10:62, 64: "Lo! verily the friends of God are those on whom fear
cometh not, nor do they grieve... Theirs are good tidings in the life of the
world and in the Hereafter."
The angel of consolation follows the angel of tears. When the angel of
tears touches someone's heart with his wing, that person begins to weep.
One of the great saints, named `Urwa, grew very old and began to pray
that God take Him back to Him and place Him among His beloved ones.
One day,
as he was making such a prayer by the graveside of St. John the Baptist in
Damascus, he saw a very handsome young man coming to him, dressed in green
and covered with blazing light.
The young man smiled at `Urwa and said: "O
my father, may God bless you!
What prayer are you making?" Urwa told him: "O
my son, may God have mercy on you! I am asking for a good end and a quick
return to God for a goodly meeting with the loved ones.
Who are you, my dear
son?" He said: "I am the mercy of your Lord sent to console human beings. My
name is Artiya-il
and I am an angel.
I was created to wipe away the sadness
and pain from the breast of those beloved to God." Then the angel
disappeared, and `Urwa's sadness was gone with him.
One day, the disciples of another great saint went among a certain tribe
in Central Asia and weeks passed without them coming back.
Their master was
meditating one day with a heavy heart, worried that something might have
happened to them.
A green bird of Paradise came to his window and began to
chant with a voice which wiped clean his heart from all sadness:
"I am
Artiya'il, I am the destroyer of sadness! I am the bringer of good news to
the hearts of children and men and women young and old. I bring you news of
your beloved ones." Later, the master said: "I knew Artiya'il would come,
but I had to despair first!"
Artiya'il is the angel who allows people to return to their normal lives
and free themselves from the pangs of depression and anxiety.
These diseases of the soul are great tests which God sends to human beings
to remind them that they should not run after material things and forget
their angelic inheritance.
Angels always remember God. If they stopped they would instantly cease to
exist.
Similarly, human beings need to remember the Creator of all that surrounds
them in order to live happily in those surroundings.
God ordered the angels to serve those who remember Him and fight those who
forget Him.
This is not to punish them but to help them and correct them. Babies and
children cry when they are given bitter medicine.
Grown-ups know their need for the angelic
energies of goodness and beauty, and if they choose to ignore such a need,
they are reminded of it through the medicine of depression. The latter is
the effect of the "shock to the system" of those who forget God, the Creator
of goodness and beauty.
The characteristic of an angelic nature is to be able to feed and sleep on
the remembrance of God, whereas brute beasts are unable to feed on other
than fodder or sleep without giving up their conscience.
When human beings do this over a long period of time rust builds up on the
heart.
Depression settles in and melancholy finds a permanent home.
That is why the Prophet said: "Everything has a polish, and the polish of
hearts is the remembrance of God."
Depression is a sickness of heart and soul made possible only through
heedlessness.
A vigilant heart keeps belief and hope and trust posted at its
gate as so many guardian angels.
It never allows the darkness of depression
and doubt to enter.
Human hearts are a precious treasure.
Many thieves lurk
in the surrounding shadows looking to rob and plunder it.
However, when the
owner of the treasure is a friend of God, the treasure is well guarded.
Its
guardians are fed and paid with the currency of faith and remembrance.
If
there is no faith, there are no guardians; if no remembrance, no salary.
Without guardians the palace doors lay open to what is unwanted. Thieves
will never go to an empty house. That is why the Holy Koran insists that:
"We verily did honor all the children of Adam" [17:70]. The
explanation of that honor is the treasure which God deposited into the
hearts of human beings.
Angels teach those among human beings who are able to connect with them
never to be cheated and robbed of the angelic light of their hearts.
Arina’il
Heaven from copper and has named it Zaytun
The Third Heaven
“The Lord Almighty
created this Heaven from copper and has named it Zaytun. The name of
its guardian angel is Arina’il. Its gate is of
white pearls and it has a lock of light. When Jibra’il knocked upon the
gate, the guardian angel called from within, ‘Who is it requesting entry?’
Jibra’il answered, ‘It is I, Jibra’il.’ ‘And who is this with you?’ asked
the keeper of the gate. ‘It is Muhammad {s},’ replied Jibra’il. Again he
asked, ‘Has he been given prophethood?’ ‘Yes, he has,’ answered Jibra’il.
‘Has he received summons and invitation?’ ‘Yes, he has,’ replied Jibra’il.
Then Arina’il opened the gates, saying, ‘Welcome to you, how pleasing a
guest!’ I entered this Heaven and I beheld Arina’il to be a great and
majestic angel.
“He had at his command three
hundred thousand
angels who engaged in this Tasbih:
Subhanal-mutiyl-wahhab,
Subhanal-fattahil-‘alim,
Subhanal-mujibi liman da’ahu.
(Praise be to the Giver of all things, the
generous Bestower,
Praise to the Opener of All Ways, the
All-Knowing,
Praise to Him who answers all prayers.)”
“I greeted this angel and he responded with
full reverence and gave me news of many and varied blessings and gifts that
were to come to me. After that, I went on and came upon a large group of
angels ranged in rows and all in the position of Sajda. While bowing thus,
they were engaged in this Tasbih:”
Subhanal-khaliqil-azhim,
Subhana-lladhi la mafarra wa la
malja’a minhu illa ilayhi,
Subhanal-‘aliyyil-a’la.
(Praised be the Almighty Creator,
Praise be to Him from whom there is no escape
and no refuge but in Him; Praised be the Highest of All.)
“Jibra’il then said to me, ‘They are
perpetually engaged in this form of worship. Pray that the Lord grant that
also to your nation.’ Then I prayed to the Lord and He granted to my nation
the Sajdah in their prayer. This is the reason why the Sajdah in our prayer is
doubled: when I came and saluted them,
they raised their heads from their
Sajdah to receive my salute, then they again bowed down. Therefore, my nation
was obliged to perform the Sajdah twice in their prayer.”
Harquaeel.
God has created this Angel to show the greatness of the
Throne
The Angels of the Throne
39:75: "And thou (O Muhammad) seest the angels thronging round the
Throne, hymning the praises of their Lord. And they are judged aright. And
it is said: Praise be to God, the Lord of the Worlds!"
69:17: "And the angels will be on the sides thereof, and eight will
uphold the throne of their Lord that day, above them."
God has created the divine Throne with light from His light.
The
greatness of the Throne is such that, besides it, all the seven heavens and
the seven earths are like a tiny mustard-seed in the midst of a great
desert.
When God wanted to show the greatness of the Throne, He created an
angel by the name of Harquaeel.
This angel has eighteen thousand wings.
Delighting in his many wings, this angel was taken by the desire to appraise
the size of the divine Throne.
God said to that angel: "O Harquaeel, I know
that you have an ambition to see the greatness of My divine Throne, so I am
granting you another eighteen thousand wings, and allowing you to fly with
all your might roundabout My divine Throne.
Harquaeel deployed his wings and flew for three thousand light-years
until he grew tired, even though angels do not get tired, and had to rest.
Again, the divine command came, saying to him: "Harquaeel, fly on!" A second
time, the angel deployed his wings and flew on for another three thousand
light-years. Again, he grew tired and had to stop. A third time the command
came to him to fly more. And a third time he deployed his wings. He flew on
another three thousand light-years until he stopped again, dazed by the
great distance which not even his wings allowed him to encompass.
Harquaeel spoke to His Lord:
- "O my Lord and Creator, tell me how many times now I have circled
Your Throne?" The Lord of heavens and earth and all creation answered: "O
Harquaeel! you have been flying for nine thousand light-years, but you
have not reached even one pillar of the base of the Throne!" Harquaeel
felt shame and repented of his desire to measure the greatness of his
Lord's creation and to know the extent of His secrets. God then spoke to
him and said: "O Harquaeel! if I had ordered you to fly incessantly up
until the Day of resurrection, you would still not be able to reach the
knowledge of the first pillar of the divine Throne. No-one can know the
unknowable except by My favor and My grant."
God has created eight angels to carry the divine Throne. These angels are
immensely powerful and awesome.
Each has a sevenfold aspect: one face in
front, one face in back, one face on the right, one face on the left, one
face facing up, one face facing down, and one face at the
centerpoint or
heart connecting all six faces.
This face is the most radiant and powerful. It is the
receptacle and source of angelic energy.
These seven faces correspond to the seven heavens and the seven earths. { 7
Levels of The Heart}
In the court of the Almighty, these angels have been granted immense honor.
They are from among the very first angels to be
created.
The first of the eight angels has a human form
and is constantly praying on behalf of the human race, saying:
"O Lord! give ample provision to mankind, and look
upon them with kindness and favor."
The second angel is shaped
like a lion, and his prayer is: "O Lord! give their
provision to each animal from among the beasts of prey."
The third angel is shaped like an ox and he intercedes
on behalf of domestic animals and the pasturing beasts. He prays that
their provision never be lacking and that they might be at ease.
The fourth angel has the
form of an eagle and he prays for the benefit of the birds and all winged
creatures.
The fifth angel is shaped like the sun and his light
shines upon the planet earth.
He prays for the benefit of the human race, animals, and nature, so that
they may enjoy the energy that he is sending.
The sixth angel is shaped like a tree whose leaves
represent everything which God has created. He prays for all these
leaves that they flourish by receiving the nectar of God's praise.
The seventh angel has the shape of a constellation.
He is the source and the center of all the others.
He turns to God and receives His light.
God placed the greatness of the divine Throne on the
shoulders of these angels.
Their heads are underneath the Throne and their feet
reach below the seven earths.
Although angels never tire, the burden of the Throne of the Almighty became
too heavy for them.
They were too weak to bear it. God then inspired them to praise Him in a
certain way: "Glory to You, our Lord, and utmost praise! May Your Name be
blessed, and Your Might, and Your Power! There is no god other than You."
Then the Throne grew light on their shoulders.
God has commanded the entire host of angels in the heavens to come forward
daily and give their praise to the Throne-bearers.
They perform their task of praise in two shifts: one
group salutes them in the morning, the other in the evening.
God has ordered them to ask forgiveness on behalf of mankind. Their tears
are like rivers. From every drop God creates still more angels to praise Him
and to ask forgiveness for human beings until the Day of Judgment.
The angels of the Throne always bow their heads. They cannot raise up
their eyes lest the light that comes from the Throne annihilate them. When
the angel Harqaeel saw the greatness of the Throne and of its carriers, he
recited:
Can any sustain the Almighty?
A servant may carry body and soul.
But to carry God's Throne --
Who can grasp its Reality,
Its vastness? What eye sees the whole?
On no other way does eye see and word comprehend
Except when God says:
"Above His Throne exists Mercy without end."
Eight are its pillars,
Known by non but their Lord.
Muhammad stands first in order by right,
Then Ridwan, Malik, Adam columned and bright
Stand arrayed in rank by his side.
Over Gabriel, Michael, and Israfil
Does Abraham preside:
Eight veiled in darkness
Envision the sight:
How the pillars stand hid
In the might of their height.
Angel Habib
“Weeps for the Sinners and Prays for Mercy Upon Them"
“When I entered this heavenly realm, I encountered
Isma’il in his impressive aspect, seated upon a throne of light. One hundred
thousand angels surrounded him, standing in front, in back, to his right and
to his left. Each of these angels had another hundred thousand soldiers at
his command.”
Isma’il and all those with him engaged in this
Tasbih:
Subhanal-malik-il-a’la.
Subhanal-‘aliyy-il-azhim.
Subhana man laysa ka-mithlihi
shay’in.
(Praise be to the Highest King; Glory to the
High, the Mighty; Glory to Him who is unlike any other.)
I then saluted him and he returned my greetings
and honored me. After this I beheld another group of angels, who stood in
pious reverence in Qiyam, (the standing position of ritual prayer). They all
were engaged in this Tasbih:
Subbuhun quddus Rabbuna wa Rabb-al-mala’ikati
wa-r-ruh
(Praised be He with exalted praise, He who is
holier than holy, our Lord and the Lord of the angels.)”
I beheld a number of
angels created from wind and water. The angel appointed as their head and
overseer was called Ra’ad (which means thunder). He is
responsible for the clouds and the rains.
The Tasbih they were engaged in was this:
Subhana dhil-mulk wal-malakuti
(Praise be to Him in whose Hand lies the entire
creation and its dominion.)
Habib “From this angel’s voice
issued the sounds of thunder and lightning.
In the heavenly sphere there remained not one empty space, angels were
cramped even into the smallest corner, prostrating themselves and praising
the Lord with manifold praises.
But tears were streaming down this angel’s
face, and as he wept, he recited this glorification (Tasbih):
Ya man allafa bayna-th-thalji wa-n-nar,
allif bayna qulubi ‘ibadikal-mu’minin.
(Oh Thou who hast joined the snow and the fire,
unite Thou also the hearts of Thy believing servants.)
“I turned to Jibra’il and asked, ‘Who is this
angel and wherefore does he weep?’ Jibra’il
u explained, ‘He is an
angel, Habib by name. He weeps for the sins of thy nation and prays for
mercy and forgiveness on them.’
Angel Quroos
The Rooster This angel who has the form of a rooster descends to
the earthly skies when it is night, and this is his Tasbih
Rooster’s call “The Holy
Muhammad
{s}makes clear to us these pearls of spiritual wisdom when he says,
‘There are three things that Allah Almighty loves and is pleased with: the
voice of him who recites the Holy Quran; the sound of the rooster’s call;
the voice of him who prays for forgiveness in the time before the dawn.’”
To continue with the Holy Prophet's {s} narrative:
“This angel who has the form of a rooster
descends to the earthly skies when it is night, and this is his Tasbih:
Subhanal-malikil-quddus,
Subhanal-kabiril-muta’al,
La ilaha ill’Allah-al-hayy-al-qayyum.
(Glory to the All-Holy King,
Glory to the Great and Exalted God,
There is no God but Allah, the Ever-Living,
Eternally Abiding.)
Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim,
La ilaha ill’Allah, Muhammadan Rasulullah.
Kullu shay’in halikun illa wajhahu,
al-Wahid ul-Qahhar.
(In the
Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate. There is no God but
Allah; Muhammad is Allah’s Messenger. All must perish save His Divine
Countenance, He who is One, the All-Vanquishing.)
“At
every prayer time, this angel would raise his head and repeat the
glorification:
Bismillahil-‘azhim wa bi-hamdihi
(In the Name of Allah,
the Mighty and in Praise of Him.)
“I entered and beheld the guardian angel of
this Heaven, Mikha’il.
There were two hundred thousand angels at his service, each one of whom had
another two hundred thousand helpers to assist him. I greeted him and he
returned my greetings with reverence. He gave me the joyous news of the many
honors and blessings the Almighty was to bestow on me.
“They were engaged in this Tasbih:
Subhana-llahi kullama sabbaha-llaha
musabbihun,
wal-hamdu lillahi kullama
hamid-allaha hamidun
wa la ilaha illAllahu kullama
hallala-llaha muhallilun
wallahu akbaru kullama kabbara-llaha
mukabbirun.
(Glory be to Allah whenever the glorifier
glorifies Him;
And praised be He whenever the praiser praises
Him;
There is no God but He each time this Tahlil
is recited;
And Allah is Greatest each time this Takbir is
affirmed.)
They remained always in this position and
recited this Tasbih:
Subhanal-warithul-wasi’u-lladhi
yudrikul-absar;
Subhana-lladhi la tudrikuhul-absar;
Subhanal-azhimul-‘alim.
(Praised be He, the Heir Universal who sees,
the All-Discerning;
Praised be He whom our eyes cannot perceive;
Praised be the Majestic, the All-Knowing.)
“Passing on, we reached the angel
Mikha’il who was seated upon a tremendous throne. In
front of him was a great set of scales. Each scale of the balance was so
great that it might have contained all the heavens and earths. A
great many scrolls of paper were stacked in front of him. I went up to him
and gave him my Salams. He received my greetings and rose to greet me in
return. Then he made this supplication on my behalf: ‘May Allah increase
your powers of sanctity and your bliss,’ to which I replied, ‘Amin!’ He then
gave me these joyous tidings, ‘No nation has ever before received such
goodness and munificence as the blessings with which your nation will be
favored. Therefore their scales weigh heavier than those of all other
nations. Happy is the man who follows you with love, and woe upon the man
who turns against you and rebels.’
“There were so many angels surrounding Mikha’il
that Allah alone can know their number. They all spoke to me and said, ‘We
are all subservient to your command, and we constantly recite Salawat upon
you.
From twenty-five thousand years before the creation of Adam until this very
moment, there has been one particular angel responsible for the delivery of
every single drop of rain or snow. For all the growing plants and fruits and
crops, there is an angel assigned to every single one of them, and he
performs his duty perfectly. Having performed his duty once, he does not
repeat his chore again until the Day of Judgment. From this you can gauge
the immense number of angels that are created.’
“The Tasbih of these angels is this:
Subhana Rabbi kulli mu’minin wa
kafirin,
Subhana man tada’u min haybatihi ma
fi butunihal-hawamil.
(Glory be to the Lord of every believer and
every infidel;
Glory to Him, from awe of whom pregnant women
bring forth what is in their wombs.)”
“The glorification of the angel Mikha’il is
this:
Subhana-Rabbil-‘ala
(Glory be to the Highest Lord.)”
According to one narration he
r
is to have said: “If a person perseveres along his life in reciting this
Tasbih, ‘Subhana Rabbil-‘Ala’, when his time to die has come, the
angel Mikha’il will send the Angel of Mercy to him with a gift. He who is
visited in his grave by the Angel of Mercy is made safe from the punishment
of the grave.”
On account of this vision, the Holy Muhammad
{s} included this Tasbih in his Sunna, since Muslims recite
this phrase in every Sajda, so that they may ultimately reach to this
felicity.
The Holy Muhammad
{s} then continued:
“After this we reached a
luminous green sea where there was a multitude of angels - Allah Almighty
alone knows their number – and their Tasbih was this:
Subhanal-Qadiril-Muqtadir,
Subhanal-Karimil-Akram,
Subhanal-Jalilil-‘Azhim.
(Glory be to the Mighty, the All-Powerful;
Glory to the Most Generous of the Generous,
Glory to the Glorious, the Illustrious.)
“I then asked, ‘What sea is this?’ and Jibra’il
told me, ‘The name of this sea is ‘Bahr-al-Akhdar’,
the Green Sea.’ Then Jibra’il recited the Adhan and Iqama, and I led
the angels and inhabitants of the sixth Heaven in a prayer of two Rak’ats.
Then we rose up to the Seventh Heaven.”
Prophet Jesus And John They are related to each other, being
cousins.’ I saluted them and they received my Salams with reverence and
greeted me, saying, ‘Welcome to you, oh righteous Prophet, our righteous
brother!’ Then they gave me tidings of the many Gifts of Grace the Highest
and Holiest Lord had in store for me.
“The Tasbih of ‘Isa Jesus {as} was this:
Subhanal-hannanil-mannan;
Subhanal-abadiyyul-abad;
Subhanal-mubdi-al-mu’id.
(Praised be to the All-Compassionate, the
All-bounteous;
Praised be the Eternal, Never-Ending;
Praised be He who creates from nothing, then
causes to die
and returns to its previous state.)
“After we had passed them, I saw a very great
angel who had seventy thousand heads, and on every head there were seventy
thousand faces. Every face had seventy thousand mouths and in every mouth
there were seventy thousand tongues. Each tongue spoke a different language,
which bore no resemblance to the next.
“Each tongue glorified the Lord as follows:
Subhanal-khaliqil-azhim;
Subhanal-azhimil-‘alim;
Subhanallahi wa bi-hamdihi;
Subhanallahil-azhim wa bi-hamdihi,
Istaghfirullah.
(Praise be to the Creator, the Glorious;
Praise be to the All-Powerful, All-Knowing;
Praise be to Allah and glorified be He;
Praise be to Allah the Magnificent and
glorified be He,
“Who is this?” I asked Jibra’il
u, who told me, ‘This is the
angel who is charged with the distribution of provisions, and his name is
Qasim.
He distributes to every single one his daily provision, no one receives more
or less than his apportioned lot.’”
According to one narration, he is to have said, “If
a person finds himself in straightened circumstances and in the morning
prayer (Fajr) recites one-hundred times the last line of the Tasbih of this
angel between the Sunna and the Fard Rak’ats, then Allah will supply him
plentifully and make his provision bounteous.” This is the line of this
Tasbih:
Subhana-llahi wa bi-hamdihi,
Subhana-llahil-azhim wa bi-hamdihi
wa istaghfirullah.
(Praise be to Allah and glorified be
He;
Praise be to Allah the Magnificent
and glorified be He,
“After passing by this angel, I beheld an even greater, even more wondrous
angel who was seated upon a throne of light. He was silent and of morose
aspect.
The throne he was seated upon had four corners and each corner was supported
by seven hundred thousand pillars of gold and of silver.
Around him were grouped such multitudes of angels, only the Omnipotent Owner
of Might and Bounty, Allah Almighty alone knows their number.
To his right angels were ranged row upon row,
seventy thousand in all, dazzling in their light.
All of them were clad in green and they gave off a lovely scent. Their
words, too, were sweet, and their beauty was so great that it was impossible
to gaze at them.
“To the left were another seventy thousand angels,
ranged row upon row.
Their aspect was of terrible and sinister portent, their faces were black as
night and their speech was rude.
Their clothing was ugly and the smells they emitted were noxious. When they
began reciting their Tasbih, tongues of fire erupted from their mouths.
They held before them fiery clubs and blades, and their eyes were so cruel,
no one could stand to look at them for long.
“The angel seated upon the throne was covered
with eyes from head to foot, which sparkled as Mars and Venus in the sky.
He
also had shimmering wings and in his hand he held sheet of paper, while
before him there was a tablet.
He gazed incessantly at that tablet and not
once lifted his gaze from it. There was also before him a tree, and only
Allah can know the number of its leaves.
Upon each leaf was written the name
of a certain person.
Then there stood before him a type of vessel.
At times
he reached in it with his right hand and drew something out of it, handing
it to the luminous and gentle angels to his right.
At times he reached for
something with his left hand and gave it to the pitch-black angels standing
by his left side.
As I looked at those dark angels, fear fell upon my heart
and I began to tremble. I was seized by a weakness and prostration, and I
asked Jibra’il, ‘Who is this?’ Jibra’il replied,
‘This is the
Angel of
Death, his name is Azra’il. There is no one who can bear to look at him. It
is he who ends all delights, and cuts off from all community.’ He then went
up to him and said, ‘Oh Azra’il, this visitor here is the Prophet of the
Last Times , he is the Beloved
of Allah, the Lord of Mercy. Speak thou to him!’
“Upon these words, Azra’il lifted his head and
he smiled.
Jibra’il approached him and saluted him. I also went up to him
and proferred my Salams.
He received my greetings and showed me great honor.
Then he spoke, ‘Welcome to you, oh Muhammad {s}! Allah has created no
creature more honored than you, and to no nation has He given greater honor
than to your nation. I am gentler and more compassionate towards your nation
than to any nation that went before them.’ In response to these words, I
said to Azra’il, ‘You have gladdened my heart, oh Azra’il, and cleared my
mind of fear. Yet there remains one matter on my mind, for I have seen your
state to be one of gloom and grief and I wonder wherefore.’
“Azra’il explained to me, ‘Oh Rasulullah {S},
since the time the Lord Almighty has appointed me to my post, I have been
living in fear of not being able to discharge my duty and of not being able
to fulfill my responsibility. That is why I appear gloomy and depressed.’
Then I asked him about the vessel he had before him, and he said, ‘That is
the entire world; everything from east to west, from one end of the world to
the other is contained in this dish. I dispose of it at will.’
“Again I asked him, ‘What is this tablet you
are looking at?’ and he said to me, ‘
This is the Lauh al-Mahfuzh,
the Preserved Tablet, on which is inscribed the doom of those who are to die
within the year. The angels write them down and hand the list to me. That is
the Tablet.’ ‘And what is this page?’
I asked. ‘On this page is written the exact hour of time when these souls
are to be taken away.’’ And what is this tree?’ I asked. He said, ‘It is the
tree of the lives of those living in the world.
When a man is born, a leaf unfurls upon that tree upon which his name is
written.
When his time to die approaches, his leaf begins to yellow and wither and
his name appears on the Tablet.
I give this leaf to the angels, and they take it and mix it in his food so
that he eats it.
When he has eaten it, by the leave of Allah he falls ill, and when his time
is up, his name is erased from the Tablet.
I stretch out my hand and seize his soul, whether he be in the east or in
the west of this world.
If he is among the blessed, I hand him to the angels on my right, for they
are the angels of Mercy.
But if he is one of the sinners, I hand him to the angels to my left, for
they are the angels of Wrath.’ May Allah preserve us from the doom of the
wretched sinners, Amin.
“Again I asked, ‘How many of those angels are there?’ and Azra’il replied,
‘I do not know their number, but whenever I seize a person’s soul, six
hundred angels of Mercy and six hundred angels of Wrath are ready to do
their duty.
They wait expectantly to see to which group it will belong. These angels do
their duty only once, the same angels never come twice, and so it will be
until the Day of Judgment.’ After this, I asked again, ‘Oh Angel of Death,
how do you take the soul of every single individual?’ He replied, ‘Since the
time I was created, I have never moved from this spot. Seventy thousand
angels are there to serve me, and each one of these has another seventy
thousand helpers.
“Whenever I have to seize a person’s soul, I
give my order to them and they go out and bring the person’s soul up into
his throat. After that, I just stretch out my hand and grasp it from there.’
I said to him, ‘What I would wish for is that my nation, which is a weak
nation, experience death in a mild and gentle manner.’ He replied, ‘By
Allah, the Lord of Might and Majesty who has made you the Seal of the
Prophets, He Almighty addresses me seventy times during one day and night,
saying to me, ‘Take the souls of those belonging to Muhammad’s nation with
lightness and ease, and judge their deeds kindly.’ Therefore, I am given to
more compassion towards your nation than to any of those who went before
them.
“After this, Jibra’il called the Adhan and
Iqama and I led the angels and all inhabitants of the second Heaven in a
prayer of two Rak’ats.
“I then passed on, and I saw Yusuf in all his
great beauty. Of all existing beauty, Yusuf was given one half. I gave him
my Salams and he returned them with dignity and bade me welcome. He informed
me of many miracles to come and he prayed for me.
I saw Da’ud and his
son Sulayman. I greeted them both and they returned my Salams with respect.
They gave me great good tidings and said, ‘Pray in this night that you might
be given intercession for your nation and that the Lord grant them
security.’ In this way they counseled me.”
“After I left them, I came to an angel seated
upon a throne. This angel had seventy heads and seventy pairs of wings, each
pair spanning all the way from the east to the west. All around him I beheld
enormous angels, each of which was extremely tall. These angels were
punishing a certain group of sinners, beating them with sticks until they
fell apart. Then they became whole again and the angels began beating them
again. I asked whom this great angel was who I saw seated upon the throne. Jibra’il told me that he was the angel Soha’il
and he told me that those I saw being punished were the unjust tyrants and
cruel oppressors from among my nation.
In this way they would be punished until the Day of Judgment.
“Their Tasbih was as follows:
Subhana man huwa fauqal-jabbarin;
Subhanal-musalliti fauqal-musallitin;
Subhanal-muntaqimi mim-man asahu.
(Glory to Him who is above all oppressors;
Glory to Him who attacks all attackers;
Glory to Him who takes revenge on whomever
disobeys Him.)
“After this, I beheld a Sea of Fire surrounded
on its shores by fierce and terrible angels. ‘What is this?’ I asked, and
Jibra’il explained to me, ‘This sea is the ‘Sea of
Sa’q’ (Lighting), and these angels here throw down thundering bolts
of fire and lightning from the heavens onto the earth.’ As it written in
this Holy Verse of the Quran:
He looses the thunderbolts, and smites with them
whomsoever He will.
Angel Malik This is the Guardian of Jahannam
(Hell)
“After this I beheld a door, which was made all
of camphor wood. Its lower groundsill reached down to the lowest level of
the earth, while its upper doorsill reached to just below the Divine Throne.
This door was a double door, on which was mounted a lock as great as Heaven
and earth together. I asked in amazement, ‘What is this door?’ and Jibra’il
answered me, ‘The name of this door is ‘Bab al-Aman’, the Door of Safety.’
I
asked why it was so called and Jibra’il told me, ‘The Lord Almighty created
Hell and filled it with various torments. There came a breath out of Hell,
and all the creatures on earth and in the heavens appealed to the Lord for
help and protection. Then, the Lord of All Majesty created this door between
Hell and the rest of all creation, so that all the creatures of the seven
heavens and earths will find safety from it. Therefore, the name of this
door is the Door of Safety.’
“I then asked to see what was behind that door
and asked for it to be opened, but Jibra’il
u said, ‘Behind this door
you will find Hell, is that really what you want to see?’ ‘Yes, indeed, I
wish to see it,’ I said. Thereupon a Divine Command was heard, saying, ‘Oh
My Beloved, upon a sign of your finger, this door will open.’
“I then signaled with my hand and the door
opened. I looked beyond it and this is what I saw:
a great Minbar
of iron, which had six hundred thousand pedestals.
Upon it sat a great and terrible angel created from fire.
He was busy twisting ropes of fire, making shackles and fetters of fire. His
face was awesome and frightful to behold.
His hand was powerful and his anger was plain to see.
“His head was bowed forward and he recited this
Tasbih:
Subhana-lladhi la yajuru wa huwal-malik-al-jabbar;
Subhanal-muntaqimu min ‘ada’ihi,
Subhanal-mu’ti li-man yasha’a,
Subhana man laysa ka-mithlihi shay’un.
(Praised be He who commits not injustice
and He is the Almighty, Omnipotent King;
Glory to Him who triumphs in revenge over His
foes,
Praised be He who bestows on whomever He wilt;
Glory to Him who is unlike anything.)
“Flames leapt from his mouth as high as
mountains, and from his nose darted flares of fire. This angel was
exceedingly angry and full of rage, and his eyes, each one of which was as
great as the whole world, blazed with fury. As I beheld this angel in all
his awesome aspect, I felt afraid. Were it not for the grace and generous
support from the Lord Almighty, I would have perished from fear. I asked
Jibra’il, ‘Who is this, the sight of whom makes me tremble?’ Jibra’il told
me, ‘Be unafraid, for there is nothing there for you to fear.
This is the
Guardian of Jahannam (Hell) and his name is Malik. Allah Almighty has
created him from His Wrath and since the day of his creation, he has never
smiled yet.
His fury increases with every passing moment. Go up to him now
and salute him.’ Thereupon, I went up and gave him my Salams, but he was so
engrossed in what he was doing that he lifted not even his head. Jibra’il
passed in front of him and spoke to him, ‘Oh Malik, he who has just given
you Salams is the Prophet of Allah, Muhammad {s}.’
“Jibra’il thus introduced me, and when he heard my name, this terrible angel
rose to his feet and honored me with many compliments and respectful
greetings, after which he spoke, saying to me, ‘Oh Muhammad {s}, good
tidings to you!
For the Lord has vouchsafed to you many miraculous doings; and He is pleased
with you: He has forbidden your body to the fires of Hell. From love and
respect for you, He has also forbidden the fires to touch those who follow
you. He has ordered me to treat the disobedient from among your nation with
mildness and restraint.
Apart from Malik, there are
eighteen other guardians of Hell, nineteen in all.
Each one of these angels of Hell commands a division
of demons (Zabaniya)
whose number is known to Allah alone. It is related that Allah described
these angels to His Muhammad
{s} in the revelation of the verse:
When the Holy Muhammad
{s} received this revelation, concerning the nineteen
guardians of Hell, he became distressed on account of his nation, and
pleaded for them to be spared.
The Lord then addressed him, saying, “I have
included in this Book (the Holy Quran)
nineteen letters for your nation, oh Muhammad {s};
if your nation persists in constant recital and
application of the words (comprising those letters), I will make them safe
from the nineteen Guardians of Hell and their army of assistant demons.”
“What is this word of nineteen letters?” asked
Muhammad {s}. “It is the phrase: ‘Bismillahi-r-rahmani-r-rahim’,”
spoke the Lord.
May the Lord Almighty spare us all and reprieve us
on the Day of Judgment from the punishment of Hell for the sake of His
Beloved Prophet Abul-Qasim Muhammad {s}! Amin.
The Holy Muhammad
{s} continued:
“The Guardian of Hell closed the hole to Hell
and Jibra’il called the Adhan for prayer. I led the prayer as Imam and all
the angels and inhabitants of the third Heaven prayed two Rak’ats behind me.
After this we proceeded to the Fourth Heaven.”
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The Angel of Consolation