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in category Angels and Jinn

How many Angels are there?

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In a Nutshell: Angels are in the world of the unseen that we do not understand nor do we have a precise number - scholars citing upto 19 angels specifically and uncountable others worshiping and serving Allah all the time.

Introduction

What were they created from?
They were created from light according to Aisha (ra): The Messenger of Allah (blessings and salutations be upon him) said: the angels were created from light, the jinns from fire without smoke and Adam from that which has been described to you. (Reported by Muslim No. 2996)

When were they created?
We do not know the exact date of their creation, because of the absence of a text on this subject. But they were created before humans according to this text from the Qur'an:

When your Lord said to the angels, "I am going to establish on earth a Khalifa". They said, "Will You appoint one who will make mischief and spill blood on it, when we are there to sanctify and glorify you?" He said, "Verily, I know what you do not know!" (Qur'an 2: 30)

Indeed, informing them of His will to create man implies their existence.

They have wings
The Most High says:

"Praise be to Allah, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, Who has made angels messengers with two, three or four wings. He adds to the creation what He wills, for Allah is Omnipotent (Qur'an 35:1)

Their beauty
The Most High described Gabriel as follows:

"What did he (the Angel Gabriel) teach with prodigious strength, gifted with sagacity; then he showed himself in his real (angelic) form" (Qur'an 53:5-6)

Ibn Abbas says: dhou mirratin means: of a beautiful appearance. Qatada says: tall and beautiful.

People are unanimous in recognizing the beauty of angels. That is why they call the beautiful among humans angelic. This is what the women said about Joseph, the truthful:

"He is not a human being, he is only a noble angel" (Qur'an 12:31)

How many angels are there in Islam?

Their number
Only Allah truly knows their exact number. In his description of the lively House in the 7th heaven, the Prophet (saw) said:

"The lively House was raised for me and I asked Gabriel about the House and he said: It is a house in which seventy thousand angels pray every day, and when they come out of it, they will not return" (Sahih al-Bukhari, 3207).

According to Abd Allah, the Messenger of Allah (saw) said:

"Jahannam will be brought on that day with 70,000 bridles and each bridle is pulled by 70,000 angels." (Muslim, 2842)

Their names

The angels have names, but we have been told about only a few of them. Those whose names have been specified, we are expected to believe in them . As for those whose names have not been specified, we are expected to believe in them in a more general way.

Among those whose names are known are:

1-2 Gabriel and Mikael

(Say:) "Whoever is an enemy of Allah, His angels, His messengers, Gabriel and Mikael... (Allah will be his enemy) for Allah is the enemy of the disbelievers. (Qur'an 2:98)

3 Israfil

Abu Salama ibn Abd Rahman Ibn Awf said: I asked Aisha, the mother of the believers, how the Prophet (peace be upon him) opened his prayer when he got up in the night. She said: When he had risen, he began his prayer (thus): My Lord, Master of Gabriel and Israfil, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the unseen and the seen; you will judge the disputes between Thy servants. Guide me to the truth in disputes by Your leave. You guide whomever You wish to the right path (Muslim, 270)

4 Malik

He is the guardian of hell. In this regard, the Most High says: and they will cry out: "O Malik! May your Lord finish us off!" He will say: "Verily, you are to dwell therein (eternally)!" (Qur'an 43: 77)

5-6 Munkar and Nakir

According to Abu Hurairah, the Messenger of Allah (saw) said, "When the dead man is buried, or he said: when one of you is buried, two black-blue angels come to him; one is called Munkar and the other Nakir, and they say to him, 'What were you saying about this man? He will say what he used to say: he is the servant of Allah and His Messenger. I testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His servant and messenger. They said to him: We knew that this is what you would say.

And then they will enlarge his grave by 70x20 cubits, light it and say to him, "Sleep. Then he will say: I would like to go back to my family to inform them. They will say to him, "Sleep as the newly wedded man does, that only the one of his family whom he loves the most will wake him up. He will continue his sleep until Allah resurrects him.

If he is a hypocrite, he will say: I have heard the people say and I have done as they have done. And they will say to him: We knew that this is what you would say. And then the earth is told to compress him and it puts him under such pressure that his sides will cross and he will not cease to be chastised until Allah resurrects him" (Tarmidhi 1071)

7-8 Harout and Marout

In this regard, the Most High says:

"as well as what was sent down to the two angels Harout and Marout in Babylon" (Qur'an, 2: 102)

There are others:

"None knows the armies of your Lord but Him. And this is but a reminder to mankind (Qur'an, 74:31).

Conclusion

The number of angels in Islam is immense and varied. It is mentioned in the Qur'an and Hadiths there are millions of angels, each with a specific task assigned by Allah.

References
Qur'an
Muslim/Bukhari/Tirmidhi


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