Huzoor, could you throw some light on the nature of angels and with particular reference to the phenomenon which is called descent of angels, especially in troubled times such as we are facing. This subject has been discussed at some length by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II. in his book Malaikatullah. It’s a very interesting book. I had it republished from Pakistan some time ago but I wonder if it reached Europe as well.
It’s very important that in the modern age, Ahmadi youth in particular should read that book because this is a very important question which agitates everybody’s mind. What is the nature of angels, what is their descent, what is their performance and everything. I have been speaking on this subject occasionally but now I think once again I should let you know, number one, that whatever has been said by Hazrat Musleh Maud is fundamentally found in Hazrat Masih Maud’s writings. In his commentary of the Holy Quran, he has mentioned angels many a time and he has given us the keys to understanding of the angels.
On the same theme, Hazrat Musleh Maud has developed the full concept of angel and their task and so on and it’s a very interesting book. As regards your question in particular, the descent of angels, what it means. It means the application of a hidden law which is organized under orders. For instance, if there is heat, I mean radiators for providing heat to the room are already provided here but they are not operative.
They are potentially here but not in operation. If you order them to go into operation, that would be according to the terminology of religion, the descent of the order because there the order comes from Allah and whatever comes from the high on, it always takes as if a route down below, towards below because nothing is above Allah. So whatever comes from Allah is called Nuzul, which is descent and whatever is ascending towards, is going towards Allah, gaining spiritual closeness to him is called to be ascending, that is Rafa. So Nuzul here means because angels are also above the material world, somewhere they are situated of course in this world as bodies which exist but those bodies are so rare that we don’t know what the form be. If there is anything by the name of ether, maybe they are ethereal bodies, we don’t know anyway. But they are not material bodies, that we know.
So according to Islamic terminology, whatever is rarefied, more ethereal as compared to the other types of existence, is placed higher and that which is material, coarser in form, that is, you know, on the lower side. So whenever you read Rafa, Nuzul, these terminologies, they are only given to set the direction. So because angels happen to be situated in this order, higher than the material beings, so whenever they are put into operation, it is called their descent.
Now Hazrat Masih Maud A.S. has mentioned the role of angels as number one guardians of things, laws of nature and controller of things and organiser of things and responsible for all the direction which is given to the law of universe, it’s not running by itself automatically. For every law, there is a controlling angel which has a consciousness and which puts that law into operation and under that angel, unknown number of angels, hosts of angels are working in every direction to continue, to give continuation to that law. This is the general system that we find in existence in the world which is unknown to us materially.
But all that we see is ultimately governed by those unknown, unseen laws and they begin to travel from material to those ultimate unknown forces. Like we have now discovered that things ultimately end up into radiations, all form of material is in fact packed up bundles of energy, you release them and they become waves and things and disappear, yet they are very powerful and the whole thing will melt away apparently into nothing but that nothing would be in effect and in commotion much greater than their dormant form of material, of matter.
So the same phenomena is extended, if it’s extended further, everything which is unknown or unseen is governed and controlled by some forces created by Allah and those are angels. Now these angels are also divided into sub-sections for various, for the performance of various tasks and sometimes they are also individualized. They just do not govern the general laws but they are particularly assigned certain tasks where they put certain laws in operation where necessary, they are given tasks to watch certain situations and guard them and during certain phenomena such angels are particularly given very important tasks and appointments.
For instance when a messenger of Allah comes, their task is to control the whole phenomena of nature in the favor of the messenger and to upset all disadvantages which he has as against the material overwhelming forces which oppose him and also to safeguard his interest in detail and wherever necessary to turn hearts in his favor, to create atmospheres which would ultimately benefit him or if that does not happen, Allah does not so will, then to destroy his opponents totally and annihilate them.
Now all these phenomena are not normal natural phenomena though they are created through natural phenomena, not unnatural ones but here the natural phenomena, natural laws of nature are governed in a certain direction and they are ordered to produce certain results which if left alone would not produce those results. The verse which we have pointed out is the verse which I recited in the Namaz-e-Isha tonight. Those who say Allah is our Lord and Sustainer and then despite all opposition, they remain steadfast and stick to this claim, angels descend upon them, here tatnazulu means intensely, very often, repeatedly angels descend upon them with a message laa ta khaafu wa laa tazanu, do not be afraid and do not be sorry for what you have lost.
This is the verse which you had in mind perhaps because when you asked, I thought my mind was referred to this verse. Now here the descent according to what I have explained would mean number one, those special laws are put into operation which are already in existence potentially but are not operative and which follow the general law, laag le banna anava rosoli, that I and my messengers would definitely emerge victorious. Under this general law these small laws come into operation.
Angels descend in two forms then. Number one, they begin to bring those laws into operation which I have just mentioned which would work in favour of those who are being tortured and persecuted merely for the crime of claiming that Allah is our Lord. Secondly they also descend in dreams, sometimes in visions, sometimes they speak verbally to them and that is what we call ilham, a revelation of this form. And sometimes they strengthen the hearts without any vision, any dream, any spoken word but somehow the person who is suffering, he receives that strength from within and he is more reassured than perhaps any words could put him into.
I mean if such people find themselves in a better state of reassurance then just ordinary words of consolation and things could do. So these are the angels who are particularly assigned the task of running this phenomena, organising this phenomena and sometimes certain people are particularly assigned with certain angels and their realities, they are not just psychological impressions, they in reality exist and they are powers created by Allah to perform the duties which are assigned to them. So when they say don’t fear, they situate that all the factors which are caused creating fear are ultimately defeated and removed and when they say do not be sorry for what you have lost, then they also situate that their losses are somehow compensated.
So that is just not a vain talk because they are powerful beings which have a say in the matter of the universe, they situate that things are moving in that direction. So this is the meaning of descent, that these forces come into operation according to the will of Allah.
