In The Name Of Allah, The Most Compassionate, The Most Merciful

THE KINGDOM OF ANGELS (7)

In the Name of Allah: No Assistance except from Him. Our praise to Allah: No Gratitude except for Him. Glories to You my Lord: You Created me and I am in full obedience to Your Command. I hold my covenant to You by whatever is in my power. I bear witness that there is no Deity except Allah. I send my prayers and greetings to the best among all creatures Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), the Messenger of peace who received the last message of the heavens to guide the worlds and delivered Allah's Integrated Legislation and Wisdom in a perfect manner.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Islam, I greet you by the greeting of Islam: Asslamu Alikum Wa Rahmetu Allah Wa Barakath:

My topic today Inshaa Allah is around how the Angels appear to human beings.

Angels may show-up in a form different than their real appearance to fulfill a mission conveyed to special kinds of humans Chosen by Allah. Whatever their shapes would be, it is always in a beautiful representation of man. But the form of the bodies they show-up with is different than human's bodies. The Angels do not eat or drink like us.

By these characteristics they showed up to Prophet Abraham (PUH and Upon Our Prophet) who did not have doubt for a second when they talked to him, that they were not humans. He prepared food for them like the Arab's tradition of generosity. When he noticed that their hands do not reach or catch the food, (because their hands are not formed of materialistic substance), then he was sure that they are not humans and became scared. Allah mentioned this picture in Sura # 11, Hood, Verses # 69-70, where Allah Says:

"There Came Our Angels as messengers to Abraham with glad tidings. They said we salute you by peace. He answered permanent peace on you, and hastened to entertain them with a roasted calf. But when he saw their hands not reaching towards the meal, he felt some mistrust of them, and conceived a fear of them,
they said: "Fear not: We have been sent against the people of Lut."

These two Verses show humans the Power of Allah in Creating the whole unseen kingdom of Angels who spread every where while no body can observe or feel them. But, Allah the Creator Can Make them shape in the form of human beings. They behaved with Prophet Abraham like men; talked and saluted in the same way and tradition of the Arabs at that time. In spite of that, Allah Showed us His Capability in this creation that shape like mankind, but they do not live on the same sustenance created for humans. They were sent for a special message and they were allowed to do whatever it took to fulfill the mission in the frame of the characteristics and attributes of their creation.

Moreover, Allah Chooses special kinds of humans to meet with the Angels. These are the people Chosen and Purified by Allah to enjoy the presence of these kinds of Angels.

The Prophet (PBUH) saw Angel Gabriel in the form of a well-known good looking man of the Arabs at times, and in the form of other men some other times. Some of the companions of the Prophet (PBUH) saw Angel Gabriel while he was talking to the Prophet (PBUH). It was narrated on the authority of Omar, the second Caliph (May Allah be pleased with him), who said:

"One day, while we were sitting with the Prophet (PBUH) there appeared before us a man whose clothes were exceedingly white and whose hair was exceedingly black, no signs of journeying were to be seen on him and none of us knew him. He walked up and sat down by the Prophet (PBUH), resting his knees against his and placing the palms of his hands on his thighs, he said:

O Muhammad, tell me about Islam.
The Prophet (PBUH) said:
Islam is:

  • To testify that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,
  • To perform the prayers,
  • To pay the Zakat,
  • To fast in Ramadhan,
  • And to make the Hajj to the House of Allah in Mecca if you are able to do so.
He said: You have spoken rightly.
And we were amazed at him asking the Prophet (PBUH) and saying that he had spoken rightly.
He said: Then tell me about Iman.
He said: It is to Believe in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, and the Last Day and to believe in divine destiny, both the good and the evil thereof.
He said: You have spoken rightly.
He said: Then tell me about Ihsan.
He said: It is to Worship Allah as though you are Seeing Him and while you See Him not, yet truly He Sees you.
He said: Then tell me about the Hour (the Day of Judgment).
He said: The one questioned about it knows no better than the questioner.
He said: Then tell me about its signs.
He said: That the slave-girl will give birth to her mistress and that you will see the barefooted, naked, destitute, herdsmen competing in constructing lofty buildings.
Then he took himself off and I stayed for a time.
Then the Prophet (PBUH) said: O Omar, do you know who the questioner was?
I said: Allah and His Messenger Knows best.
He said: It was Gabriel, who came to you to teach you your religion"

A person may be in the company of others and he/she may see an Angel while the others may not feel the presence of that Angel. It was narrated that in the days of the Prophet (PBUH), while Angel Gabriel was talking to him, his uncle (Al-Abass) and his cousin came to see him, the cousin of the Prophet (PBUH) (Abdullah) saw the Angle Gabriel and his uncle did not.

However, each and every human being will see the Angles at the time when he/she leaves the worldly life. Each will see and feel the Angels who will remain with humans to their last destiny. So, Angels start their work and service since the moment of human's formulation in the womb until the last moment in life and into his/her new life after death. The mercy bestowed on humans since their birth Extends by the Grace of Allah to cover their second birth.

For that second life, Angels have another role of explaining this life to the new comer. They help him/her to get acquainted with the new environment. Angels also try to find for him/her all his/her relatives and friends who passed away before him, so that he/she will have tranquility and joy in meeting with them.

It is well known that the believers at the moment of crossing to their second life:
When they see these friends and relatives prepared by the Angels to become clear in the believers vision, they become comfortable and the signs of joy and cheerfulness become clear on their faces.

The first mission of this second life is stated in Sura # 32 Al-Sajdah, Verse # 11, where Allah Says:

"Say the Angel of Death, put in charge of you, will duly take your souls, then shall you be brought back to Your Lord."

The message here is clear:
If death is certain, as it is observed everyday, and this life by itself does not satisfy our instincts, and expectations, we may be sure that the agency which separates our soul from our body will bring us into the new world. If we believe in the soul at all - as the very foundation of Religion - we must believe in a future, without which the soul has no meaning:

  • What a reminder by death for our happiness as believers in the reward we attain in the second life!
  • What a reminder for all of us to work for this new and eternal life from now!

So, it is Decided by Allah that every human has his/her own Angel, assigned to bring them back to Their Lord. What the Angels do in the transition period between the two lives is stated in Sura # 16 Al-Nahl, Verse # 32, where Allah Says:

"Namely those whose lives the Angels take in a state of purity, saying to them "Peace be on you, enter the Garden of paradise, because of the good which you did in the worldly life."

If you see or hear about a person in his/her transition period to the second life, who:
Showed a bright face full of joy,
Remember that this is a claim from his/her Angels that he/she is in a state of purity from the evil of this world, from want of faith and want of grace. Purity from such evil is the mark of true Islam, and those who die in such purity will be received into felicity with a salutation of peace.

On the other hand, those who lived unlawfully in this world, those who disbelieved in the whole system of reward and punishment:
All of them will become in a state of terror and disorder at that transition period. The Angels who served these kind of people and tried their best along their whole years of life to show them the way of guidance and the warning for this moment; At the transition period to the second life, these Angels become sorry and angry. The first mission with this kind of people is stated in Sura # 16 Al-Nahl, Verse # 28, where Allah Says:

"Namely those whose lives, the Angels take in a state of wrong-doing to their own souls. Then would they offer submission with the pretence, we did no evil knowingly. The Angels will reply: Nay, but verily Allah Knows all that you did."

This Verse presents the other side of the picture of humans, that is those who died in a state of kufr (disbelief), or rebellion against Allah, which was really wrong-doing against their own souls.
It raises the question of hidden thoughts which are difficult to appraise. But here humans are before Allah, Who Knows every secret of their souls, and before Whom no false conceptions can be of any value.

The second mission with these wrong-doers is the taste of punishment, which is stated in Sura # 6 Al-Anaam, Verse # 93, where Allah Says:

"If you could but see the wicked in the agonies of death: The Angels stretch forth their hands, saying: Yield up your souls, this day shall you receive your reward, a chastisement of disgrace, for that you used to tell lies against Allah, and scornfully to reject Of His Signs."

I hope and pray that all of us will work hard to Please Allah in this worldly life and become among those believers who stay at all times in a state of purity.

Ask Allah forgiveness and be sure that He, Almighty Will Respond and Reward you.

Praise be to Allah:

"Who Forgiveth Sin, Accepteth Repentance, Is Severe in Punishment, And Is all-Bountiful. There is no god But He: to Him Is the Final Goal."(40-3)

I ask Allah to shower His Peace and Prayers on Prophet Muhammad, his family and all his companions.

Dear Muslims:

These were some of the efforts of Angels to support humans, protect them and record their deeds. They try by all means to help mankind by praying to Allah to guide them:

  • Out of the darkness of ignorance to the light of knowledge and faith
  • And from the darkness of the worldly life with all its evils to the light of the Hereafter with all its purity.
That is stated in Sura # 33 Al-Ahzab, Verse # 43, where Allah Says:

"He, Almighty Allah Who Sends Blessings on you, as do His Angels, that He May Bring you out from the depths of darkness into light: And He Is Full of Mercy to the Believers."

Also the Angels pray for the Prophet (PBUH) showing their love to the Messenger of Mercy to all mankind and inviting all humans to pray for him as stated in Sura # 33 Al-Ahzab, Verse # 56, where Allah Says:

"Allah and His Angels Send blessings on the Prophet, O you that believe: Send your blessings on him, and Salute him with respect."

The magnificent deeds which the Angels that are very close to Allah do are to pray for mankind. At that Closeness from Allah, the Angels know that they will have more Hope of Allah's Grant of Forgiveness to mankind. So, they Glorify Allah and Pray for him to grant repentance to humans, protect them from evils and grant them the Paradise of reward as complete families. That is stated in Sura # 40 Ghafr, Verses # 7-8, where Allah Says:

Those (Angles) who bear the Throne of Allah and those around it sing Glory and Praise to Their Lord; Believe in Him and implore forgiveness for those who believe: "Our Lord! You (Almighty) Embrace All things in Mercy and Knowledge, forgive, then, those who turn in repentance, and follow your path; and preserve them from the chastisement of the blazing fire! And grant our Lord that they enter the Paradise of Reward for eternity, which You (Almighty) Have Promised to them, and to the righteous among their fathers, their wives, and their posterity! For You (Almighty) Are the One, Exalted in Might, Full of Wisdom."

I will pray and ask Allah, Please say Amen