Aala ,will place acceptance on earth for that Mu'min. ,
Bukhari and Muslim
· They pray for the believers. As the Prophet ,Sal Allaahu
Alayhi wa Sallam ,explained, "Any servant that prays for me an
angel will pray for them." Sahih Al-Jami'. And the Prophet ,Sal
Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam ,explained that there is an angel
appointed to the prayers one does for a brother in his absence.
The angels duty is to say Ameen, Ameen to the prayer, and to you
the same.
· And no doubt the angels assist the Mu'mineen in Jihad. In the
battle of Badr the Messenger of Allah ,Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa
Sallam ,left Madinah with only 317 companions in pursuit of a
caravan, unprepared for war. When the Muslim army found
themselves confronted with over 1000 fighters from Quraish, all
with weapons, horses, and preperation, the battle looked grim,
especially since it was their first battle in Islam. The Prophet
,Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam ,entered his tent, prayed and
raised his hands invoking victory from Allah. He raised his
hands so high that his shawl would fall off and Abu Bakr ,Radi
Allahu Anhu ,was there placing it back on his shoulders. He ,Sal
Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam ,cried and prayed until Abu Bakr ,Radi
Allahu Anhu ,felt sympathy for the state he saw. He called out
to the Messenger of Allah ,Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam , "Ruwaidan
Ya Rasullah, In Allaha Naasiruk wa Mujizu wa'dak." Then Allah ,
Subhaanahu wa Ta 'Aala ,revealed the verse: [(Remember) when
your Lord inspired the angels, "Verily, I am with you, so keep
firm those who have believed. I will cast terror into the hearts
of those who have disbelieved, so strike them over the necks,
and smite over all their fingers and toes.] Anfal 8/12.
Jibreel asked the Prophet ,Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam ,about
those that attended the victory of Badr, "What is the position
of those who attended Badr amongst you?" The Prophet ,Sal
Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam ,said, "They are our best of us." Then
Jibraeel said, "Likewise, the Angels that attended Badr are the
best amongst the angels." And the Angels are there when the
Mu'min dies. Allah ,Subhaanahu wa Ta 'Aala ,tells us of that day
when the come to extract the soul of the Mu'min: [Verily, those
who say: "Our Lord is Allah (alone)" and then they (lived)
upright on them the angels will descend (at the time of their
death) (saying), "Fear not, nor grieve! Rather receive the glad
tidings of Paradise which you have been promised!] Fussilat
41/30
Part II: The Angels and the Kuffar
Just as the angels are a part of the Mu'mins life, death, and
resurrection, they are also a part of the Kafirs, but in a
different way. The Prophet , Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam ,told
us that when Allah ,Subhaanahu wa Ta 'Aala ,hates a person he
calls to Jibreel saying, 'O Jibreel, I hate such and such a
person so hate him.' Then Jibreel will call to the (angels) of
the heavens, 'Allah hates such and such a person so hate him.'
And the angels will hate him. And then Allah ,Subhaanahu wa Ta 'Aala
,will place displeasure on earth for him.
At the time of the Prophet ,Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam ,the
Kuffar mocked him by requesting to see the angels in this life,
claiming that only then would they believe. Allah ,Subhaanahu wa
Ta 'Aala ,recorded their statement in the Quran, for them and
many others are people who believe with their eyes and not their
hearts: [And those who expect not to meet with Us (those who
deny the Day of Ressurection and the life of the Hereafter) say,
"Why are not the angels sent down to us, or why do we not see
our Lord?" Indeed they think too highly of themselves, and are
scornful with great pride! On the Day they will see the angels
,no glad tidings will there be for the Mujrimoon (the criminals)
and they will say, "Forbidden to you is any sort of glad
tidings."] Furqan 21/23
And when they enter Hell, Allah ,Subhaanahu wa Ta 'Aala ,tells
us about their conversation with the angel custodians of Hell:
Ghafir 40/49 [And those in the fire will say to the keepers
(angels) of Hell, "Call your Lord to lighten for us a day of the
punishment. They will reply: "Did there not come to you your
Messengers with clear proofs? They will say, "Yes." They will
say, "then pray ,and the prayer of the disbelievers is to no
avail.]
Dear brothers and sisters, what now is our duty towards these
angels. It is to believe in them and respect them the way they
deserve. Thus when we hear that Angels do not enter houses that
have dogs and images, we immediately go and rid ourselves of
that which will rob our houses of their blessed presence. The
Prophet ,Sal Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam ,told us in an authentic
hadith that the angels will not enter a house in which there is
an image or a dog. It is unfortunate that many Muslim homes have
found a place on their shelves to put up idols of animals, or
dolls, and pictures on the walls. If prayer time comes they may
cover it or they may not, but it is no matter. That is a house
that is robbed of the angels blessed presence, protection and
dua. And when Angels are not there, most likely devils and jinns
will find refuge. May Allah ,Subhaanahu wa Ta'Aala ,protect us
all.
In conclusion, the closest angels to us are those on every
human's shoulders writing the good deeds and the bad deeds.
Allah ,Subhaanahu wa Ta 'Aala , mentioned them in the Quran:
[Not a word does he (or she) utter except that there is watcher
near him, ready (to record it).] Qaaf 50/18. If we had a tape
recorder on both shoulders and there was a competition that
whoever glorifies Allah will get 1 dollar for each time, and
whoever speaks ill will be lashed once ,what would happen to the
state of the community. It would ignite in Tasbeeh! Subhanallah,
Alhamdulillah, Allahu Akbar. Even if you said salam, all the
person would reply with would be Subhanallah, Alhamdulillah,
Allahu Akbar. How are you? Subhanallah, Alhamdulillah, Allahu
Akbar. And at the end of the day he would get 30000, the other
50000 dollars, who would not partake in such profit? Dear
brothers and sisters we are being recorded and the stakes are
much higher.
Innal Allah wa Malaikatahu
|
