All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
Allah Almighty is completely independent of all His creation and has no need of the angels or anyone else. Rather, in His wisdom and by His command, He has assigned certain angels particular duties and tasks. The angels do not act independently; they only carry out what Allah commands them to do. There are many wisdoms behind their creation and their assignment to these tasks, including demonstrating the perfection of Allah’s dominion and governance, making His servants aware of the greatness of His creation, and increasing fear, hope, and faith in their hearts.
Allah Almighty says:
“And those who arrange affairs.”
[An-Nazi‘at: 5]
A number of the early scholars interpreted this verse as referring to the angels who administer the affairs Allah has entrusted to them in the world, by His command, Glorified be He.
Among the angels are those whom Allah has entrusted with revelation; others have duties connected with rain; others record the deeds of His servants; others have duties at the time of death; and others are the keepers of Paradise and Hell, in addition to other duties established in the revealed texts.
However, this does not mean that they possess any independent authority over these matters.
Allah says:
“They do not precede Him in speech, and they act by His command.”
[Al-Anbiya: 27]
And He says:
“They do not disobey Allah in what He commands them but do what they are commanded.”
[At-Tahrim: 6]
Thus, the true Controller and Governor of the universe is Allah alone, while the angels are His servants and soldiers who carry out His commands.
No.
Allah Almighty is fully capable of doing whatever He wills without any intermediary, and His independence from His creation is absolute.
Therefore, assigning certain tasks to the angels is not due to inability or need. Rather, Allah chose, in His wisdom, to conduct some affairs of His creation in this manner.
There is a great difference between someone using a means because he is incapable of acting without it, and One who Himself creates that means and commands it to act while being fully capable of dispensing with it.
Allah is the One who created the angels, created their abilities, and assigned them their duties. Had He willed, He could have accomplished these matters without any intermediary.
The basic principle is that everything Allah creates and does is based on wisdom, whether we know that wisdom in detail or not.
Allah says:
“And your Lord creates whatever He wills and chooses.”
[Al-Qasas: 68]
Human beings are not required to comprehend every detail of the wisdom behind every matter of creation.
Nevertheless, we can understand some of the wisdoms behind the existence and duties of the angels.
The angels are among the greatest of Allah’s soldiers.
When a person learns of the vast number of these angels, the greatness of their creation, the variety of their duties, and the fact that all of them are completely submissive to Allah and none of them departs from His command, he comes to understand something of the greatness of Allah’s dominion and authority.
Allah says concerning the angels:
“Rather, they are honored servants. They do not precede Him in speech, and they act by His command.”
[Al-Anbiya: 26–27]
Despite the greatness of their creation and their strength, they are servants who submit completely to Allah alone.
The existence of angels assigned to specific duties demonstrates that the universe is neither neglected nor random; rather, it operates according to precise and perfect governance.
Allah Almighty knows everything and does not need anyone to remind or inform Him. Nevertheless, He has appointed angels to record human deeds.
This is one manifestation of the precision of His order and His care for His creation.
The noble recording angels do not record deeds because Allah does not know them. Allah knows human deeds even before they occur. Rather, He made their recording part of the system of reckoning, testimony, and governance that He willed.
Reflecting on the creation and deeds of the angels leads a person to greater awareness of Allah’s greatness.
If among Allah’s creation are angels of such tremendous strength, greatness, and number, then the greatness of their Creator is far greater and more majestic.
Scholars have mentioned that among the fruits of belief in the angels is greater awareness of Allah’s greatness, power, and authority.
Likewise, knowing that Allah has assigned angels to protect human beings, record their deeds, and perform other tasks encourages a person to thank Allah for His care.
Belief in the angels is not merely theoretical knowledge; it has a practical effect on a person’s life.
When a person knows that angels record his words and deeds, he becomes more eager to obey Allah and more cautious about committing sins.
When he reads about the angels of mercy, protection, and those who seek forgiveness for the believers, his hope in Allah’s mercy increases.
And when he learns about the keepers of Hell and the angels of punishment, his fear of sin and punishment increases.
Thus, fear and hope come together in the believer’s heart.
It is important that belief in the duties of the angels does not lead to the idea that the universe is divided among them or that they possess independent authority over it.
An angel who performs an action does so only through the power Allah has granted him and according to Allah’s command.
Ultimately, therefore, everything returns to Allah Almighty: He is the Creator, He is the Commander, and He is the One who created both the causes and their effects.
The angels are among the means Allah has created, just as He has created many other causes in the universe, although His power, Glorified be He, does not depend upon any of them.
Allah Almighty does not need the angels to govern the universe, for He is the Self-Sufficient and is capable of all things. Rather, He has assigned certain angels specific duties according to a wisdom He wills, and they do nothing independently of His command.
Among the wisdoms apparent to us are: demonstrating the perfection of Allah’s dominion and authority, showing the precise order of the universe, manifesting Allah’s care for His servants, increasing the believer’s awareness of the greatness of his Lord, and strengthening fear, hope, and faith in his heart.
Attributing certain actions to the angels does not contradict the fact that Allah is the true Governor of all things, because they act only by His command, permission, and power.
And Allah knows best.