بِسْمِ اللَّـهِ الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Now we’ll learn some of the qualities of the angels insha Allah.

The angels were created from light

Allah SWT created the angels from light. When we look at all the animals and plants in the world, we understand that they were made from water and dirt(matter). Water because every living thing has water inside of it, and dirt (matter) because every organism we know of is made of particles. So now we’re learning that the angels are fundamentally different from us. Aisha RA reported that the Prophet PBUH said:

“The angels were created from light, the jinns were created from dark flames of fire, and Adam was created from that which has been described to you (in the Quran).” [Muslim]

The angels have wings

The angels have many wings. Some two, three, four, or more. Allah says in Surah Faatir:

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّـهِ فَاطِرِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ جَاعِلِ الْمَلَائِكَةِ رُسُلًا أُولِي أَجْنِحَةٍ مَّثْنَىٰ وَثُلَاثَ وَرُبَاعَ ۚ يَزِيدُ فِي الْخَلْقِ مَا يَشَاءُ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
[All] praise is [due] to Allah, Creator of the heavens and the earth, [who] made the angels messengers having wings, two or three or four. He increases in creation what He wills. Indeed, Allah is over all things competent. (faatir 35:1)

The angels are powerful and large

The strongest man can lift a few hundred pounds. The strongest machine can lift a few tons. But no machine can lift a whole building, or a mountain, or a continent. The angels are so powerful, by Allah’s permission, they can lift Allah’s Throne! And remember from previous articles that Allah’s throne is so incredibly large that it boggles the mind to think about it.

وَالْمَلَكُ عَلَىٰ أَرْجَائِهَا ۚ وَيَحْمِلُ عَرْشَ رَبِّكَ فَوْقَهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ ثَمَانِيَةٌ
And the angels are at its edges. And there will bear the Throne of your Lord above them, that Day, eight [of them].

Not only are the angels powerful but some of them are huge. Especially the angels who carry the Throne. The Prophet PBUH said:

“I have (Allah’s) permission to tell you about one of the angels who carry the Throne. His feet stand on the lowest ground and the Throne sits on his forehead. It takes a bird 700 years to travel from his earlobe to his shoulder. He (constantly) says, ‘Exalted are you (O Allah) where you are.'”

The angels other qualities

The angels are beautiful. In Surah Yousuf, Yousuf AS (on him peace) is compared to an angel. The angels appear in different colors. They are not just white like how most of us think. The angels are never hungry tired or bored. They are constantly worshiping and glorifying Allah. They do not eat food and they do not have any desires. At the time of prophet Ibrahim AS some angels came to Ibrahim AS but refused to eat the food he prepared. They travel fast, faster than the speed of light, between the heavens and earth in a very short time. They take on different forms. They can appear to people in the form of men. They do not have genders.

That’s all for today. Insha Allah we’ll continue next time learning more about Allah’s angels. See you then!

Reference:  “Eemaan Made Easy part 2: Knowing Allah” by Muhammad al-Jibaly