Islamic studiesUnit 11

Section 1

By: Zahur, Dulmar, Abida

1.7The meaning and importance of belief in Islamic teaching on

angels

Objectives:1. To be able outline what Muslims believe about angels 2. To able able to give your own opinion, with a reason about the belief. 3. To be able to explain why this belief is important for Muslims4. To be able to evaluate different points of view about disbelief, with reasons

Summery

• Muslims believe that angels are made by Allah to serve Him. They are important because they communicate messages to humans and keep track of the good and bad thoughts and actions of people during their lives.

Angels in Islam

Angels are referred to quite often in the Quran. The main teachings about them are:

• They are made from light• They were created to carry out the exact instructions of Allah• They have no free will so are counted as lower in importance than humans• The number of them is limitless • They are invisible, but on special occasions they appear in human form

Some angels are mentioned by name in the Quran. Muslims believe these angels are important because of what they do and the events with which they are associated. Here are some of them:

• Jibril- who brought the words of the Quran to the prophet Muhammad • Israel- the angel of death• Mika’il, the guardian of places to worship• Israfil, the herald of the day of resurrection• Munkar and Nakir, who question the dead in their graves.