The Wings of the Angels

 بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ

الصلاة والسلام عليك يا سيدي يا رسول الله

In the Name of Allah, the Rahman, the Merciful

Blessings and salutations of peace be upon you my Master, Apostle of Allah

Allah سبحانه وتعالى says:

اَلۡحَمۡدُ لِلّٰہِ فَاطِرِ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالۡاَرۡضِ جَاعِلِ الۡمَلٰٓئِکَۃِ رُسُلًا اُولِیۡۤ اَجۡنِحَۃٍ مَّثۡنٰی وَثُلٰثَ وَرُبٰعَ

All praise belongs to Allah, Originator of the Heavens and the Earth, Who made the Angels Messengers having two, three or four pairs of wings

(Surah 35, Ayah 1)

Allahسبحانه وتعالى has revealed the fact that the Angels are beings that possess wings. We are unable to fully comprehend the reality of these wings, which are much more profound than the wings of birds. Nevertheless, this information is important as a factor in evaluating the visions that individuals claim to have beheld as a basis for attributing some divine authority or otherwise some religious significance to themselves. The false prophet Joseph Smith claimed to have had a vision of an Angel named “Moroni” but without wings. This is not to say that Angels do not manifest themselves in a human form without wings (they certainly do) but Joseph Smith and his followers, the Mormons, deny the fact that Angels have wings altogether. They also believe that humans are transformed into Angels. From an orthodox Islamic perspective the wings of Angels are literal and not merely symbolic representations. Hence, the most holy Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم had a vision of the Archangel Gabriel in a form in which he had six hundred wings, as narrated by Ibn Mas’ud رضى الله عنه

أَنَّهُ رَأَى جِبْرِيلَ لَهُ سِتُّمِائَةِ جَنَاحٍ

He saw Gabriel having six hundred wings (Sahih al-Bukhari & Sahih Muslim)

It is claimed that apart from the so-called “Abrahamic” religions, the Dharmic and other religions are originally divine and heavenly too, like Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, etc. This is a totally false notion that has no justification. The belief in Angels is one of the Articles of Faith in Islam. In fact, it is so fundamental that belief in Angels is mentioned right after belief in Allah:

وَمَنۡ یَّکۡفُرۡ بِاللّٰہِ وَمَلٰٓئِکَتِہٖ وَکُتُبِہٖ وَرُسُلِہٖ وَالۡیَوۡمِ الۡاٰخِرِ فَقَدۡ ضَلَّ ضَلٰلًۢا بَعِیۡدًا

And whoever disbelieves in Allah, His Angels, His Scriptures, His Apostles and the Last Day has surely strayed far away

(Surah 4, Ayah 136)

Hence, the orthodox Islamic creed, known as Iman al-Mufassal, is:

I believe in Allah, His Angels, His Scriptures, His Apostles, the Last Day, the Qadr, its good and its evil from Allah Most High, and the Resurrection after death

So the belief in Angels is the second Article of Faith, only preceded by belief in Allah Himself. The fact that religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism do not have a conception of Angels is sufficient to reject any notion of them being originally heavenly, meaning from the One God. It also illustrates the heresy and unbelief of modernist and naturalist so-called “Islamic” thinkers like Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan who reinterpreted the conception of Angels to mean the unconscious forces of nature.

According to the Torah, God commanded the Israelites to construct two cherubim of gold at the two ends of the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant: “And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be” (Exodus 25:20, KJV)

The construction of these images or figurines was an exception to the general law from the Ten Commandments that forbids the making of graven images. This law remains in the Shari’ah of the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم but the exception with regard to such images that were associated with the Temple cult is affirmed in the Holy Quran:

یَعۡمَلُوۡنَ لَہٗ مَا یَشَآءُ مِنۡ مَّحَارِیۡبَ وَتَمَاثِیۡلَ وَجِفَانٍ کَالۡجَوَابِ وَقُدُوۡرٍ رّٰسِیٰتٍ ؕ اِعۡمَلُوۡۤا اٰلَ دَاوٗدَ شُکۡرًا

They labored for him [Solomon] of what he wished [making] altars, images, basins like large reservoirs and fixed vessels. Work, House of David, with gratitude

(Surah 34, Ayah 13)

Among the articles this Ayah is referring to is the Molten Sea, a large bronze basin which would contain water for the priests to perform their ablutions. Beneath it were the images of twelve oxen representing the Twelve Tribes of Israel. And there were another pair of images of two Cherubim, also with wings but larger than the ones made for the Ark, placed in the Holy of Holies. So while the Ark of the Covenant may indeed have had the constructed golden images of two Cherubim with wings, undoubtedly to symbolize the real Angels, Allah says that the real Angels were also carrying it:

التَّابُوۡتُ فِیۡہِ سَکِیۡنَۃٌ مِّنۡ رَّبِّکُمۡ وَبَقِیَّۃٌ مِّمَّا تَرَکَ اٰلُ مُوۡسٰی وَاٰلُ ہٰرُوۡنَ تَحۡمِلُہُ الۡمَلٰٓئِکَۃُ

The Ark wherein is the Shekhinah from your Lord, and a remnant of what was left of the House of Moses and the House of Aaron. It was carried by the Angels

(Surah 2, Ayah 248)

As the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم had visions of Angels, particularly the Archangel Gabriel whom he beheld in a form with six hundred wings, the Bible mentions the vision of the Prophet Isaiah: “In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isaiah 6:1-3, KJV) The Seraphim are fiery Angels which the Prophet Isaiah saw at the Throne of God with three pairs of wings. Likewise, the Prophet Ezekiel described his vision of Hayyot, special Angels with two pairs of wings: “Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man. And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings” (Ezekiel 1:5-6, KJV). The Prophet Ezekiel mentions the sound of the wings of these Angels: “And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an host: when they stood, they let down their wings” (Ezekiel 1:24, KJV), “And the sound of the cherubims' wings was heard even to the outer court, as the voice of the Almighty God when he speaketh” (Ezekiel 10:5, KJV). This association of the noise of the Angels’ wings with the voice of God has been mentioned by the Prophet Muhammad:

إِذَا قَضَى اللَّهُ الأَمْرَ فِي السَّمَاءِ ضَرَبَتِ الْمَلاَئِكَةُ بِأَجْنِحَتِهَا خُضْعَانًا لِقَوْلِهِ كَأَنَّهُ سِلْسِلَةٌ عَلَى صَفْوَانٍ

When Allah decrees a matter in Heaven the Angels beat their wings in humble submission to His saying, like (the sound of) a chain dragged upon rocks (Sahih al-Bukhari)

إِذَا تَكَلَّمَ اللَّهُ بِالْوَحْىِ سَمِعَ أَهْلُ السَّمَاءِ لِلسَّمَاءِ صَلْصَلَةً كَجَرِّ السِّلْسِلَةِ عَلَى الصَّفَا فَيُصْعَقُونَ

When Allah speaks with Wahi, the Heavenly Ones (Angels) hear a clanging from Heaven like the (sound of) a chain dragged upon a rock (causing them) to swoon (Sunan Abi Dawud)

The wings of the Angels are also mentioned in connection with them being spread as a means of protection and blessing. For instance, the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

أَنَّ مَلاَئِكَةَ الرَّحْمَنِ بَاسِطَةٌ أَجْنِحَتَهَا عَلَيْهَا

The Angels of Rahman spread their wings upon Sham (the Levant, the region of the Holy Land where Jerusalem is located) (Jami’ at-Tirmidhi)