Malaikah (Angels)
Malaikah (angels) are regarded as completely obedient to Allah. They have no freewill, no desires and only have the faculty of intellect. According to Muslim belief, angels are created of light instead of earth, like humans. Through the intermediary of angels, described in the Islamic scriptures as obedient spiritual attendants of Allah, the revelations of the Qur’an, and the other Kutub, were communicated and conveyed by the Archangel Jibra’il (Gabriel) to the designated prophets. The Islamic tradition lists the main angels of Allah and their respective roles in the divine plan as follows:
· Jibra’il (Gabriel), the conveyer of revelations;
· Mika’il (Michael), who is charge of sustenance and mercy;
· Israfil (Raphael), the announcer of the end of times;
· Izra’il (Israil/Azrael), the angel of death.
In addition to this, every human being is assigned two angels whose task is to record all the deeds, good and bad, in preparation for the Day of Judgment: “When the twin recorders record [his deeds], seated on the right hand and on the left: he says no word but that there is a ready observer beside him.” (Qur’an 50:17-18)
Then there are Munkar and Nakir. They are the angels that question a person after they die in the grave. These two angels question the dead by questions as follows and treat them according to the answers that they receive: Who is your lord? Who is your prophet? What is your book? Who is your Imam?
Shia belief only: a final key group of angels, are the angels present at the graves of the Imams. This indicates that for Allah’s chosen people, there are blessings in the places where they are buried due to the legacy they left on the earth. It also highlights the sacred nature of such places that should be visited (see 2.3.2 Ziyarah).