Lesson video

Hello, my young scholars of religion.

My name is Ms. Marx, and I'm going to be your Religious Education teacher today.

Today, we're going to be doing about the nature and role of angels, which is a very important belief within Islam.

And they have some very important roles to play in the history and the story of Islam and the lives of Muslims. So when you're ready, let's go.

So by the end of this lesson today, you'll be able to explain the nature, roles, and importance of angels in Islam.

So let's start with our key terms then.

Angels, beings of light delivering God's messages and watching over humans.

Jibril, the angel who revealed the Qur'an to Muhammad, Gabriel in English.

Malaikah, the Arabic word for angels.

Mika'il, an angel providing spiritual and material help, Michael in English.

So look out for those in today's lesson then.

So our lesson today will have two sections, the nature and roles of angels in Islam and the importance of a belief in angels.

So let's start with our first section then, the nature and roles of angels in Islam.

If no one was watching and you saw the answers to a test coming up on the teacher's desk, would you take a look? So you've got an important test coming up.

You could sneak a peek and see the answers.

Nobody would know.

Would you do it? Pause the video and have a think.

You can talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

What about if you saw some money on the floor that was left by someone and no one would see you pick it up? Would you pick that up? Pause the video again and have a think.

You can talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

I wonder if you really would do those things or not, even if you thought nobody was watching.

Well, Muslims believe every single action is seen by angels who record these actions ready for Judgement Day.

So even if they think nobody else is watching, Muslims believe that there are angels there recording these deeds ready for Judgement Day.

So what do Muslims believe about angels then? Well, Muslims believe that angels, malaikah, were created before humans by Allah and have different roles.

Some are guardians and help humans.

Others have important roles in beliefs about the afterlife.

Other angels record the deeds of humans, good and bad.

And many Muslims believe there's an angel sat on each shoulder recording these deeds.

So for example, when Muslims pray, they'll turn their face to either side and say peace to those angels that are there with them.

So what other beliefs are there within Islam about angels, malaikah? Well, it's belief that angels are beings made of light.

So they're different to humans and the way that humans are made.

These are beings that are made of light.

Also, they follow the orders of Allah.

They can only do what God commands them to.

So they are very trustworthy in their messages that they might bring to humans and the things that they're gonna say to Allah that humans have done.

They were also created before humans, and so the stories in the Qur'an say about how Allah was there with the angels at the time of creating humans and the angels were talking to Allah about this.

So they were created before humans.

They do not have a gender, so they don't have a physical body like a human does.

So they don't have a gender, either male or female, but they may appear male often when they appear to humans so they can kind of understand them in a human form.

And that might take a male appearance, but it doesn't mean that they're actually male.

They can communicate with Allah and humans.

So sort of between Allah and humans, they can pass messages, they can record the deeds, as we said, of what humans do for Judgement Day, and they can bring the messages from Allah to humans.

And they're with humans at all time.

There are angels that are with humans at all times as well, so we can think about how that might be important to Muslims. So where can we look to understand these beliefs in Islam about angels then? Well, the first place we're gonna look is the Qur'an as the ultimate authority in Islam.

And in Surah 2, it says, "The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, as did the believers.

They all have believed in God, His angels, His scriptures, holy books, and messengers." So this is in Surah 2.

What does this text tell Muslims about angels? Pause the video and have another read through and see if you can find it.

Well done, it says here about the messenger believing in God, angels, scriptures, and messengers.

So we can see this is something really important that the Prophet Muhammad, as the messenger, believed in, and so this shows the importance of angels.

It's important 'cause it's listed here along with a belief in God, a belief in the holy books, and a belief in all the other messengers who come.

So it's a really important belief within Islam.

Also in Surah 2, it says this, "Say, 'Whoever is hostile to Jibril, it is he who revealed it to your heart by God's leave, confirming what preceded it, and guidance and good news for the believers.

' And whoever is hostile to God, and His angels, and His messengers, and Jibril, and Mika'il, God is hostile to the faithless." So what does this seem to say about angels to us then? And we've got two angels that are mentioned by name.

So what does this text tell Muslims about a belief in angels? Pause the video, have another read through, and you can talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Well, here we've got that Muslims shouldn't be hostile to angels because there may be a consequence.

We've got here, whoever is hostile to the angels, we've then got God is hostile to the faithless.

So there may be some consequence to people who are hostile to the angels.

So that shows that it's important to be welcoming and to believe in these angels.

And it mentions by name two angels in particular, Jibril and Mika'il.

And the top part about Jibril mentions he brings guidance and good news.

And we can think about that a little bit more, some of the good news that Jibril might have brought to people.

So we can see that Jibril and Mika'il are important angels, and the idea of angels is important within Islam.

So Izzy and Alex are discussing how these sources of authority could support a belief in angels.

Izzy says, "The Qur'an supports a belief in angels as it says the Angel Jibril brings good news, like when he brought the revelations of the Qur'an to the Prophet Muhammad." And Alex says, "The Qur'an also shows that a belief in angels is really important.

When it puts the belief in angels on a par with the belief in messengers and holy books, this shows how important it is." And what I really like about Izzy and Alex's answers is they've said the source it came from.

Well done, Izzy and Alex.

Let's do a quick check.

Which two of these statements are beliefs about angels in Islam? Angels are male.

Angels are with humans at all times.

Angels have different roles.

And angels were created after the first humans.

Which two of these are correct? Pause the video and have a go, and we'll see what you've got in a moment.

Well done, it was B and C because angels may appear male but they don't have a physical body like humans, so they're not actually male, and also, they were created before the first humans.

Well done.

So let's think about some of the important angels within Islam then.

We've got Angel Jibril, who's said to bring good news, just like the passage we've just read earlier.

He also revealed the Qur'an on the Night of Power to the Prophet Muhammad.

So he's involved with the revelations of the Qur'an to the Prophet Muhammad, and that story of the Night of Power is super important, where the Prophet Muhammad is visited by Jibril in the Cave of Hira.

Jibril also appears to Maryam and tells her she's going to be pregnant with Isa.

And Isa's a very important prophet in Islam too, so Jibril brings that good news to Maryam.

And also, Jibril knows the beauty of paradise.

So again, that element of good news and bringing that good news to humanity of what there is in life after death and what paradise is like.

So how might a belief in the Angel Jibril and in these different things that Jibril has done influence a Muslim then? Pause the video and have a think, and you can talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Well, we'll think about that a little bit more later in the lesson.

So other important angels in Islam then.

We've also got Angel Mika'il, and Mika'il is known as Michael in English.

And Mika'il is a friend to humanity, a giver of rain and food.

And you can see why that would be very important, particularly at the time of when the Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, the idea of rain and food being very important for humans.

Then we can see that Mika'il rewards people for good deeds.

So if Jibril brings that good news, it's as if Mika'il rewards people for doing good deeds as a response to that good news.

And Mika'il also asks Allah to forgive people's sins, so we can see why Mika'il's earned this title of being a friend to humanity, sort of on the side of the humans.

So how might a belief in the Angel Mika'il influence a Muslim then? Pause the video and have a think, and we'll see what you come up with in a moment.

Well done.

Other important angels in Islam then.

We have Angel Israfil, and Angel Israfil will blow a trumpet to announce the Day of Judgement.

So Israfil will be there, is waiting now, some hadiths say he's waiting now with the trumpet, waiting to blow that trumpet to announce the last days and the Day of Judgement appearing.

And we've got here in the Qur'an, in Surah 36, "The Trumpet will be blown, then behold, they will rush from the tombs to their Lord." So this links to beliefs about Judgement Day and the resurrection, and before that, the trumpet will be blown by Angel Israfil.

And then finally, Angel Izra'il.

Now, Angel Izra'il is said to have given the dust to Allah to create humans.

If you remember, we said that the angels were there with Allah as the first human is created, and Izra'il is said to have gathered the dust that Allah used to create humans.

So something about life.

But then also, at the other end of that, we've got Izra'il is the one who takes the souls of those who have died over to the afterlife.

So Angel Izra'il is sometimes known as the angel of death.

But also here, we have this sense of Izra'il being there at the beginning when life was first given to humans.

And here we've got the quote from the Qur'an, Surah 32, "The angel of death put in charge of you will reclaim you.

Then to your Lord you will be returned." So this idea of creation, but then also returning to God.

Let's do another check.

Which angel do Muslims believe is a friend to humanity who helps bring rain and food? Which of those angels was it? Pause the video and have a go.

We'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done.

It was Angel Mika'il.

So let's do a practise task to see what we've learned then.

You're going to explain two Muslim beliefs about angels, malaikah.

You're going to refer to sacred writings or another source of Muslim belief and teaching in your answer.

And your answer may follow this structure, a point developed twice.

And for one of your points, you're going to name a relevant source and explain what it teaches in relation to your point.

So you need to name the source, state the source, but then also link it to the point that you're making.

And it could be a quotation or a general belief or teaching.

So pause the video and have a go.

You're going to explain two Muslim beliefs about angels, malaikah, with reference to a source of Muslim belief and teaching.

So pause the video and have a go, and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done, some great work there.

So I asked you to explain two Muslim beliefs about angels, malaikah, and your answer may look something like this: One belief that Muslims have about angels, malaikah, is that they're beings made of light without gender, created before humans.

This means they are different from humans and have different roles in Allah's creation.

Another belief that Muslims have about angels, malaikah, is that they communicate between Allah and humans.

The Angel Jibril brings good news to humans, like the revelation of the Qur'an.

Muslims believe this because it says in the Qur'an, "Jibril, it is he who revealed to your heart guidance and good news." Well done.

So on to our second section then, importance of a belief in angels.

So we said earlier that there are ways that a belief in angels and a belief in Jibril and Mika'il in particular could influence a Muslim.

Well, for beliefs about angels to influence Muslims shows how important they are.

So let's think more about why a belief in angels is important in Islam.

We could have here the role they have in revelations.

We've already said that Jibril had that role in the Cave of Hira particularly, and then the revelations of the Qur'an to the Prophet Muhammad, and also revealing to Maryam that she would be having a child, Isa.

We've got the role that angels have in recording the actions of humans.

So that's very important for Muslims because the idea is that their actions are being written down by the angels for Judgement Day.

There's also the role that angels have before and after Judgement Day, which would be very important for Muslims to consider and think about when they're preparing themselves for Judgement Day and the hereafter.

And it might be a great comfort to think that there are angels involved with this who will be there helping humans through that time.

So linked to that, we have the role that angels have in helping souls into the afterlife, particularly Izra'il that we said, who was there at the creation of humanity but also is there helping souls into the afterlife.

And then finally, that role that angels have now in helping humans on Earth, not just recording their deeds down, but also helping them.

If you remember, Mika'il being the friend to humanity, helping humans on Earth today.

Which of these could be the most important to a Muslim, and why? Pause the video and have a think, and you can talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Well, Fatemeh, Ahmed, Meryem, and Hassan are all Muslims, and they're discussing how their belief in angels influences their thoughts, beliefs, and actions because the importance of a belief can be seen by the way it influences someone.

And an influence could mean that you're thinking differently, you're believing something differently, or you're acting in a different way because of that belief.

So let's see what they say.

Fatemeh says, "A belief in angels means that I think about my actions more carefully." So she thinks before she does something 'cause she knows it's perhaps going to be written down by those angels recording her deeds.

And Ahmed says, "A belief in angels helps me believe there is life after death, as they will help me." So that belief he has about life after death, he believes it more strongly and perhaps he's more comforted by the idea that there'll be angels there that are helping with that life after death.

Meryem says, "A belief in angels means I greet them with peace every time I pray." So if you remember, we saw the picture of some Muslims praying and turning their heads from either side, greeting those angels that are with them and sharing peace with them.

Hassan says, "A belief in angels means I pray each day to make the right choices." So Hassan wants to do the right thing, and a belief in angels is something that encourages him to do this, and he prays for that strength to do the right thing.

Again, perhaps thinking of those deeds being written down.

Thank you, Fatemeh, Ahmed, Meryem, and Hassan.

So, there's often more than one way that beliefs can influence believers, like we just saw.

So let's together give one way that a belief in angels, malaikah, might influence a Muslim then.

Hmm, I think doing good deeds, even when no one is watching.

Even when you think no one else will see what you're doing, you know that the angels are going to be recording it down if you have a belief in angels like this.

So over to you then.

Give one way that a belief in angels, malaikah, might influence a Muslim.

Pause the video and have a go, and we'll see what you come up with in a moment.

Well done.

I have here feeling comforted in hard times because they believe there are angels with them.

So Izzy and Alex now are discussing if a belief in angels, malaikah, is important for Muslims today.

Because obviously a belief in angels is relevant to do with revelations that have been revealed in the past, the creation of humanity, the angels were there discussing this with Allah and the Angel Izra'il was said to get the dust that Allah created humanity out of, but is that belief still important for today then? Let's see what Izzy and Alex think.

Izzy says, "Angels were important in the past for revelations like the Qur'an, but now that Muslims have the Qur'an, they don't need to believe in angels as much." And Alex says, "Yes, but every day, Muslims hope their good actions will be recorded ready for Judgement Day, and that is done by angels.

This shows that they are still important." So which argument here, Izzy's or Alex's, do you find the most convincing, and why? Pause the video and have a think, and you can talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Yes, I think there's convincing arguments for both sides, isn't there? Well, let's explore this a little bit more.

Alex is asking Nadia, a Muslim, "How is a belief in angels, malaikah, important for your faith today, Nadia?" And Nadia says, "A belief in angels is really important to me as it's in the six articles of faith.

It influences me because I know my actions are all being recorded for Judgement Day.

I hope that I'll be forgiven for wrong actions I've done, and angels are involved in this too.

Every day, I read the Qur'an knowing that Angel Jibril first revealed this to the Prophet Muhammad." So there's lots of reasons here that Nadia's given as to why a belief in angels is important for her today.

Thank you, Nadia.

Let's do another check then.

A belief in angels, malaikah, is not important to Muslims today.

Is that true or false? Pause the video and have a think, and we'll see what you've come up with in a moment.

That is false, isn't it, because angels were involved with revelations and events in the past but continue to be important today, recording actions and helping souls to the afterlife after death.

Well done.

So let's do another practise task to see what we've learned then.

You're going to explain two ways a belief in angels, malaikah, influences Muslims. And your guidance is to give two points and develop them.

You can give one way a belief in angels influences Muslims, and then explain how and why this could impact their life, perhaps thinking about thoughts, beliefs, and actions.

You're going to give a second point as another way that a belief in angels influences Muslims. And then again, develop it by explaining how and why this could impact their life.

And again, that could be belief, thought, and action.

So pause the video and have a go.

You're going to explain two ways a belief in angels influences Muslims. Pause the video, off you go, and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done, some good work there.

So I asked you to explain two ways a belief in angels influences Muslims, and your response might be similar to this: A belief in angels may influence Muslims due to the belief that they are recording the actions of humans for Judgement Day, encouraging Muslims to do more good actions.

So when doing more good deeds, Muslims know that angels will communicate this to Allah for Judgement Day.

A belief in angels may also influence Muslims due to the belief that Angel Jibril revealed the first words of the Qur'an to the Prophet Muhammad, encouraging Muslims to read the Qur'an.

The Angel Jibril bringing the revelation to the Prophet Muhammad directly from Allah means the Qur'an is without error or mistakes, so Muslims can trust it is the words of Allah.

Well done.

So let's summarise everything we learned today then, nature and role of angels.

A belief in angels, malaikah, is an important belief in Islam and one of the six articles of faith.

Angels are believed to be made of light, genderless, and created before humans.

Angels are with humans at all times, recording their actions for the Day of Judgement.

Important angels are Jibril, Mika'il, Israfil, and Izra'il.

And a belief in angels will influence a Muslim in many ways, and this remains important today.

So well done for your hard work today, and I'll see you again soon.

Bye-bye!.