50 Signs of the Doomsday From the Words of Allah and His Messenger (PBUH)

This is a brief summary of the signs; there are many books, articles, cassettes etc. which discuss these in greater detail. May Allah enable us to recognize and heed the Signs, and strengthen us in the times of tribulation.

“Are they waiting for anything except the Hour, to come to them suddenly? But its Signs have already come!” (Surah Muhammad-18)

PAST

1. Splitting of the Moon. 

2. Death of the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. 

3. A form of death which will kill thousands of Muslims. (Understood to refer to the plague of Amwas during the caliphate of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab.) 

4. A major fighting in Madinah (understood to refer to the battle of al-Harrah during the caliphate of Yazid, 63 AH). 

5. The Muslim conquest of Jerusalem. 

6. The Muslim conquest of Constantinople. 

7. Two large groups of Muslims will fight in war. 

8. A war between the Muslims and a reddish people with small eyes, wearing sandals made of hair (understood to refer to the Mongol Tatar invasion of the Islamic lands.) 

9. A peace agreement between the Muslims and non-Muslims from the yellow race (Chinese, Mongols, etc.) 

10. Thirty impostors (dajjal) will appear, each thinking he is a prophet.
 

PRESENT

11. Naked, destitute, barefoot shepherds will compete in building tall buildings. 

12. The slave-woman will give birth to her master or mistress. 

13. A trial (fitnah) which will enter every Arab household. 

14. Knowledge will be taken away (by the death of people of knowledge), and ignorance will prevail. 

15. Wine (intoxicants, alcohol) will be drunk in great quantities.

16. Illegal sexual intercourse will become widespread. 

17. Earthquakes will increase. 

18. Time will pass more quickly. 

19. Tribulations (fitan) will prevail. 

20. Bloodshed will increase. 

21. A man will pass by the grave of another and wish he was in the latter’s place. 

22. Trustworthiness will be lost, i.e. when authority is given to those who do not deserve it. 

23. People will gather for prayer, but will be unable to find an imam to lead them.

FUTURE

24. The number of men will decrease, whilst the number of women will increase, until for every man there are 50 women. 

25. The Euphrates will reveal a treasure of gold, and many will die fighting over it, each one hoping to be the one who gains the treasure.
 
26. The Romans (Europeans) will come to a place called A’maq or Wabiq, and an army of the best people will go forth from Madinah to face them. 

27. The Muslim conquest of Rome. 

28. The Mahdi (guided one) will appear, and be the Imam of the Muslims. 

29. Jesus Christ will descend in Damascus, and pray behind the Mahdi. 

30. Jesus will break the cross and kill the swine, i.e. destroy the false christianity.
 
31. The Antichrist (al-masih al-dajjal, the false christ) will appear, with all his tools of deception, and be an immense trial. He will be followed by 70,000 Jews from Isfahan (present-day Iran).
 
32. The appearance of Ya’juj and Ma’juj (Gog and Magog), and the associated tribulations.
 
33. The emergence of the Beast from the Earth, carrying the Staff of Moses and the Seal of Solomon, who will speak to the people, telling them they did not believe with certainty in the Divine Signs.
 
34. A major war between the Muslims (including Jews and Christians who truly believe in Jesus after his return) led by the Imam Mahdi, and the Jews plus other non-Muslims led by the Antichrist.
 
35. Jesus will kill the Antichrist at the gate of Ludd (Lod in present-day Israel, site of an airport and a major Israeli military base).
 
36. A time of great peace and serenity during and after the remaining lifetime of Jesus.
 
37. Wealth will come so abundant that it will become difficult to find someone to accept charity.
 
38. Arabia will become a land of gardens and rivers.
 
39. Society will then decay.
 
40. The buttocks of the women of the tribe of Daws will again sway in circumambulation (tawaf) around the idol Dhul-Khulsah.
 
41. A great fire in the Hijaz, seen by the inhabitants of Busra.
 
42. Three major armies will sink into the earth: one in the east, one in the west, one in Arabia.
 
43. An Abyssinian leader with thin shins will destroy the Ka’bah.
 
44. The huge cloud of smoke.
 
45. The sun will rise from the west (its place of setting).
 
46. A gentle wind which will take the souls of the believers.
 
47. There is no-one left on the earth saying, “Allah, Allah” or “There is no god except Allah.”
 
48. Eventually the Day of Judgment is established upon the worst of the people, who copulate like donkeys in public.
 
49. The blowing in the Trumpet by the Angel Israfil, upon which everyone will faint except as Allah wills.
 
50. The second blowing in the Trumpet, upon which everyone will be resurrected.

Posted by S. N. Gillani 10:11 PM 2 comments

Signs of Allah in Honey Bees

The bactericide (bacteria-killing) property of honey is named "the inhibition effect". Experiments conducted on honey show that its bactericide properties increase twofold when diluted with water. It is very interesting to note that newly born bees in the colony are nourished with diluted honey by the bees responsible for their supervision - as if they know this feature of the honey.

When a flower has already been visited, the honeybee can understand that another bee has earlier consumed the nectar of that flower, and leave the flower immediately. This way, it saves both time and energy. Well, how does the bee understand, without checking the flower, that the nectar has earlier been consumed? This is made possible because the bees which visited the flower earlier marked it by leaving a drop on it with a special scent. Whenever a new bee looks in on the same flower, it smells the scent and understands that the flower is of no use and so goes on towards another flower. Thus, bees do not waste time on the same flower.

Honeybees are one of science's great mysteries because they have remained unchanged for 20 million years. That is a big blow to the evolutionists.

Posted by S. N. Gillani 6:02 PM 0 comments

Signs of Allah in Birds

Allah says in the Holy Quran: 

Do they not see the birds suspended in mid-air up in the sky? Nothing holds them there except Allah. There are certainly Signs in that for people who have faith. (Surat an-Nahl: 79)

A bird uses great energy when it takes flight because it has to lift all its body with its tiny wings. Yet, once it is up in the air, Allah has made it easy for it to remain aloft without expending too much effort. Birds can fly for a long time by allowing themselves to rely on the wind. This way, they hardly tire since they consume very little energy. When the effect produced by the wind diminishes, they begin to flap their wings again. By means of this feature Allah has given birds, they can cover very long distances and migrate to remote destinations.

It is interesting that birds' legs, so slender and little in comparison to their bodies, can carry their entire bodies. It is amazing that so many muscles, veins and nerves can exist in such a slender leg! If birds' legs were thicker and relatively more bulky, it would be more difficult for them to fly.

Almost all birds sleep on one leg. This does not upset their balance since their body weight is concentrated on this one leg. Allah has created birds with the features that enable them to maintain such a delicate balance.

The eyes of water fowl have been created for clear underwater vision. While we can't keep our eyes open underwater for even 45 seconds, water birds can easily catch insects and molluscs in water as they plunge their heads into it. Since this is the only way for them to feed themselves, they must have clear vision underwater. For this reason, Allah has created a special structure in their eyes, which permits seeing underwater.

Posted by S. N. Gillani 4:36 PM 1 comments

Signs of Allah in Solar System

  

 

The earth rotates on its axis at one thousand miles an hour; if it turned at one hundred miles an hour, our days and nights would be ten times as long as now, and the hot sun would then burn up our vegetation during each long day, while in the long night any surviving sprout would freeze.

Again, the sun, source of our life, has a surface temperature of 12,000 degrees Fahrenheit, and our earth is, just far enough away so that this 'eternal fire" warms us just enough and not too much! If the sun gave off only one-half its present radiation, we would freeze, and if it gave half as much more, we would roast.

The slant of the earth, tilted at an angle of 23 degrees, gives us our seasons; if it had not been so tilted, vapours from the ocean would move north and south, piling up for us continents of ice. If our moon was, say, only 50 thousand miles away instead of its actual distance, our tides would be so enormous that twice a day all continents would be submerged; even the mountains would soon be eroded away.

If the crust of the earth had been only ten feet thicker, there would be no oxygen without which animal life must die. Had the ocean been a few feet deeper, carbon dioxide and oxygen would have been absorbed and no vegetable life could exist. Or if our atmosphere had been thinner, some of the meteors, now burned in space by the million every day would be striking all parts of the earth, starting fires everywhere.

Because of these, and host of other examples, there is not one chance in millions that life on our planet is an accident.

Posted by S. N. Gillani 8:14 PM 1 comments

Twenty Causes of Forgiveness of Future Sins

Race toward forgiveness from your Lord and a Garden whose width is like the width of the heavens and earth, prepared for those who believed in Allah and His messengers. That is the bounty of Allah which He gives to whom He wills, and Allah is the possessor of great bounty. [Hadeed : 21]

1. Perfecting ones ablution

No worshipper perfects his ablution except that his past and future sins are forgiven. [Hasan, al-Bazzaar]

2. Fasting the month of Ramadan with belief and seeking Allahs reward

Whoever fasts Ramadhan out of Iman and seeking Allahs reward then his past and future sins are forgiven. [Hasan, Ahmad]

3. Performing the night prayer in Ramadan with belief and seeking Allahs reward

Whoever stands (in prayer) in Ramadan out of Iman and seeking Allahs reward then his past and future sins are forgiven. [Saheeh an-Nasaai.]

4. Performing the night prayer on the Night of Qadar with belief and seeking Allahs reward

It (Laylatul-Qadr) is in Ramadan, and expect it in the last ten days; it is on an odd night: on the 21st, or the 23rd, or the 25th, or the 27th, or the 29th, or on the last night (of Ramadan). He who performs the night prayer on it out of belief and seeking Allah's reward his past and future sins are forgiven. [Ahmad]]

5. Praising and thanking Allah after eating and putting ones clothes on.

Whoever ate a food and then said, Praise be to Allah who has fed me this food and provided it for me, without any strength or power on my part, is forgiven his past [and future*] sins. And whoever wears a garment and says, Praise be to Allah who has clothed me with this (garment) and provided it for me, without any strength or power on my part, is forgiven his past and future sins. [Bukhari, Abu Dawud]

6. Getting old in Islam

No one reaches forty years in Islam except that Allah protects him from madness, leprosy and leucoderma. When he is fifty, Allah makes easy his reckoning. When he reaches sixty, Allah grants him repentance. And when he reaches seventy, Allah loves him and the inhabitants of the heavens love him. And when he reaches eighty, Allah accepts his good deeds and overlooks his sins. When he reaches ninety, Allah forgives his past and future sins, he is named the prisoner of Allah on earth and is granted intercession (for forgiveness) for his family. [Hasan, Ibn `Asakir]

7. Leaving the following: performing ruqya (curing with Quran), seeking having ruqya performed on one, cauterization, believing in bad omens.

Narrated Ibn Abbas(RA) the Messenger(SAW) said, I was told: These are your people and amongst them there are seventy thousand who shall enter Paradise without being taken to either account or torment. 'They are those who do not make Ruqya nor seek it, nor believe in bad omens, but trust in their Lord (Allah).' [Bukhari and Muslim]

8. Whose two or three children die and he remains patient

Whoever buries three children, Allah will forbid the Fire for him. [Saheeh, Tabarani]

There are no two Muslim parents whose three children die before reaching puberty except that Allah will enter them into Paradise due to His mercy to the children. It will be said to them, Enter the Paradise, so they will say, Not until our parents enter first. It will be said, Enter the Paradise you and your parents. [Ahmad, an-Nasaai]

Whoever practises ihtasaba (remains content and patient after the death of) three of his offspring will enter Jannah. A woman said, What about two? He said, And two. [Saheeh, an-Nasaai]

To no woman three children die and she remains patient and content, except that she will enter Jannah. Or two (children). [Muslim]

9. Who raises three daughters or sisters and is nice to them

There is no one from my Ummah who takes care of three daughters or three sisters, and is nice to them, except that they will be a veil (protection) for him from the Fire. [Saheeh, al-Bayhaqi and Al-Bukhari in Al-Adab]

10. Defending the honor of a Muslim

Whoever defends the honor of his brother in absence has the right over Allah to be freed from the Fire. [Saheeh Ahmad, al-Tabarani]

11. Sincerity to Allah

No servant who says la ilaha ill Allah, seeking the pleasure of Allah, will reach the Day of Judgment, except that Allah will forbid the Fire for him. [Ahmad, al-Bukhari] Hafidh Ibn Hajr said, Its not like that (i.e. not entering the Fire at all) for everyone who believed in tawheed and worshipped, but it is specific for the sincere, and sincerity (ikhlas) requires the realization of its meaning by the heart. One cannot imagine that the heart will reach that while persisting upon sins, as the heart would be filled with the love and fear of Allah, whereupon limbs will embark upon obedience and leave disobedience.

12. Crying out of fear of Allah

No man who cried out of fear of Allah will enter the Fire until the milk returns to the udder, and dust in the path of Allah (jihad) and the smoke of the Fire cannot go together. [Ahmad, at-Tirmidhi]

13. Performing the prayer in congregation for forty days while reaching the opening takbeer

Whoever prays to Allah for four days in congregation, reaching the opening takbeer, will have two written for him: freedom from the Fire and freedom from hypocrisy. [Hasan. at-Tirmidhi]

14. Being consistent in praying four rak`ats before Dhuhr and after it

Whoever is consistent in praying four units of prayer before Dhuhr and four after it, Fire will be forbidden for him. [Saheeh. Abu Dawood]]

15. Being consistent in praying before sunrise and before sunset.

No one will enter Fire who prays before sunrise and after sunset. [Ahmad, Muslim] - meaning the Fajr and `Asr prayers.

16. Dust of Jihad

The dust of Jihad and the smoke of the Fire will never coexist within a servant, and greed and Iman will never coexist in the heart of a servant. [Saheeh An-Nasaai]

17. Killing a mushrik in war

A kafir and one who killed him will never be together in the Fire. [Muslim, Abu Dawud]

18. Good character

Whoever is easy-going, easy to deal with and kindhearted, Allah will forbid the Fire for him. [Saheeh. Al-Hakim]]

19. Freeing slaves

Whoever frees a believing slave it will be his salvation from the Fire. [Saheeh Ahmad]

20. Salat ut-Tasbeeh (Tasbeeh Prayer)

There is an unusual difference of opinion about this one. Scholars have greatly differed about the authenticity of the relevant narrations, with their rulings ranging from fabricated to authentic. In a narration, Al-Mustamir ar-Rayan relates, Whoever prays it will be forgiven his past and future sins, what he did secretly and what he did openly. [Mentioned by Ibn Hajar in Ma`rifat al-Khisal al-Mukaffirah, Allah knows best.]

Posted by S. N. Gillani 6:15 PM 0 comments

Angels

AL-MALAA'IKAH (ANGELS)

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: Allah, His angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Last Day, and that predestination, both good and bad, comes from Allah.

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'an and via His Prophet Muhammad (Peace & Blessings of Allah 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 THEY ARE CREATED?

They are created from light, as Aa’ishah reported:

The Messenger of Allah (Peace & Blessings of Allah 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'ân says: 

Behold, your Lord said to the angels: ‘I will create a vicegerent on earth.’ . . . [al-Baqarah : 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 : 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:

Praise be to Allah, 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 - 1]

 

THEIR BEAUTY

Allah said, describing Jibreel, upon whom be peace:

 

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 : 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!’" [Yusuf : 31]

 

THEIR DIFFERENCE 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 Allah 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 Ibrahim, the "friend" of Allah and the angels who visited him. Allah says: 

 

 

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." [Az-Zaariyaat : 26-28]

Elsewhere, Allah says: 

But when he [Ibrahim] 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 : 70]

 THEY DO NOT GET BORED OR TIRED OF REMEMBERING AND WORSHIPING ALLAH

Allah says: 

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 Allah 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).

Abdullah 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’an 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)

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:

They [the people in Hell] will cry: ‘O Malik! Would that your Lord put an end to us!’. . ." [al-Zukhruf : 77]

5. Munkar and 

6. Nakeer

From Abu Hurayrah, who said:

The Messenger of Allah (Peace & Blessings of Allah 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

Allah says:

. . . and such things as came down at Babylon to the angels Haaroot and Maaroot . . ." [al-Baqarah 102]

 . . . and none can know the forces of your Lord, except He. And this is no other than a warning to mankind. [al-Muddaththir : 31]

THEIR POWERS

The angels have great powers given to them by Allah, 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 : 17]

 Angels also came to Ibrahim 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 Allah 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 Allah 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 Allah 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 Allah 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 : 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. Allah says: 

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 : 11]

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 Allah says:

 

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 Allah. Verily! Allah 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 : 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:

And He is the subjugator over His servants, and He sends guardians (angels guarding and writing all of one’s good and bad deeds) over you . . ." [al-An‘aam : 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 : 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 : 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 : 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. Allah says: 

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. Allah says:

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 : 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 not made the keepers of the Fire except angels. And We have not made their number except as a trial for those who disbelieve - that those who were given the Scripture will be convinced and those who have believed will increase in faith and those who were given the Scripture and the believers will not doubt and that those in whose hearts is hypocrisy and the disbelievers will say, "What does Allah intend by this as an example?" Thus does Allah leave astray whom He wills and guides whom He wills. And none knows the soldiers of your Lord except Him. And mention of the Fire is not but a reminder to humanity. [al-Muddaththir : 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 : 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 Allah, as He describes in the Qur’aan (interpretation of the meaning):

Those (angels) who bear the Throne (of Allah) 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 Allah) (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 : 7]

Some of the angels travel throughout the world, seeking out gatherings of dhikr (remembrance of Allah). Abu Hurayrah said:

The Messenger of Allah (Peace & Blessings of Allah 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 Allah, 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 Allah be pleased with her) asked the Prophet (Peace & Blessings of Allah 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 Allah 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 Allah 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 Allah. By Allah, 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 Allah.' (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, no. 2312)

Posted by S. N. Gillani 5:27 PM 0 comments