THE CREATION OF ANGELS

[Attari.Rafique]

 

Angels are made of Noor (light) and can change themselves into any shape they like. But they

never do anything against the Command of Almighty Allah. They are faultless servants of Allah

Ta’ala and are free from sins. Angels have no gender and are therefore neither male nor female.

Angels have separate functions to carry out. Some of them are responsible for rain while others

are responsible for supplying provisions to worldly creatures. Some angels shape faces inside the

mothers’ wombs while some take care of the changes in human bodies. Some provide protection

to living human beings from their enemies while some move about to attend gatherings that are

held in the remembrance of Allah Ta’ala and His Beloved Rasool (Sallallahu Alaihi

Wasallam). Some are created to send Durood and Salaam upon our Beloved Aaqa Muhammad

Mustafa (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) while others are created to glorify and praise Allah Ta’ala.

While the creation of man was effected through a gradual and systematic process, namely, the

stage of dust, which was then shaped into a human form and finally the bequeathing of the soul

in him, angels on the other hand are created by Allah Ta’ala’s Supreme Command “Be” and they

become, i.e. they come into existence.

Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) has stated, “Angels are created from light,

the Jinns from fire containing smoke, and Nabi Adam (Alaihis Salaam) from that

already mentioned to you. (Namely black, white and red sand as narrated from Ummul

Mu’mineen Hazrat Ayesha Siddiqah (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anha). [sahih Muslim]

Hazrat Sayyiduna Imam Abdur Razzaaq (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) narrates another Hadith Shareef

from Sayyiduna Jaabir bin Abdullah (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) in which Rasoolullah (Sallallahu

Alaihi Wasallam) is reported to have stated, “O Jaabir! Most certainly Almighty Allah Created

the Noor (Light) of your Nabi (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) before anything else. Then, when He

decided to create the world, He divided the Noor (light) of your Nabi (Sallallahu Alaihi

Wasallam) into four portions. From the first portion, He created the Qalam, from the second,

the Lohe-Mahfooz, from the third, the Divine portions. From the first of the Divine portions, He

created those angels who are the bearers of the Arsh (Divine Throne), from the second, the Kursi

(Divine Chair) and from the third, the rest of the angels.” [Al Musannaf ]

Allama Faasi (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) has recorded the following Hadith from Imam Ash’ari

(Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) who narrates that Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said, “Verily,

Almighty Allah is an Incomparable Light, the soul of Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi

Wasallam) is the splendid glow of that Light. Almighty Allah first created my Noor (light) and

from this Noor He created everything else.” [Mutaaliul Musarrat ]

Sayyiduna Abu Shaikh (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) narrates the following Hadith from Hazrat

Akramah (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) who reports that Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) has

stated, “Most certainly, angels are created from the Divine Noor (Light) of Allah.” [Fathul Baari ]

A commentary of Imam Badruddeen Mahmood ‘Ainee (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) of a similar

Hadith carries an interesting observation of Hazrat Sayyiduna Ali (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh)

wherein he mentions, “There is an angel named Rooh, who has seventy thousand heads. Each

head has seventy thousand faces; each face contains seventy thousand mouths. Each mouth is

made up of seventy thousand tongues and each tongue is blessed with seventy thousand

languages. By means of these languages, this Angel is constantly reciting the Tasbeeh of

Almighty Allah. From each Tasbeeh, one Angel is being created, which soars into the Heavens

with the rest of the Angels until the Day of Judgment.” [umdatul Qaari Sharah Sahih Bukhari ]

Imam Ibn Hajr Qastalaani (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) states: “There is a celestial world found in the

Heaven (made from water and smoke), wherein are angels created from water and air. The

leader of these Angels is Ra’ad, who is responsible for the clouds and rain.” [Mawaahibul

Ladunniya]

Hazrat Abu Sa’eed (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) narrates the following Hadith of Rasoolullah

(Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) in which it is stated, “Verily, there is a river in Heaven, in which

whenever Jibra’eel (Alaihis Salaam) submerges his wings and shakes it, small droplets of water

drip from it. From each droplet, an angel is created.” [Fathul Baari ]

One cannot fathom the number of angels created here because Sayyiduna Jibra’eel (Alaihis

Salaam) has six hundred wings and each wing is so huge that when he spreads it, it casts a

shadow over the entire sky.

It is reported by Hazrat Abu Hurairah (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) that Rasoolullah (Sallallahu

Alaihi Wasallam) has stated, “In the fourth Heaven, there is a river called Haywaan (River of

Life). Each day Jibra’eel (Alaihis Salaam) dips in it and shakes his wings letting off seventy

thousand drops. From each of these droplets Almighty Allah creates one angel. These angels are

commanded to perform Salaah in the Baitul Ma’moor. As soon as they perform Salaah, they

come out from the Baitul Ma’moor never to return. One angel from this group is appointed their

leader and he is delegated the duty of taking these angels to one spot in the Heaven where they

will stand reciting the Tasbeeh of Almighty Allah till the Day of Judgment.” [Do’faa Al Aqeeli ]

Hazrat Abdullah ibn Abbaas (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) narrates that Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi

Wasallam) has stated, “On the right-hand side of the Arsh is found a River of Light, which in

magnitude is equal to the seven Heavens, the seven crusts of the earth and the seven oceans. In it

Jibra’eel (Alaihis Salaam) bathes each morning, whereby his brightness and beauty is constantly

increased. When Jibra’eel (Alaihis Salaam) comes out of this water, he flutters his wings. From

each drop that fall from his wings, a thousand angels are created and from this multitude of

angels, seventy thousand are commanded to enter the Baitul Ma’moor, none of whom will get

another chance to enter this illustrious place until the Day of Judgment.” [Tafseer-e-Kabeer]

Imam Bayhaqi (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) narrates a Hadith that has been narrated by several

Sahaabah, in which Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) has stated, “There are some angels

of Almighty Allah whose every limb trembles from the constant fear of Allah. Whichever of

these angels sheds a tear, it is immediately transformed into an angel before that tear can even

reach the ground.” [Kitaabur Ruhya]

It is reported from Sayyiduna Abu Shaikh (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) who narrates from Hazrat

Ka’ab Al Ahbaar (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) that, “Whichever of these angels sheds a tear, it

changes into an angel and flies away with the Fear of Allah.”

Hazrat Sayyiduna Anas (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) narrates a Hadith in which Rasoolullah

(Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) has stated, “Whosoever sends a Durood Shareef upon me with the

intention of honouring me, Almighty Allah will transform that Durood Shareef into an angel,

whose one wing spreads to the East and one to the West. Allah Ta’ala commands this angel, “O

My Angel! Send Durood upon my servant as he has sent Durood upon My Beloved Habeeb

(Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam).”

In response to this Divine Command, the angel will continue to send Durood upon the person

till the Day of Judgement. Similarly, Aarif-e-Billah Hazrat Maulana Naqi Ali Khan (Radiallahu

Ta’ala Anh) reports a Hadith from Imam Sakhaawi (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) in which Rasoolullah

(Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) has stated, “There is one angel of Almighty Allah whose one side is

in the East and one (side) is in the West. When anyone sends Durood Shareef upon me out of

love and devotion, this angel dives into the Heavenly water and flutters his wings. From each

drop that falls from his wings, Almighty Allah creates one angel who will be reciting Istighfaar

(seeking pardon) for this person until the Day of Judgment.” [Al Kalaamul Awdah fi Tafseer-e-

Sura Alam Nashrah]

It is stated in Mawaahibul Ladunniya, “There are some angels who are constantly engaged in

reciting the Tasbeeh of Allah. For every Tasbeeh they recite, Almighty Allah creates one angel.”

Hazrat Imam Abdul Wahab Sha’raani (Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh) states, “Angels are created from

the breath of pious people. Those that are created from the breath of pious women acquire

greater beauty and chastity than those created from the breaths of men.” [Meezanush Shari’atul

Kubra]

[Compiled from “The Creation of Angels” by A’la Hazrat Imam Ahle Sunnat Imam Ahmad Raza

Khan Qadri Radiallahu Ta’ala Anh]

We see here that Allah Ta’ala through His Incomprehensible and Infinite Qudrat creates angels

in so many ways and in such numbers that are beyond our insignificant intellectual capacities.

May Allah Ta’ala increase our knowledge and grant us the Taufeeq to ponder over His Qudrat,

His Creations and His Signs, Ameen.