Belief in the Angels

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed that a Muslim's supplication for his fellow Muslim in his absence is answered because it demonstrates greater sincerity. At the head of the supplicator is an appointed angel who says whenever he invokes good for his brother: Amen, and may you receive the same.

1. Encouraging believers to show kindness to one another, even with supplication.
2. Supplicating for others in their absence is an indication of sincere faith and true brotherhood.
3. Restricting supplication for others to their absence, because this demonstrates greater sincerity and presence of heart.
4. One of the reasons for supplications being answered is when a Muslim prays for his fellow Muslim in his absence.
5. An-Nawawi said: The merit of supplicating for a fellow Muslim in his absence—even if one prays for a group of Muslims, this merit is attained. And if one supplicates for the entire Muslim community, it is evident that this merit is also attained. Some of the righteous predecessors, when they wished to supplicate for themselves, would supplicate for their Muslim brother with the same supplication, because it is answered, and they receive the same.
6. Clarifying some of the tasks of angels—among them are those whom Allah has entrusted with this specific task.

صحيح مسلم (4/ 2094) (2733). بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، لسليم الهلالي (2/ 585). نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، لمجموعة من الباحثين (2/ 1018). شرح رياض الصالحين، لابن عثيمين (6/ 48). كنوز رياض الصالحين، لمجموعة من الباحثين (17/ 510).

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: I know and see things that you do not know and see. There was a groaning sound in the heaven like the sound of a camel when the load is placed on its back, and the heaven had every right to groan. The reason for the groaning is that there is not a space of four fingers except that there is an angel prostrating his forehead before Allah, the Exalted. By Allah! If you knew what I know about Allah's magnificent majesty and the severity of His vengeance, you would laugh little and weep much from fear of Allah's absolute power and domination. You would not enjoy women in beds out of terror (of His anger and punishments), and you would go out to the open spaces and roads, crying out loud and imploring Allah, the Exalted, for help and mercy.

- دليل الفالحين لطرق رياض الصالحين، لمحمد بن علان الشافعي، دار الكتاب العربي، بيروت. - بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، لسليم الهلالي، دار ابن الجوزي، الطبعة الأولى، 1418ه. - نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، تأليف د. مصطفى الخِن وغيره، مؤسسة الرسالة-بيروت، الطبعة الرابعة عشر، 1407هـ. - سنن الترمذي، لمحمد بن عيسى، الترمذي، تحقيق وتعليق: أحمد محمد شاكر ومحمد فؤاد عبد الباقي وإبراهيم عطوة عوض، شركة مكتبة ومطبعة مصطفى البابي الحلبي - مصر، الطبعة: الثانية، 1395هـ - 1975م. - مسند الإمام أحمد بن حنبل المحقق: شعيب الأرنؤوط - عادل مرشد، وآخرون إشراف: د عبد الله بن عبد المحسن التركي، مؤسسة الرسالة، الطبعة: الأولى، 1421هـ - 2001م. - سنن ابن ماجه :لابن ماجه أبو عبد الله محمد بن يزيد القزويني، تحقيق: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي، دار إحياء الكتب العربية - فيصل عيسى البابي الحلبي. - صحيح الجامع الصغير وزياداته، الألباني، دار المكتب الإسلامي.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informs that the reward of the prayer that a man offers in congregation exceeds the reward of the prayer he offers in his home or market, i.e. the prayer which he offers alone, as inferred by comparing it to the congregational prayer, and because the prayers offered at home or in the market are performed individually in most cases. Congregational prayer exceeds the prayer one offers alone by the amount of twenty five times. His statement: "That is because," if "that" here refers to the virtue of prayer in congregation over praying alone, then this necessitates that this virtue is restricted to offering the prayer in congregation in the mosque. His statement: "Because if he," i.e. the person, if he performs ablution thoroughly, i.e. properly by doing the Sunnah acts and observes its etiquettes, then sets out in the direction of the mosque, with nothing causing him to go out but the prayer (if something else causes him to go out, or he goes out because of something else along with the prayer, then he will miss the following merits: He will not take a step except that he is raised one degree by it, and one sin is removed from his account, i.e. the minor sins involving rights of Allah, the Exalted. When he finishes his prayer, the angels continue to supplicate Allah for him, seeking mercy and forgiveness for him, as long as he is in his place of prayer, i.e. sitting therein. It is also probable that it means: as long as he remains in it (the place) even lying down, and does not invalidate his ablution. The praying person remains in prayer as long as he is waiting for the prayer," i.e. the period of time during which he is waiting for it.

الإلمام بشرح عمدة الأحكام، إسماعيل بن محمد الأنصاري، دار الفكر، دمشق، الطبعة: الأولى، 1381هـ. تيسير العلام شرح عمدة الأحكام، عبد الله بن عبد الرحمن البسام، تحقيق: محمد صبحي حلاق، مكتبة الصحابة، الأمارات، مكتبة التابعين، القاهرة، الطبعة: العاشرة، 1426هـ. تنبيه الأفهام شرح عمدة الأحكام، محمد بن صالح العثيمين، مكتبة الصحابة، الإمارات، الطبعة: الأولى، 1426هـ. عمدة الأحكام من كلام خير الأنام -صلى الله عليه وسلم-، لعبد الغني المقدسي، دراسة وتحقيق: محمود الأرناؤوط، مراجعة وتقديم: عبد القادر الأرناؤوط، دار الثقافة العربية، دمشق، بيروت، مؤسسة قرطبة، الطبعة: الثانية، 1408هـ. صحيح البخاري، محمد بن إسماعيل البخاري الجعفي، تحقيق: محمد زهير الناصر، دار طوق النجاة (مصورة عن السلطانية بإضافة ترقيم: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي)، الطبعة: الأولى، 1422هـ. صحيح مسلم، مسلم بن الحجاج القشيري النيسابوري، تحقيق محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي، دار إحياء التراث العربي، بيروت، الطبعة: 1423هـ.

‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) informs us that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) told her: “O ‘Ā’ishah, here is Jibrīl giving you greetings of peace.” i.e. he is greeting you with the greeting of Islam. So she said: “and on him be peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah.” Hence, she returned the greeting with a greeting better than it, in compliance with the divine command: {And when you are greeted with a greeting, greet in return with one better than it or [at least] return it [in a like manner]} [Sūrat An-Nisā’: 86]. It is Sunnah that if someone conveyed greetings of peace from one person to another that the latter answers saying: “and on him be peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah.” This is the apparent indication of the above Hadīth by ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her). If the person says: “On you and on him be peace” or “On him and on you be peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah,” then that is also good because the one who relays greetings of peace is doing a righteous deed, therefore you should reward him by supplicating Allah to give him peace, mercy, and blessings. Are you obliged to relay the greetings if someone says: “Send my greetings of peace to so and so”? Scholars elaborated on this matter saying if you verbally commit yourself to do that, then it becomes an obligation on you, because Allah says: {Indeed, Allah commands you to render trusts to whom they are due} [Sūrat An-Nisā’: 58]. However, if someone says: “Send my greetings of peace to so and so” and you remain silent or you said: for instance, “I will if I remember” or something similar, then in this case you are not obliged to relay the greetings except if you remember to do so. Nevertheless, it is better that a person does not burden another with this task as it might be difficult for him. He should, rather, say: “Send my greetings of peace to whoever asks about me.” This is a good thing to do, whereas burdening him with this task is not appropriate because he might feel embarrassed and say: “Yes, I will send your greetings,” but then he might forget, or a long time might elapse before he fulfills this task.

نزهة المتقين، تأليف جمعٌ من المشايخ، الناشر: مؤسسة الرسالة، الطبعة الأولى: 1397ه. صحيح البخاري، تأليف: محمد بن إسماعيل البخاري، تحقيق: محمد زهير الناصر، الناشر: دار طوق النجاة، الطبعة الأولى، 1422هـ. صحيح مسلم، تأليف: مسلم بن الحجاج النيسابوري، تحقيق: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي الناشر: دار إحياء التراث العربي – بيروت. شرح رياض الصالحين، تأليف: محمد بن صالح العثيمين، الناشر: دار الوطن للنشر، الطبعة: 1426هـ. رياض الصالحين، تأليف: محيي الدين يحيى بن شرف النووي، تحقيق: د.ماهر بن ياسين الفحل، الطبعة الأولى، 1428هـ. دليل الفالحين، تأليف: محمد بن علان، الناشر: دار الكتاب العربي، نسخة الكترونية، لا يوجد بها بيانات نشر. منار القاري، تأليف: حمزة محمد قاسم، الناشر: مكتبة دار البيان، عام النشر: 1410هـ.

Ibn Mas‘ūd reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) related to us, and he is the truthful one in his speech, and the trusted one, as Allah Almighty endorsed him. He said: The creation of each one of you is brought together. When a man copulates with his wife, his scattered semen is brought together in the woman's womb as a sperm-drop for forty days. Then, he becomes a clinging clot for another forty days. Then, he becomes a lump, which is a piece of chewable flesh, for a third period of forty days. Then, Allah sends to him the angel, who breathes life into him after the end of the third period. The angel is commanded to write four things: his sustenance, which is the amount of bliss he will gain during his lifetime; his lifespan, which is the duration of his stay in this world; and his deeds, as to what they will be; and whether he will be miserable or happy. Then, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) swore that a person might perform the righteous deeds of the people of Paradise, as they outwardly seem, and he continues in this state until there is only an arm's length (a cubit) between him and Paradise; that is, only a cubit separates him from reaching Paradise. But then destiny overtakes him, and thereupon he performs the deeds of the people of Hellfire, and they become his last deeds, and so he enters Hellfire. This is because it is required for a person's virtuous deeds to be accepted and that he continues to do them and not change course. There is another type of people, who perform the deeds of the people of Hellfire until they are close to entering it, as if only a cubit is separating between them. But then destiny overtakes them, and they begin to perform the deeds of Paradise, and they enter it.

1. It demonstrates the phases of human's creation.
2. Belief in the divine decree and predestination.
3. The outcome of things goes in the course determined by divine decree and predestination.
4. The Hadīth warns us of getting deceived by the appearance of deeds, for deeds are only judged by their endings.

صحيح البخاري (9/ 135) (7454)، (4/ 111) (3208). صحيح مسلم (4/ 2036) (2643). عمدة القاري شرح صحيح البخاري (15/ 130). شرح الأربعين النووية للعثيمين (ص: 84).