"Angels, strong and severe, who resist not Allah in that He commandeth them, but do that which they are commanded."

Nature Of Angels
ALTHOUGH classified as beings, the angels are sexless and are not endowed with powers of discrimination like those of the human beings. Theirs is to obey Allah and do precisely what they are commanded. Unlike man, they have no will of their own. Hence man is superior to angel. This is evident in Surah 2:34 where angels were commanded to make obeisance to man: " And behold, We said to the angels, 'Bow down to Adam'; and they bowed down; except Iblis (satan). He refused because of pride (of his so-called superior origin) and so be became a disbeliever."

Can angels be seen? Angels are not settlers on earth. They are sent down from heaven. The Holy Quran mentions of the angelic hosts sent to help Muslims were not seen by human eyes. The manner in which Divine message is delivered by angel is by revealing it to the hearts of Prophets. The dumb can still communicate with the sign language without voice or words.

There instances in the lives of several prophets especially Muhammad s.a.w. when the angel Jibrail or Gabriel was seen by the prophet coming with the Divine revelation, sometimes in the shape of a man. This, however, was not seen with the physical eyes but hose of spiritual. There were occasions when Prophet Muhammad received the Divine message while he was sitting among his Companions: yet no one heard the message nor saw the angel.

What Are Angels Created From?
THEangels are immaterial beings. Angels are a special creation of Allah. Although in the Quran man is stated to have been created from dust and jinn or satan from fire, nothing is mentioned about the origin of angels.
However the Holy Prophet said that the angels are created from nur or the divine light. Thus the angels and jinns are two different classed of beings.

Angels And Their Function
THEREis a host of angels in the kingdom of Allah. Prominent among them as stated in the Quran and Hadith are:

Jibrail or Gabriel
CHIEFamong the angels, archangel Jibrail is also called Ruh al Amin or the Faithful Spirit and Ruh al Qudus or the Holy Spirit.
Jibrail's main function is to communicate God's message to mortal prophets. He revealed to Adam the twenty-one leaves; taught him the cultivation of wheat, the working of iron and the letters of the alphabet and he took him to the site of Mecca where he taught him the rites of pilgrimage.
To Noah, he showed how to build the Ark. He saved Ibrahim from the flame. It as Jibrail who helped Moses to fight against the magicians of Egypt. He was also instrumental in the destruction of Pharao's army in the Red Sea. He appeared to Samuel and Daud to whom he taught the art of making coats-of-mail.

Mikail or Michael
GOD commands Mikail to look after the universe, the movement of stars and planets and all the galaxies, and the forces of nature. In Surah 2:98, Mikail is mentioned thus:
"Whoever is an enemy to Allah and His angels and apostles, to Jibrail and Mikail, verily Allah is an enemy to the unbelievers."

Izrail
IZRAILis also known malakal Maut or Angel of Death. In Kisas al ambiya there is an account of how Izrail became the Angel of Death. When Allah wanted to create man, He commanded Jibrail to snath from earth a handful of its main constituents.
By the will of God, the earth stirred and begged Jibrail not to take any part of it to create a khalifahon earth for fear that in the end it might rebel against Allah and be tortured in hell. So Jibrail returned commanded him again, he would execute it this time.
But Allah commanded Mikail and Israfil who also failed. It was Izrail who turned a deaf ear to the earth and did what was commanded of him. When Izrail brought the handful of earth to Allah, God said that it was Izrail who brought the elements to create Adam and it shall also be Izrail who will take away the lives of Adam and his generation.

Israfil
INthe Holy Quran, it is stated that when the time comes for the Day of Judgement, a trumpet will sound the blast to arouse men from the graves. It is the duty of Israfil to blow the trumpet. Surah 69: 13-20 describes what happens after the trumpet is blown thus:
"Then, when one blast is sounded on the trumpet, and the earth is moved and its mountains, and they are crushed to powder at one stroke; on that day shall the great Event come to pass, and the sky will be rent as sunder, for it will that Day be flimsy, and the angels will be on its sides and eight will, that Day bear the Throne of thy Lord above them. That day shall you be brought to Judgement: not one act of yours that you hide will be hidden."

The number of angels and their other functions are known only to Allah.
While Raqib and Atid record our words, Kiraman and Katibun write down the deeds of men. We are told that as soon as the deed is laid in the tomb, two angels namely Munkar and Nakir would appear to interrogate his deeds in this world and examine his faith with such questions as whom he worships as God; who his Prophet is; who his Iman is; etc...., etc....
Two other known angels are Zabaniyah or the Guardian of Hell and Ridzwan or Keeper of Paradise.

• strengthen the rightenous servants god;
• give them comfort in trails and tribulations;
• carry out Divine punishment against the wicked;
• intecede and pray for men on behalf of sinner and those on earth;
• help in the spiritual progress of man;
• prompt man to noble deeds; and
• record the deeds of man.

Significance of the belief in Angels
THEbelief in angels is not just a question of dogma o an article of faith. The proximity of these angels provide us with inducement to do what is good to please those honoured guest who are with us, it will also keep us from doing something evil not only because we feel shame before God but also before the angels who are with us, the presence of the angels help us avoid doing what is immoral or appropriate.
The Quran considers the belief in Angels as part of righteousness as expressed in 2:177 and 2:285. They help awake our moral consciousness.
To the one who has firm belief in God and angels he will hold on the God's promise as in Quran 41:30.

"In the case of those who say "Our Lord is Allah", and furthermore stand straight and steadfast, the angels descend on them so that they will not fear nor grieve, but receive the glad tidings of the Garden or Bliss which were promised."

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