**Anyone who rejects Allah and His angels and His Books and His Messengers and the Last Day has gone very far astray. [4; 136]. **
All praise be to Allah, our Lord, who in this verse has not only established five articles of our faith, but has also brought to our attention some of his most honoured creatures. These are the angels who do his bidding, delivering his revelation to the Prophets, fulfilling his blessing on his chosen ones, implementing his wrath on the accursed and many other actions.
Who are these creatures? what is their duty? Do they have a free will? Can they change their form? Are they male or female? These are some of many questions which Muslims ask. If Allah wills, some of their attributes will be revealed in the following passages.
**The nature of the Angels: **
There can be no doubt that the angels are created from light. The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: “The angels were created from light. The jinn were created from fire. Man was created from what has been described to you.” [Muslim].
The angels are neither male nor female.
**“They have designated the angels female, those who are the slaves of the Merciful. Were they present to witness their creation? Their witnessing will be written down and they will be asked about it.” [43; 19]. **
Neither do they eat or drink as illustrated in chapter 51, verses 24-27, when they refused to eat after being offered food by Ibrahim (as).
The angels are the slaves of Allah, created to do his bidding. They therefore do not have a free will and cannot commit sins,
**“(They) Do not rebel in what Allah has commanded them and do what they are commanded.” [66; 6]. **
Shaytan (Satan) is not an angel, but is instead one of the Jinns, as Allah (swt) made it clear in the following verse:
**“When We said to the angels, 'Prostrate yourselves to Adam,” they prostrated except for Ibliss (Satan). He was one of the jinn; he disobeyed the command of his Lord…" [18; 50]. **
**The Description of the Angels: **
The angels have been blessed by Allah (swt) with the ability to assume different forms. The angels though, in their original form present a truly magnificent being. The Prophet (saws) was blessed by seeing Jibreel (the most honoured of the angels) twice in his complete and original form.
The following verses and hadiths should be sufficient to illustrate their immense size and glory.
“All the Praises be to Allah, the (only) Creator of the heavens and the earth, Who made the angels messengers, possessing wings, two, three and four. he increases in creation what He wills. Verily, Allah is able to do all things.” [35; 1].
Anas ibn Malik (ra) reported that the Prophet (saws) said: “I was given permission to speak about one of the bearers of the throne. His two feet are resting on the lowest earth and the throne rests on the top of his head. The distance between his ear-lobes and his neck is that of the flight of a bird for seven hundred years. He (i.e. angel) says, 'Glory be to You who ever you are.” [at-Tabarani].
**The duties of the Angels: **
There are many angels each one having his own particular responsibility.
Jibreel:
Jibreel is the most honoured of the angels, the archangel. He has been chosen as the Messenger of the revelation, revealing it as commanded by Allah to his Prophets.
Mika’il:
As related in a hadith form At-Tabarani, Mika’il has been entrusted with the plants and the rain.
Israfil:
He is the angel that will blow the trumpet on the day of judgment, the day of reckoning.
The Angel of Death:
Allah (swt) has appointed an angel, whose name has not been stated in any hadith, his sole task is to collect the soul of each person as he dies.
The Recording Angels:
Allah (swt) has appointed angels over all of his creation (humanity). Their sole job is to record the good and bad deeds of their subject.
Angels who Question in the Grave:
These two angels have been allocated to the trial of the grave, may Allah protect us from its punishment, they have not been named to us, and thus the name widely spread of Munkir and Nakir is not true. The questions they ask and the corresponding reward or punishment they inflict is well known from the hadiths.
**Custodians of the Paradise and Fire: **
Allah (swt) has appointed angels to Hellfire and nineteen to guard it as stated in the Qur’an. He has also appointed angels as custodians of Paradise.