Bismillah

1. Bismillah

2. God (Allah) Revealed Messengers Day of the Judgment (BELIEVEING IN HEREAFTER) Angels Revealed Books Pre-destination Pillars of Belief

3. Outline • Why do we have to believe in Angels? • What are Angels created from? • Why were Angels created? • What are their functions and characteristics? • Archangels and Other Angels • What are their roles in our daily lives?

4. Consider the following parable if you are not convinced. An uncivilized nomad and a civilized person went to a magnificent city like Istanbul. In a remote corner of that well-ordered, splendid city, they saw an old building containing a factory full of miserable workers.

5. The local people around it lived on either vegetables or fish.

6. While watching them, they had, in the distance, a vision of lofty, adorned castles and palaces, among which were huge workshops and broad squares. They could see no inhabitants in that area, for they either had defective sight or the inhabitants were hiding.

7. As there was also no comparison between the two living conditions, the uncivilized person concluded that no one lived there. The other man said: You can see that this poor, dilapidated factory is inhabited by workers —somebody very powerful and wise is employing and then replacing them with new ones. Also, there is no empty space around the factory, for every spot is being used. How could those adorned,lofty palaces and castles be unoccupied? They must be inhabited by beings who have different conditions of life. You can’t see them because of the distance or your defective sight or because they are hiding. Just because you can’t see something doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

8. How SMALL We are? A light year is 5865696000000 miles Earth's position in the Milky Way

14. The earth, although much smaller than other heavenly bodies, is so densely inhabited by living creatures that even its grossest and most rotten parts are full of living things, such as micro-organisms. This shows that those infinite firmaments, with their numerous stars and constellations, are inhabited by conscious, living beings created from fire, light, air, ether, electricity, voices, scents, words, and other subtle forms of matter.

15. Artists, writers, makers do their masterpieces for viewers, readers and admirers

16. If our creator is All-Wise of course His creations requires inhabitants, viewers and admirers for His art.

17. There is no value of denying against a proof.If a person denies existence of coconut in the earth he has to check every piece of earth to prove he is right. But if someone knows and shows a coconut he disproves all deniers even he is one person with one coconut.

18. Denying existence of a thing is always much harder.

19. If two people says we saw the moon.

20. If two people say that they saw the moon. Even many other people say they do not see the moon. We believe that moon is seen

21. Whom do we trust if we are sick and need medical care? A Doctor Or Thousand of people who do not have medical knowledge

22. What are Angels created from? • Allah created the angels from light as stated by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): “The angels were created from light…” • For that reason: • they can assume almost any form • can be in multiple places at the same time • travel a distance as fast as light or faster • For the same reason We cannot usually see them!

23. Why were Angels created? Angels were created for: • Carrying out the commands of the One Whom they worship • Working for His sake • Rendering service in His Name • Supervising through His view

24. What are their functions? • Worship and Praise God • Obey God and follow His commands • Bring messages from God • Help and protect the believers • Record good and bad deeds • Guard Hell • Serve believers in Paradise

25. What are their characteristics? • Completely obedient, no free will as ours • Angels do not get hungry, thirsty, tired or bored. See [Qur'an 66:6] • They do not have gender. See [Qur'an 43:19] • They know as much as Allah teaches them. • They like to listen to the Qur'an. • They dislike ugly smell and dirtiness.

27. Do Angels have wings? • According to the Qur'an, angels have wings. Allah says: "All praise is to Allah, the creator of the heavens and earth. The One who has made the angels messengers with wings two, three and four. He increases in His creation whatever He wants. Allah surely has power over everything."[Qur'an 35:1] • However those wings are not like wings as we know…

28. Are all angels the same? • There are various classes of angels. • Four of them are archangels: • Jibreel • Meekaaeel • Israfeel • Azraeel • Others include: • Ridwan, Malik, Munkar, Nakir, Kiraamen Kaatibeen…

29. Archangels - 1 • 4 archangels in Islam (also exist in Christian contexts and the Bible) Jibreel (Gabriel in the Bible) • Responsible for revealing the Qur'an to Prophet Muhammad • Known to communicate with (all of) the Prophets before • Mentioned specifically in the Qur'an

30. Archangels - 2 Meekaaeel (Michael in the Bible) • Carry out natural events (rain, wind, thunder…) • This archangel was mentioned in Qur'an "Say: Whoever is an enemy to Jibreel - for he brings down the (revelation) to your heart by God’s will, a confirmation of what went before, and guidance and glad tidings to those who believe - Whoever is an enemy to God, and His angels and prophets, to Jibreel and Mikaa’eel - Lo! God is an enemy to those who reject Faith." [Qur’an 2:97-98]

31. Archangels - 3 Israfeel (Raphael in the Bible) • Responsible for signaling the coming of Judgment Day by blowing a horn. • This is described in many places in Quran: -- The first blow will destroy everything [Quran 69:13] -- The second blow will bring all human beings back to life again (Resurrection)

32. Archangels - 4 Azraeel (Angel of Death) • Responsible for taking the human soul • How can Azraeel take the souls many humans at once? • He is created from light so he can be in many places at once, just like the sun.

33. Other Angels • Ridwan Gatekeeper of Heaven • Malik Gatekeeper of Hell "They [the people in Hell] will cry: ‘O Malik! Would that your Lord put an end to us!’..." [Qur’an 43:77] • Munkar and Nakir • 2 angels who interrogate a person in the grave about his good and bad deeds.

34. Other Angels • Kiraamen Kaatibeen (honorable recorders) • 2 angels on the right and left shoulders of each person • The one on the right records the good deeds and the one on the left the bad ones. The one on the right is the commander.

35. What are their roles in our daily lives? • They are witnesses of our deeds and they will testify in the Day of Judgment. • They help us (spiritually) when we do good deeds. • They pray for us. • They protect us from bad souls and satan.

36. Do Angels look like us? • They are nothing like us except for the fact that they are created by God. (They have no gender, they are not married, they don’t have children, they don’t need to eat or drink, they don’t get sick, they don’t have free will…)

37. Angels in Quran ANGELS DRAWN UP IN RANKS There is not one of us who does not have a known station. We are those drawn up in ranks. We are those who glorify.' (Surat as-Saffat, 164-166) FEAR THEIR LORD AND DO WHAT IS ORDERED Everything in the heavens and every creature on the earth prostrates to Allah, as do the angels. They are not puffed up with pride. They fear their Lord above them and do everything they are ordered to do. (Surat an-Nahl, 49-50)

38. Angels in Quran • ANGELS OF HELL (CUSTODIANS) • You who believe! Safeguard yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is people and stones. Harsh, terrible angels are in charge of it who do not disobey Allah in respect of any order He gives them and carry out what they are ordered to do. (Surat at-Tahrim, 6) • It all but bursts with rage. Each time a group is flung into it its custodians will question them: 'Did no warner come to you?' (Surat al-Mulk, 8)