Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
Angels are honored servants of Allah. They possess intellect, will, and choice in a manner appropriate to their nature. They are not like inanimate objects or machines that move without awareness. Nevertheless, Allah created them inclined toward obedience, enabled them to obey Him, and protected them from disobedience. Thus, they do not disobey Allah; rather, they carry out His commands and worship Him willingly. Affirming that they possess will does not mean that they disobey Allah or act outside His will and decree.
Belief in the angels is one of the pillars of faith. They are among Allah's creation and His servants. The texts indicate their complete obedience and submission to Allah's commands.
Allah, may He be Exalted, says:
﴿They do not disobey Allah in what He commands them, and they do what they are commanded.﴾
[At-Tahrim 66:6]
And He says:
﴿They fear their Lord above them, and they do what they are commanded.﴾
[An-Nahl 16:50]
And Allah says:
﴿Rather, they are honored servants. They do not precede Him in speech, and they act according to His command.﴾
[Al-Anbiya 21:26–27]
These verses describe the angels as servants who fear Allah, carry out His commands, and do not disobey Him.
No. The fact that angels do not disobey Allah does not mean that they have no intellect or will, or that they move like machines without choice.
Rather, according to the fatwa, Allah praised them for their obedience, which indicates that they carry out what He commands with awareness and will, while Allah grants them success in obedience and protects them from disobedience.
Allah therefore says:
﴿They do not disobey Allah in what He commands them, and they do what they are commanded.﴾
[At-Tahrim 66:6]
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah explained that the words ﴿and they do what they are commanded﴾ indicate their ability to carry out what Allah commands them to do, and that they do not abandon His command due to inability or disobedience.
Allah created the angels with a nature different from that of human beings. He instilled in them obedience and worship, and they do not possess the desires that human beings have which lead them to many sins.
Some scholars stated that angels were created with intellect without desire, whereas human beings were created with both intellect and desire.
Therefore, the existence of will among the angels does not mean that their condition is like that of humans and jinn, who are tested through desires and exposed to disobedience. Rather, they are honored servants whom Allah has enabled to obey Him in all circumstances.
According to the fatwa, no occurrence of disobedience by the angels has been authentically established. Rather, the texts describe them as not disobeying Allah.
For this reason, a number of scholars rejected reports claiming that some angels committed sins, including reports found in certain stories concerning Harut and Marut. Al-Qurtubi stated that none of those reports is authentic and that they contradict what the texts indicate concerning the angels' obedience to Allah.
Allah says:
﴿They glorify Him night and day and never become weary.﴾
[Al-Anbiya 21:20]
What revelation establishes, therefore, is their continuous obedience and worship, not that they commit disobedience.
Yes. The affirmation of will and awareness among the angels is also demonstrated by texts describing them discussing and disputing certain matters.
Allah says:
﴿I had no knowledge of the exalted assembly when they were disputing.﴾
[Sad 38:69]
There is also the authentic hadith about the man who killed one hundred people and then repented. When he died, the angels of mercy and the angels of punishment disputed concerning him, until Allah sent an angel to judge between them.
This indicates that angels are rational and aware creatures who speak, understand, and carry out what Allah has entrusted them with. They are not merely forces operating without will.
An account was narrated from Abdullah ibn Salam in which he compared angels to certain creatures that do not disobey Allah. However, this report is attributed to him as a Companion and is not a hadith raised to the Prophet ﷺ.
Moreover, its meaning does not necessarily imply that angels have no will. It may simply mean that they do not disobey Allah and carry out His command, not that they lack intellect or choice.
Angels possess intellect, will, and choice in a manner appropriate to their nature. They are not like machines or inanimate objects that operate without awareness. At the same time, Allah created them inclined toward obedience and enabled them to obey Him, so they do not disobey Him. Rather, they do what they are commanded.
Therefore, there is no contradiction between saying that angels possess will and choice and Allah's statement:
﴿They do not disobey Allah in what He commands them, and they do what they are commanded.﴾
[At-Tahrim 66:6]
They obey Allah with will and awareness, and Allah has protected them from disobedience and enabled them to obey Him. No disobedience on their part has been established in authentic texts.
And Allah knows best.