Fath al-Rabbani

It is narrated from Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The angels were created from light, and the jinn were created from a blazing flame of fire, and Adam (peace be upon him) was created from that which has already been made clear to you.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Surely, what I see, you cannot see, and what I hear, you cannot hear. (Listen!) The sky creaks, and it is right for it to creak, because there is not even a space of four fingers where there is not an angel prostrating. By Allah! If you knew what I know, you would laugh little and weep much, you would abandon enjoying your wives on your beds, and you would go out to the hills beseeching (Allah). Sayyiduna Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: By Allah! I wish I were a tree that would be cut down.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The prophets were presented before me. Musa (peace be upon him) was a man of moderate stature; he looked like the people of the Shanu’ah tribe. I saw ‘Isa (peace be upon him); he resembled ‘Urwah bin Mas‘ud the most. I saw Ibrahim (peace be upon him); he resembled your own companion the most—by this, he (peace and blessings be upon him) meant himself. And I saw Jibril (peace be upon him); he resembled Dihyah the most.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw Jibreel (peace be upon him) in his original form; he had six hundred wings, each of which filled the horizon. From his wings, things of various colors, pearls, and rubies were falling, which only Allah Almighty knows best.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) saw Jibreel (peace be upon him) in his original form twice: once when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) requested him to show his true form, so he showed his original form and filled the horizon; the second time was when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) ascended with him, as Allah Almighty said: And he was at the highest part of the horizon, then he drew near and came down, and was at a distance of two bow-lengths or even nearer, and He revealed to His servant what He revealed. So when Jibreel (peace be upon him) sensed his Lord, he came in his original form and prostrated. The command of Allah Almighty is: He saw him once again, by the lote-tree of the utmost boundary, near which is the Garden of Refuge, when there covered the lote-tree that which covered it. The sight did not swerve nor did it transgress. Indeed, he saw some of the greatest signs of his Lord. He said: This is the creation of Jibreel (peace be upon him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Jews came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: Every prophet has an angel who brings goodness to him; tell us, which angel comes to you? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: It is Jibreel (Gabriel), peace be upon him. They said: Jibreel? He is the angel who descends with fighting, combat, and punishment—he is our enemy. If you had mentioned Mikaeel (Michael), then it would have been acceptable, for he descends with mercy, crops, and rain. So Allah Almighty revealed this verse: {قُلْ مَنْ کَانَ عَدُوًّا لِّجِبْرِیْلَ فَاِنَّہ نَزَّلَہ عَلٰی قَلْبِکَ بِاِذْنِ اللّٰہِ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَیْنَیَدَیْہِ وَھُدًی وَّبُشْرٰی لِلْمُؤْمِنِیْنَ } … Say: Whoever is an enemy to Jibreel, then indeed he has brought down (the Qur’an) upon your heart by Allah’s command, confirming what came before it and as guidance and glad tidings for the believers. (Surah Al-Baqarah: 97)

Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) mentioned the angel who will blow the trumpet and said: On his right is Jibril (Gabriel), peace be upon him, and on his left is Mikail (Michael), peace be upon him.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Jibreel (peace be upon him): What is the reason that I have never seen Mika'il laughing? He (Jibreel) said: Mika'il has not laughed since the time the fire of Hell was created.

It is narrated from Sayyidah Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her), she says: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: Arrange my sitting place properly, for the angel is about to descend to the earth who has never descended before.

Abu Alia says: The cousin of your Prophet (Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas f) narrated to me that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Allah Almighty said that it is not permissible for any servant to say that he is better than Yunus bin Matta. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, attributed him to his father. Then the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, mentioned that he was taken on the Night Journey (Isra), and he saw Musa (Moses), peace be upon him; he was a tall man of wheat-colored complexion, as if he was from the people of the Shanu’ah tribe. Then he mentioned Isa (Jesus), peace be upon him, that he was of moderate height, his complexion was inclined towards reddish whiteness, and his body was well-built. Then the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, informed that he saw the Dajjal and Malik, the keeper of Hell.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Bara’ bin ‘Azib (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Indeed, when a servant is in the state of transition from this world to the Hereafter, angels descend to him from the sky, their faces white like the sun, with them is a shroud from the shrouds of Paradise and perfume from the perfumes of Paradise. They sit by him as far as the eye can see. Then the Angel of Death (peace be upon him) comes and sits by his head and says: O pure soul! Come out to the forgiveness and pleasure of Allah Almighty. So it flows out just as a drop of water flows from a water-skin. Then he takes it, and when he takes it, the other angels do not leave it in his hand even for the blink of an eye; they take it themselves and place it in that shroud and perfume. From it comes a fragrance like the best musk found on the face of the earth. Then the angels ascend with that soul, and whenever they pass by a group of angels, they say: Whose pure soul is this? They reply: This is so-and-so, son of so-and-so, calling him by the best names by which he was known in the world, until they bring him to the lowest heaven and ask for the door to be opened. So the door is opened for them, and the angels closest to each heaven accompany him to the next heaven, until the soul is brought to the seventh heaven. Allah Almighty says: Record the book of My servant in ‘Illiyyin and return him to the earth, for I created them from it, and into it I shall return them, and from it I shall bring them forth again. So his soul is returned to his body, then two angels come to him, make him sit up, and say: Who is your Lord? He says: My Lord is Allah. They say: What is your religion? He says: My religion is Islam.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The angels of the night and the angels of the day gather at the Fajr prayer and the Asr prayer. When they gather at the Fajr prayer, the angels of the night ascend and the angels of the day remain. Then when they gather at the Asr prayer, the angels of the day ascend and the angels of the night remain. Then their Lord asks them: How did you leave My servants? They say: When we came to them, they were praying, and when we left them, they were still praying. So forgive them on the Day of Recompense.

Narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: There is no person among you except that a companion from among the jinn and a companion from among the angels has been appointed with him. The people said: O Messenger of Allah! Is there one with you as well? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: There is with me as well, but Allah Almighty has helped me, so he only commands me to do what is right.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Indeed, when Allah Almighty sent Adam (peace be upon him) down to the earth, the angels said: Will You place therein one who will cause corruption in it and shed blood, while we glorify You with Your praise and declare Your holiness? Allah Almighty said: Indeed, I know that which you do not know. The angels said: O our Lord! We are more obedient to You than the children of Adam. Allah Almighty said to the angels: Present two angels, so that they may be sent down to the earth and it may be seen how they act. They said: O our Lord! These are Harut and Marut. Thus, these two angels were sent down to the earth, and the likeness of an extremely beautiful woman from among humanity was presented before them. They desired her for themselves, but she said: No, by Allah! This cannot happen until you commit an act of shirk. They said: By Allah! We will never commit shirk. So she went away and returned with a child. They again demanded immorality from her. She said: No, by Allah! Not until you kill this child. They said: By Allah! We will not kill him. So she went away and came back with a cup of wine. The angels again asked her for herself, but she said: No, by Allah! Not until you drink this wine. So they drank the wine. When they became intoxicated by it, they committed adultery with the woman and killed the child. Then, when they regained consciousness, the woman said: By Allah! In your state of intoxication, you committed everything you had refused. Then, as punishment for this crime, they were given the choice between the punishment of this world and the Hereafter, so they chose the punishment of this world.

Syedna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Indeed, besides the angels who write people's deeds, there are also angels of Allah who roam the earth. When they find people remembering Allah, they say: Come towards your objective. So they come and surround those people up to the sky of the world. Then when they go to Allah, He asks them: In what state did you leave My servants? They say: We left them while they were praising You, declaring Your greatness, and remembering You. He says: Have they seen Me? They say: No. He says: What if they were to see Me? They say: If they were to see You, they would praise and glorify You even more and remember You more abundantly. He says: Tell Me, what were they asking for? They say: They were asking for Paradise. He says: Have they seen Paradise? They say: No, they have not seen it. He says: What if they were to see it? They say: If they were to see it, their eagerness would increase and they would ask for it even more. He says: From what were they seeking refuge? They say: From the Fire. He says: Have they seen the Fire? They say: No. He says: What if they were to see it? They say: If they were to see the Fire, they would flee from it and fear it even more. Then Allah says: Indeed, I make you witnesses that I have forgiven them. They say: Among them is such-and-such a person who is a sinner; his intention was not to sit with them, he only came for some need of his. He says: These are the people (who sit together), the one who sits with them will not be wretched.