All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
There is no authentic hadith establishing that Israfil, peace be upon him, is one of the bearers of the Throne, although some scholars have held this view based on certain reports and narrations. Therefore, it is safer to withhold judgment and not state with certainty that he is one of the bearers of the Throne. As for their number, the well-known view among the majority of Qur’an commentators is that they are four in this world and will be eight on the Day of Resurrection. However, the explicit Qur’anic text establishes eight specifically on the Day of Resurrection.
Israfil is one of the angels brought near to Allah, and it is well known among the scholars that he is the angel entrusted with blowing the Trumpet.
His name is mentioned in an authentic hadith in the supplication of the Prophet ﷺ:
“O Allah, Lord of Jibril, Mika’il, and Israfil, Originator of the heavens and the earth…”
[Reported by Muslim]
As for whether he is one of the bearers of the Throne, that is a separate matter requiring independent evidence.
Yes. Some scholars held this view.
Al-Bayhaqi transmitted that Israfil is one of the bearers of the Throne according to the view of some scholars, and this opinion was also reported from Ibn Zayd.
A number of other scholars also adopted this view, including Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab and Shaykh Ibn Uthaymin, may Allah have mercy on them.
However, what is important here is to distinguish between the opinion of some scholars and the existence of an explicit authentic hadith from the Prophet ﷺ establishing it.
A hadith has been narrated containing the words:
“Indeed, one of the angels who bear the Throne is called Israfil…”
It includes a description of the greatness of his creation and of his carrying one side of the Throne.
However, this hadith has a weak chain of transmission. Hadith scholars have criticized several of its narrators, including al-Ahwas ibn Hakim and Shahr ibn Hawshab, and some of its other chains also contain weak narrators.
Therefore, this hadith is not sufficient to state with certainty that Israfil, peace be upon him, is one of the bearers of the Throne.
Since this matter concerns the unseen, the basic principle is that we should not affirm it with certainty except on the basis of authentic evidence.
Accordingly, it may be said:
Some scholars mentioned that Israfil is one of the bearers of the Throne, but no authentic hadith from the Prophet ﷺ has been established to prove this. Therefore, withholding judgment and not affirming it with certainty is preferable.
This does not diminish the status of Israfil, peace be upon him. He is one of the mighty angels. The issue here concerns a particular function that requires specific evidence.
Allah Almighty says concerning the Day of Resurrection:
“The angels will be on its edges, and on that Day, eight will bear the Throne of your Lord above them.”
[Al-Haqqah: 17]
The verse explicitly states that on that Day, eight will bear the Throne.
The commentators differed regarding what is meant by “eight.” Some said eight angels, while others said eight rows of angels.
This is the well-known view among the majority of Qur’an commentators.
Ibn al-Jawzi, may Allah have mercy on him, reported that the majority said the bearers of the Throne are currently four, and that on the Day of Resurrection Allah will support them with four more, making them eight.
However, it should be noted that Allah’s statement:
“On that Day, eight.”
is explicit regarding their number on the Day of Resurrection. As for the statement that they are currently four, this comes from the statements of scholars and transmitted reports, and does not have the same strength as the explicit Qur’anic text concerning the eight on the Day of Resurrection.
Allah’s statement:
“On that Day, eight.”
refers to the Day of Resurrection, because the surrounding verses are describing the events of that Day.
Allah Almighty says:
“Then on that Day the Event will occur. The heaven will split apart, for on that Day it will be frail. The angels will be on its edges, and on that Day, eight will bear the Throne of your Lord above them.”
[Al-Haqqah: 15–17]
Therefore, this verse alone cannot be used as evidence that the bearers of the Throne are eight in this world, because the expression “on that Day” specifically relates to the Day of Resurrection.
What is established by the texts, and what requires caution, can be summarized as follows:
Israfil, peace be upon him, is one of the mighty angels, and he is widely known as the angel entrusted with the Trumpet. However, there is no explicit authentic hadith establishing that he is one of the bearers of the Throne. Although some scholars held this view, it is preferable to withhold judgment on the matter.
As for the bearers of the Throne, the well-known view among the majority of commentators is that they are four in this world and will be eight on the Day of Resurrection. The definitive Qur’anic text in this matter is Allah’s statement:
“And on that Day, eight will bear the Throne of your Lord above them.”
[Al-Haqqah: 17]
And Allah knows best.