"He who has a competence, should has a Bashirah," said the Moon after greeting with Basmalah and Salaam. Then she said, "I once visited a land called Bhumi Svatantra and my reflection of light, caught the conversation between a teacher and his disciple. The Disciple inquered, 'O my teacher, are all religions, the same? Or do all religions lead to the same place?' The teacher replied, 'No. The world's religions don't even agree on what the destination is. The doctrine of religious equality existed side by side in eighteenth century Europe, with doctrines of equality based only on rational argument that men are created equal. Whatever theological basis there may be for the doctrine that men are created equal, is surely doubtful, whether Christian, Buddhist, or followers of other religion, would have different views.
A theoretical religious equality had little practical application in Europe until the period of the Reformation. It remained important, nevertheless, in restraining the lengths to which inequality might otherwise have gone. The idea arose when democracy was supported in modern Europe, came from religious minorities intent on justifying their resistance to persecution—and it's really strange, it happened a long time ago, but it's happening again and again in our Land.
These minorities, were Catholic or Protestant, were often composed of quite humble people. Having lost their natural leaders, whom they had to regard as heretical, they vested authority in themselves. So, actually, what is meant by that, in a country, there should be a guarantee that every citizen has the right to practice their own worship. That is why, our 'Founding-Parents', took the middle way, stating, 'The state guarantees the freedom of every citizen to embrace his\her own religion and to worship according to his\her religion and beliefs.'
'Know that our 'Founding-Parents' are the people of competence, they are able to see, they have bashirah.' The disciple asked, 'What is Bashirah?' The teacher explained, 'Bashirah, from the Arabic word بصيرة, meaning perception, insight and foresight of a transcendental truth.
In short, it can be said that bashirah is the light of the heart. There are three levels of men who have bashirah. Firstly, he\she who uses the Light of his Intellect, will continue to feel his existence and closeness to Allah. This is called Shu'aa al-Bashirah. Secondly, he\she who uses the Light of Knowledge, will feel that their existence does not exist, and that there is only Allah. This is called 'Ain al-Bashirah. Third, he\she who has reached the stage of Divine Light, in fact, he\she only looks at Allah and sees nothing besides Him. It's not that they don't see the nature around them, but because the nature around them is essentially not independent, but is always subject to, and in need of, Allah, then the existence of this nature does not attract their attention, therefore, they perceive the universe and the wealth in it as if it doesn't exist. This is called Haqq al-Bashirah. All the light of this heart's eye, will emit all kinds of glory and very useful benefits so that he\she will istiqamah in settling on the Ultimate Truth and having character of Akhlaq al-Karimah. The deeper discernment of certain knowledge from that truth, is called firasa.'
The teacher was silent for a moment, then said, 'Now, let's start by Looking. In Islamic perspective, Looking has two senses, there is 'looking' with the eyes, the external organ, by which one may see, for instance, the blue of the sky, its stars, its height and vastness. In such vision, man is equal to other species, and so, it is not the vision that man is exhorted to practice. In the other sense, 'looking' is to go beyond the first external vision, to see with the mind's eye. The concept of seeing with the mind's eye, can only be done with a sound reason, combined with the role of the sound heart and good deeds, so that the heaven's gates are opened to the observer; he wanders among its territories and lands, and associates with its angels.
Our external organ, the eyes, couldn't see the unseen or Al-Ghayb. Believing the Unseen is one of the basic tenets of Islam, and one of the Unseen World of which Islam tells us is, the world of the Angels, who are described in great detail in the Quran and Sunnah. Some people think that Iblis, was a fallen angel or that he used to be an angel. Iblis was never an angel, but was actually from the jinns. Allah says,
وَاِذْ قُلْنَا لِلْمَلٰۤىِٕكَةِ اسْجُدُوْا لِاٰدَمَ فَسَجَدُوْٓا اِلَّآ اِبْلِيْسَۗ كَانَ مِنَ الْجِنِّ فَفَسَقَ عَنْ اَمْرِ رَبِّهٖۗ اَفَتَتَّخِذُوْنَهٗ وَذُرِّيَّتَهٗٓ اَوْلِيَاۤءَ مِنْ دُوْنِيْ وَهُمْ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّۗ بِئْسَ لِلظّٰلِمِيْنَ بَدَلًا
'And [mention] when We said to the angels, 'Prostrate to Adam,' and they prostrated, except for Iblis. He was of the jinn and departed from [i.e., disobeyed] the command of his Rabb. Then will you take him and his descendants as allies other than Me while they are enemies to you? Wretched it is for the wrongdoers as an exchange.' [QS. Al-Kahf (18):50]
Allah created the angels different from us. We cannot see them, hear them, touch them, or subject them to any of our human senses. How then can we learn about the angels? Like other matters of ghayb, we learn about them from what Allah tells us in His Book, or what our beloved Prophet (ﷺ) tells us in his hadiths.
The eyes of man, in plain view, could not see the Angels, but not in some animals. The animals can see or hear some things better than men. Sometimes, the animals can see the Angels. Abu Hurayrah, radhiyallahu 'anhu, that the Prophet (ﷺ) said,
إِذَا سَمِعْتُمْ صِيَاحَ الدِّيَكَةِ فَاسْأَلُوا اللَّهَ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ، فَإِنَّهَا رَأَتْ مَلَكًا، وَإِذَا سَمِعْتُمْ نَهِيقَ الْحِمَارِ فَتَعَوَّذُوا بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ، فَإِنَّهُ رَأَى شَيْطَانًا
'When you hear the crowing of roosters, ask for Allah's Blessings for (their crowing indicates that) they have seen an angel. And when you hear the braying of donkeys, seek Refuge with Allah from Satan for (their braying indicates) that they have seen a Satan.' [Sahih Al-Bukhari & Muslim]
The angels usually stay in the heavens. They come down to Earth when Allah orders them. The angels cannot descend from the heavens whenever they wish, but only when Allah tells them. Once, the Prophet told Jibril, 'Why don’t you visit us more often?' Allah then revealed,
وَمَا نَتَنَزَّلُ اِلَّا بِاَمْرِ رَبِّكَۚ لَهٗ مَا بَيْنَ اَيْدِيْنَا وَمَا خَلْفَنَا وَمَا بَيْنَ ذٰلِكَ وَمَا كَانَ رَبُّكَ نَسِيًّا
'[Jibril said], "And we [angels] descend not except by the order of your Rabb. To Him belongs that before us and that behind us and what is in between. And never is your Rabb forgetful.' [QS. Maryam (19):64]
The Angels, are appointed over the heavens and on earth. Every moment in the universe, stems from the Angels. Some poeple claim that it is the Star which do all that, but this claim is not true, the ones who do that, are the Angels. Allah says,
وَالْمُرْسَلٰتِ عُرْفًاۙ فَالْعٰصِفٰتِ عَصْفًاۙ وَّالنّٰشِرٰتِ نَشْرًاۙ فَالْفٰرِقٰتِ فَرْقًاۙ فَالْمُلْقِيٰتِ ذِكْرًاۙ
'By those [winds] sent forth in gusts, and the winds that blow violently, and [by] the winds that spread [clouds], and those [angels] who bring criterion, and those [angels] who deliver a message.' [QS. Al-Mursalat (77):1-5]
Since the angels are part of ghayb that is beyond our physical world, they are not like anything we see around us. We have to keep this in mind when we discuss some of their qualities. For example, we are told that they have wings, but this does not mean that their wings are similar to the wings of birds, bees, or airplanes.
The angels are among Allah’s soldiers, that they are very large in number, and that He, Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, alone knows their count. The angels have wings. Some are stronger than anything we know in this world. Some are larger than anything that we have seen. They usually have a good appearance. They never need sleep or rest, they never have to eat. Many ignorant people, think that all angels are white in color. However, we learn from the Sunnah, that when the angels would appear to some people in this world, they would have colors that fit the occasion. When the Prophet (ﷺ) saw Jibril for the first time, Jibril was dressed in green. Munkar Nakir are blue-black in color. The angels of death, come to the believers with white faces, and to the disbelievers with dark faces.
The angels can change their form whenever Allah wants them to do so. For example, Jibril, alayhissalam, often came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and his companions in the form of a man, just as the angels came to Ibrahim, alayhissalam, as men. And Jibril came to Maryam in the form of a man.
The angels travel very fast. They travel between the Heavens and Earth in a short time, bringing down Allah’s orders, taking up records of our deeds, and so on. The angels must then be faster than horses, rockets, sound, light, or anything else that we know. In our physical world, we say that nothing can travel faster than light. But the angels are not controlled by the laws of this world. Allah is the Creator of the world and its laws. He gives the angels speeds and powers that suit their missions.
We talk about the angels using the male gender: 'he', 'his', 'him', and so on. But this does not mean that the angels are male—nor are they female. The disbelievers during the Prophet's (ﷺ) time said that the angels were the daughters of Allah. It is not right to say that Allah should have a child, whether male or female, because He is the Rabb and Owner of everything. He does not have a child, nor does He need one. Furthermore, we cannot say that the angels marry or have children, because nothing like this is mentioned in the Quran or Sunnah. Aren't the Qur'an and Sunnah our guide so that we don't go astray?
Allah made the angels a most noble and good creation. They are obedient and precise in fulfilling His commands. Thus, Allah entrusted them with the delivery of His messages to the prophets. He also entrusted them to care for the Qur’an that is in the heavens. A person who is good in reading the Qur’an will be with those righteous angels.
The angels receive their knowledge from Allah. They cannot know more than what He teaches them, nor do they know any less than that.
The angels like to listen to good things and hate hearing bad things. They like to listen to Qur’an and to the praise of Allah. They hate listening to music, lies, and other things taught by Shaytan. When the Qur’an is recited nicely and sincerely to please Allah, the angels come close to listen to it.
Our beloved (ﷺ) said,
إِنَّ لِلَّهِ مَلاَئِكَةً يَطُوفُونَ فِي الطُّرُقِ، يَلْتَمِسُونَ أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ، فَإِذَا وَجَدُوا قَوْمًا يَذْكُرُونَ اللَّهَ تَنَادَوْا هَلُمُّوا إِلَى حَاجَتِكُمْ. قَالَ فَيَحُفُّونَهُمْ بِأَجْنِحَتِهِمْ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ الدُّنْيَا. قَالَ فَيَسْأَلُهُمْ رَبُّهُمْ وَهْوَ أَعْلَمُ مِنْهُمْ مَا يَقُولُ عِبَادِي قَالُوا يَقُولُونَ يُسَبِّحُونَكَ، وَيُكَبِّرُونَكَ، وَيَحْمَدُونَكَ وَيُمَجِّدُونَكَ. قَالَ فَيَقُولُ هَلْ رَأَوْنِي قَالَ فَيَقُولُونَ لاَ وَاللَّهِ مَا رَأَوْكَ. قَالَ فَيَقُولُ وَكَيْفَ لَوْ رَأَوْنِي قَالَ يَقُولُونَ لَوْ رَأَوْكَ كَانُوا أَشَدَّ لَكَ عِبَادَةً، وَأَشَدَّ لَكَ تَمْجِيدًا، وَأَكْثَرَ لَكَ تَسْبِيحًا. قَالَ يَقُولُ فَمَا يَسْأَلُونِي قَالَ يَسْأَلُونَكَ الْجَنَّةَ. قَالَ يَقُولُ وَهَلْ رَأَوْهَا قَالَ يَقُولُونَ لاَ وَاللَّهِ يَا رَبِّ مَا رَأَوْهَا. قَالَ يَقُولُ فَكَيْفَ لَوْ أَنَّهُمْ رَأَوْهَا قَالَ يَقُولُونَ لَوْ أَنَّهُمْ رَأَوْهَا كَانُوا أَشَدَّ عَلَيْهَا حِرْصًا، وَأَشَدَّ لَهَا طَلَبًا، وَأَعْظَمَ فِيهَا رَغْبَةً. قَالَ فَمِمَّ يَتَعَوَّذُونَ قَالَ يَقُولُونَ مِنَ النَّارِ. قَالَ يَقُولُ وَهَلْ رَأَوْهَا قَالَ يَقُولُونَ لاَ وَاللَّهِ مَا رَأَوْهَا. قَالَ يَقُولُ فَكَيْفَ لَوْ رَأَوْهَا قَالَ يَقُولُونَ لَوْ رَأَوْهَا كَانُوا أَشَدَّ مِنْهَا فِرَارًا، وَأَشَدَّ لَهَا مَخَافَةً. قَالَ فَيَقُولُ فَأُشْهِدُكُمْ أَنِّي قَدْ غَفَرْتُ لَهُمْ. قَالَ يَقُولُ مَلَكٌ مِنَ الْمَلاَئِكَةِ فِيهِمْ فُلاَنٌ لَيْسَ مِنْهُمْ إِنَّمَا جَاءَ لِحَاجَةٍ. قَالَ هُمُ الْجُلَسَاءُ لاَ يَشْقَى بِهِمْ جَلِيسُهُمْ
'Allah has some angels who look for those who celebrate the Praises of Allah on the roads and paths. And when they find some people celebrating the Praises of Allah, they call each other, saying, "Come to the object of your pursuit.' " He added, "Then the angels encircle them with their wings up to the sky of the world." He added. "(after those people celebrated the Praises of Allah, and the angels go back), their Rabb, asks them (those angels)----though He knows better than them----'What do My slaves say?' The angels reply, 'They say: Subhan Allah, Allahu Akbar, and Alham-du-li l-lah, Allah then says 'Did they see Me?' The angels reply, 'No! By Allah, they didn't see You.' Allah says, How it would have been if they saw Me?' The angels reply, 'If they saw You, they would worship You more devoutly and celebrate Your Glory more deeply, and declare Your freedom from any resemblance to anything more often.' Allah says (to the angels), 'What do they ask Me for?' The angels reply, 'They ask You for Paradise.' Allah says (to the angels), 'Did they see it?' The angels say, 'No! By Allah, O Rabb! They did not see it.' Allah says, How it would have been if they saw it?' The angels say, 'If they saw it, they would have greater covetousness for it and would seek It with greater zeal and would have greater desire for it.' Allah says, 'From what do they seek refuge?' The angels reply, 'They seek refuge from the (Hell) Fire.' Allah says, 'Did they see it?' The angels say, 'No By Allah, O Rabb! They did not see it.' Allah says, How it would have been if they saw it?' The angels say, 'If they saw it they would flee from it with the extreme fleeing and would have extreme fear from it.' Then Allah says, 'I make you witnesses that I have forgiven them."' Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) added, "One of the angels would say, 'There was so-and-so amongst them, and he was not one of them, but he had just come for some need.' Allah would say, 'These are those people whose companions will not be reduced to misery.'' [Muttafaqun Alayh (Agreed upon Sahih Al-Bukhari & Muslim)]
