Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
The angels are a creation of Allah and belong to the unseen world. Allah created them from light and instilled in them obedience to Him and worship of Him, so they do not disobey Him in what He commands them. They are a vast creation whose number is known only to Allah. He has assigned them various duties, such as conveying revelation, recording the deeds of people, taking souls, guarding Paradise and Hell, and other duties established in the Quran and Sunnah. Belief in them is one of the pillars of faith.
It is authentically reported from Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“The angels were created from light, the jinn were created from a smokeless flame of fire, and Adam was created from what has been described to you.”
Narrated by Muslim.
Thus, the angels are real created beings, not merely abstract forces or symbols of goodness.
Allah created the angels to worship Him and carry out His commands. He described them as completely obedient, saying:
﴿They do not disobey Allah in what He commands them, but do what they are commanded.﴾
[At-Tahrim: 6]
They continually glorify Allah and worship Him:
﴿They glorify Him night and day, never tiring.﴾
[Al-Anbiya: 20]
They also bear witness to the Oneness of Allah:
﴿Allah bears witness that there is no deity except Him, as do the angels and those possessed of knowledge, upholding justice.﴾
[Aal Imran: 18]
The angels are a vast creation, and Allah has assigned some of them specific duties, including:
Jibril, peace be upon him, is entrusted with revelation. Allah says: ﴿The Trustworthy Spirit brought it down upon your heart so that you may be among the warners.﴾ [Ash-Shu'ara: 193–194]
Mika'il, peace be upon him, is entrusted with rain and matters related to it.
Israfil, peace be upon him, is entrusted with blowing the Trumpet when the Hour begins.
The Angel of Death is entrusted with taking souls.
Among them are the Bearers of the Throne. Allah says: ﴿Those who bear the Throne and those around it glorify the praises of their Lord.﴾ [Ghafir: 7]
Among them are the noble recording angels, who record a person’s deeds.
Allah says:
﴿Indeed, there are keepers over you, noble scribes, who know whatever you do.﴾
[Al-Infitar: 10–12]
And He says:
﴿He does not utter a word except that with him is an observer ready to record it.﴾
[Qaf: 18]
Among the angels are those entrusted with taking the souls of people by Allah’s command. Allah tells us about the believers:
﴿Those whose lives the angels take while they are in a pure state, saying, “Peace be upon you. Enter Paradise because of what you used to do.”﴾
[An-Nahl: 32]
And He tells us about the disbelievers:
﴿If only you could see when the angels take the souls of those who disbelieved, striking their faces and their backs.﴾
[Al-Anfal: 50]
Among the angels are the guardians of Paradise, and among them are the guardians of Hell. Allah says regarding Hell:
﴿Over it are angels, harsh and severe.﴾
[At-Tahrim: 6]
The angels also enter upon the people of Paradise with greetings of peace:
﴿And the angels will enter upon them from every gate, saying, “Peace be upon you for what you patiently endured.”﴾
[Ar-Ra'd: 23–24]
The angels descend on the Night of Decree. Allah says:
﴿The angels and the Spirit descend therein by the permission of their Lord with every decree.﴾
[Al-Qadr: 4]
Allah also supported the believers with angels on certain occasions, including the Battle of Badr, as established by the revealed texts.
It is authentically reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“The angels do not enter a house in which there is a dog or an image.”
Narrated by Muslim.
The type of angels referred to in such texts are the angels of mercy, not all angels. The angels assigned to a person and entrusted with recording his deeds have their own rulings and duties that Allah has commanded them to fulfill.
Belief in the angels is a fundamental part of Islamic creed. Allah says:
﴿Whoever disbelieves in Allah, His angels, His Books, His messengers, and the Last Day has certainly gone far astray.﴾
[An-Nisa: 136]
The angels are honored servants whom Allah created from light. They continually worship and obey Him, and Allah has assigned them various duties in carrying out what He commands, including conveying revelation, recording deeds, taking souls, and guarding Paradise and Hell.
We must believe what Allah and His Messenger ﷺ have informed us about them and must not go beyond the revealed texts when discussing the details of their world, because it is part of the unseen world, which can only be known through revelation.
And Allah knows best.