Grade 4IRE

Belief in Angels

Names and roles of major angels — Jibril, Mikail, Israfil, Izrail (3.2, 4 lessons).

📖 6 min read · 2 worked examples · 7 practice questions

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The lesson

Assalamu alaikum, dear students! First, we have Belief in Allah, Belief in Angels, and Belief in His Books. These are the first three pillars. Next, we have Belief in the Prophets, Belief in the Last Day, and Belief in Qadr — that means divine decree. These six pillars form the foundation of our faith. Today, we will focus on the second pillar: Belief in Angels, also known as Malaika in Arabic. We will learn the names of four important angels and what they do for Allah. Get ready to discover who these amazing angels are!

Assalamu alaikum, class! In Arabic, we call them Malaika. First, where do angels come from? Angels are created by Allah from light. The Arabic word for light is 'Nur'. Angels are made of a special, beautiful light – not like our bodies which are made from clay. At these key points about angels. They are created by Allah from light. They have no free will – that means they cannot decide to do something on their own. They only do exactly what Allah commands. We cannot see them in their true form, but they are real. They have many important duties! Angel Jibril (Gabriel) brought the Quran from Allah to Prophet Muhammad. Angel Mikail (Michael) is responsible for rain and food. Angel Israfil will blow the trumpet on the Day of Judgment. Angel Azrael takes people's souls when they die. All of these angels are part of Allah's perfect plan. Today we learned that angels are faithful servants of Allah. They are always obeying Him and helping carry out His commands. We should believe in them because Allah tells us about them in the Quran. Wonderful, everyone!

Next, let's meet the first angel: Jibril (A.S.), also known as Gabriel in English. He is one of the most important angels because of his special job. Jibril's name means 'Servant of Allah', and his main duty is to deliver Allah's messages — called 'Wahy' or revelation — to the prophets. Think of him as the 'Messenger Angel', like a very special postman carrying letters from Allah. His most famous mission was bringing the Holy Quran to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) over 23 years. That's longer than you've been alive! Piece by piece, Jibril brought the words of Allah until the whole Quran was complete. Jibril (A.S.) is the angel who connects Allah with His prophets. Whenever you hear about the Quran being revealed, remember Jibril — the Angel of Revelation.

Let's meet Angel Mikail (A.S.) — one of the greatest angels created by Allah. His name is Mikail, peace be upon him. In English we call him Michael. He is one of the four archangels. His main duty is to provide sustenance — that's called Rizq in Arabic. He makes sure we get food, water, and everything we need to live. He controls the rain and helps plants grow. That's why we have maize and sukuma wiki to eat! Think about how the rain waters our farms. Who brings the rain? It's Angel Mikail, by the command of Allah.

Let's meet another very important angel created by Allah. His name is Israfil (عليه السلام). Israfil has a special job: he will blow the Trumpet, called the Sur in Arabic, to announce the start of Qiyamah – the Day of Judgment. Israfil is one of the four great angels, along with Jibril, Mikail, and the Angel of Death. These are the most important angels that Allah created. You can think of Israfil as the 'Trumpet Angel'. He is waiting for Allah's command. Only Allah knows when that moment will come. When He gives the order, Israfil will blow the Sur immediately. The Sur is a special horn-like instrument. When Israfil blows it, the whole world will end, and everyone who has ever lived will be raised for judgment. That is why his duty is so important.

First, Jibril brings revelation from Allah. Second, Mikail brings rain and food for us. Third, Israfil will blow the trumpet on the Last Day. Fourth, Izrail takes souls when it's time to leave this world. Amazing, isn't it? To increase our Iman, let's learn a beautiful dua that asks Allah for goodness in this life and the next. The dua is: 'Rabbanaa aatina fid-dunyaa hasanatan wa fil-aakhirati hasanatan waqinaa 'adhaaban-naar.' It means: Our Lord, give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire. You've worked hard and learned so much. Congratulations – you are now an Angel Expert! Keep this knowledge close to your heart. Alhamdulillah!

Worked examples

Jibril: A Worked Example

Class, let's put everything we've learned into a story — a worked example. At the title: 'Jibril: A Worked Example.' This means we're going to take the idea of Jibril and see it in action, in a situation you might actually experience. Imagine this: your teacher has a very, very important letter. This letter is so important it's for the Head Teacher of your school. Your teacher can't just leave it on a desk, can she? She needs to give it to someone she trusts completely. She picks the most trusted student in the whole class — maybe the class monitor. That student takes the letter, runs straight to the Head Teacher's office without stopping to play or tell anyone else, and delivers it safely. That trusted student, in our story, is like Jibril. The real story. Allah, our Creator, had the most important message of all time — the Holy Quran. Who did He choose to deliver it? He chose the most trusted angel: Jibril (AS). Jibril delivered it perfectly to Prophet Muhammad (SAW), without changing a single word. Just like your class monitor delivered the letter perfectly. It's simple: Jibril is the angel who ensures Allah's message is perfectly delivered. He is the bridge between Allah and His prophets. Because he is so trustworthy, we can be sure the Quran we read today is exactly the same message that was revealed.

Mikail: A Worked Example

Class, now let's look at a worked example to help us really understand what Angel Mikail does. His name in Arabic is مِيكَائِيل (Mīkā'īl), and in English we say Mikail. Think about making a cup of chai. I know many of you love chai in the morning before school! Let's trace where that chai really comes from. We start with step 1: a cup of chai. To make that chai, we need milk. Step 2: where does the milk come from? The cow. Step 3: where does the cow's grass come from? It grows from the rain and the soil. Who is the angel that Allah, Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, has assigned to manage the rain? That is Angel Mikail. By Allah's command, Mikail brings the rain that makes the grass grow, which feeds the cow, which gives us milk, which makes our chai! You see, by the will of Allah, Angel Mikail helps bring the rain so that our tea can be ready! Every time you enjoy a cup of chai, remember that it is a blessing from Allah, carried through the work of Angel Mikail. Isn't that amazing?

Practice questions

Which angel brings messages — called revelations — from Allah to the prophets? Listen to the options: A.
Which angel is responsible for providing rain, food, and other blessings to all creatures? Again the options: A.
Here's a simple way to remember: Jibril brings the words from above, and Mikail brings the good things we need to live. If you got both right, excellent!
Let's quickly go over the answers. For question one, the angel who delivers messages from Allah to the prophets is Jibril (Gabriel).
The angel who will blow the trumpet on the Day of Judgment is Israfil (Raphael). That's his unique, very important job.
Finally, question four: the Angel of Death is Izrail (Azrael). His duty is a solemn one, but it is part of Allah's plan.
Before we wrap up, I want you to think about this: These four angels each have very different jobs. Why do you think Allah created so many angels with different duties, rather than just one angel that does everything?

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Belief in Angels

📖 The lesson

✏️ Worked examples