2. BELIEF IN THE ANGELS Angels are spiritual beings who are assigned various duties by God and carry them out as commanded by Him. In the Arabic language the word for angel is malak meaning power while in the Hebrew language an angel is called malakh meaning messenger. The English word angel is derived from the Greek angelos, also meaning messenger. The literal meaning of the word angel thus points more to the function of such beings rather than to their nature. In the Quran, therefore, the angels are frequently referred to as rasul or messengers. Although angels are spoken of as beings, they have not been granted the choice of doing right or wrong, as the human beings have been; the angels automatically carry out the command of God. In this respect, the angels may be said to be the powers of nature. The function of the angels is to obey; they cannot disobey. The various tasks assigned to the angels include: * bringing of divine revelations to the prophets * bringing punishment upon their enemies * giving glad tidings to the believers * glorifying God with His praise * keeping records of peoples deeds The concept of angels exists in Judaism and Christianity as well, and the names of some of the angels the Muslims believe in are mentioned in the Bible: Jibraeel (Gabriel in the Bible) Mikaeel (Michael in the Bible) lsrafeel (Raphael in the Bible) lzraeel (Israel in the Bible) It was the Angel Jibraeel (Gabriel) who used to bring the Quranic revelations to the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Posted on: Sat, 01 Nov 2014 10:00:00 +0000
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