Page 13 The Islamic Bulletin Issue 15 On the Day of Judgment, each person is given his book, a complete account of all his deeds in life. The Angel of Death, who takes the soul of the dying: “Say: The Angel of Death will take you back, who has been given charge of you. Then you will be returned unto your Lord.” (Quran 32:11) Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, says of the believers, “Those the angels take in a good and wholesome state. They say, ‘Peace be upon you! Enter the Garden on account of the things you used to do.’” (Quran 16:32) From hadith it is said that the helpers of this particular angel may be the most beautiful beings, or appear the most frightful, depending on a person’s deeds during his lifetime. There are Angels who visit those placed in the graves. The Prophet (PBUH) said, “When someone is placed in his grave, and his companions turn and go, and he can still hear the tread of their sandals, two angels come to him and make him sit up and say to him, ‘What do you say about this man Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace?’ He will say, ‘I testify that he is the slave of Allah and His Messenger.’ It will be said, ‘Look at your place in the Fire. Allah has given you, in exchange for it, a place in the Garden.’” The Prophet (PBUH) said, “He will see both places.” And further, “The unbeliever or the hypocrite will say, ‘I do not know. I used to say what everyone else said. He will be told, ‘You neither understood nor followed the guidance. Then he will be hit between the ears with an iron hammer and will cry out with a cry which is heard by everything near him except men and jinn.’” (Al-Bukhari) We know from Qur’an also of the Custodians of the Garden: “And those who were fearful of their Lord will be driven to the Garden in companies and then, when they arrive there finding its gates open, its custodians will say to them, ‘Peace be upon you! You have done well, so enter timelessly forever.’” (Quran 39:73) And likewise the Custodians of the Fire, as described in the Qur’an, “Oyouwho believe, safeguard yourselves and your families against a Fire whose fuel is men and stones, and over which are harsh, terrible angels who do not disobey Allah in anythingHe commands and do what they are commanded.” (Quran 66:6) There will be Angels to issue glad tidings to the believers at their time of death and upon their resurrection. “Those who say ‘Our Lord is Allah’, and then go straight, the angels descend on them, Feel no fear and do not grieve, but rejoice in the Garden which you were promised. We are your protectors in the life of this world and in the Next World. You will have there all you could wish for. You will have there all that you demand. Hospitality from One who is Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Quran 41:30-32) There are Angels entrusted with developments in the womb. One hadith tells us, “The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, whose truthfulness is confirmed, said “The way that each of you is created is that you are gathered in you mother’s womb for forty days as a sperm-drop and then for a similar length of time as a lump of flesh. Then an angel is sent and he breathes the spirit into you and is charged with four commands: to write down your provision, your life-span, you actions, and whether you will be wretched or happy.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim) According to another, the Prophet (PBUH) said, “Allah has put an angel in charge of the womb. He says, “O Lord, a drop? O Lord, a clot? O Lord, amorsel?”When Allah desires to complete the creation of the fetus, he says, “O Lord, male or female? Wretched or happy? How much provision? How long a lifespan?” And he writes that for him in his mother’s womb.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim) From this second hadith it is clear that the angels do not act independently in these matters, but ask Allah concerning His decree in order to fulfill their tasks; for Allah, Glorified and Exalted, knows of all events before they come to pass. There are also the Bearers of the Throne and the Kárúbiyyun. “Upon that day eight shall bear above them the Throne of your Lord.” (Quran 69:17) According to Ibn ‘Abbas, theCompanionof the Prophet (PBUH) whowas foremost among interpreters of theQur’an, the eight refers to eight rows of angels. The Kárúbiyyun are the chiefs of the Bearers of the Throne. The term Kárúbiyyun is said to come from a root connoting worry or distress, due to their great awe and fear of Allah. Also, the singular, Akarúb is analogous to the English Acherub or archangel. When the Prophet (PBUH) was ridiculed and stoned by the people of the city of Ta’if, Jibril came to him with the Angel of the Mountains and offered to crush the people of Ta’if between themountains. The Prophet (PBUH) declined, preferring to be patient in hopes their offspring would accept Islam. Another magnificent Hadith relates, “Allah’s apostle said, (A group of) angels stay with you at night and (another group of) angels by daytime, and both groups gather at the time of Asr and Fajr prayers. Then those angels who have stayedwith you overnight ascend (toHeaven) andAllah asks them (about you) ...and he knows everything about you. ‘In what state did you leave My slaves?’ The angels reply, ‘When we left them, they were praying, and when we reached them they were praying’”. The Angels of the Ranks are in constant worship, never moving from a standing, bowing, or prostrating position. There are yet others of whom we do not know, “None knows the hosts of your Lord except Him. It is nothing but a reminder to all human beings.” (Quran 74:31) The angels who travel in search of those who gather together for the remembrance of Allah are called the Angels of Dhikr. On encountering such a gathering, these angels report toAllah, andAllah grants forgiveness to those remembering their Lord. Thus, we are “touched” by angels every moment of our lives and by our every action, thought, word, and deed. Though we may not see an angel (or we may not recognize one that is), as Muslims we know that we are continually watched over and blessed by their presence. Why would we ascribe earthly attributes to the angels of Allah, when Allah has created this most wondrous gift? Indeed, we have only to open the pages of The Glorious Qur’an to find out all we desire about Angels. It is truly “beyond our imaginations”.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTUxNjQ1