GUARDIANS OF HUMANITY: HOW ANGELS ARE PORTRAYED IN ISLAM

Abstract

The concept of angels is pivotal and holds a very strong place in Islam. This is because faith in the unseen world that Allah created is an essential element and one of the six articles of faith. A Muslim’s faith would be deemed incomplete without a belief in the existence of angels and other articles of faith such as the belief in Allah, his holy book, all his prophets and messengers, in the day of judgement and in fate and destiny. Believing in such transcendental and metaphysical beings has been a vital characteristic of faith, not just in Islam but in various other religions as well. While angels perform crucial roles in Islam and act as the messengers between the human realm and the unseen world, their perception remains of an enigmatic and obscure nature to many. Through readings of previous literature and the Holy Quran, this research paper discusses and analyses the concept of angels in Islam. In doing so, it aims to specify several aspects of angels—creation, characteristics, duties, names—many of which have been subject to confusion.