The Angels

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Angels are unseen beings of a luminous and spiritual substance that
act as intermediaries between God and the visible world. Belief in
their existence enters into the definition of faith itself: "The
Messenger believes in what was sent down to him from his Lord, and the
believers: Each one believes in God, His angels, His Books, and His
Messengers" (Quran II:285; cf. II:177, IV:136).
The word for angel, malak, whoseroot meaning is "messenger", occurs
more than eighty times in the Quran and repeatedly in the Hadith. The
Islamic concepts of creation, revelation, prophecy, theevents that
occur in the world, worship, the spiritual life, death, resurrection,
and the central position of man in the cosmos cannot be understood
without reference to the angels.
In philosophical and Sufi texts, angelology is often an essential
component of both cosmology and spiritual psychology, since the angels
enter into the definition of both the macrocosmand the microcosm.
Angels in Qur'an & Hadith
The angels belong to the "world of the unseen" ('alam al-ghayb). When
the unbelievers asked why an angel had not been sent down with the
Prophet Muhammad, Godreplied, "Had We made him an angel, yet assuredly
We would have made him a man" (VI, 9).
Even if the angels were to be seen by the outward eye, they would
appear in forms suitable for the visible world (al-shahadah).
Moreover, if God had sent down an angel, then"the matter would be
judged, and no respite would be given [to mankind]" (VI, 8)
For, "upon the day when they seethe angels -- no good tidings that day
for the sinners ... On the day when the heavens and the cloudsare
split asunder and the angels are sent down in a grand descent,the
dominion that day will belongtruly to the All-Merciful; it will be
aharsh day for the unbelievers" (XXV, 25-26)
The Quran often refers to the angels' eschatological function not only
at the resurrection, but also at death and in heaven and hell: "The
angel of death, who hasbeen charged with you, will gather you; then to
your Lord you will be returned" (XXXII, 11).
"If you could only see when the evildoers are in the agonies of death
and the angels are stretching out their hands: 'Give up your souls!' "
(VI, 93)."Believers, guard yourselves and your families against a Fire
whose fuel is men and stones, and over which are harsh,
terribleangels" (LXVI, 6).
"Gardens of Eden which they shallenter ... and the angels shall enter
unto them from every gate" (XIII, 23).
Several of these angels are mentioned by name. Ridwan
("Good-pleasure", IX, 21; LVII, 20) is taken to be the proper name of
the angel given charge of paradise, whereas Malik ("Master",XLIII, 77)
rules over hell. Nakir and Munkar, the two angels who question the
dead in their graves, are mentioned in many hadiths; traditions also
speak of Ruman, who subjects the dead to various trials.
The sacred history of the Prophet's mission provides many examples of
explicit angelic activity in key events. As an infant, the Prophet was
visited by"two men clothed in white, carrying a gold basin full of
snow."
In the Prophet's own words, these angelic beings "split open my breast
and brought forth my heart. This also they split open, taking from it
a black clot which they cast away. Then they washed my breast with the
snow."
God revealed the Quran to the Prophet by means of the angel Gabriel,
who also acted as his guide on the Night of Ascension (Laylat
al-mi'raj). Many witnesses reported the participation of angels in
battles fought by the nascent community.
Concerning the battle of Badr, the Quran itself says: "When thy Lord
revealed to the angels, 'I am withyou, so confirm the believers. I
shall cast terror into the unbelievers' hearts, so strike off their
heads and smite their every finger'" (VIII, 12).
In this world, before death the angels record the deeds of men:"There
are over you watchers, noble writers, who know whatever you do"
(LXXXII, 10-12)."Over every soul there is a watcher" (LXXXVI, 4). The
Prophet added, "They mind your works: when a work is good, they praise
God, and when one is evil, they ask Him to forgive you."
The Prophet also reported that angels take turns watching over men and
assemble together at theafternoon and dawn prayers."Those who spent
the night among you then ascend, and their Lord asks them -- though He
is best informed about you -- how they left His servants. They reply,
'We left them while they were praying, and we came to them while they
were praying.' "
In the same way, when people gather together to remember (dhikr) God,
"the angels surround them, mercy covers them, peace descends on them,
and God remembers them among those who are with Him."

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Stop trying to control others, and change yourself instead

"Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of apeople until they
change what is in themselves." (Quran 13:11)
Brothers and sisters, each of us must accept that we can only change
ourselves. That is the key to changingour situations in life. We can't
control anyone else's feelings or actions. We cannot make anyone love
us, treat us better, respect us even when we deserve it, accept us
even when we are right, befriend us even when we are sweet, orbelieve
in us even when we're true.
Dua' is not a magic spell that allows you to controlother human beings.
Neither will Allah coerce anyone to love us or acceptus. Of course He
can – He has power over all things –but it is not His way. Allah
created us with free will, the ability to choose our own paths in
life, and He does not take that away bycontrolling our emotions
orcompelling us down predetermined roads. Yes, everything is written,
but that does not mean it's forced, only that the outcome is known to
Allah in advance.
I am thinking specifically ofpeople who imagine that there is some
special dua' (prayer) they can say to make someone love them, or stop
abusing them and treat them kindly instead. There is not, to my
knowledge, and Allah knows best. And the same principle extends to all
human interactions: dua' isnot a charm or potion that you can use to
control others.
This is true even in very important matters such as guiding people to
the truthand bringing them to the worship of Allah. We can certainly
pray for Allah to guide someone, but we must understand that Allah's
guidance consists of showing clear signs, no more. It's up to the
individual to make the choice to believe or not. Allah does not force
the outcome.
"And if there was any Quran by which the mountains would be removed or
the earth would be broken apart orthe dead would be made to speak, [it
would be this Quran], but to Allah belongs the affair entirely. Then
have thosewho believed not accepted that had Allah willed, He would
have guided the people, all of them?" (Quran 13:31)
In other words Allah could certainly force everyone into submission if
He willed, or He could manifest miraculous and powerful signs – such
as the earth splitting or the dead speaking – that would compel all
human beings to submit in fear and awe, as He said:
"If We willed We could send down a sign from heaven to them, and then
their necks would be lowered to it in subjection." (Quran 26:4).
For that matter, Allah couldhave created us all in subjugation from
the start. He chose not to.
If Allah chose to leave such critical issues within the realm of our
free will – vital issues such as acknowledging the truth ofAllah's
power, worshiping Him or serving false gods, following the Prophets or
rejecting them (and some even killed their Prophets!)– if He chose to
leave theseall-important issues within the realm of our agency, and
under the dominion of our discretion, do you thinkHe is going to
violate the principle of free will in order to force your boyfriend or
girlfriend to love you and come back to you?
I'm sorry, but this is what itseems to come down to forsome people.
They actuallyspeak of committing suicide if the boyfriend/girlfriend
does not return (ignoring the fact that this relationship
isIslamically unlawful in the first place), then they want a dua' that
will force the object of their desire to fall in love, as if dua' is
some kind of magic powder froma fairy tale.
Nor is dua' going to force your husband to stop abusing you and become
kind and loving. Nor will it change occupiers into happy campers so
that they quit their occupation, or turn tyrants into hippies who will
wear flowers in their hair and open the political prisons. I'm not
belittling these oppressive situations – they have haunted me for most
of mylife, and I consider myself ahuman rights activist. And I'm not
saying that dua' is not effective against oppression – actually the
Prophet (pbuh) has told us that the dua' of the oppressed is one of
those categories of dua' that is guaranteed a response.
Narrated Abu Ma'bad, that the Prophet said, "… and be afraid of the
curse of an oppressed person because there is no screen between his
invocation and Allah." Sahih Bukhari: Volume 2, Book 24, Number 573.
But the response is not going to be forcing someone else to change
heart, or become loving, kind or peaceful. That is an artificial
expectation and it doesn't work that way.
What, then? Is it all hopeless? No, far from it! The hope does not lie
in changing someone else, it lies in changing yourself. That's the
whole point. Your free will and power do not extend over others, but
they do encompass yourself....

Winter is the Season of the Believer

The Dome of the Rock Mosque covered in snow isseen from the Mount of
Olives, 31 January 2008. Blankets of snow that yearbrought the Holy
City of Al-Quds (Jerusalem) and other cities across the Middle East
grinding to a halt as icy weather gripped the mainly desert region.
AFP PHOTOAFP PHOTO/MENAHEM KAHANA (Photo credit should read MENAHEM
KAHANA/AFP/Getty Images)
"The best season to a believer is the winter, its nights are long for
those who wish to pray, and itsdays are short for those who wish to
fast." - Imamal-Hasan al-Basri (rahimahullah)
See Amatullah's concise butinspiring post on MuslimMatters.org: "Why
Winter is the Season of the Believer."

The Power of Dua - - The dua can change our life, our outlook, and our fate. It is the most potent weapon of a believer.

The dua can change our life, our outlook, and our fate. It is the most
potent weapon of a believer.
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Once Prophet Muhammad (sal-Allahu-alayhi-wa-sallam) passed by a people
who were suffering from some affliction. "Why don't they make dua
(prayer) to Allah for protection?" he said. With all the suffering and
disasters Muslims are facing in various parts of the world, the
question canbe directed to all of us today.
It is not that we have forgotten dua completely; we refer to it
regularly. Butour ideas and practice regarding dua have become
distorted. Often it is reduced to the level of a ritual. Generally it
is considered when all our efforts have failed — an actof last resort.
It is belittled through actions and sometimes even with words. Is it
any wonder that today mostly a mention of dua is meant toindicate the
hopelessness of a situation?
What a tragedy, for dua is the most potent weapon ofa believer. It can
change fate, while no action of ours ever can. It is the essence of
ibadah or worship. With it we can never fail; without it we can never
succeed. In the proper scheme of things, dua should be the first and
the last resort of the believer, with all his plans and actions coming
in between.
The most empowering conversation
Dua is conversation with Allah, out Creator, our Lord and Master, the
All Knowing, the All Powerful. This act in itself is of extraordinary
significance. It is the most uplifting, liberating, empowering, and
transforming conversation a person can ever have. We turn to Him
because we know that He alone can lift our sufferingsand solve our
problems. We feel relieved after describing our difficulties to our
Creator. We feel empowered after having communicated with the All
Mighty. We sense His mercyall around us after talking to the Most
Merciful. We get a new commitment to follow His path for that is the
only path for success. We feel blessed with each such commitment.
Our first and last action
In every difficulty our first action is dua, as is our last. We ask
Allah to show us the way to handle that difficulty; we seek His help
in following the path He shows to us; we seek His aid in making our
efforts successful. When we fall sick, we know that we cannot find the
right doctor without His Will; that the best doctor may not be able to
diagnose our condition without His Command; that the best treatment
plan will not succeed without His Permission. We make dua for all of
these. We make dua before we seek medical help, while we are receiving
it and after it has been delivered.
The essence of worship
Dua is the essence of ibadah. A person engaged in dua affirms his
belief in Tawheed (monotheism) and shuns belief in all false gods.
With each dua his belief in Allah grows. He beseeches Him, affirming
his own powerlessness. A person seriously and sincerely engaged in dua
understands exactly the relationship between himself and the Creator
and affirms it through his actions. That is the essence of worship!
Additionally, such a person can never become arrogant or proud, a
logical result of true worship.
Our most potent weapon
Dua is our most potent weapon in all struggles of life as well as in
jihad in the battlefield. During the battle of Badr, the Prophet
Muhammad stood up all night in prayer seeking Allah's help in the
battle between unequal armies that would follow the next day. In the
decisive battles against the crusaders, Sultan Salatuddin Ayyubi was
busy day and night. His days were devoted to Jihad. His nights were
spent making dua, crying, seeking Allah's help. This has been the
practice of all true mujahideen.
Big and small
We should make it a point to make dua for all things big and small. It
is the beginning of wisdom to realize that big and small are arbitrary
labels that aretotally irrelevant in this context. Nothing is too big
for Whom we are asking from; nothing is too small for the one who is
asking. That is why we have been taught to ask Allah when we need
something as small as shoelaces. We should ask as a beggar, as a
destitute person, for that is what we in reality are in relationship
to Allah. At thesame time we should ask with great hope and conviction
that we shall be granted our prayers. We should remember the Hadith:
"There is nothing more dear to Allah than aservant making dua to Him."
On the other hand, a prayer lacking concentration and conviction is no
prayer at all.
All times and all needs
We should make dua at all times, not only during times of distress.
The Prophet Muhammad said: "Whosoever desires that Allah answers his
duas inunfavorable and difficult conditions, he should make plentiful
dua in days of ease and comfort."