Like other differences, the eminence of Prophets and their legatees was also a bone of contention among various Muslim factions. Mu’tazilites, among the Sunni sects, considered Angels to be superior to the Prophets and some other scholars such as Abu Abdullah Haleemi and Qazi Abu Bakr Baqalani were also of the same opinion. They divided Angels into two groups - earthly and heavenly. In their opinion, Prophets were superior to the earthly Angels but below heavenly Seraphs. Some were in doubt about this issue and they did not prefer anyone over each other.

Shi’as and majority of Ahl al-Sunnat were unanimous that Prophets and Messengers were more prominent than Angels and other heavenly creatures. Therefore, Shaykh Al-Mufid, in his book Awaelil Maqalat said that the Shi’as and Ahl al-Hadith among the Sunnis were unanimous that Prophets and Messengers were at a higher rank than the Angels. There were several reasons to support this view.

We all agreed that Angels did not possess the features of anger and lust. Therefore, they did not possess the capability to go off track. Hence, their virtuosity was unavoidable and not by choice. On the other hand, Prophets and Messengers have all these capabilities, yet they kept away from felony and transgression. Therefore, their talent was by choice and they subdued the powers of lust and wrath and moulded it into a heavenly disposition.

This was why the obedience of the Prophets was much more complex and painstaking. Therefore, those acts that required thorny choices were more superior to the easy-going tasks. Not to speak of the Messengers and their recipients, we could safely assume that some simple law abiding and God-fearing people were better than the Angels. It was reported on the authority of Imams who said, “Angels are subservient to some of our dedicated followers.”

It was a well-known fact that the Angels’ attributes and eminence were limited and there was no chance of further progression. Those who prostrated were in the state of prostration and those who were in obeisance would continue to bow forever. The Qur’an pictured their state of affairs in their own words:

وَمَا مِنَّا إِلَّا لَهُ مَقَامٌ مَّعْلُومٌ

“And there is none of us but has an assigned place” (37:164).

وَإِنَّا لَنَحْنُ الصَّافُّونَ

“Lo! We, even we are they who set the ranks” (37:165).

Amir Al-Mu’minin spoke about them in a sermon:

“Some were in prostration, they did not bow and some were in the state of obeisance they could not raise themselves; some were in a queue and they could not move; while some supplicated in a manner that sleep could not discourage them.” However, chances for the elevation of status and acquisition of attributes were unlimited for the Prophets. They could not however, acquire the eminence of God, but for someone (Muhammad, S.) Gabriel had to say, “O! Prophet of God, if I move an inch forward with you from my current station then I will burn to ashes.”

The Prophet’s statements clearly demonstrated that the Prophets were more prominent than the Angels. Allama Jazairi wrote in Al-Anwar An-Nu’maniyah on the authority of Imam Ar-Ridha (‘a) that the Prophet was asked by Imam Ali (‘a), “Is Gabriel more momentous than you or somebody else?” The Prophet replied, “O! Ali, God has made all His Prophets and Messengers more vital than the Angels and made me distinguished among all of them. O! Ali, this stature will be held by you after me and rest of the Imams after you. Certainly, Angels are subservient to us and our dedicated friends.

O! Ali, those Angels that are embracing the Throne and all others who are close to it, they continue to praise the Lord, and continue to seek forgiveness for those who accept our authority (Wilayat). O! Ali, had we not been created (by God), the Lord would not have created the Universe, including the Heavens, Paradise, Hell and even Adam and Eve. Therefore, under these circumstances how are we not superior to the Angels?”

God, in Surah Al-Anaam - after mentioning Noah, Lot, Abraham, Jacob, David, Solomon, Moses Aaron, Zachariah, John the Baptist and Jesus, said:

…وَكُلًّا فَضَّلْنَا عَلَى الْعَالَمِينَ

“…We have preferred all of them over the entire Cosmos” (6:86).

Evidently, Angels were also included in the Universe. Therefore, those who were preferable over the Universe must supersede the Angels in their stature.

People of erudition and knowledge knew that the measure of eminence was knowledge and its application was specified in the Qur’an, regarding the episode of Taloot, when (Jewish) nation objected to his appointment (on the grounds of poverty). God replied by saying that he was selected on the basis of his knowledge and bravery. This was also the meaning of the Qur’anic Verse:

إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ

“Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous (God-fearing) among you” (49:13).

If this standard was applied, then the Prophets and their successors would prevail over the rest.

Clarification Of Doubt

Those who denied the eminence of Prophets, presented two misgivings. One of those hesitations was as pointed out by the author earlier and adequately replied in the text of this chapter. The other was as they said, “Angels are created from light (Noor), while, Prophets are created from the matter. Since light is superior to the material things, therefore Angels are more prominent than the Prophets.”

This objection was the result of their ignorance of Islamic values. Otherwise, the scholarly people knew that the standard of eminence in Islam was not the material of creation, but the attributes of knowledge and its applications. The hypothesis that the Angels were created from pure light and the Prophets from the material alone was against this fact.

It had been proven that Prophets and their successors were a medium of communication between God and His creatures. Therefore, they must have attributes of both sides. Hence their spirit or soul was composed of light energy and the body was material. Also, both of their aspects were so pure that they became leaders of the Angels on one hand and were best of the mankind on the other hand.

In other words, the comparison was not between noor and the matter alone, but it was between light on one side and light as well as matter on the other side. When matter was also under the supervision of soul, then an intellectual mind would prefer a thing that had both aspects of matter and light. Since Prophetic constituents were dual therefore, they had an edge over the Angels.

If we accepted that the Prophets were created as material beings and there was no contribution of Noor then the accuser had to accept this much that they possessed a soul that was different in nature compared to the ordinary soul, which in the language of Qur’an was nooran as stated in Surah Al-Shoora:

وَلَٰكِن جَعَلْنَاهُ نُورًا نَّهْدِي بِهِ مَن نَّشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا

“But We have made the Noor (a Light), wherewith We guide such of Our servants as We will” (42:52).

Therefore, equipped with this light they were superior to the Angels. Imam Ja’far As-Sadiq (‘a) said that Satan had compared his source of creation (heat energy) with the material aspect of Adam, if he had compared his source of creation with the noorani aspects of Adam, he would have learned the status of Adam.”

Non-Permissibility Of The Prostration Of Honour

In the text of Risala al-Itiqadiyah, prostration out of respect was mentioned, and since it was a significant issue of public interest, we felt it was our responsibility to write a few lines on this subject.

It was an open fact that the prostration of worship was not allowed for anyone other than God in Islam. However, there was some difference of opinion among the Muslims regarding prostration out of respect for some saintly persons. There were some schools of thought that permitted such an act. However, Shi’as were totally against this practice, and proved their point of view through Qur’an, the Ahadith of the Prophet and the teachings of Imams.

Prohibition By The Qur’an

If we read Qur’an exhaustively, we would find that wherever prostration was mentioned it was linked to God such as:

فَاسْجُدُوا لِلَّهِ

“…Prostrate to God…” (53:62).

Or:

وَلِلَّهِ يَسْجُدُ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ

“And unto Allah falleth prostrate whosoever is in the heavens and the earth” (13:15).

Or:

فَاسْجُدُوا لِلَّهِ وَاعْبُدُوا

“Prostrate to God and worship Him” (53:62).

Therefore, in the light of Qur’an all kinds of prostration were prohibited and this was permissible for God alone. The following Qur’anic Verses conclusively specified prostration for God alone:

وَأَنَّ الْمَسَاجِدَ لِلَّهِ فَلَا تَدْعُوا مَعَ اللَّهِ أَحَدًا

“All the places of prostration are for God, therefore, do not call anyone other than Him” (72:18).

Amir Al-Mu’minin (‘a) had said that - Al-Masajid - stood for all the constituent body parts that took part in sajda (prostration). These were - forehead, palms of both hands, both knees and both thumbs of the feet. Similar narrations were also available in Tafsir al-Saafi and Tafsir al-Aayashi. Mu’tasim Abbasi asked the explanation of the Qur’anic phrase:

…فَلَا تَدْعُوا مَعَ اللَّهِ أَحَدًا

“… So invoke not any one along with Allah” (72:18).

Imam replied that it meant not to share these body parts with anyone other than when in prostration to God.

Prohibition By The Prophet

For the sake of brevity, we have confined ourselves to two or three statements of the Prophet. It was reported in Usul al-Kafi that once a Bedouin clutching an iguana in his arm pit said, “If this Iguana gave your testimony by way of speech, then I would surrender to your prophethood and accept you as a Prophet of God”. The Iguana, by virtue of miracle expressed itself in fluent Arabic and recited the testimony of acceptance:

لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّٰهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ ٱللَّٰهِ

La ilaha illa Allah, wa Muhammadan Rasul Allah

There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His Messenger.

The Bedouin then made the declaration of faith and decided to prostrate in front of the Prophet, in accordance with his custom. The Prophet immediately stopped him and told him that if it was permissible to prostrate to anyone other than God, then he would have advised the wives to show respect to their husbands in such a mode.

Therefore, if a person like the Prophet could not receive respect in that manner, then how could anyone else qualify for this act of veneration? Another companion had once wished to prostrate to him. The Prophet then replied, “Do not prostrate to me but reserve this right for the God who is Eternal and alive, and for Whom there is no demise.”

That was why the Prophet had prayed to the God that his grave should not become like an idol to be worshipped by the people.

Prohibitions According To Imams

It had come to light that on several occasions, people decided to prostrate before the Imams. They were harshly stopped them from the act. Shaykh Abbas Al-Qummi narrated a report from Amir Al-Mu’minin (‘a) in Mafatih al-Jinan, referring to Kitab Farhatul Ghora, edited by Shaykh Tawoos, which related to Abu Hamza Ath-Thumali’s meeting with Imam Zayn Al-’Abidin (‘a) in the Mosque of Kufa. He said that he fell down upon the feet of Imam in a posture resembling prostration and wished to kiss his feet. Imam immediately stopped him and raised his head with his hands and said that prostration was not permissible for anyone other than God. It was evident that Abu Hamza was a monotheist and he was not performing the act as prostration of worship, rather he was showing his respect. This attitude of Imam sent a clear signal that prostration of any kind was reserved only for God and no one else.

It was reported that once a Christian priest tried to prostrate before Imam Ali (‘a), who stopped him by saying - prostrate before God and not before me. The supplication that was made after two Rakats of prayer of Ziarat al-Imam Al-Husayn (‘a) stated: “O! God, I have performed this prayer for you and have offered this act of bowing and prostration only for you, since this is not allowed for anyone other than You.” If prostration was allowed for any other than God, then such clear-cut sentences were not needed in this supplication.

A Great Misunderstanding And Its Clarification

Those who permitted prostration out of respect for people other than God, provided the Qur’anic example of Angels bowing down to Adam and the prostration of Jacob and his sons in front of Joseph. Both these examples were technically wrong due to following reasons.

Firstly, these Verses were abbreviated and did not show clearly, whether it was a prostration of worship or out of respect or these people simply acted in the direction of reverence to God (Qibla) or it was performed in imitation or corroboration with them.

It was true that Adam (‘a) and Joseph (‘a) had first prostrated to God to show their gratitude and then the Angels and the family of Jacob were commanded to follow them in confirmation. The word sajda was simply used in a sense of minor bowing of head as done by many non- Arabs to show respect to their seniors. When there were so many possibilities in a Verse then to construe it in a particular direction was not correct. This prostration could be to the Being of God, but Adam and Joseph were only used as a direction of reverence.

Also, in this Qur’anic Verse, the Arabic letter ‘L’ pronounced as ‘Lam’ was used to signify ‘Ila’. This was a common practice in Arabic literature and it was used by Hasan Ibn Thabit in the eulogy of Amir Al-Mu’minin (‘a), where ‘Lam’ was used as ‘Ila’ - Alaisal awwla min salli liqiblatikum. In this part of the couplet the ‘Lam’ that was used in ‘Liqibalitikum’ was meant for Ila Qiblatikum - towards your direction of reverence. This was further supplemented by various Ahadith. It was reported from Imam Hasan Al-’Askari (‘a) in Hayat al-Qulub, as having said, “Angel’s prostration was not for Adam but it was for submission to the God, and Adam was only made as a direction of veneration for the God”.

If we accepted for the sake of argument that it was a prostration for the respect of Adam, even then it did not affect our claim, since those legal codes that allowed this act were now redundant. An outmoded legal system could not challenge the current code that had made all previous acts obsolete. This argument was aided by an elucidation of Baghvi in Malamul Tanzeel and in Asbabul Nazool by Allama Suyuti, that said, “In the previous legal codes prostration out of respect was allowed but Islam has aborted it.”

Allama Al-Majlisi also supported this view.

It Is Essential To Believe In The Reality Of Angels

It was essential for a Muslim to believe in the presence of Angels, while many Qur’anic Verses, statements of the Prophet and Imams strengthened this view. It was also known that people had such a belief, even in the early history of humanity. It was another matter that Satan, like many other issues had blanketed this view for the people. As a result, some people denied the presence of the Angels and the others made them share the attributes of God, such as creation and provision of sustenance etc. Some religions treated them as daughters and the others called them as the army of God. They said that God could not overcome the satanic forces without Angels.

However, Islam called all such beliefs as nonsensical views and said, “They are obedient servants of God, who worship the Lord and do not exceed the limits by way of speech or action that are set by God, and work according to His instructions1”.

Allama Al-Majlisi wrote in Bihar Al-Anwar, “All Shi’as and rest of the Muslim Ummah, except some philosophers, who have entered Islam to corrupt its teachings, believe that Angels possess a body frame made of light energy (noor) and were provided with two, three or four wings and they could change to any form, as was required by the situation. They were capable of all kind of motions. Prophets and Messengers could see them with open eyes. To say that they were devoid of body or to associate them with intellect or heavenly bodies, and to create baseless doubts and to reinterpret clear Qur’anic Verse was equivalent to backing off the right track, and was comparable to the fellowship of ill trodden.”

Mohaqiq Dowani has also substantiated this view.

Sustenance Of Angels

Daily sustenance of Angels, as described in this book was supplication of God and other prayers. It was mentioned in various Ahadith that Angels were free of material ambience and their spiritual food was also submission to God and His worship. They were neither masculine nor feminine gender, birth, pregnancy, call of nature, weakness or failing and grief or infirmity.

Numerical Strength Of Angels

The numerical strength of Angels was countless among God’s creation, and no one knew their number except the Lord. Amir Al-Mu’minin (‘a) said that there was no space in the cosmos, where there were no Angels. It was reported from Imam Ja’far As-Sadiq (‘a), when he was asked about the numerical strength of Angels, he said, “I swear by the Lord who holds my life; Angels were more than the particles of soil in the entire earth. There was no room in the space where there were no Angels. They continued to obey and worship God and present the results of their daily work to God. They confirmed their allegiance to our Wilayat on a daily basis and cursed our enemies and asked for their punishment from God.”

It was reported that there was an angel with every droplet of rain and every seedling of the vegetable kingdom. God’s own words sufficed to conclude this section. He said:

وَيَخْلُقُ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ

“He creates so much that you know not” (16:8).

Types And Categories Of Angels

The narrations that have reached us informed that there were several categories of Angels, in respect of their job description. These were:

- Angels associated with God’s Throne of authority.

- Angels responsible for communication (Wahy and Ilham).

- Angels in the service of Paradise.

- Angels appointed to look after Hell.

- Angels who scribed people’s deeds.

- Guarding Angels.

- Angels who accompanied the pilgrims.

- Angels responsible for rain and the movement of water in rivers and oceans.

- Angels for life and death.

- Angels for accounting human deeds (good and bad). All these Angels are called Baraatul Amr.

Clarification Of Some Doubts

Opponents of Angels made several objections to this concept.

• How was it possible that something existed and could not be seen?

• If Angels were made from such a delicate form of energy, then could how they perform arduous tasks?

• How things could travel so fast that they crossed celestial limits in a blink of an eye?

Reply To The First Objection

It had been proven beyond doubt that invisibility of a thing could not be used as a reason for its non-existence. For example, love, hatred, hunger and thirst were all present but could not be visualised by eyes.

There were several things that were present in this Universe, but were invisible, such as air and soul.

We could not see things during pitched black nights, but bats and other night-oriented animals could see perfectly in darkness. Some reptiles could detect minute temperature changes around them, which could not be noticed by humans. Salmon fish could travel thousands of miles in the sea and could pass through complicated tributary of rivers and canals and still could reach its original birth place to lay her eggs, whereas, we can easily lose our way in a strange place. Therefore, Prophets who were given supernatural powers could see things that we cannot envisage.

Reply To The Second Objection

This objection was also the production of ignorance. Wind was very soft and pleasant substance, but it could dislodge huge trees from its roots in a matter of minutes. Electricity could power equipments and machines that could outclass thousands of men in terms of efficiency. Imagine, if God could grant powers to such subtle things like air, water and electricity, why could He not provide a similar power to His Angels?

Reply To The Third Objection

This objection was also baseless. There were several examples, of this kind of speed in the present world. We know light could travel 186,000 miles per second. It had recently been found that there were super-fast neutrinos that could outspeed light. Our own earth travelled several thousand miles in a single minute. Last of all, human thought could outclass all speeds.

• 1. Refer to the following Verses of the Holy Qur’an: 66:6; 21:26; 21:27; 16:50.