المعنى الاصطلاحي

Belief in and affirmation of the attributes, actions, and names of the noble angels as reported in the Qur'an and Sunnah generally and specifically.

الشرح المختصر

"Eemaan bil-malaa'ikah" (belief in the angels) is one of the pillars of faith and one of the fundamentals of the Islamic belief. It consists of four points: 1. Decisive affirmation of their existence in this world and the Hereafter. 2. Affirmation and belief in the names of those whom we know from among them, such as Jibreel (Gabriel), Meekaa'eel (Michael) and Maalik. Those of whom we do not know their names, we believe in them in general. 3. Belief in what we know of their actions and jobs that they are responsible for, and those which we do not know about, we should believe in them in general. There are those who are assigned with revelation, descending with it from the heaven. Others are assigned with rain and plants, and others with blowing into the Trumpet at the time of swooning and resurrection. There are also the angel of death who is charged with taking the souls at the time of death, angels assigned with the fetuses, and others responsible for protecting the people and recording their deeds, etc. 4. Affirmation of what we know about their descriptions including the following: They are unseen creatures that are concealed from the sight of human beings. They possess real bodies that are created from light. They have wings, maybe two, three, or four, up to six hundred. They have marvelous power and the ability to assume multiple variable forms and shapes, but only good ones. They are neither males nor females. They are Allah’s worshiping and unerring slaves. They are in multitudes, and their number is known to Allah Almighty alone. He has chosen them for His worship and made them envoys and messengers to his creation. They never disobey Allah in what He commands them to do, but they do as they are commanded. They are devoid of all the characteristics of lordship and divinity.