Level Three

Lesson Three

The Pillars of Faith

Belief in the Angels

As-salamu alaykum, dear brothers. I hope you are well.

Today, Allah willing, we will talk about the second pillar of faith, which is belief in the angels.

Who Are the Angels?

Angels are creatures from the unseen world. Allah created them from light and gave them special characteristics, including that they do not eat or drink.

Belief in the angels is one of the pillars of faith, and a Muslim’s faith is not complete without believing in them.

The angels obey Allah Almighty and do not disobey Him.

Allah Almighty says:

﴿ءَامَنَ ٱلرَّسُولُ بِمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيۡهِ مِن رَّبِّهِۦ وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَۚ كُلٌّ ءَامَنَ بِٱللَّهِ وَمَلَٰٓئِكَتِهِۦ وَكُتُبِهِۦ وَرُسُلِهِۦ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيۡنَ أَحَدٖ مِّن رُّسُلِهِۦۚ﴾
[Al-Baqarah: 285]

Characteristics of the Angels

Angels are great creatures, and the Qur’an and the Sunnah describe some of their characteristics.

Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that the Messenger of Allah 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.

Another of their characteristics is that they have wings, as Allah Almighty says:

﴿ٱلۡحَمۡدُ لِلَّهِ فَاطِرِ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ جَاعِلِ ٱلۡمَلَٰٓئِكَةِ رُسُلًا أُوْلِيٓ أَجۡنِحَةٖ مَّثۡنَىٰ وَثُلَٰثَ وَرُبَٰعَۚ يَزِيدُ فِي ٱلۡخَلۡقِ مَا يَشَآءُۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيۡءٖ قَدِيرٞ﴾
[Fatir: 1]

What Does Belief in the Angels Include?

Belief in the angels includes several things:

1. Believing in their existence.
2. Believing specifically in those whose names we know, such as Jibril (Gabriel) and Mika'il (Michael), and believing generally in all the other angels.
3. Believing in their characteristics, actions, and duties that have been authentically established.

By the grace of Allah, we have finished today’s lesson.

In the next lesson, Allah willing, we will discuss the third pillar of faith, which is belief in the revealed Divine Books.

Lesson Question

What does Islam teach about the angels?

1. They are creatures who worship and always obey Allah.
2. They are creatures who eat and drink.