Belief in the Angels, Books, and Prophets
Questions
What
are the merits of Al-Quran over previous scriptures?
How
are these 3 pillars of faith related to each other? And what is the relationship
between them and the 1st one?
Belief
in Angels
The belief in Angels is a pillar of
Faith. In ISLAM, we are required to believe in Angels because they are found in
the Qur’an and the Ahadith (sayings of Prophet Muhammad). The Angels were created before Adam, from light, and
have no animal nature. They worship ALLAH, and obey His commands in the
Universe. They have any number of wings, and come from heaven with ALLAH’S
orders and return reporting to ALLAH.
Even from man’s primordial
state—i.e., sperm drop, in the womb, infancy, etc.—and throughout his life,
they help him through the darkness, and they write his wealth, actions,
emotions, speech. They attend to man in the grave, on the Day of Judgement, and
in his final abode. The Angels are also charged with looking after matters in
the earth and the whole universe. They attend to matters of "cause and
effect" and it doesn’t clash with their roles. ALLAH put some Angels in
charge of the Sun, the Planets, and the matters on earth. Since the Universe has
been subjected to man by ALLAH, their roles there help man in his role on earth.
The knowledge of the Angels’
existence is part of the belief in the unseen, only learned about through ALLAH.
Since He informed us of the things helpful to us, any extra details should not
be a topic of inquiry. Details like how the Angels were created are ALLAH’S
mysteries. Also, the number of Angels are innumerable to man. However, the exact
number of Angels charged with certain tasks is named, such as the 19 in charge
of Hell Fire (Holy Quran, 74:30); but this is not for the symbolic or superstitious misuse
of mankind.
The Qur’an rejects the conception
that Angels share in ALLAH’S power, or glory
-- by calling them "Gods" or the "Children of God".
Their existence involves worshipping and carrying out ALLAH’S commands, hence
they have no free will in respect to obedience or disobedience to ALLAH. This
means they cannot intercede except by ALLAH’S permission. None of their pleas
can be heard except through ALLAH granting them a stage.
It is kufr (polytheism, disbelief) to
worship them, or think they have authority. Such beliefs were not commanded by
ALLAH, through revelation or any other means, as it is disbelief after
submission. It is also Kufr to deny the existence of Angels. Their presence is
plainly given in the Qur’an and Sunnah, and confirmed by the consensus of
Muslims.
The Archangels mentioned in the
Qur’an and Sunnah are three: Gabriel, who brings ALLAH’s revelation;
Michael, in charge of rains, plants and animals; and Israphiel, who blows the
Trumpet before Judgement Day, and is one of the Angels that bear the Throne of
ALLAH. Malik is also mentioned in the Qur’an as the Angel in charge of Hell
Fire (Holy Quran, 43:77).
The Angels are able to take the form
of human beings. The Archangel Gabriel, appeared before Mary, the Mother of
Jesus (alayhis salaam) "…as a man in all respects." (Holy Quran,
19:16-17). In a
Tradition, he appears before Muhammd (s.a.w.s.) and his Companions with
"…black hair…" and drills them about Iman.
We must believe in the Angels whose
names were given, with those whose errands are described instead, for example:
The knowledge is of great benefit to a believer because it saves them from the conjectures of materialism, and it also
makes him aware of the good forces in the unseen, working against the evil in
his surroundings. He understands he is always with better company, even in a
crowd, a rebellious society, or a group of mockers. Moreover, even in private,
he feels ashamed to ALLAH to commit evil, when there are so many noble creations
in the unseen trying to aid him to good.
The Belief In Allah’s Books
Muslims must believe that ALLAH
revealed books to His Messengers before the time of Muhammad (s.a.w.s.l). In the
Qur’an, five of these books are named with the Prophet who received them.
These are:
1.
The Torah given to Moses (Q. 5:44)
2.
The Bible given to Jesus (5:46)
3.
The Psalms given to David (17:55)
4.
The Scriptures given to Abraham
(53:36 to 42, 87:14 to 19)
5.
The Scriptures given Moses (53:36
to 42, 87:14 to 19)
(May
Peace be Upon All of Them)
Although the other scriptures remain
unnamed, we should believe that each Messenger of ALLAH conveyed the message of
His Oneness of Lordship, Godhead, and Attributes, that is, ALLAH’s complete
ownership of everything, His exclusive right to worship, and the perfect and
unparalleled nature of His qualities.
The Revelation sent to each Messenger
mentioned in the Qur’an, confirmed the truth of the previous revelation. For
example, The Injil (Bible) given to Jesus, was a confirmation of the Torah,
given to Moses aforetime, and at the same time a fresh admonition to the Jews,
Moses’ followers.
The
Qur’an also confirms the truth in the earlier revelations, and exposes the
teachings, beliefs, and practices that their followers innovated. Morever, the
Qur’an supports the original unity of the scriptures in the message of
ALLAH’S Oneness and man’s duty of worshipping Him.
There are many proofs of the
Qur’an’s authenticity as a book of ALLAH. For example, the Qur’an is
completely the word of ALLAH, and doesn’t include the speech of the Prophet
or his Companions, or their contemporaries or forebears. Hence, the speech of
Muhammad, and the style of speech in the Qur’an, are very different. There are
no quotations from other texts. Furthermore, the Qur’an is proven to be the
message of Muhammad (pbuh) through revelation; the chapters, verses, and dialect
are written in the exact manner he conveyed them. Therefore, it is the duty of
all mankind (who hears it’s true message) and all Muslims to believe in the
whole of it, act on it’s commands, and take admonition from the warnings.
The
Other Scriptures
Any ideas in the Books mentioned in
the Qur’an as revelation, which contradict Tauhid (God's Oneness), is a man made change or
addition. Further, it is not in our authority to accept specific books other
than those mentioned in the Qur’an as authentic, or inauthentic, and this
knowledge rests with ALLAH.
Although the other Books were revealed
by ALLAH, they have been mixed with history, legends, scholarly commentary and
other interpolations which make them a mixture of Revelation and man’s ideas.
The other Scriptures’ laws were for particular communities, hence they did not
get the same protection.
The existing versions of the former
scriptures are all translations of an original, which has been lost. Moreover,
the contents of these books are not shown to be from the Messenger. For
instance, the Torah is dated to Rabbis after the time of Moses (La Ross). The
standard Bible is 4 of the 70 existing copies, and the contradiction between
them, along with uncertain authorship is further proof of man made changes. (See
Sayed Sabeq, the Principles of Islamic Beliefs)
Moreover,
the stories of the Prophets, depict them as prey to the worst vices such as
fornication, lying, and idol worship. Such
does not fit their lofty rank as ALLAH’s viceroy.
The Qur’an mentions the Jews
modifying the Torah, although they were entrusted to protect it. The
Christians’ neglect of the Bible is also described. Furthermore, it mentions
the customary saying of the Jews that Ezra is the son of ALLAH, and of the
Christians that Jesus (alayhis salaam) is the son of ALLAH. (A’uthubillah).
The Qur’an refutes this idea and says that ALLAH, the Lord of the Heavens and
Earth, says "Be" and it is, and he is above such anthropomorphism, and
every Messenger, though honored, were human and his slaves.
The Belief in Prophets
Elements
of Belief in the Prophets
The belief that ALLAH sent Prophets is
another part of Iman, and Believers must accept all those Prophets named in the
Qur’an and Sunnah. It also means believing that ALLAH sent others whose names
and stories were not given. The Number of Messengers named in the Qur'an are 25;
these include Adam, Nuh, Abraham, Moses, and Muhammad (alayhimus salaam).
A Prophet is one who is given
revelation from ALLAH. Those ordered to preach to their communities are called
Prophet-Messengers.
The Messengers were sent to convey
good news to the believers who do good deeds. That they would get security and
peace in this world, ALLAH’s forgiveness, and the everlasting home of
Paradise. They also warned the
disbelievers, and evil doers, that the consequence of their rejection is torment
in Hell Fire.
They were also sent to teach people to
worship ALLAH correctly, and establish His (revealed) Religion. All Messengers
taught men about ALLAH’S Unity, and his exclusive right to worship – they
also taught the necessary unified, non sectarian nature of His Religion. The
Messengers admonished their peoples to give up the false deities they were
worshipping.
The Messengers were men chosen for
ALLAH’S revelation. ALLAH selected the best people to convey his message, and
the Messenger’s were all utmost in their devotion and belief in Him. Their
character, wisdom, endurance, piety, and wit surpassed all other men. They were
free from major and minor sins, such as cheating, lying, or stealing; and they
were free from character flaws like deceitfulness, laziness, and cowardice. Each
Messenger conveyed the Message in the most effective way, and didn’t neglect
it, nor let people frighten them from it.
It is mankind’s duty to believe in
these Messengers, and also in the above things concerning their mission, which
is to worship ALLAH alone.
Also, Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) is the last Messenger and anyone who claims to be an
Apostle after him is one of the 40 such Dajjals, or liars, predicted as
appearing before the last day.
Some Prophets were given higher rank
than others and given greater responsibilities and more difficult missions.
There are 5 Prophets named "Messengers of Binding Resolution" (Ulool
‘Azam), they are:
Muhammad,
Abraham, Moses, Noah, and Jesus (pbuh). These Messengers are so named because
they were given a weighty mission and completed it with patience, steadfastness,
and devotion.
Although the Messengers were above the
rest of mankind in their character, they felt the same pain, emotions, and
physical needs as all humans. Like all other creatures, they had no power over
themselves, others, or their environment, except what ALLAH willed. And they
possessed no knowledge of the Unseen except what ALLAH revealed. (7:188, 72
:26-27).
Believing in some Messengers, while
rejecting others is disbelief, and all mankind has the duty to believe once they
hear the true form of their Message.
Muhammad (pbuh) is the last of a chain
of Prophets. He has been exalted by ALLAH in many ways: He will be the first to
intercede on behalf of mankind on Judgement Day; the revelation he received
perfects
Muhammad (pbuh) was sent to all
mankind and jinn, instead of just a single tribe, community, or civilization.
Morever, he is the Messenger whose example in all things mankind should follow,
through which true faith and the forgiveness of ALLAH is obtained, so much so,
that no one has true belief until he loves the Prophet more than anyone,
including his family, or himself.
Miracles
ALLAH gave Prophets miracles.
ALLAH also granted Muhammad (pbuh)
miracles which are mentioned in the Qur’an, and the most reliable prophetic
traditions. The first and foremost miracle is the inimitability of the Qur’an;
which is sufficient to quell the unbelievers. Furthermore, Muhammad (pbuh)
received physical miracles, such as the splitting of the moon; the clouds that
shaded him during revelation, water gushing from his fingers, etc.
Moreover, his protection from the treachery of enemies, and his
prediction of the future were miracles.
The Prophet’s qualities, alone, were
a sign of his Prophethood. Through his life, before and after revelation, he was
devoted to ALLAH. He was free from minor sins like telling lies, so much so that
those closest to him, such as his wife, and even his enemies acknowledged it. For
example, when the Prophet became fearful because of his first sight of Angel
Gabriel, he went to his wife, Khadijah, who said that his high character would
keep ALLAH’s protection with him.
The
Roman Emperor, Heraclius, examined carefully the description of Muhammad (pbuh)
given by his enemies; they told him of the increasing number of his followers,
his honesty, and his message to worship ALLAH alone and keep ties of kinship.
After this, he concluded that Muhammad (pbuh) was the Prophet that he had been
expecting from the scriptures.
Further,
Muhammad's steadfastness during times of difficulty and prosperity shows that
ALLAH was the object of his faith and confidence.