Muslim Beliefs About Angels, Satan, Idols and Saints | Middle East And North Africa

MUSLIM ANGELS

from an Arabic manuscript

Angels found in Qurʾan include Jabraʾil (Gabriel), who revealed the Qurʾan to Muhammad; Mika'il, the angel who controls the weather at Allah's command; Israfil, the angel who will blow the horn to signal the end of the universe; and Azrail, the Angel of Death. Islam accepts the concepts of guardian angels, [Source: Encyclopedia.com]

Muslims believe angels are Allah’s celestial servants and messengers. The archangel Gabriel acted as an intermediary between Allah and Muhammad. Gabriel and other angels acted as intermediaries between Allah and the other prophets. Some had certain responsibilities. Mikhail is the angels of providence. Azrail is angel of death. Other angels preside of over the seven levels of heaven, escort the dead to heaven and keep tabs on the living. “ Quran 35:2 reads: All praise belongs to Allah the Maker of the heavens and the earth, Who employs the angels as messengers, having wings, two, three and four.”

John L. Esposito wrote in the“Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices”: The Qur’anic universe consists of three realms—heaven, earth, and hell—in which there are two types of beings: humans and spirits. All beings are called to obedience to God. Spirits include angels, jinn, and devils. Angels are created from light, are immortal and sexless, and serve as the link between God and human beings. They serve as guardians, recorders, and messengers from God who transmit his message to human beings by communicating with prophets. Thus, the angel Gabriel is believed to have communicated the revelation of the Qur’an to Muhammad. Jinn, beings created by fire, are between angels and humans and can be either good or bad. Although invisible by nature, jinn can assume visible form. Like human beings, they are to be rewarded or punished in the afterlife. [Source: John L. Esposito “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices”, 2000s, Encyclopedia.com]

Websites and Resources: Islam IslamOnline islamonline.net ; Institute for Social Policy and Understanding ispu.org; Islam.com islam.com ; Islamic City islamicity.com ; BBC article bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam ; University of Southern California Compendium of Muslim Texts web.archive.org ; Encyclopædia Britannica article on Islam britannica.com ; Islam at Project Gutenberg gutenberg.org ; Muslims: PBS Frontline documentary pbs.org frontline

Islam's View of Angels

Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad wrote: “Islam speaks of angels as celestial beings of a spiritual nature who have their own entity as persons. The major role they play is the transmission of messages from God to human beings. But they are misunderstood by many, even within Islam, as having human shape or some shape and form, which in fact is an inseparable idea from that of material existence. Matter must have shape and a well defined boundary. But spirit lies beyond the five dimensions of man’s understanding. One can only believe in the existence of spirit if he is a religious person; otherwise it is beyond his reach to conceive the shape and form of spirits. Perhaps to resolve this problem and to make it easier for man to visualise angels, they are sometimes mentioned in religious books as appearing to holy people in the form of human beings. Not only that; they are also known to have appeared to some messengers of God in the form of certain birds. The Holy Ghost appeared to Jesus in the form of a dove. [Source: Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad (1928–2003), Khalifatul Masih IV. Hazrat is a leader of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. He obtained an honours degree in Arabic from the Punjab University, Lahore and studied at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London]

20120509-angels 1009_IP.jpg “Let us now try to comprehend the nature of angels with reference only to the Quran and the traditions of the Holy Prophet(sa) of Islam, and not with reference to commonly held views. According to the Quran, the entire material universe as well as the entire religious universe is governed by certain spiritual powers, which are referred to as angels. Although some angels are referred to as single person, such as Gabriel, Michael or Israel, they in fact do not work alone.

For each function there is one leader or one supreme angel who governs that function and under him works a host of angels, who are referred to in the Holy Quran as the Junood of the Lord. Whatever they do is completely subject to the will of God and the design that He has created for things. They cannot make the slightest deviation from the set course of functions allocated to them, or from the overall plan of things made by God.

Islam's View of Angels and Humans

Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad wrote: “According to the Quran, for each human being two angels are appointed to record good deeds and misdeeds, as the case may be. In this way the task of the angels is to organise the most intricate and profound system of recording. It does not mean that each has a book in his hand, jotting down in it whatever he observes. In fact, angels are responsible for a very complex system of registering the effect of man’s deeds on his soul and personality so that a good man develops a healthy soul and a bad man breeds an unhealthy one. [Source: Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad (1928–2003), Khalifatul Masih IV. Hazrat is a leader of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. He obtained an honours degree in Arabic from the Punjab University, Lahore and studied at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London]

“The soul, as it is takes shape in every man till his death, needs a conscious organiser who transfers the effects of human thoughts, actions etc. to the soul. This is an intricate process not fully comprehended by man. However, we do partially witness this in the case of criminals acquiring a different visage from people of noble conduct. It is not at all impossible for anyone to observe such a difference, although it cannot be described in terms of black and white or other material terms. In fact the administration of the huge universe, right from its inception through the entire course of the billions of years of its evolutionary history, requires an enormous organisation of constant attention and control. This is performed by innumerable angels, who literally govern the vast universe and its intricate system of laws, as agents of God.

Persian angel

“As far as the traditions go, we can comprehend to a degree the versatility of angels in being able to materialise in various forms or apparitions, which have no relation to their real form of existence which is beyond man’s comprehension and has different dimensions from those known to us.

Muhammad and Angels

There is one story about a stranger that suddenly entered a mosque where Muhammad of Islam was sitting with his companions. Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad wrote:“This man approached the assembly, sat respectfully in the front row and started to ask questions regarding the nature of Islam. Having finished his list of questions, he took leave and departed. Those present were amazed because first this man was a complete stranger who must have travelled some distance to reach the mosque. In small townships the knowledge of such visits does not remain a secret and everybody seems to know who has arrived and for what purpose. In his case, the arrival was so sudden that it appeared mysterious. Secondly, there were no marks of a journey on his bearing or his clothes. A fresh looking gentleman, he was of immaculately clean dress. Moreover the manner in which he began to ask questions without any introduction, and his abrupt departure, was extremely unusual to say the least. [Source: Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad (1928–2003), Khalifatul Masih IV. Hazrat is a leader of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. He obtained an honours degree in Arabic from the Punjab University, Lahore and studied at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London]

“Before the companions of the Holy Prophet(sa) could say anything, the Holy Prophet (sa) himself informed them that the person had actually been the angel Gabriel, who had asked the leading questions so that the companions could become acquainted with the facts contained in the answers given. Some companions ran out of the mosque to meet the angel in disguise, as they thought, but there was no trace of him anywhere. No-one in the township admitted to seeing such a man. As this incident is reported in the highly authentic books of tradition, we can safely infer that angels sometimes appear in ordinary human form for the purpose of discharging sundry errands. We find mention of angels in many other traditions, particularly in relation to the battles of Badr and Uhad, but it would be inappropriate perhaps to enter into a lengthy discourse on this issue.

Muslim Ideas About Satan

To Muslims, Satan is known as Iblis or Shaytan. In the Qur’an he is described as “the insidious tempter who whispers in the hearts of men.” He is said to have disobeyed Allah by refusing to prostate himself before the newly created Adam and thereby became an enemy of mankind.

Throwing stones at Satan during the Hajj

In Islam, devils and demons are fallen angels or jinn that tempt human beings torn between the forces of good and evil. Satan is the leader of the devils. He represents evil, which is defined as disobedience to God. [Source: John L. Esposito “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices”, 2000s, Encyclopedia.com]

Satan is a religious figure found in Judaism, Christianity and Islam and similar to figures found in Hinduism, Buddhism and other religions. He is generally depicted as an evil adversary of God. Although the word Satan is derived from the Hebrew word for "Accuser," Satan is not given as high a profile in Judaism as he is in Christianity.

The concept of the devil seems to have originated with Zoroastrianism, which originated in Persia. The Jews were under Persian rule for two centuries beginning in 539 B.C. No doubt they were exposed to the Zoroastrian devil Ahriman. See Zoroastrianism, under Animism, Shamanism and Ancient Religions

The Ayatollah Khomeoni was the first to call the United States “the Great Satan.”

Muslim Saints and Shrines

Although Islam is supposed to frown on the practice, Some Muslims honor local saints and holy men, worship their relics and invoke their names for protection and blessings. Many Muslims look down upon this activity as a form of idolatry.

John L. Esposito wrote in the “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices”: In popular practice, especially in Sufism, some masters came to be viewed as walis (friends of God, or saints), and their tombs became the focus of pilgrimages, where they were appealed to for blessings and assistance. The master's spiritual power and intercession before God might be invoked to request a safe pregnancy, overcoming sickness, a prosperous business, or success in taking exams. Special rituals and celebrations were held to commemorate the dates of the master's birth and death. [Source: John L. Esposito “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices”, 2000s, Encyclopedia.com]

The worship of saints has been part of Islam since the very beginning. The Qur’an speaks of friends of God (“ awilya’ Allah” ). Among this whose have attracted a great deal of attention are Fatimah, Muhammad’s favorite daughter, and Ali, his cousin and son-in-law. A tall pole with a horsehair tassel is the traditional marker for the grave of a revered Islamic figure. Sunnis have traditionally frowned upon the worship of saints and shrines as a distraction from the worship of Allah that borders on the worship of idols. Shiites and Sufis look upon on visiting shrines of Muslim saints or revered imam as a meritorious form or religious worship. Visiting the shrines of important Imam is central to the Shiite faith.

Saints and shrines are particularly important to Sufis. Sufism, or Tasawwuf as it is known in the Muslim world, is a mystical form of Sunni Islam whose members pursue a spiritual experience using bodily discipline and mystical intuition. It also incorporates ecstatic experiences and the veneration of Muslims "pirs,"or saints.

Muslim View of Miracles

Miracles play a prominent role in Islam as they do in Christianity and Judaism. A number of miracles were attributed to Muhammad himself, including splitting the moon in half, predicting the future, producing drinking water in the desert for his companions, multiplying food, curing a variety of ailments and blinding armies with a handful of dust. Foremost among his miracles was his night journey from Mecca to Jerusalem and his accession to heaven on a winged horse after his death.

In the Qur’an, Muhammad turns down all requests to perform miracles, saying that Qur’an itself is a miracle and that is all that anyone needs. The miracles that are attributed to him are part of the oral traditions (“hadiths” ) of his life.

The main purpose of miracles in Islam appears to be to display God’s power. Islam distinguishes between two kinds of miracles: 1) “mujiza” , miracles performed by Allah’s Prophets; and 2) “karama" , miracles performed by later Muslim saints and mystics, many of whom are associated with Sufism.

Idolatry and Islam

The Qur’an doesn’t explicitly ban images of animals and people as is commonly thought. It warns against the creation and worship of idols. According to the Qur’anic: "Those who endure the most grievances on the Day of resurrection are those who create a likeness." Idolatry ( “shirk” in Arabic) is regarded as the handiwork of the devil. It is one of the worst sins and even the worship of Muhammad is sacrilegious. The only being that a Muslim is allowed to worship is Allah.

Islam has an uncompromising belief in the oneness, or unity, of God (tawhid). Associating anything else with God is idolatry, Thus, while animals and plants are regarded as part of creation, they are not sacred, a category reserved only for God. Idoltry is considered an unforgivable sin. To avoid any possible idolatry resulting from the depiction of figures, Islamic religious art tends to use calligraphy, geometric forms, arabesque designs and other abstract rather than representational forms. [Source: John L. Esposito “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices”, 2000s, Encyclopedia.com]

One of Muhammad's most important acts was expelling the Kaaba of idols. One early Arabic source wrote the kaaba contained paintings as well as statues and that Muhammad ordered them all destroyed except a mural of Jesus and the Virgin Mary which he spared, some suggest, so as not to offend his Christian converts. Presumably Muhammad and his successors had no problems with paintings. The movement to forbid painting is seen to have had something to do Jewish converts.

Muslim prohibition of “false idols” mirrors similar prohibitions in Judaism and Old Testament Christianity. The first of the Ten Commandants reads, “Thou shall have no other gods before me,” followed by the second Commandment, “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images.” Buddhists also raised that point that images of Buddha distracted Buddhists from their pursuit of nirvana.

Ban on Images of Animals and People in Islamic Art

The Qur’an does not specifically ban images of animals and people. The basis of ban is rooted in the belief that if someone makes a image they will worship it, a view spread by conservative Muslims after Muhammad’s death. According to the Hadiths Ibn Abbas, an early disciple of Muhammad said, "The angels will not enter a house in which there is a picture of a dog."

Muslim scholars interpretation's produced the blanket statement against all visual images. Any picture or an animal or a person in a mosque or work or art is seen as idolatry.

Interpretations of the ban on idolatry and animal and human figures varies widely. The prophet reportedly allowed the depiction of animals on pillows, carpets and children's toys. Many Islamic cultures allowed images of animals and people to be used in non-religious buildings and works of art of created for private use. Some of the greatest works of Islamic art were miniature paintings of famous rulers, and court, hunting and battle scnes with lots of human figures found in manuscripts created for the private use of sultans and caliphs.

Deities of Palmyra, idols of gods that existed in Muhammad's time

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

Text Sources: Internet Islamic History Sourcebook: sourcebooks.fordham.edu ; Arab News, Jeddah; “Islam, a Short History” by Karen Armstrong; “A History of the Arab Peoples” by Albert Hourani (Faber and Faber, 1991); “World Religions” edited by Geoffrey Parrinder (Facts on File Publications, New York); “Encyclopedia of the World’s Religions” edited by R.C. Zaehner (Barnes & Noble Books, 1959); Metropolitan Museum of Art, Encyclopedia.com, National Geographic, BBC, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian magazine, The Guardian, Al Jazeera, The New Yorker, Time, Newsweek, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Library of Congress and various books and other publications.

Last updated April 2024