"The angels also love the gatherings that Allah loves,' the Teacher added. 'They like to accompany those who pray, recite the Quran, mention Allah, or do other good deeds. Thus, a sinner loses the company of angels and gains the company of devils. He can only change this by quickly repenting to Allah.
One of the Sahabah called Usayd Bin Hudayr, radhiyallahu 'anhu, that while he was reciting Surat Al-Baqara at night, and his horse was tied beside him, the horse was suddenly startled and troubled. When he stopped reciting, the horse became quiet, and when he started again, the horse was startled again. Then he stopped reciting and the horse became quiet too. He started reciting again and the horse was startled and troubled once again. Then he stopped reciting and his son, Yahya was beside the horse. He was afraid that the horse might trample on him. When he took the boy away and looked towards the sky, he could not see it. The next morning he informed the Prophet (ﷺ) who said, 'Recite, O Ibn Hudayr! Recite, O Ibn Hudaiyr!' Ibn Hudayr replied, 'O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! My son, Yahya was near the horse and I was afraid that it might trample on him, so I looked towards the sky, and went to him. When I looked at the sky, I saw something like a cloud containing what looked like lamps, so I went out in order not to see it.' The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'Do you know what it was?' Ibn Hudair replied, 'No.' The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'Those were Angels who came near to you for your voice, and if you had kept on reciting till dawn, it would have remained there till morning, when people would have seen it, as it would not have disappeared.' [Sahih Al-Bukhari]Imam Al-Bayhaqi and Al-Bazzar, recorded a hadith, it is shahih according to Al-Albani, that our beloved Prophet (ﷺ) also said, 'When a person uses siwak, and then stands for the night prayer, an angel comes and stands behind him. The angel listens to the Qur’anic recitation and slowly moves closer. He continues to listen and move closer until he finally places his mouth against the mouth of the person. Every ayah that the person recites thereafter would go into the angel. Thus, clean your mouths for reciting Qur’an.'
This shows the importance of standing in the prayer with nice smelling breath. If we then properly recite Qur’an, an honorable guest, an angel, would come to us and receive our recitation straight into his mouth so as to take it up to the heavens.
There is a myth about an angel of love called Cupid—the winged baby that carries a golden bow and arrows—is one of the most famous symbols of Valentine’s Day. His image, or sometimes one of a heart pierced by one of his arrows, is used to symbolize love. So how did a baby become such a big part of February 14th?
In Roman mythology, Cupid is the son of Venus, the goddess of love and beauty. And he is known as the god of affection. Legend has it that Cupid shoots magical gold-tipped arrows at gods and humans alike. By piercing their heart with an arrow, he causes individuals to fall deeply in love. Some legends also say that Cupid is known to change his mind a lot. Not only does he carry golden arrows to make someone fall in love, but he also carries another kind of arrow. This other arrow has a blunt lead tip that makes people fall out of love.
During the 14th to 17th centuries, painters created many works of art that showed Cupid as a baby angel. This same version began to appear on Valentine’s Day cards during the late 1800s. Ever since, the image of Cupid as a flying infant who inspires love has stuck in people's minds. And it’s the version of Cupid that we are most familiar with to this day.
In Islamic perspective, this is the great falsehood, because true angels, only love and bring love, with Allah's permisson. From an Islamic perspective, there is no day without love. So, for a Muslim, it is forbidden and a grave sin to engage in celebrations such as Valentine's Day or the like, even if just using the attributes though, because it is against the pillars of Islam.
Hopefully, knowing this, our esteemed non-Muslim neighbors, would understand it. We believe that they have never forced us to join in its celebration, just as Muslims will never force their belief. I would rember that John Lennon said 'Imagine, all the people, livin' life in peace?'
In the Quran, Allah mentions the names of five angels: Jibril, Mika’il (or Mikal), Malik, Harut, and Marut. Among the angels that are mentioned by name in the hadiths, are Israfil, Munkar, and Nakir. Some angels are mentioned in the Qur’an or the Sunnah, but we are not told their names. For example, we are told about the Angel of Death, and the Angel of Mountains. Many of the ‘ulama’ dislike to carry an angel’s name, such as Jibril, Mikail, or Israfil, because the salaf did not name their children such names, and we should always follow their example. For the same reason, it is disliked to name a girl Malak or Malaak, both of which mean 'angel.'
Jibril, alayhissalam, is mentioned many times in the Quran, sometimes by name and sometimes by description. Jibril is called in the Qur'an "ar-Ruh" which means “the Spirit” or “the Life”. The reason for this name is that Jibril is the angel who carried the teachings from Allah to the Prophets. These teachings gave life and spirit to the hearts of many people.
Jibril was also chosen to blow the life of the noble prophet ‘Isa, alayhissalam, into the body of his mother, Maryam. He breathed into an opening in her clothes. The breath traveled into her body, and as Allah's will, she became pregnant with ‘Isa, alayhissalam
Jibril is also called “ar-Ruh-ul-Amin” which means “the Trustworthy Spirit”. Allah gave Jibril the most important responsibility of delivering His messages to the human messengers. Jibril is also called “Ruh-ul-Qudus”, which means “the Spirit that Belongs to the Holy One.” “The Holy One” or “al-Qudus” is Allah. Allah also called Jibril “Ruhuna”, which means, “the Spirit that Belongs to Us.”
Mika’il is one of the nearest angels to Allah. Some of the scholars believe that his jobs include bringing rain, plants, and food to the creation, all by Allah's permission. Mika’il is appointed over the rain and vegetation from which is created the provision of this world. He has helpers who do whatever he commands them to do by the command of his Rabb. They control the winds and clouds as their Rabb wills.'
So, by seing with the mind's eye, it is, then, that gates are opened for him, one by one, until his mind's journey carries him to the Throne of the Compassionate, where he envisions its huge and great size, its majesty, glory and elevation; he envisions the seven heavens, and the seven earths, whose mass is, compared to the Throne's, like a ring to a desert; he envisions the angels circumambulating the Throne, with their hymns of praise and glorification of the Rabb, rising in chorus. He sees with the mind's eye, the commandments of the Rabb descend from above, managing the worlds and directing the Almighty's soldiers, whose swarms no one can count but their Rabb and King. He realises how directives descend to determine the reviving of multitudes of creatures and the perishing of other multitudes; the honouring of some and the suffering of others; the enthroning of someone and the dethroning of another; the transporting of a blessing from one place to another place; and the fulfilling of all sorts of needs, in all their variety and abundance: the rescue of a bankrupt, the enrichment of an indigent, the healing of an invalid, the saving of someone stricken with disaster; the forgiveness of a sin, the resolution of a crisis, the supporting of a persecuted one, the guiding of a lost one, the educating of an ignorant one, the reclamation of an escaped slave, the safety of a terrified one, the succour of a succour seeker; the empowering of a feeble person, the support of a distressed one, the help of someone who is handicapped, the revenge on an oppressor, the stopping of aggression; all decrees towards the establishing of justice, sympathy, wisdom and mercy, covering all corners of the world. No call distracts Him from another call, the great succession of pleas and petitions do not confuse Him, no matter how numerous, diverse, or simultaneous. He does not complain at the insistence of insistents, and His bountiful bestowings, do not decrease the riches of His treasure by a fraction, for there is no god but He, the Most Proud, the All Wise.
Conceiving this, the believing heart, is prostrated in the presence of the Compassionate, bending in awe of Him, subservient to His might; bound to His hegemony; it will prostrate in front of the King, the True, the Clear, a prostration that is never interrupted until the day of recompence. All this, the heart does while it is still in its place, at home, and not leaving its residence which is a most marvelous wonder of the Rabb's and an over whelming occurrence.
Blessed be the journey, a most rewarding trip, lifting the human and blessing his life and rewarding him amply and ensuring good consequences. It is the trip that revives souls and wins the key to happiness; fills the minds and hearts with peace, not borne with hardship like other trips.'
The disciple asked, 'What about the world of the Jinn?' The teacher replied, 'Listen to the following story!'
[Part 3]
