Belief in the Angels

Angels are a creation of Allah. Allah created them from light. They always do precisely as they are commanded by Allah. They require no food or drink or sleep. They have no physical desires or material needs.

They are not divine or semi-divine, and they are not Allah’s associates running different districts of the universe.  Also, they are not objects to be worshipped or prayed to. They all submit to Allah and carry out His commands.

 Angels do not have free will – all angels are believers.  They can only obey Allah and do not have the ability to disobey Him. There are no fallen angels: they are not divided into ‘good’ and ‘evil’ angels.  Human beings do not become angels after death.  Satan is not a fallen angel, but is one of the jinn, a creation of Allah parallel to human beings and angels.

Muslims believe in specific angels mentioned in the Islamic sources like:

Jibreel (Gabriel) - in charge of communicating Allah's words to His prophets

Israfeel (Raphael) - in charge of blowing the trumpet to mark the Day of Judgment

Mikail (Michael) - in charge of rainfall and sustenance

Munkar and Nakeer - after death, these angels will question souls in the grave about their faith and deeds

Malak Am-Maut (Angel of Death) - in charge of taking possession of souls after death

Malik - guardian of hell

Ridwan - guardian of heaven

Other angels are mentioned, but not specifically by name. There are angels who carry Allah's throne, angels who act as guardians and protectors of believers, and angels who record a person's good and bad deeds referred as the “honourable scribes” and many others.