Belief in Angels
“[All] praise and thanks be to Allah, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, Who made the angels messengers with wings, two or three or four.”
Qur’an 35:1
Angels were created from light before human beings were created, they are generally beautiful beings with wings as described in Qur’an. Angels form different cosmic hierarchies and orders in the sense that they are of different size, status and merit. Several angels are mentioned by name in the Qur’an with a description of their responsibilities:
 
Jibreel: The angel in charge of communicating
            Allah’s words to His prophets.
 
Israfeel: He is in charge of blowing the trumpet to
             mark the Day of Judgement.
 
Mikail: This angel is in charge of rainfall and
           sustenance.
 
Munkar and Nakeer: After death, these two angels
           will question souls in the grave about their 
           faith and deeds.
 
Raqib: Sits on person’s right shoulder to record
           his/her good deeds.
 
Atid: Sits on person’s left shoulder to record his/her
        evil deeds.
 
Izrail: This angel is in charge of taking souls of
          people time of death.
 
Malik: He is the guardian of hell.
 
Ridwan: The angel who serves as the guardian of
             heaven (Paradise).
 
The greatest of them is Gabriel, the Prophet (Peace BeUpon Him) actually saw him in his original form. Also, the attendants of God’s Throne are among the greatest angels. They love the believers and beseech God to forgive them theirs sins.
They carry the Throne of God, about whom the prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) said: “I have been given permission to speak about one of the angels of God who carry the Throne. The distance between his ear-lobes and his shoulders is equivalent to a seven-hundred-year journey.” They do not eat or drink. The angels do not get bored or tired of worshipping God:
 
Allah, the Exalted, says: “They celebrate His praises night and day, nor do they ever slacken.”  Qur’an 21:20
 
The angels possess great powers given to them by God. They can take on different forms. The Qur’an decribe show at the moment of Juesus’ conception, God sent Gabriel to Mary in the form of a man:
 
Allah, the Exalted, says: “ ... Then We sent to her Our angel, and he appeared before her as a man in all respects.” Qur’an 19:17
 
 
Angels also visited Abraham in human form. Similarly, angels come to Lot to deliver him from danger in the form of handsome, young man.
Gabriel used to visit Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) in different forms. Sometimes, he would appear in the form of one of his handsome disciples, and sometimes in the form of a desert Bedouin. Angels have the ability to take human forms in some circumstances involving common people. Gabriel is God’s heavenly messenger to mankind, He would convey the revelation from God to His messengers.
 
Allah, the Exalted, says: “Whoever is an enemy to Gabriel (let him die in his fury), for indeed he has brought it (this Qur’an) down to your heart byAllah’s Permission ...”   Qur’an 2:97
 
Some angels are put in charge of executing God’s law in the physical world. Mikail is responsible for rain, directing it wherever God wishes. He has helpers who assist him by the command of his Lord; they direct the winds and clouds, as God wills. Another is responsible for blowing by the Horn, which will be blown by Israfeel at the onset of the Day of Judgment. Others are responsible for taking souls out of the bodies at the time of death: the Angel of Death and his assistants.
 
Allah, the Exalted, says: “Say: ‘The Angel of Death, who is set over you, will take your souls. Then you shall be brought to your Lord.”   Qur’an 32:11
 
Then there are guardian angels responsible for protecting the believer throughout his life, at home or traveling, asleep or awake. Others are responsible for recording the deeds of man, good and bad. These are known as the “honorable scribes.”  Two angels, Munkar and Nakeer, are responsible for testing people in the grave. Among them are keepers of Paradise and the nineteen ‘guards’ of Hell whose leader is named ‘Malik’. There are also angels responsible for breathing the soul into the fetus and writing down its provisions, life-span, actions, and whether it will wretched or happy. Some angels are roamers, traveling around the world in search of gatherings where God is remembered.
There are also angels constituting God’s heavenly army, standing in rows, they never raise their heads, always worshipping God. As we learn from above, the angels are a grandiose creation of God, varyng in numbers, roles and abilities.
God is in no need of these creatures, but having knowledge and belief in them adds to the awe that one feels towards God, in that He is able to create as He wishes, for indeed the magnificence of His creation is a proof of the magnificence of the Creator.
The Messenger of Allah, Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: “The angels were created from light, the Jinn were created from a smokeless flame of fire, and Adam was created from what was described to you (in the Qur`an: black dry clay).” [ Muslim ]