Second: Belief in angels..
Belief in the unseen is a great principle of faith, and the most important characteristic of the worshipers of the Most Gracious.
Almighty said:
"ذَلِكَ الْكِتَابُ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ*الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ".سورة البقرة / آية : 2، 3.
This is the Book (the Qur’ân), whereof there is no doubt, a guidance to those who are Al-Muttaqûn [the pious believers of Islamic Monotheism who fear Allâh much (abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which He has forbidden) and love Allâh much (perform all kinds of good deeds which He has ordained)].
.. Who believe in the Ghaib
The unseen is known only by Allah..Allah said:
" وَلِلّهِ غَيْبُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ ... ".سورة هود / آية : 123.
"And to Allâh belongs the Ghaib (Unseen) of the heavens and the earth."
The unseen is unknown for us, we know nothing about it except what Allah showed some of his creation.
"عَالِمُ الْغَيْبِ فَلَا يُظْهِرُ عَلَى غَيْبِهِ أَحَدًا*إِلاَّ مَنِ ارْتَضَى مِن رَّسُولٍ فَإِنَّهُ يَسْلُكُ مِن بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِ رَصَدًا " . سورة الجن / آية : 26 ، 27 .
"He Alone is the All-Knower of the Ghaib (Unseen), and He reveals to none His Ghaib (Unseen).
Except to a Messenger (from mankind) whom He has chosen (He informs him of unseen ) and then He makes a band of watching guards (angels) to march before him and behind him."
Among the belief in the unseen is the belief in Angels.
"وَلَكِنَّ الْبِرَّ مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَالْمَلَائِكَةِ وَالْكِتَابِ...."سورة البقرة / آية : 177 .
"but Al-Birr is (the quality of) the one who believes in Allâh, the Last Day, the Angels".
It is one the Faith pillars in Jibrî's Hadith.
The Angels are creatures created by Allah before creating mankind with unknown time, only Allah knows it. The Almighty said:
"وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلَائِكَةِ إِنِّي جَاعِلٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً". سورة البقرة / آية : 30.
"And (remember) when your Lord said to the angels: "Verily, I am going to place (mankind) generations after generations on earth".
Allah addressed them before the creation of man, and this indicates that they existed before man.
They are gentle creatures, Allah created them from light.
A'isha narrated that the prophet said:
“The angels were created from light, the jinn were created from merging from fire, and Adam was created from what was described for you.”
They are of a beautiful nature.
"فَلَمَّا رَأَيْنَهُ أَكْبَرْنَهُ وَقَطَّعْنَ أَيْدِيَهُنَّ وَقُلْنَ حَاشَ لِلَّهِ مَا هَذَا بَشَرًا إِنْ هَذَا إِلَّا مَلَكٌ كَرِيمٌ " .سورة يوسف / آية : 31 .
"And when they saw him, they greatly admired him and cut their hands and said, "Perfect is Allāh! This is not a man; this is none but a noble angel."
Ahmed narrated that Jareer Ibn Abdullah Al Bajly said:
When I was near Al Madina, I entered and the prophet, peace be upon him, was making a speech.. . I said to someone: has the prophet mentioned me, he answered yes he mentioned you with good things..The prophet praised Jareer infront of the companions, and said that he had a sign of angel on his face, Jareer thanked Allah for this.
Allah said about Jibrîl:
" ذُو مِرَّةٍ فَاسْتَوَى " .سورة النجم / آية : 6.
"One of soundness. And he rose to [his] true form."
Ibn Katheer said that Ibn Abbas said that he has good look.
The numbers of angels are many, only Allah knows their numbers.
Malek Ibn Sa'sa' narrated in his Hadith of Al M'irage that the prophet said:
"The Bait Al Ma'mour was raised to me, and I asked Jibrîl he told me that this is the Bait Al Ma'mour, in which seventy thousand angel pray, they enter in it, and they go out they don't return to it. Al Bukhari and Moslem.
Ibn Mas’ud narrated that Hell will be brought on that day, and it will have seventy thousand reins, with each rein with seventy thousand angels pulling it.”
There are other proofs for the large number of angels.
Angels reside in sky and they don't descend to earth except by Allah's permission.
قال تعالي " وَمَا نَتَنَزَّلُ إِلاَّ بِأَمْرِ رَبِّكَ ." .سورة مريم / آية : 64.
"And we [angels] descend not except by the order of your Lord."
وقال تعالى " إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا تَتَنَزَّلُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَلاَئِكَةُ أَلاَّ تَخَافُوا وَلاَ تَحْزَنُوا .." .سورة فصلت / آية : 30.
"Verily, those who say: "Our Lord is Allâh (Alone)," and then they stand firm, on them the angels will descend (at the time of their death) (saying): "Fear not, nor grieve! But receive the glad tidings of Paradise which you have been promised."
Angels appear and some humans see them.
Inspite of the fact that angels are unseen creations, it has been proven in other than that Hadith that some of the Companions, may God be pleased with them, saw them as they represented them in human form.
Omar narrated:
قال عُمَرُ بنُ الخَطَّابِ : بيْنَما نَحْنُ عِنْدَ رَسولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلَّمَ ذاتَ يَومٍ، إذْ طَلَعَ عليْنا رَجُلٌ شَدِيدُ بَياضِ الثِّيابِ، شَدِيدُ سَوادِ الشَّعَرِ، لا يُرَى عليه أثَرُ السَّفَرِ، ولا يَعْرِفُهُ مِنَّا أحَدٌ.... الحديث ..... وفي آخره قال النبي ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ : فإنَّه جِبْرِيلُ أتاكُمْ يُعَلِّمُكُمْ دِينَكُمْ. " . رواه مسلم .
"While we were one day sitting with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) there appeared before us a man dressed in extremely white clothes and with very black hair. No traces of journeying were visible on him, and none of us knew him….till the end of the prophet told them "That was Jibril. He came to teach you your religion.".Moslem.
Ibn Abbas narrated: I was with my father with the prophet, peace be upon him, and he (the prophet) had a man who was conversing with him, and he turned away from my father. When we went out, my father told me that the prophet didn't turn to him, so I said: Father, he had a man who was conversing with him.
We turned to the prophet and my dad told the prophet what I told him, the prophet asked me whether I had seen the man, I said yes, the prophet said that it was Jibrîl who distracted me from you.
Ahmed narrated this Hadith and it is true.
Hadith Usama Ibn Zaid, may Allah be pleased with them, that Jibrîl came to the prophet, Um Salama was there, Jibrîl talked to the prophet, after that the prophet asked Um Salama about the man, she told him that he was Dihia Al Kalby. Um Salama said that she thought him Dihia Al Kalby untill she heard the prophet in his speech telling about Jibrîl.
Comment: Dihya Al-Kalbi: He is Dihya bin Khalifa Al-Kalbi.
He was a famous companion of beauty, and Jibrîl used to come down in his image.
The faith is correct when the slave believes in Angels.
This means the firm belief that Allah has angels who exist, Allah created them from light, and that they do not disobey Allah as He commands them, and that they perform their duties that Allah commanded them to perform.
Whoever investigates the Noble Quraanic verses and the noble Prophetic Hadiths, which spoke about the angels, their descriptions, their actions, and their conditions, notes that they mostly dealt with what shows their relationship with the Creator, and with Allah. Allah
made us know what would benefits us in purifying our faith.
As for the reality of the angels, how they were created, and the details of their conditions, Allah Almighty, only who knows these things.
This is a general characteristic of Islamic beliefs, which deals with the cosmic facts, and the definition of them within the limits of what human beings need, and with what makes their living and their future good, and with what their minds are capable of.
The true believer acknowledges everything that the Creator has told him about, in general or in detail, and does not add to that, nor lessen from it, and does not bother searching for what he did not see, nor delve into it.
The relationship of angels with the Creator..
The relationship of angels with the Creator, is the relationship of pure servitude, obedience and compliance, and absolute submission to His commands, the Mighty and Sublime.
قال تعالى " يَخَافُونَ رَبَّهُم مِّن فَوْقِهِمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَ ". سورة النحل / آية : 50 .
"They fear their Lord above them, and they do what they are commanded."
وقال تعالى " لاَ يَعْصُونَ اللهَ مَا أَمَرَهُمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَ " .سورة التحريم / آية : 6
"over which are (appointed) angels stern (and) severe, who disobey not, (from executing) the Commands they receive from Allâh, but do that which they are commanded."