So when we’re talking about the angels, the prophet [S.A.W] they were asked particularly on the night of al-isra wal meeraj. You know there were some people that questioned how he made that journey. There were some people that just wanted to know what it was like and a group of companions came to the prophet [S.A.W] and they asked the messenger [S.A.W] what did it sound like?
You know what did you seen, what did it sound like. I mean as you’re traveling through these galaxies with rapid speed, what is it that you heard out there, and the messenger [S.A.W] he says look i see things that you are incapable of seeing, and i hear things that you are incapable of hearing, he said the heavens are creaking, up what means they are shaking violently, and there’s a reason why the sound of it is like it’s shaking violently.
The prophet [S.A.W] said because there isn’t a space of four fingers except that there’s an angel that has been created in prostration to allah [S.W.T] that is doing nothing but declaring his praises, so he described the sound of vibration okay.
I want you just to listen quickly to what it sounds like in outer space NASA actually had a recording from outer outer space. They put up sixteen years ago. Right before the turn of the millennium, and the name of the research was, our universe is not silence. Because there was this idea that if he went out to outer space you wouldn’t hear anything except for the moving objects, just listen to what it sounds like in outer space.
Obviously you know, that’s good enough you guys can’t hear everything. But if you get a chance to listen to It. it’s actually quite breathtaking and actually one of the researchers who published that research said that it sounds like a billion men doing gregorian chants all simultaneously at the same time. Subhanallah when i heard that, i remembered this hadith of the messenger [S.A.W] look i see things that you don’t see, and i hear things that you don’t hear, and that’s a sign of hope for us as well. because we’re always paranoid about jinn being everywhere and Shayateen being everywhere.
The number of angels compared to the number of jinn is dramatically different. There’s a huge difference between how many angels there are out there and how many jinn and devils there are out there. So this is a magnificent creation, the malaeeka, you know that belief in them is the second pillar of our faith and subhanallah ibn al qayyum [ra] he says the reason why it’s the second pillar of our faith is because of jibreel [as].
Because the only reason for example we don’t necessarily have what we have to believe in the jinn. But it’s not necessarily a pillar of faith right. Can you be a believer without believing in the jin?
Well you can it’s in the quran suratul jinn. But it’s not a separate category of the pillars of faith. The reason being that all of the pillars of faith have to do with the integrity of the message and so the reason why a pillar of faith there’s a separate pillar of faith. Of belief in the malaeeka is because of this angel jibreel alaihis salaam that brings the message to the messenger (saw).
So it clarifies the integrity of the messenger to the messenger which helps us fully appreciate this message as well. And obviously you know allah subhanahu wa ta’ala tells us many things about these angels and the thing is that in every culture in every theology you have some form of belief in the angels. Right in judeo-christian thought you have a belief in the angels as being a creature creation.
That you know can make mistakes. They’ve been reduced to foul ability. They can fall so you have a concept of dark angels. Lucifer the devil and in fact they don’t actually separately believe in a category of jin. They’re simply demons and dark angels so they do have that category they do have that belief and within christianity you’ll find many different beliefs about who the specific angels are and what their roles are.
So for example in mormonism gabriel is noah (as) right so you’ll find different beliefs as to who they are within christianity and within judaism you’ll find that in jude in judeo-christian thought as well the angels are created from fire. Whereas the prophets (S.A.W) told us they’re created from what?
From light and that excludes all forms of impurity and As-suyuti (RA) says Allah chose to create them from the most beautiful creation.
Which is light because that is what he chose to create his hijab from, his veil. As the prophet [S.A.W] said Allah speaks from behind a veil of light. So it’s the most beautiful creation and it excludes all forms of impurity and it’s a testimony to their infallibility. Now do they have physical presences as well do they have a physical presence or are they just light. Right they do have a physical presence.
And they have a pretty dominating physical presence. Right and you know a lot of times when you see poor trails of angels because again you’ll find them even in the thought of confucius.
There’s a belief in angels even the pagans of mecca. Believed in angels but they called them what the daughters of the most merciful.
So if you looked up a wikipedia entry of gabriel for example and you saw the portrayal. Right and you see the portrayal of most angels and in you know in drawings and in sculpture you’ll find that they look like babies and diapers.
Right they’re very weak small creatures right. Whereas the portrayal that we find in our religion is that this is a strong creation a huge creation of Allah [S.A.W]
That do as they are commanded that exclude all forms of faults all forms of flaw all forms of impurity. Just as we testify that the messengers of god, all of them. Ibraham noah jesus moses david peace be upon them. All just as we testify that they are all infallible and that they do not commit those mistakes. The angels as well are completely infallible and do not disobey Allah [S.A.W] with anything that’s been given to them as a lot tells us in the Quran.
That they do not disobey a single command of Allah [S.W.T] they do exactly as they are told. However do they love certain things, do they hate certain things, do they have characters.
Yes, they do. They’re not robots right!
So you’ll find numerous narrations which talk about what offends the angels and what causes them to come near. Arguments are our debates amongst the angels the angels of mercy and the angels of punishment and jibreel alayhis-salam as well having a character now what do they look like?
Allah tells us they do have wings not those two little weak feathery wings that you see. They do have wings, some of them have two wings, some of them have three wings, some of them have four wings.
And a lot increases them as he wills. Now that automatically tells us that there are different sizes. But what would an average angel look like. Just an average malak?
All right to give you an idea of just an average angel. Safwan ibn suleim (RA) narrates, no one enters into his salah, this is just you praying in your room thinking that no one’s around you. Thinking that you’re all alone.
But except that they’re angels the size of mountains. That are praying there with you you. Think you’re in your room all by yourself you’ve got angels creatures the size of mountains. That are there praying with you. That are there glorifying Allah (S.A.W).
What about an angel that has a bigger task than. An angel that that you know that belongs to a more elite group of angels. The bearers of the throne, right. We mentioned them in our supplications…
You know we call them to bear witness at times allah praises this group of angels. What do they look like?
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam he says i’ve been given permission to tell you about just one of those angels. One of the angels who bears the throne of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala.
He said the distance between his earlobe and his shoulder is a journey of 700 years.
That’s just from here to here. And the narration ibn khuzaim the Prophet’s (S.A.W) said, a bird could fly that journey in 700 years. So it’s not just you walking and taking breaks. If a bird just was flying continuously for 700 years. He’d only make it from here to here on one of those angels.
So how do we even determine, who’s a bigger angel and who’s a smaller angel and what does this have to do with jibraeel (AS)
Al imamus suyuti (RA) says the greater the task the angel has been given the greater the size of the angel. So that tells you right away that jibreel alayhis salaam is even bigger than that. He’s the biggest of the angels and the greatest in size because he has the greatest of tasks. Okay jibril alehissalaam also belongs to what’s known as the most elite class of the malaeeka.
The scholars traditionally called them as they are mentioned in the quran those who apportion the command of allah [S.W.T]
And they are for the first of them jibreel (as) and he is the angel that through him allah (S.W.T)
It’s very beautiful how the scholars classed it. They said through him life of the hearts.
Why?
Because he brings revelation and through revelation our hearts live. So Allah (S.W.T) apportions through him al-wahee, so each and every single prophet that received the revelation received it from jibreel [A.S]