The High Council of Angels
Syed Sharfuddin
When a man dies people ask what has he left in his estate, but the angels ask what has he brought with him for the hereafter. [Reported in Al Baihaqi in Shab Al Eimaan].
Just like the high council of nations in this world which meets in New York at times of serious crisis to discuss the maintenance of global peace and security and has the power to enforce its decisions, there is also a high council of angels in the heaven where selected angels, including Archangel Jibreel, meet frequently to discuss matters related to the actions of human beings on earth. Although a comparison of the flawless high council of Angels with the imperfect united nations’ security council is an inappropriate and unmatchable similitude, it is provided only as an illustration to understand the existence and working of the council of angels in the heavens.
From the little information we have been given in the Quran and Hadith about angels, we know that angels have different ranks and roles. They are assigned different tasks in which they specialise to interact with human beings silently or overtly in the fulfilment of their duties. Some of them are assigned roles at the Arsh or near the Arsh, which is the throne of Allah; others have their duties on different skies; and yet some have their duties on earth. Angels also communicate with each other and pass on the messages from the heaven to the earth, as well as from the earth to the heaven in the performance of their respective missions.
In this high council in heaven the supreme angels whose number is unknown to us, argue among themselves and exchange opinions about the deeds that bring the children of Adam close to Allah and expiate their mistakes. Allah has informed us that the angels who hold Allah’s throne in heaven glorify Allah and seek His forgiveness for the believers:
ٱلَّذِینَ یَحۡمِلُونَ ٱلۡعَرۡشَ وَمَنۡ حَوۡلَهُۥ یُسَبِّحُونَ بِحَمۡدِ رَبِّهِمۡ وَیُؤۡمِنُونَ بِهِۦ وَیَسۡتَغۡفِرُونَ لِلَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوا۟ۖ رَبَّنَا وَسِعۡتَ كُلَّ شَیۡءࣲ رَّحۡمَةࣰ وَعِلۡمࣰا فَٱغۡفِرۡ لِلَّذِینَ تَابُوا۟ وَٱتَّبَعُوا۟ سَبِیلَكَ وَقِهِمۡ عَذَابَ ٱلۡجَحِیمِ﴿ ٧ ﴾
رَبَّنَا وَأَدۡخِلۡهُمۡ جَنَّـٰتِ عَدۡنٍ ٱلَّتِی وَعَدتَّهُمۡ وَمَن صَلَحَ مِنۡ ءَابَاۤىِٕهِمۡ وَأَزۡوَ ٰجِهِمۡ وَذُرِّیَّـٰتِهِمۡۚ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلۡعَزِیزُ ٱلۡحَكِیمُ﴿ ٨ ﴾
وَقِهِمُ ٱلسَّیِّـَٔاتِۚ وَمَن تَقِ ٱلسَّیِّـَٔاتِ یَوۡمَىِٕذࣲ فَقَدۡ رَحِمۡتَهُۥۚ وَذَ ٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلۡفَوۡزُ ٱلۡعَظِیمُ﴿ ٩ ﴾
Those (angels) who carry the Throne and those who surround it celebrate the praise of their Lord and have faith in Him. They beg forgiveness for the believers: ‘Our Lord, You embrace all things in mercy and knowledge, so forgive those (children of Adam) who turn to You and follow Your path. Save them from the torment of Hell (7). Admit them Our Lord to the lasting gardens You have promised to them, together with their righteous ancestors, spouses and offspring. You alone are the Almighty and All wise. (8). Our Lord, protect them from all evil deeds. Those You protect on that Day (from the punishment) for evil deeds will receive Your mercy; that is the supreme triumph. [Surah Al Ghafir, Verses 7 to 9].
In another Surah we are told about the number of angels who will be holding the throne of Allah on the Day of Judgment:
وَٱلۡمَلَكُ عَلَىٰۤ أَرۡجَاۤىِٕهَاۚ وَیَحۡمِلُ عَرۡشَ رَبِّكَ فَوۡقَهُمۡ یَوۡمَىِٕذࣲ ثَمَـٰنِیَةࣱ﴿ ١٧ ﴾
The angels will be on all sides of it and on that Day, eight of them will bear the throne of your Lord above them. [Surah Al Haaqa, Verse 17]
In an authentic Hadith it is reported that if Allah loves a servant among the human beings, He calls out and says “O Jibreel, I love so and so, therefore love him”. So Jibreel loves that person and calls out in the heaven and says: “Allah loves so and so, therefore love him”. So the inhabitants of the heaven love him and the word is passed on and the acceptance of that person is placed on earth. [Narrated by Abu Huraira; reported by Imam Bokhari 461/10 and Muslim 2030/4].
In Al Musnad on the authority of Abu Huraira on the authority of the Prophet, صلى الله عليه وسلم, he said we wait for the prayer after the prayer like a knight who had his horse on the reins in the way of Allah. The angels pray for him as long as he is remembering Allah and does not speak or stand up. In this state, he is in a greater bond with Allah [Ahmad 253/2]. It is therefore advised that when sitting in the mosque in wait for the next prayer, one should not speak to others and instead should spend this precious time in the remembrance of Allah.
In Sahih on the authority of the Prophet, صلى الله عليه وسلم, he said: “A group of people do not gather in one of the houses of Allah, reciting the Quran and studying it among themselves, except that tranquillity descends upon them, mercy covers them, angels surround them and Allah mentions them to those (angels) who are with Him. As for the person who sits in the mosque before the prayer and waits for that particular prayer, he is in prayer until he prays. Angels pray for him for as long as he is in his place. Their prayer calls on Allah to forgive this person and have mercy on him. [Muslim 2074/4 and 443/1; Bokhari 334/2].
The unbelievers make fun of this arrangement and argue that God has retired and assigned the matters of heaven and earth to a council of angels, similar to the belief of the Yezidis in Iraq and the Levant who consider Melek Taus as running the affairs of the world in association with other angels. The Yezidis are not Muslims and do not represent Islamic faith.
As Muslims it is our firm belief that nothing moves in the heaven or universe, of which earth is a small spec, without the Will of Allah.
ٱللَّهُ لَاۤ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلۡحَیُّ ٱلۡقَیُّومُۚ لَا تَأۡخُذُهُۥ سِنَةࣱ وَلَا نَوۡمࣱۚ لَّهُۥ مَا فِی ٱلسَّمَـٰوَ ٰتِ وَمَا فِی ٱلۡأَرۡضِۗ مَن ذَا ٱلَّذِی یَشۡفَعُ عِندَهُۥۤ إِلَّا بِإِذۡنِهِۦۚ یَعۡلَمُ مَا بَیۡنَ أَیۡدِیهِمۡ وَمَا خَلۡفَهُمۡۖ وَلَا یُحِیطُونَ بِشَیۡءࣲ مِّنۡ عِلۡمِهِۦۤ إِلَّا بِمَا شَاۤءَۚ وَسِعَ كُرۡسِیُّهُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَ ٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضَۖ وَلَا یَـُٔودُهُۥ حِفۡظُهُمَاۚ وَهُوَ ٱلۡعَلِیُّ ٱلۡعَظِیمُ﴿ ٢٥٥ ﴾
God: there is no god but Him, the Ever Living, the Ever Watchful. Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him. All that is in the heavens and in the earth belongs to Him. Who is there that can intercede with Him except by His leave? He knows what is before them and what is behind them, but they do not comprehend any of His knowledge except what He wills. His throne extends over the heavens and the earth; it does not weary Him to preserve them both. He is the Most High, the Tremendous.
[Surah Al-Baqarah, Versr 255].
What we learn from these Quranic verses and narrations of Ahadith is that there is a council of angels in heaven which Allah has appointed to carry out different tasks, one of which is to observe the deeds of the children of Adam and pray for their salvation. A Momin is never alone because as long as he remembers Allah, he is being remembered by the superior angels who pray for him to Allah. We also learn that there is a whole system of governance in the heaven which the celestial bureaucracy of angels runs with the command of Allah. These angles not only act as our guardians and record keepers, they also intercede with Allah on behalf of those who are the servants of Allah seeking the blessings and love of their Creator.
Since the angels objected to the creation of Adam but prostrated to him on the command of Allah, it is perhaps by the divine design that Allah wants them to know by observing every servant of Allah, how high he can rise in the sight of Allah by being faithful to his creator in worship and in good deeds. The angels are assigned only one task, worship and glorification of Allah. The son of Adam has been assigned two tasks, one, the same as angels and the other, doing good deeds despite the adversity of Shaitan.
(The main resource of this essay is Ikhtiar al Oula by Zainuddin Abdurrahman Rajab Alhanbali (736 to 795 H) edited by Jasim Al Faheed Al Doosri. Darul Aqsa, Kuwait. 1975.
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