Messiah's Hands on Wings of Two Angels

 بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ

اَلۡحَمۡدُ لِلّٰہِ رَبِّ الۡعٰلَمِیۡنَ

والصلاة والسلام على خاتم النبيين

Our most holy Prophet Muhammad (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) described the state of the Messiah Jesus during his Second Advent:

وَاضِعًا كَفَّيْهِ عَلَى أَجْنِحَةِ مَلَكَيْنِ

His hands placed upon the wings of two Angels

(Sahih Muslim)

What is the reality of these two Angels who shall accompany the Messiah when he descends, upon whose wings the Messiah shall place his hands? A clue may be found in the vision which the Prophet Muhammad (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) beheld of the Messiah Jesus circling the Ka’bah. In that vision he saw:

وَاضِعًا يَدَيْهِ عَلَى مَنْكِبَىْ رَجُلَيْنِ

His hands placed upon the shoulders of two men

(Sahih al-Bukhari & Sahih Muslim)

Now it may be reasonably concluded that the two Angels who shall accompany the Messiah Jesus during his Second Advent will in fact be two men who are his supporters, or at least appear to be two humans. The Messiah placing his hands on the wings of two Angels shall be manifested with him placing his hands on the shoulders of two men who are his close supporters from our perspective.

Allah (Azza wa Jall) in the Quran explains this matter about the Angels:

وَلَوۡ جَعَلۡنٰہُ مَلَکًا لَّجَعَلۡنٰہُ رَجُلًا

And if We made him an Angel, we would have made him [appear] a man

(Surah 6, Ayah 9)

Islam teaches that the Angels do not ordinarily appear to humans in their true Angelic form, but rather if they are sent down to this worldly plane of existence to appear to humans then they appear as men. The holy Angel Gabriel appeared to the Prophet Muhammad (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) in the form of a man, often in the image of his companion Dihyah bin Khalifah al-Kalbi (radi Allahu anhu). It is true that our holy Prophet (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) beheld Gabriel in his true Angelic form, but that was a spiritual vision which the people around him did not behold. In fact, if the Angels that shall accompany the Messiah Jesus appear in their true Angelic form, then Allah says:

وَلَوۡ اَنۡزَلۡنَا مَلَکًا لَّقُضِیَ الۡاَمۡرُ ثُمَّ لَا یُنۡظَرُوۡنَ

And if We sent down an Angel the matter would be settled, then there would be not be granted respite

(Surah 6, Ayah 8)

So in the case of the Messiah’s second advent it must certainly follow that if the two Angels that accompany him shall be perceived by mankind they shall appear as men. If they shall not appear to mankind then it is difficult to understand why the two Angels as a Sign of his second advent have been mentioned in the Prophecy.

There is the possibility that the two Angels mentioned in the Prophecy are in fact not literal Angels but two real men who have been described as Angels figuratively, due to their Angelic qualities of goodness, etc. It is mentioned in the holy Quran that the Egyptian women, when they beheld the patriarch Joseph, exclaimed that he was an Angel:

وَقُلۡنَ حَاشَ لِلّٰہِ مَا ہٰذَا بَشَرًا ؕ اِنۡ ہٰذَاۤ اِلَّا مَلَکٌ کَرِیۡمٌ

They said, ‘Allah be glorified! This is not a human, verily, this is but a noble Angel!’

(Surah 12, Ayah 31)

These two “Angels” who shall accompany the Messiah Jesus and be his support during the Second Advent may therefore be two of his ministers, as it occurs in a Hadith:

مَا مِنْ نَبِيٍّ إِلاَّ لَهُ وَزِيرَانِ مِنْ أَهْلِ السَّمَاءِ وَوَزِيرَانِ مِنْ أَهْلِ الأَرْضِ فَأَمَّا وَزِيرَاىَ مِنْ أَهْلِ السَّمَاءِ فَجِبْرِيلُ وَمِيكَائِيلُ وَأَمَّا وَزِيرَاىَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الأَرْضِ فَأَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرُ

There is no Prophet except there are two Ministers for him from the Heavenly ones and two Ministers from the Earthly ones. As for my Ministers from the Heavenly ones they are Gabriel and Michael, and as for my Ministers from the Earthly ones they are Abu Bakr and Umar

(Jami’ at-Tirmidhi #3680)