By Sheikh Khalid ibn Ali al-Ghamdi – 09 Thul Qa’dah 1437

His Eminence Sheikh Khalid ibn Ali al-Ghamdi –May Allah protect him– delivered this Friday khutbah titled “Greatness of the Creation of Angels (Peace Be upon Them).” He talked about angels –the noble and dutiful[ The expression in boldface is a paraphrase from the Holy Qur’an, surat Abasa, verse number 16.]‒ the wisdom behind their creation, their roles in maintaining the order of the universe, managing its functioning and the orbital motion of its stars and planets, guarding the heavens, and recording human actions, among other roles assigned to them by Allah’s permission –to Whom belong might and majesty. He also asserted that believing in angels and their actions is among the fundaments of the Muslim creed.

Praise be indeed to Allah! We praise Him, pray Him for assistance and forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from our own evils and bad deeds. He whom Allah guides will never be led astray, and he whom Allah misguides will find no one to guide him. I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah alone with no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger. May Allah send His Salat (Graces, Honours, and Mercy) upon him, his Family, his Companions, the tabi’in (the contemporaries of the Companions of the Prophet [May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him] after his death), and all those who follow in their footsteps until the Day of Judgement!

Now then,

O Servants of Allah! Observe Taqwa vis-à-vis Allah (fear of disobeying His commands), and let it be known to you that, in essence, this worldly life is but a journey towards Allah constituted of a sequence of stages which are being rolled up until the day of the afterlife, the Hereafter. Happy and successful indeed is the one who has considered this worldly life a bridge to cross to the Hereafter instead of taking it for a home and a permanent abode. While in the Herein, he’d rather consider himself as a stranger, a passer-by or as someone taking a nap in the shade of a tree and would soon leave it (to his final destination).

“O my people! Truly, this life of the world is nothing but a (quick passing) enjoyment, and verily, the Hereafter that is the home that will remain forever.” [Ghafir: 39]

O Muslims!
Allah, the Almighty, is indeed Great and Majestic! In every single thing, He has placed a sign indicating that He is the One, the Irresistible, the All-Powerful, and the Great Who has perfected everything He created and excelled in designing it. Neither human reasons nor mortal minds can comprehend His astounding might and capacity. His Greatness and Grandeur cannot be perceived by the creatures’ powers of imagination or illusory impressions.

Among the most magnificent worlds and creatures where the capability and might of the Lord ‒Glorified be He‒ manifest themselves is that of angels –the best, the select creatures, and the purest. They represent one of the signs of Allah’s Greatness, Majesty, and absolute Capability. This is why Allah –May He be glorified– decreed that a significant basis of Islamic faith should comprise believing in angels, being acquainted with them, being cognizant of their existence and their acts. Without explicit faith in all the foregoing,
neither excuse nor justification will be accepted by Allah from the Muslim (on Doomsday).

… and whosoever disbelieves in Allâh, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, and the Last Day, then indeed he has strayed far away. [Al-Nissa: 136]

Talking about angels in some detail, with evidence drawn from numerous authenticated religious texts, does indeed reinforce faith and build in the believers’ hearts deeply rooted confidence so that they would experience an ecstatic sensation of divine presence and feel instilled with a sense of glorifying and revering Allah ‒Glorified be He. Thus, man would realise his weakness and inability and would therefore recognise that there other creatures out there who are much superior to him in terms of creation, capability, and might.

Angels constitute an extremely important world in this vast universe. It is a world full of purity, cleanliness, and transparency. Allah created them from light, as indicated in the Sahih book by Imam Muslim. They are among the primal and most magnificent creatures of Allah. Allah has endowed them with the resplendent ability to assume various shapes. He created them with dual, triple, quadruple wings, and even more. They do not eat, drink, or reproduce. They are endowed by Allah, the Almighty, with the power, the capability and the miraculous speed with which they can execute the commands of Allah. As stated in the Holy Qur’an, they: “… disobey not, (from executing) the Commands they receive from Allâh, but do that which they are commanded.” [Al-Tahreem: 6]

Allah –May He be glorified– created them with an outstandingly majestic design inspiring grandeur which is firmly grounded in the human nature, just as women in the parable of Yussef (Joseph) –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him and upon our Prophet Muhammad– described his beauty in the following terms: “…This is none other than a noble angel!” [Yusuf: 31]

Here is Jibreel (Archangel Gabriel), whom Prophet Muhammad –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him and his family– saw literally twice as Allah created him in initial genesis. On one occasion, he saw Jibreel filling up the entire horizon (with his angelic spectral presence). On the other, he saw him fitted with six hundred wings from which colossal amounts of pearl and corundum were dropping.

Allah did give permission to His Prophet –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him and his family– to tell people about an angel from among those carrying the divine Throne. The angel’s feet were treading on the lower layer of the earth and the Throne was elevated upon his horn. A bird’s flying distance between his earlobe and his shoulder is seven hundred years. That angel keeps saying: “Glory be to You wherever You are! Glory be to You wherever You are!”

Truly, there is no deity except Allah; there is no deity except Allah. How Magnificent and Mighty Allah ‒Glorified be He‒ really is!

O Muslims!

Angels are honoured servants[ The expression in boldface is a quotation from the Holy Qur’an, surat Al-Anbiya’, end of verse 26.], messenger-angels, noble and dutiful[ Again what is in boldface is a paraphrase from the Holy Qur’an, surat Abasa, verses 15-16.]. They worship Allah in a great way. They indefatigably keep glorifying and praising Allah day and night. They never get tired or bored of doing that. They never utter a word or take any action before divine permission is given. They stand in awe for fear of Him and in veneration of His might.[ See the Holy Qur’an, surat Al-Anbiya’, verses 27-28. ] The most highly revered and held in high esteem by Allah amongst them are Jibreel ‒Peace be upon him– for he is the Ruh (Holy Ghost) in charge of the revelation, which fills hearts with life, Mika’eel (Michael) who is in charge of precipitation and rain with which the land and creatures continue to exist, and Israfeel (Rafael) who is in charge of blowing the Trumpet (or Horn) whereby human life and later resurrection (from graves) are made possible. As affirmed in a hadith, Israfeel has already placed the Trumpet between his lips, bowed his forehead, and lent his ear to the least sound, waiting for the instant he will be ordered to blow in the Trumpet.

Angels also stand in lines before their Lord Almighty in the heavens. They form tight and organised queues. There is no single space in the heavens but occupied by an angel lying prostrate or assuming a standing position (in prayer), which indicates their huge number that only Allah can count it. It is also affirmed (in religious texts) that every day seventy thousand angels enter the Bayt Al-Ma’moor[ The Oft-frequented House, which is, according to Islamic tradition, in the seventh Heaven around which thousands of angels circumambulate. It is believed to be perpendicular to the Ka’bah in Makkah. See also the Holy Qur’an, surat Al-Toor, verse number 4.] in the seventh Heaven and never return to it again. Then, hell is brought forth on Doomsday harnessed with seventy thousand tethers; with each tether (rein) seventy thousand angels are dragging hell. Notice how many angels there are!

There is indeed no deity except Allah; there is no deity except Allah. How Great Allah is! How Great and Capable He is!

O Muslims!

Allah –May He be glorified– has assigned to these noble angels many different tasks and functions in this vast universe. There are angels in charge of carrying the Throne of the Compassionate (Allah, be He glorified), which is the most gigantic creature. Other angels are assigned the task of sustaining and maintaining the order of the universe as well as the orbital motion of its stars (planets and galaxies) as well as guarding and protecting the heavens from every rebellious devil. There are still other angels whose role is to arrange for the proper execution of divine commands in due course. There are also angels dedicated to clouds, rainfall, wind, mercy, and torment. Our Lord, Allah –May He be glorified– explained all such details in the openings of the Surats (chapter of the Holy Qur’an): Al-Saffat, Al-Thariyat, Al-Morsalat, and Al-Nazi’aat, among many other Surats.

The noble angels have been assigned general functions pertaining to the entirety of mankind as well as other functions particularly related to the believers. For instance, it was the angels who performed the rituals of Adam’s funeral after his death; they bathed him –Peace be upon him– three times with water (or more, on condition that they remain in the odd number), wrapped his corpse in a shroud, and placed him in his grave (lying on his right side) in order to teach his offspring the burial rituals.

The angels are also in charge of the creation of mankind with the command of Allah ‒Glorified be He. When the Nutfah (a sperm-drop) which becomes a ‘Alaqah (a clinging clot) and then a Mudhghah (a little lump of flesh) reaches the known period of time, Allah sends to it (i.e. the lump of flesh) an angel who will give it shape (i.e. its basic anatomical design), hearing and sight. Then, the angel asks Allah about whether it will be male or female, happy or unhappy, and about his/her livelihood and lifetime (i.e. death date). After all this information is recorded, the soul is breathed into it. Later on, angels will be acting as scribes who record all man’s deeds during his lifetime and register whatever he utters:

Man does not utter any word except that with him is an observer prepared [to record]. [Qaf: 18]

But verily, over you (are appointed angels in charge of mankind) to watch you, Kirâman (honourable) Kâtibîn writing down (your deeds), They know all that you do. [Al-Infitar: 10-12]

The angels equally guard the human being –whether he is Muslim or unbeliever– from decreed divine courses of action which are not intended to affect him specifically.

For each (person), there are angels in succession, before and behind him. They guard him by the Command of Allâh… [Al-Raad: 11]

Mujahid –May Allah bless his soul– said: “As a rule, every individual is assigned an angel who is in charge of protecting him during his sleep and wakefulness, be he from Jinn, humans, or animals.”

O Ummah of Islam!

Unlike with the rest of mankind, the angels have a special (privileged) relationship with the believers. They constantly beseech Allah to forgive the believers’ sins and act as intercessors with their Lord on their behalf. They also implore divine pardon for anyone in pursuit of knowledge (e.g. scholars or students) and therefore spread their wings for him to show satisfaction with his deeds. They also pray for Allah’s blessings to whoever teaches people something good and useful, to those forming the first row in congregational prayers, and to those forming continuous rows in prayers without gaps in between.

When a believer supplicates Allah, the angels say: “Amen” and add: “And to you too.” In addition, when Allah loves someone, Jibreel loves him, too, and also the rest of the angels. That person will gain approval and love on earth. Then, Allah sends His angels to His believing servant to stimulate in him the instincts of good and to keep his company in most circumstances. They defend him, support him with truth, make his speech felicitous and action appropriate, inspire him wisdom, and encourage him to perform good deeds and persevere in keeping on performing them.

By contrast, Allah –May He be glorified– sends devils upon the hypocrite and the dissolute inciting them into evil[ See surat Mariam, verse number 83.], cast suspicions and corrupt creeds into their hearts, and stimulate in them the drives of evil and falsehood. This is related by Prophet Muhammad –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him and his family– when he said that the angel has a call on the human being’s heart and so has the devil.

Ali –May Allah be pleased with him– said: “We were saying that the words of Omar and his heart speak peace and serenity.”

The Angels come to the believer while he’s dying and relate to him the good news of heavenly recompense and divine satisfaction; they make him steadfast on his faith and take his soul with ease and grace. Then, in turn, the angel of death takes it and climbs to the heavens. The believer’s soul imparts such a good smell and the doors of Paradise open up to receive it.

The Angels witness the funerals of the righteous believers. In fact, seventy thousand angels witnessed the funeral of Saad ibn Mua’adh –May Allah be pleased with him– and it was confirmed that they (the angels) washed Handhalah ibn Amer –May Allah be pleased with him– who was killed in the Battle of Uhud while in a state of janabah[ It is an Islamic term meaning ‘state of major ritual impurity’ due to sexual intercourse or wet dream. A Muslim in such a state is not supposed to perform prayer, enter a mosque, touch the Holy Qur’an or even recite it until he/she has ‘ghusl’ (a full shower, washing the whole body). ].

Allah has angels roaming about in order to witness the circles of dhikr[ It means remembrance of Allah or any form of verbal prayers in which Allah’s Name is mentioned, including recitation of the Holy Qur’an.] and scholarly talk in mosques, etc. They would surround those attending with their wings and supplicate and pray for forgiveness on behalf of the worshiper for so long as he remains in his praying place and without passing wind. The angels would also stand at the gates of the mosques on Fridays writing down the names of the comers by order of entry; as soon as the Imam appears they would fold their record books and sit to listen to the dhikr.

The angels love to listen to the Qur’an; they would come down to earth whenever they hear a good reciter as was the case with Ussayid ibn Hudhayr –May Allah be pleased with him. Allah Almighty has made at the head of the Prophet –May Allah’s Salat and Peace be upon him and his Family– in his grave an angel, informing him about all the salat and salam (peace) coming to him from his ummah. To this effect, the angel would say: “This is so and so, son of so and so, sending you their salam.”

Allah has also angels who would take turns at the Fajr and Asr prayers to report to Him the deeds of His servants at those two times of the day.

The angels are assigned to protect Makkah and Madinah from the plague and guard them against Antichrist at the end of time. They would stretch their wings on the Sham, support the believers, help them stand steadfast against the enemy in their wars and may fight with them, as was the case during the Battles of Badr, Uhud and others. The angels are also set to terrify, thwart, destroy and punish criminals, tyrants and oppressors as did Jibreel –Peace be upon him– when he made blind the eyes of the people of Prophet Lot (who were the first to start sodomy) and turned their villages upside down using his wing. Then, they were followed Allah’s curse and wrath[ The expression in boldface is paraphrased from the Holy Qur’an. See surat Hud, verses number 60 and 99.]:

stones of baked clay, in a well-arranged manner one after another; Marked from your Lord; and they are not ever far from the Zâlimûn (polytheists, evil-doers). [Hood: 82-83]

May Allah bless you and me by the Great Qur’an, and grant you and me the benefit of its verses and wisdom. Having said this, I pray Allah ‒the Great, the Majestic‒ to forgive me, you, and all Muslims; so ask Him for forgiveness, for He is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful!