Angels in Islam

Belief in Angels (Arabic: ملائكة‎‎ malāʾikah; singular: ملاك or مَلَكْ malāk) is one of the six Articles of Faith in Islam. They are considered heavenly beings performing tasks of God. The basic imagination of angels in Islam developed from the Quran and was influenced by other religions like Judaism and expanded by tafsir (exegesis) and the hadith literature.

Angels take the role of intermediaries performing different tasks of God. They are (mostly) said to be created out of light. Unlike humans or jinn, they have no biological needs and therefore no lower desires predicted by the natural world. Angels in Islam are believed to be able to take human form this is known in the Quran and Hadith literature where Jibrail came in human form to announce to Mary, mother of Jesus, and to Muhammad about reciting the message that is the divine will of God, known to Muslims as the Quran. They may be described as creatures of pure emotion. It has been said that angels lack free will since they are known from the Quran to strictly obey what God commands; but different schools of Islam debate the extent of free will which angels have not as beings of endowed with human reason but as beings who may error, and if they are endowed with free will they are not subject to temptation. The implications of a well-known hadith concerning an argument that took place between the angels of Mercy and the angels of Punishment about what to do with a notorious murderer who repented of his crimes but died before reaching a pre-destination that would have ensured his forgiveness. This is narrated in Sahih Bukhari Volume 4, book 56. This can be seen in Islamic scholarly analysis which suggests the decision-making framework of angels is different from that of mankind, as their souls are composed of light rather than mud-like clay.

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