Angels
We each have a guardian angel who is with us from the beginning of our lives to the end. They watch over us, care for us, and intercede on our behalf.
(35:1) All praise be to Allah, the Fashioner of the heavens and earth, Who appointed angels as His message bearers, having two, three, four wings. He adds to His creation whatever He pleases. Verily Allah has power over everything.
Surah Fatir 35:1 of the Qur’an.
There are few important informations available here
(i) Who appointed angels as His message bearers
This means that (1) that these angels perform the service of communicating messages between Allah and His Prophets.
(2) That it is the duty of these angels to convey and enforce the commands of Allah Almighty throughout the universe
(ii) having two, three, four wings
These words show that the number of the wings of the angels is restricted to four, but Allah has provided some angels with more wings than four. According to a Hadith related by Abdullah bin Masud, the Prophet (peace be upon him) once saw the Angel Gabriel with six hundred wings. (Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi). Aishah relates that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had seen Gabriel twice in his real form: he had six hundred wings and had covered the entire horizon (Tirmidhi).
Angels, who the Qur’an says can appear in either heavenly or human form, are a vitally important part of Islam. Believing in angels is one of Islam’s six articles of faith.
“Angel” comes from the Greek word “angelos,” which itself was derived from the Hebrew word “malakh,” which means “messenger.” So our guardian angel’s primary job is to send us something like spiritual text messages that lead us body and soul to God. They’re like mountain guides trained to help us navigate successful treks through our lives.
Most of us wouldn’t attempt to climb Mount Everest without tapping into the resources offered by trained guides, right? Well, day-to-day life can be just as rocky sometimes, so why not call on our invisible guides to help show us the way?
Tradition teaches us that along with God in his many forms, there is a unique race of beings born of the Divine at the moment of creation, and this race of beings is part of all that is seen and unseen. In addition to delivering messages, they also instruct and comfort us in times of need.
This can sometimes be hard to believe in our modern, fast-paced world because many of us might not feel the presence of the angels in our lives. They are, after all, pure spirit. Yet most of us are not conscious of the air we breathe that gives us life every day.
That doesn’t mean that air doesn’t exist. It just means we’re usually not paying attention to the realities that surround us in everything we do.
Angels are all around us — behind us, in front of us, above, and below. You have your guardian angel and the person next to you has hers and the person to next her has his.
Angels can also be our prayer partners. How do we engage our angelic protectors in this way? Through devotion, which has great power but which many people see as almost too childlike to be taken seriously, is the traditional prayer to our guardian angel.
Moreover, we can ask our guardian angels to pray with us. I know for myself that I often forget how comforting it is to pray with another person. I feel most comfortable praying by myself. Yet, we never have to be shy around our guardian angel.
Always looking for practical ways to develop our spirituality in the craziness of ordinary life, here is a short exercise you can do to engage your angel during your prayer time
1. Find a quiet place (but if you’re good at tuning out noise you can do this anywhere).
2. Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, ask God to bless your prayer, and then imagine your guardian angel by your side. You’re going to have to use your imagination to do this, but in time you’ll begin to feel more at peace. I always take that as a sign that my angel is nearby.
3. When you’re ready, quietly say: “Guardian angel, pray with me. Lead me closer to God. Protect me and give me direction throughout the day.”
4. Then talk to your angel about your day — your worries, your dreams, your hopes. Ask for guidance. Ask for support. Ask for assistance in making a decision. And then recite the Lord’s Prayer with your angel. Really imagine that your angel is praying those words with you. Close with an Amen.
One final note:
“A man’s prayer observed along with another is purer than his prayer observed alone, and his prayer with two men is purer than his prayer with just one, and whenever there are more, it is more pleasing to Allah, the Almighty.”
(Sunan Abu Dawud)
Remember these words of Jesus: “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20).
