Questions:
1.Why are we as Muslims required to believe in Angels?
2.Is Iblees(Satan)a jinn or an Angel?
1.Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

Belief in angels is one of the six pillars of belief or faith without which
there is no faith. Whoever does not believe in any of these pillars is not a
believer (mu’min). These pillars are belief in: Allaah, His angels, His
Books, His Messengers, the Last Day, and that predestination, both good and
bad, comes from Allaah.

Angels are a part of the world of the Unseen which we cannot comprehend.
Allah has told us about them in many places in the Qur’aan and via His
Prophet Muhammad  (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him). There follows a
number of proven reports concerning the angels, which hopefully will make
you realize the greatness of the Creator and the greatness of this religion
which has told us so much about them:

Of what are they created?
They are created from light, as ‘Aa’ishah reported: "The Messenger of Allah
(Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) said: ‘The angels are created from
light, just as the jinn are created from smokeless fire and mankind is
created from what you have been told about.’" (Reported by Muslim, no.
2996).

When were they created?
We have no knowledge of precisely when they were created, because there is
no text to tell us this. But they were created before mankind for certain,
because the Qur’aan says (interpretation of the meaning): "Behold, your Lord
said to the angels: ‘I will create a vicegerent on earth.’ . . ."
[al-Baqarah 2:30] The fact that Allah told them of His intention to create
man indicates that they already existed.

Their great size
Allaah says concerning the angels of Hell:
"O you who believe! Save yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel
is Men and Stones, over which are (appointed) angels stern and severe, who
flinch not (from executing) the Commands they receive from Allah, but do
(precisely) what they are commanded." [al-Tahreem 66:6]

The greatest of all the angels is Jibreel (Gabriel), upon whom be peace, who
was described in the following report:
"From ‘Abdullaah ibn Mas‘ood, who said: the Messenger of Allah  (Peace &
Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) saw Jibreel in his true form. He had six
hundred wings, each of which covered the horizon. There fell from his wings
jewels, pearls and rubies, only Allah knows about them." It was reported by
Ahmad in al-Musnad, and Ibn Katheer said in al-Bidaayah 1/47 that its isnaad
is jayyid.

The Messenger of Allah  (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) said,
describing Jibreel:
"I saw Jibreel descending from heaven, and his great size filled the space
between heaven and earth." (Reported by Muslim, no. 177).

Among the greatest angels are those who carry the Throne (of Allaah), who
were described in the following report:
"From Jaabir ibn ‘Abdullaah from the Prophet  (Peace & Blessings of Allaah
be upon Him), who said: ‘I have been given permission to speak about one of
the angels of Allaah who carry the Throne. The distance between his
ear-lobes and his shoulders is equivalent to a seven-hundred-year journey.’"
(Sunan Abee Daawood, Kitaab al-Sunnah, Baab fi’l-Jahamiyyah).

They have wings
Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Praise be to Allaah, Who created (out of nothing) the heavens and the
earth, Who made the angels messengers with wings - two, or three, or four
(pairs) adds to Creation as He pleases: for Allah has power over all
things." [Faatir 35:1]

Their beauty
Allaah said, describing Jibreel, upon whom be peace (interpretation of the
meaning):
"He [the Prophet] has been taught by one Mighty in Power, Dhoo Mirrah (free
from any defect in body and mind), then he rose and became stable." [al-Najm
53:5-6]

Ibn ‘Abbaas said: "‘Dhoo Mirrah means that he has a beautiful appearance."
Qutaadah said: "He is tall and beautiful."

The idea that angels are beautiful is firmly established in all people’s
minds, so much so that they liken a beautiful human to an angel, as the
women said about Yoosuf:
". . . When they [the women] saw him, they did extol him and (in their
amazement) cut their hands: they said: ‘Allah preserve us! no mortal is
this! This is none other than a noble angel!’" [Yoosuf 12:31]

Their differences in size and status
The angels are not all of one size or status; there are differences between
them just as there are differences in virtue. The best of them are those
that were present at the battle of Badr, as is stated in the hadeeth
narrated by Mu‘aadh ibn Rifaa‘ah al-Zuraaqi from his father, who had been
one of the people present at Badr. He said: "Jibreel came to the Prophet
(Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) and asked, ‘How do you rate the
people among you who were present at Badr?’ He said: ‘They are the best of
the Muslims,’ or something similar. [Jibreel] said: ‘So it is with the
angels who were present at Badr.’" (Reported by al-Bukhaari, no. 3992).

They do not eat or drink
This is indicated by the conversation between Ibraaheem, the "friend" of
Allaah and the angels who visited him. Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning):
"Then he turned quickly to his household, brought out a fatted calf, and
placed it before them. He said, ‘Will you not eat?’ (When they did not eat),
he conceived a fear of them. They said: ‘Fear not,’ and they gave him glad
tidings of a son endowed with knowledge."
[al-Dhaariyaat 51:26-28]

Elsewhere, Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"But when he [Ibraaheem] saw their hands went not towards the (meal), he
felt some mistrust of them, and conceived a fear of the. They said: ‘Fear
not: we have been sent against the people of Lut.’" [Hud 11:70]

They do not get bored or tired of remembering and worshipping Allah
Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"They celebrate His praises night and day, nor do they ever slacken."
[al-Anbiyaa’ 21:20]

". . . For in the presence of your Lord are those who celebrate His praises
by night and by day. And they never become tired (nor feel themselves above
it)." [Fussilat 41:38]

Their number
The angels are many, and their number is known only to Allah. The Prophet
(Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) said, described the
Much-Frequented House (al-Bayt al-Ma‘moor) in the seventh heaven:
"Then I was taken up to the Much-Frequented House: every day seventy
thousand angels visit it and leave, never returning to it again, another
[group] coming after them." (Reported by al-Bukhaari, Fath, no. 3207).

‘Abdullaah said: "The Messenger of Allaah  (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be
upon Him) said: ‘Hell will be brought forth that day by means of seventy
thousand ropes, each of which will be pulled by seventy thousand angels."
(Reported by Muslim, no. 2842).

Their names
The angels have names, but we know only the names of a few of them. We have
to believe in the names reported in the Qur’aan and Sunnah texts, as a part
of general belief in the angels. Among the names of angels that are known to
us are:

(1) Jibreel (Gabriel) and (2) Mikaa’eel (Michael)

"Say: Whoever is an enemy to Jibreel - for he brings down the (revelation)
to your heart by Allah’s will, a confirmation of what went before, and
guidance and glad tidings to those who believe -
Whoever is an enemy to Allah, and His angels and prophets, to Jibreel and
Mikaa’eel - Lo! Allah is an enemy to those who reject Faith." [al-Baqarah
2:97-98]

(3) Israafeel

From Abu Salamah ibn ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn ‘Awf, who said: "I asked ‘Aa’ishah
the Mother of the Believers about what the Prophet  (Peace & Blessings of
Allaah be upon Him) used to start his prayer with when he got up to pray at
night (qiyaam al-layl). She said: ‘When he got up to pray at night, he would
start his prayer (with the words): ‘O Allah, Lord of Jibreel, Mikaa’eel and
Israafeel, Creator of heaven and earth, Knower of the unseen and the seen,
You are the Judge of the matters in which Your slaves differ; guide me with
regard to disputed matters of Truth by Your permission, for You guide
whomever You will to the Straight Path.’" (Reported by Muslim, no. 270).

(4) Malik

He is the Keeper of Hell, as Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"They [the people in Hell] will cry: ‘O Malik! Would that your Lord put an
end to us!’. . ." [al-Zukhruf 43:77]

(5) Munkar and (6) Nakeer

From Abu Hurayrah, who said: "The Messenger of Allah  (Peace & Blessings of
Allaah be upon Him) said: ‘When the deceased is buried (or he said: when one
of you is buried), there come to him two blue-black angels, one of whom is
called Munkar and the other Nakeer. They ask him, ‘What did you used to say
about this man?’ and he says what he used to say: ‘He is the slave and
Messenger of Allah: I bear witness that there is no god except Allah and
that Muhammad is the slave and Messenger of Allah. They say, ‘We knew
beforehand that you used to say this.’ Then his grave will be widened for
him to a size of seventy cubits by seventy cubits and it will be illuminated
for him. Then they tell him, ‘Sleep.’ He says, ‘Go back to my family and
tell them.’ They tell him, ‘Sleep like a bridegroom whom no-one will wake up
except his most beloved,’ until Allah raises him up. If (the deceased) was a
hypocrite, he says, ‘I heard the people saying something so I said something
similar; I do not know.’ They say: ‘We knew beforehand that you used to say
this.’ The earth will be told to squeeze him, so he will be crushed until
his ribs are interlocked, and he will remain like that until Allah raises
him up.’" (reported by al-Tirmidhi, no. 1071. Abu ‘Isa said: It is a ghareeb
hasan hadeeth. It is judged hasan in Saheeh al-Jaami‘, no. 724).

(7) Haaroot and (8) Maaroot

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
". . . and such things as came down at Babylon to the angels Haaroot and
Maaroot . . ." [al-Baqarah 2:102]
". . . and none can know the forces of your Lord, except He. And this is no
other than a warning to mankind."
[al-Muddaththir 74:31]

Their powers
The angels have great powers given to them by Allaah, including the
following:

The ability to take on different forms. Allah has given the angels the
ability to take on forms other than their own. Allah sent Jibreel to Maryam
(Mary) in the form of a man, as Allah says:
". . . Then We sent to her Our angel, and he appeared before her as a man in
all respects." [Maryam 19:17]

Angels also came to Ibraaheem in human form, and he did not know that they
were angels until they told him so. Similarly, angels came to Lut in the
form of young men with beautiful faces. Jibreel used to come to the Prophet
(Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) in different forms: sometimes he
would appear in the form of Dihyah al-Kalbi, a Sahaabee who was very
handsome, and sometimes in the form of a Bedouin. The Sahaabah saw him in
his human form, as is reported from ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab in the two
Saheehs. (‘Umar) said:
"One day while we were sitting with the Messenger of Allah  (Peace &
Blessings of Allaah be upon Him), there appeared before us a man whose
clothes were exceedingly white and whose hair was exceedingly black; no
signs of travel were to be seen on him, and none of us knew him. He walked
up and sat down by the Prophet  (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him).
Resting his knees against his and placing his hands on his thighs, he said:
‘O Muhammad, tell me about Islam.’. . ." (Saheeh Muslim, no. 8).

Many other ahaadeeth refer to the angels taking human forms, such as the
hadeeth about the one who killed a hundred, in which it says ". . . there
came to them an angel in human form . . ." and the hadeeth about the blind
man, the bald man and the leper.

Their speed
The greatest speed known to man today is the speed of light; the angels are
able to travel much faster than this. Hardly had an enquirer completed a
question to the Prophet  (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him), but
Jibreel would bring the answer from Allah.

Their duties
Among the angels is one whose task it was to convey the revelation from
Allah to His Messengers; this is al-Rooh al-Ameen, Jibril, upon whom be
peace. Allah says:

"Say: whoever is an enemy to Jibreel - for he brings down the (revelation)
to your heart by Allah’s will. . . " [al-Baqarah 2:97]

"Which the trustworthy spirit has brought down,
Upon your heart, that you may be (one) of the warners."
[al-Shu‘araa’ 26:193-194]

Another is responsible for rain, directing it wherever Allah wishes. This is
Mikaa’eel, upon whom be peace. He has helpers, who do what he tells them, by
the command of his Lord; they direct the winds and clouds, as Allah wills.

Another is responsible for blowing the Trumpet, which will be blown by
Israafeel at the onset of the Hour (the Day of Judgement).

Others are responsible for taking people’s souls: these are the Angel of
Death and his helpers. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "Say:
‘the Angel of Death, put in charge of you, will (duly) take your souls, then
shall you be brought back to your Lord.’" [al-Sajdah 32:11] There is no
proof in any saheeh hadeeth that his name is ‘Azraa’eel.

Others are responsible for protecting the slave throughout his life, when he
stays home and when he travels, when he is asleep and when he is awake.
These are the "angels in succession" concerning whom Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"It is the same (to Him) whether any of you conceal his speech or declare it
openly, whether he be hid by night or go forth freely by day.
For each (person), there are angels in succession, before and behind him.
They guard him by the Command of Allaah. Verily! Allaah will not change the
good condition of a people so long as they do not change their state of
goodness themselves (by committing sin and by being ungrateful and
disobedient to Allaah). But when Allaah wills a people’s punishment, there
can be no turning back of it, and they will find besides Him no protector."
[al-Ra‘d 13:10-11]

Others are responsible for recording the deeds of man, good and bad. These
are the "honourable scribes" (kiraaman kaatibeen) and are referred to in the
aayaat (interpretation of the meanings):
". . . and He sends guardians (angels guarding and writing all of one’s good
and bad deeds) over you . . ." [al-An‘aam 6:61]

"Or do they think that We hear not their secrets and their private counsel?
(Yes We do) and Our Messengers (appointed angels in charge of mankind) are
by them, to record."
[al-Zukhruf 43:80]

"(Remember!) that the two receivers (recording angels) receive (each human
being after he or she has attained the age of puberty), one sitting on the
right and one on the left (to note his or her actions).
Not a word does he (or she) utter, but there is a watcher by him ready (to
record it)."
[Qaaf 50:17-18]

"But verily, over you (are appointed angels in charge of mankind) to watch
you,
Kiraaman (honourable) kaatibeen - writing down (your deeds)."
[al-Infitaar 82:10-11]

Others are responsible for testing people in the grave. These are Munkar and
Nakeer. From Abu Hurayrah who said: "The Messenger of Allah  (Peace &
Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) said: ‘When the deceased is buried (or he
said: when one of you is buried), there come to him two blue-black angels,
one of whom is called Munkar and the other Nakeer. They ask him, ‘What did
you used to say about this man?’ . . ." [The hadeeth is quoted in full
above]

Some of them are the keepers of Paradise. Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning):
"And those who kept their duty to their Lord will be led to Paradise in
groups, till, when they reach it, its gates will be opened and its keepers
will say: Salaamun ‘alaikum (peace be upon you!). You have done well, so
enter here, to abide therein."
[al-Zumar 39:73]

Some of them are the keepers of Hell, the "guards of Hell", whose number is
nineteen and whose leader is Malik, upon whom be peace. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):

"And those who disbelieved will be driven to Hell in groups, till, when they
reach it, the gates thereof will be opened. And its keepers will say, ‘Did
not the Messengers come to you from yourselves, - reciting to you the Verses
of your Lord, and warning you of the Meeting of this Day of yours?’ They
will say: ‘Yes, but the Word of torment has been justified against the
disbelievers!’" [al-Zumar 39:71]

"Then. let him call upon his council (of helpers),
We will call the guards of Hell (to deal with him)!" [al-‘Alaq 97:17-18]

"And what will make you know exactly what Hell-fire is?
It spares not (any sinner), nor does it leave (anything unburnt)!
Burning the skins!
Over it are nineteen (angels as guardians and keepers of Hell).
And We have set none but angels as guardians of the Fire, and We have fixed
their number only as a trial for the disbelievers - in order that the People
of the Scripture may arrive at a certainty and the believers may increase in
Faith . . ." [al-Muddaththir 74:27-31]

"And they will cry: ‘O Malik (Keeper of Hell)! Let your Lord make an end of
us.’ He will say: ‘Verily you shall abide forever.’" [al-Zukhruf 43:77]
One of the angels is responsible for the sperm in the womb, as is mentioned
in the hadeeth of Ibn Mas‘ood (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
"The Messenger of Allah  (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him), whose
truthfulness is confirmed, said: ‘The way that each of you is created is
that he is gathered in his mother’s womb for forty days as a sperm drop, and
then for a similar length of time as a blood-clot, and then for a similar
length of time as a lump of flesh. Then an angel is sent and he breathes the
spirit into (the foetus), and is charged with four commands: to write down
his provision, his life-span, his actions, and whether he will be wretched
or happy. By the One besides Whom there is no other god, one of you may do
the deeds of the people of Paradise until he is just a cubit away from
entering it, then his fate will overtake him and he will begin to do the
deeds of the people of Hell, so he will enter Hell; and one of you may do
the deeds of the people of Hell until he is just a cubit away from entering
it, then his fate will overtake him and he will begin to do the deeds of the
people of Paradise, so he will enter Paradise." (Reported by al-Bukhaari,
al-Fath, no. 3208 and by Muslim, no. 2643).

Some angels carry the Throne of Allaah, as He describes in the Qur’aan
(interpretation of the meaning):
"Those (angels) who bear the Throne (of Allaah) and those around it glorify
the praises of their Lord, and believe in Him, and ask forgiveness for those
who believe (in the Oneness of Allaah) (saying): ‘Our Lord! You comprehend
all things in mercy and knowledge, so forgive those who repent and follow
Your way, and save them from the torment of the blazing Fire!’" [Ghaafir
40:7]

Some of the angels travel throughout the world, seeking out gatherings of
dhikr (remembrance of Allaah). Abu Hurayrah said: "The Messenger of Allaah
(Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) said: ‘Allah, be He be blessed and
exalted, has angels who travel the highways seeking out the people of dhikr.
When they find people remembering Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, they call
out to one another, "Come to what you hunger for!" and they enfold them with
their wings, stretching up to the lowest heaven. Their Lord asked then, and
He knows better than them, "What are My slaves saying?" They say: "They are
glorifying, magnifying, praising and extolling You." He asks, "Have they
seen Me?" They say, "No, by Allaah, they have not seen You." He asks, "And
how would it be if they saw Me?" They say, "They would be even more fervent
and devoted in their praise and worship." He asks, "What are they asking me
for?" They say, "They ask You for Paradise." He asks, "And have they seen
it?" They say, "No, by Allaah, O Lord, they have not seen it." He asks, "And
how would it be if they saw it?" They say: "They would be even more eager
for it and they would beseech You even more earnestly." He asks, "And what
do they seek My protection from?" They say, "From the Fire of Hell." He
asks, "Have they seen it?" They say, "No, by Allaah, they have not seen it."
He asks, "And how would it be if they saw it?" They say: "They would be even
more afraid and anxious to escape it." Allah says: "You are My witnesses
that I have forgiven them." One of the angels says: "So-and-so is not really
one of them; he came (to the gathering) for some other reason." Allah says,
"They were all in the gathering, and one of them will not be excluded (from
forgiveness)."’" (Reported by al-Bukhaari, al-Fath, no. 6408).

Some of them are responsible for the mountains. ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be
pleased with her) asked the Prophet  (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon
Him): "Have you ever faced any day more difficult than the day of Uhud?" He
said: "I suffered at the hands of your people and the worst that I suffered
was what I suffered at their hands on the day of ‘Aqabah. That was when I
went to call Ibn ‘Abd Yaalayl ibn ‘Abd al-Kalaal to Islam, and he did not
respond. I left, feeling depressed and hardly knowing where I was going. I
did not recover until I found myself in Qarn al-Tha‘aalib. I raised my head
and saw that I was being shaded by a cloud. I looked, and saw Jibreel in the
cloud. He called me and said: ‘Allah has heard what your people said and how
they responded to you. He has sent the Angel of the Mountains so that you
can tell him to do to them whatever you want.’ The Angel of the Mountains
called me and greeted me, then said: ‘O Muhammad, tell me what you want me
to do. If you want, I can crush them between two mountains.’" The Prophet
(Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) said: "All I hope for is that
Allah will bring forth from their loins people who will worship Allah alone
and not associate any partner with Him." (Reported by al-Buhaari, Fath, no.
3231).

Some of them visit the Much Frequented House (al-bayt al-ma‘moor). In the
lengthy hadeeth describing the Israa’ and Mi‘raaj (the Night Journey and the
Ascent to Heaven), the Prophet  (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him)
said:
"Then I was taken up to the Much-Frequented House: every day seventy
thousand angels visit it and leave, never returning to it again, another
[group] coming after them."

There are also angels standing in rows, who never get tired or sit down, and
others who bow or prostrate, and never raise their heads, as was reported by
Abu Dharr, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: "The Messenger of Allah
(Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) said: ‘I see what you do not see
and hear what you do not hear. The heaven makes a noise like groaning, and
it has the right to (or it is no surprise), for there is no space in it the
width of four fingers, but there is an angel there, placing his forehead in
sujood (prostration) to Allaah. By Allaah, if you knew what I know, you
would laugh little and weep much, you would not enjoy your relationships
with women and you would go out in the street praying to Allaah.’" (Sunan
al-Tirmidhi, no. 2312)

This is a summary of Islamic teachings concerning the noble angels of
Allaah. We ask Allaah to make us believe in them and love them. May Allah
bless our Prophet Muhammad.


2.Answer:


Praise be to Allaah.

Ibless – may Allaah curse him – is one of the jinn. He was not an angel for
a single day, not even for an instant. The angels were created noble; they
never disobey Allaah when He commands them to do something and they do what
they are commanded. This is clearly stated in the Qur’aanic texts which
indicate that Iblees is one of the jinn and not one of the angels. These
texts include the following:

1.Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And (remember) when We said to the angels: “Prostrate yourselves unto
Adam.” So they prostrated themselves except Iblees (Satan). He was one of
the jinn; he disobeyed the Command of his Lord. Will you then take him
(Iblees) and his offspring as protectors and helpers rather than Me while
they are enemies to you? What an evil is the exchange for the Zaalimoon
(polytheists, and wrongdoers, etc).” [al-Kahf 18:50]

2.Allaah stated that He created the jinn from fire, as He says
(interpretation of the meaning):

“And the jinn, We created aforetime from the smokeless flame of fire”
[al-Hijr 15:27]

“And the jinn He created from a smokeless flame of fire” [al-Rahmaan 55:15]

And it was narrated in a saheeh hadeeth that ‘Aa’ishah said: the Messenger
of Allaah  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The angels
were created from light, the jinn were created from smokeless fire and Adam
was created from that which has been described to you.” (Narrated by Muslim
in his Saheeh, no. 2996; also narrated by Ahmad, no. 24668; by al-Bayhaqi in
al-Sunan al-Kubra, no. 18207 and by Ibn Hibbaan, no. 6155).

One of the attributes of the angels is that they were created from light,
and the jinn were created from fire. It was mentioned in the Qur’aan that
Iblees – may Allaah curse him – was created from fire. This is what Iblees
himself said when Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, asked him the
reason for his refusal to prostrate to Adam when Allaah commanded him to do
so. He – may Allaah curse him – said:

“ ‘I am better than him (Adam), You created me from fire, and him You
created from clay’” [al-A’raaf 7:12; Saad 38:76 – interpretation of the
meaning]. This indicates that he was one of the jinn.

3.Allaah has described the angels in His Book, where He says (interpretation
of the meaning):

“O you who believe! Ward off yourselves and your families against a Fire
(Hell) whose fuel is men and stones, over which are (appointed) angels stern
(and) severe, who disobey not, (from executing) the Commands they receive
from Allâh, but do that which they are commanded” [al-Tahreem 66:6]

“And they say: ‘The Most Gracious (Allaah) has begotten a son (or
children).’ Glory to Him! They [whom they call children of Allaah i.e. the
angels, ‘Eesaa (Jesus) son of Maryam (Mary), ‘Uzair (Ezra)], are but
honoured slaves. They speak not until He has spoken, and they act on His
Command” [al-Anbiyaa’ 21:26-27]

“And to Allaah prostrate all that is in the heavens and all that is in the
earth, of the moving (living) creatures and the angels, and they are not
proud [i.e. they worship their Lord (Allâh) with humility]. They fear their
Lord above them, and they do what they are commanded” [al-Nahl 16:49-50]

So it is not possbile for the angels to disobey their Lord, because they are
protected from sin and they are naturally inclined to obey Allaah.

4.The fact that Iblees is not one of the angels means that he is not
compelled to obey Allaah. He has freedom of will just as we humans do.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning);

“Verily, We showed him the way, whether he be grateful or ungrateful”
[al-Insaan 76:3]

  There are also Muslims and kaafirs among the jinn. It says in Soorat
al-Jinn (interpretation of the meaning):

“Say (O Muhammad): ‘It has been revealed to me that a group (from three to
ten in number) of jinn listened (to this Qur’aan). They said: ‘Verily, we
have heard a wonderful Recitation (this Qur’aan)! It guides to the Right
Path, and we have believed therein, and we shall never join (in worship)
anything with our Lord (Allaah).’” [al-Jinn 72;1-2]

In the same soorah, it states that the jinn said:

“‘And indeed when we heard the Guidance (this Qur’aan), we believed therein
(Islamic Monotheism), and whosoever believes in his Lord shall have no fear,
either of a decrease in the reward of his good deeds or an increase in the
punishment for his sins.  And of us some are Muslims (who have submitted to
Allaah, after listening to this Qur’aan), and of us some are Al-Qaasitoon
(disbelievers those who have deviated from the Right Path)’…” [al-Jinn
72:13-14]

Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his Tafseer:

Al-Hasan al-Basri said: Iblees was not one of the angels, not even for a
single moment. He is the father of the jinn, just as Adam (peace be upon
him) is the father of mankind. This was narrated by al-Tabari with a saheeh
isnaad (part 3/89).

Some of the scholars said that Iblees was one of the angels, that he was the
peacock of the angels, that he was the one among the angels who strove the
hardest in worship… and other reports, most of which come from the
Israa’eeliyyaat (stories and reports from Jewish sources), and some of which
contradict the clear texts of the Qur’aan.

Ibn Katheer said, explaining this:

A lot of these reports were transmitted from the Salaf, and most of them
come from the Israa’eeliyyaat, which may be been transmitted in order to be
examined [i.e., as opposed to being accepted as is]. Allaah knows best about
the veracity or otherwise of many of them. Some of them are definitely to be
rejected, because they go against the truth which we hold in our hands. In
the Qur’aan we have sufficient so that we have no need of previous reports,
because hardly any of them are free of distortions, with things added or
taken away. Many things have been fabricated in them, for they did not have
people who had memorized things precisely by heart (huffaaz) who could
eliminate the distortions created by extremists and fabricators, unlike this
ummah which has its imaams, scholars, masters, pious and righteous people,
brilliant critics and men of excellent memory who recorded the hadeeths and
classified them, stating whether they were saheeh (sound), hasan (good),
da’eef (weak), mawdoo’ (fabricated), matrook (to be ignored). They
identified the fabricators and liars, and those about whom nothing was
known, and other kinds of men (i.e., narrators). All of this afforded
protection to the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), the
Seal of the Messengers and the Leader of Mankind, so that nothing would be
attributed to him falsely and nothing would be transmitted from him that he
did not say or do. May Allaah be pleased with them and make them pleased [by
rewarding them], and make the Paradise of al-Firdaws their eternal abode.
(Tafseer al-Qur’aan il-‘Azeem, 3/90).

And Allaah knows best.


The very best of good wishes,
Musa Amadu Pembo
Glasgow,
Scotland
UK.
[log in to unmask]
Da’wah is to convey the message with wisdom and with good words. We should
give the noble and positive message of Islam. We should try to emphasize
more commonalities and explain the difference without getting into
theological arguments and without claiming the superiority of one position
over the other. There is a great interest among the people to know about
Islam and we should do our best to give the right message.
May Allah,Subhana Wa Ta'Ala,guide us all to His Sirat Al-Mustaqim (Righteous
Path).May He protect us from the evils of this life and the hereafter.May
Allah,Subhana Wa Ta'Ala,grant us entrance to paradise .
We ask Allaah the Most High, the All-Powerful, to teach us that which will
benefit us, and to benefit us by that which we learn. May Allaah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala grant blessings and peace to our Prophet Muhammad and his family
and
companions..Amen.

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