Angels are part of the unseen world. We cannot see them, but Allah (﷾) has told us about them in the Qur’an. They bring His word to the prophets, write down our deeds, and pray for the believers.
This guide sets out what the Qur’an and the authentic hadith say about them. It covers what they are, who they are, and what they do.
“Each one (of them) believeth in Allah, His angels, His books, and His messengers.”
Part of the faith
Belief in the angels is one of the six articles of faith. The Qur’an names it with belief in Allah (﷾), His books and His messengers.
One day a stranger dressed in white came and sat before the Prophet (ﷺ). He asked him what faith is. The Prophet (ﷺ) named six things, and the angels came second.
The six articles of faith
- Belief in Allah (﷾)
- His angels
- His books
- His messengers
- The Last Day
- The decree, the good of it and the bad
After the stranger left, the Prophet (ﷺ) told his companions who he was. He was the angel Jibril, who had come to teach them their religion.
Made from light
The Prophet (ﷺ) said that the angels were created from light. The jinn were created from fire, and Adam from what the Qur’an describes to us: clay.
Allah (﷾)
The Creator of all things.
The angels
Made from light. Sahih Muslim 2996
The jinn
Made from fire free of smoke. Qur’an 55:15
Adam
Made from clay. Qur’an 15:26
So angels are a creation of their own. They are not the souls of good people who have died. Nor are they gods, or Allah’s (﷾) children.
What they are like
The Qur’an says the angels never disobey Allah (﷾). They do exactly what they are commanded. They speak only after He speaks, and act by His command.
They never tire of worship. Even those nearest to Him are not too proud to serve Him.
“They celebrate His praises night and day, nor do they ever flag or intermit.”
They have wings, in pairs of two, three or four, and Allah (﷾) adds to His creation as He pleases. The Prophet (ﷺ) saw Jibril with six hundred wings.
What the Qur’an says about them
- They never disobey Allah (﷾). Qur’an 66:6
- They praise Him night and day, and never tire. Qur’an 21:20
- They speak only after He speaks, and act by His command. Qur’an 21:27
- They have wings, two, three or four pairs, or more. Qur’an 35:1Sahih al-Bukhari 3232
- They are honoured servants, not His children. Qur’an 21:26
They are more than anyone can count. On his Night Journey, the Prophet (ﷺ) was shown a house in the seventh heaven, al-Bayt al-Ma’mur. Seventy thousand angels pray there every day. Those who leave it never come back.
The Qur’an says that no one knows the forces of Allah (﷾) except He.
Some Arabs before Islam called the angels the daughters of Allah. The Qur’an answers with a question: did they see the angels being created? It calls the angels servants, raised to honour.
Angels named in the sources
The Qur’an and the authentic hadith name a few angels. They describe many more by the work they do.
| Angel | Their work |
|---|---|
| Jibril (Gabriel) | Brings Allah’s (﷾) revelation to the prophets Qur’an 2:97Qur’an 26:193 |
| Mika’il (Michael) | Named with Jibril among Allah’s (﷾) angels Qur’an 2:98Sahih Muslim 770 |
| Israfil | Named in the Prophet’s (ﷺ) night prayer; scholars widely hold he will blow the Trumpet Sahih Muslim 770Qur’an 39:68 |
| The Angel of Death | Takes each soul when its time comes Qur’an 32:11 |
| Malik | The keeper of Hell Qur’an 43:77Sahih al-Bukhari 3236 |
| The nineteen | Keep watch over Hell Qur’an 74:30Qur’an 74:31 |
| The two angels of the grave | Question each person after burial Sahih al-Bukhari 1338 |
| The noble scribes | Write down every deed Qur’an 50:17Qur’an 82:11 |
| The guardians | Guard each person by Allah’s (﷾) command Qur’an 13:11 |
| Harut and Marut | Two angels at Babylon, sent as a trial Qur’an 2:102 |
Jibril, called Gabriel in English, brings Allah’s (﷾) revelation. The Qur’an says he brought it down to the Prophet’s (ﷺ) heart.
“he brings down the (revelation) to thy heart by Allah's will, a confirmation of what went before, and guidance and glad tidings for those who believe”
The Qur’an also calls him the Spirit of Faith and Truth, and the Holy Spirit.
The Prophet (ﷺ) saw him in his true form, so vast that he filled the whole horizon. Usually, Jibril came to him in the form of a man.
Mika’il, Michael in English, is named in the Qur’an beside Jibril. Many scholars say he is in charge of the rain. The Prophet (ﷺ) named both in his prayers.
The Qur’an says the Trumpet will be blown on the Last Day. At the first blast, all in the heavens and on earth will fall senseless, except those Allah (﷾) wills. At the second, they will stand up and look on.
The Qur’an does not name the angel who blows it. Scholars widely hold that it is Israfil. His name is in an authentic hadith. The Prophet (ﷺ) began his night prayer by calling on Allah (﷾), Lord of Jibril, Mika’il and Israfil.
The Angel of Death takes each soul when its time comes. Other angels work with him.
“The Angel of Death, put in charge of you, will (duly) take your souls: then shall ye be brought back to your Lord.”
Many people call him Azrael, or Izra’il. That name is not in the Qur’an or in the authentic hadith. The Qur’an simply calls him the Angel of Death.
Malik is the keeper of Hell. The Qur’an tells how its people will call out to him, begging for an end. He will tell them they must stay. The Prophet (ﷺ) also saw him in a dream, kindling the fire.
Over Hell are nineteen angels. The Qur’an says Allah (﷾) set their number as a test, and that no one knows His forces except He.
After burial, two angels come to each person. They sit him up and ask what he used to say about the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). The believer bears witness that he is Allah’s (﷾) servant and messenger. He is then shown his place in Paradise.
Their names, Munkar and Nakir, come in a report in the collection of al-Tirmidhi. It is graded good (hasan) rather than authentic (sahih), so this guide does not rely on it.
Two angels write down each person’s deeds, one on the right and one on the left. The Qur’an calls them kind and honourable.
“Not a word does he utter but there is a sentinel by him, ready (to note it).”
Each person also has angels who come in turn, before and behind him. They guard him by Allah’s (﷾) command.
Harut and Marut are named once in the Qur’an. It says that at Babylon two angels were given knowledge as a trial. They warned everyone they taught: “We are only for trial; so do not blaspheme.” People learned from them how to part a husband from his wife. Yet they could harm no one except by Allah’s (﷾) permission.
The commentators differ on the details. A popular story says the two angels sinned with a woman who became the planet Venus. It does not come from the Qur’an or from any authentic hadith. Scholars such as Ibn Kathir did not accept it.
What they do for the believers
Much of the angels’ work brings good to people. The Qur’an says that the angels who carry the Throne, and those around it, ask forgiveness for the believers.
“Those who sustain the Throne (of Allah) and those around it Sing Glory and Praise to their Lord; believe in Him; and implore Forgiveness for those who believe”
Allah (﷾) sends blessings on the believers, and so do His angels, to bring them out of darkness into light.
What the angels do for the believers
- Ask forgiveness for them Qur’an 40:7
- Send blessings on them Qur’an 33:43
- Sit with them when they remember Allah (﷾) Sahih Muslim 2689
- Say amin with them in prayer Sahih al-Bukhari 780
- Meet them at the dawn and afternoon prayers Sahih al-Bukhari 555
- Come down on the Night of Power Qur’an 97:4
- Helped them at Badr Qur’an 8:9Qur’an 3:123
The Prophet (ﷺ) said that some angels travel about looking for gatherings where Allah (﷾) is remembered. When they find one, they sit with the people and surround them with their wings, up to the sky.
In prayer, the people say amin after al-Fatihah. The Prophet (ﷺ) said that if anyone’s amin matches the angels’ amin, his past sins are forgiven.
Angels take turns with us, some by night and some by day. Both groups meet at the dawn and afternoon prayers. When the night angels go up, Allah (﷾) asks how they left His servants, though He knows best. They say they left them praying, and found them praying.
On the Night of Power, the angels and the Spirit come down by Allah’s (﷾) permission. That night is peace until dawn.
At Badr, the Muslims were few and weak. They prayed for help, and Allah (﷾) answered with a thousand angels, one rank after another.
Angels in human form
Angels can take human form, by Allah’s (﷾) will. The angels who brought Ibrahim and his wife the news of a son came to him as guests. He hurried to serve them a roasted calf, but they did not eat.
The same angels then went to Lut. He was troubled, afraid he could not protect his guests. They told him they were messengers from his Lord, and that no one would reach him.
Allah (﷾) sent His angel to Maryam, the mother of Jesus. He came to her in the form of a man, with the news of a holy son.
“then We sent her our angel, and he appeared before her as a man in all respects.”
Umm Salamah, the Prophet’s (ﷺ) wife, once saw Jibril talking with him. She took him for Dihyah al-Kalbi, one of the companions. She only learned who it was from the Prophet’s (ﷺ) sermon.
And in the hadith of Jibril, the stranger had very white clothes and very black hair. He showed no sign of travel, and no one there knew him. It was Jibril.
Adam, and why Iblis was no angel
When Allah (﷾) made Adam, He told the angels to bow down to him. All the angels bowed, obeying Allah (﷾) and honouring Adam. It was not worship of Adam. Only Iblis refused, out of pride.
“They bowed down except Iblis. He was one of the Jinns, and he broke the Command of his Lord.”
So Iblis, who is Satan, was not a fallen angel. He was one of the jinn, made from fire, and free to choose. The angels have never disobeyed.
Angels and the home
The Prophet (ﷺ) said that angels do not enter a house in which there is a dog or a picture.
This does not mean that Muslims hate dogs. The Prophet (ﷺ) allowed dogs for guarding farms and flocks, and for hunting. He also told of a man whom Allah (﷾) forgave for giving water to a thirsty dog.
Gabriel and Michael in the Bible
Christians and Jews believe in angels too. The Bible names two of the angels that the Qur’an names: Gabriel and Michael.
In the Book of Daniel, Gabriel comes to Daniel while he prays. In the Gospel of Luke he says: “I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God.” He is then sent to Mary, in Nazareth.
Daniel calls Michael “one of the chief princes”.
| Angel | In the Qur’an | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|
| Gabriel (Jibril) | Brings the revelation to the Prophet’s (ﷺ) heart | Sent to Daniel, to Zacharias and to Mary Daniel 9:21Luke 1:19Luke 1:26 |
| Michael (Mika’il) | Named beside Gabriel | One of the chief princes Daniel 10:13 |
| Worship | Angels are never to be taken as lords | An angel stops John from worshipping him Revelation 22:9 |
Both books show the angels as servants. John fell down to worship an angel. The angel stopped him: “See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant … worship God.”
Honoured, never worshipped
So Muslims love and honour the angels, but never pray to them. The Qur’an says a prophet would never tell people to take angels as lords.
“Nor would he instruct you to take angels and prophets for Lords and patrons.”
On the Last Day, Allah (﷾) will ask the angels whether people worshipped them. They will answer that they belong to Him, and that He is their Protector, not those people.
Even the angels nearest to Allah (﷾) never think themselves above worshipping Him. Worship belongs to Allah (﷾) alone.
The angels are near us all our lives. They write our deeds, guard us, and pray for the believers. And the Qur’an says they will greet the people of Paradise, coming in to them from every gate.
“Peace unto you for that ye persevered in patience! Now how excellent is the final home!”