All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
It is not established in the Qur’an or the Sunnah that Allah used to send angels directly to the general population to guide them before the prophets. Rather, the texts indicate that the messengers sent to people were human beings. Angels can also be messengers, but they are sent to carry out whatever Allah commands them, including bringing revelation to the prophets. There is no evidence in the revealed texts that angels took the place of prophets in guiding nations.
Allah Almighty says:
“We sent before you only men to whom We revealed from among the people of the towns.”
[Yusuf: 109]
And He says:
“We sent before you only men to whom We revealed.”
[An-Nahl: 43]
And Allah says:
“We sent before you only men to whom We revealed.”
[Al-Anbiya: 7]
These verses indicate that those whom Allah sent to people with His message were human men.
The commentators mentioned that this came as a response to those who found it strange that a messenger should be human and thought that it would have been more appropriate for him to be an angel.
Allah Almighty says:
“Nothing prevented the people from believing when guidance came to them except that they said, ‘Has Allah sent a human being as a messenger?’ Say, ‘If there had been angels walking peacefully on earth, We would certainly have sent down to them from heaven an angel as a messenger.’”
[Al-Isra: 94–95]
The meaning is that wisdom requires the messenger sent to humans to be of their own kind, so that they can communicate with him, understand his speech, learn from him, and follow his example in his life and actions.
If the inhabitants of the earth had been angels, Allah would have sent them a messenger from among the angels.
Allah Almighty says:
“Allah chooses messengers from among the angels and from among mankind.”
[Al-Hajj: 75]
And He says:
“All praise belongs to Allah, Originator of the heavens and the earth, who made the angels messengers.”
[Fatir: 1]
This confirms that some angels are messengers.
There is no contradiction between this and the fact that the messengers sent to humans were human beings, because Allah may send angels to prophets with revelation or with other tasks, while human prophets and messengers are the ones who convey Allah’s law to people and guide them to Him.
One of the clearest examples is Jibril, peace be upon him, who descended with revelation to the prophets by Allah’s command.
Yes. Allah may send an angel to a person in a particular situation, as the revealed texts show that angels came to some prophets and to others as well.
But this is different from claiming that there was a period in human history when angels themselves performed the role of messengers, descending to nations and calling them to worship Allah instead of prophets.
There is no authentic evidence for such a claim.
We must not affirm details concerning human history and the unseen without evidence.
The claim that angels descended to people before the prophets and called them to monotheism requires evidence from the Qur’an or Sunnah. Mere stories or speculation are not sufficient.
Allah Almighty says:
“Do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed, the hearing, the sight, and the heart—all of them will be questioned.”
[Al-Isra: 36]
This issue concerns the unseen and the manner in which Allah sent His messengers. Therefore, it cannot be established merely through unknown historical reports or commonly circulated stories.
Anything that is not established by authentic evidence should not be made part of Islamic belief or the history of revelation.
The claim that angels used to descend before the prophets in order to guide people to the worship of Allah is not authentic.
The revealed texts indicate that the messengers sent to humanity were human men. Angels may also be messengers, but they perform the tasks Allah assigns to them, including conveying revelation to the prophets.
There is no authentic evidence for the existence of a period in which angels took the place of prophets in calling the general population and guiding them.
And Allah knows best.