Some a couple of bits plucked from some written stuff, plus some outline notes - just the sort of jumble that I would usually give a talk with.
ISLAMIC OUTREACH - Lesson Four
Belief in the Angels
Allah is the first aspect of Iman, and having come to terms with this word, we can start to talk of creation. A muslim calls the first forms to exist in creation the Mala'ik. The mala'ik are created of light, and are in constant movement. They surround us from all sides, are attached to us, and constantly with us. They preserve a record of our existence and actions in time. They are the means by which the Unity of Allah communicates with us the Creation, in fact the name means message bearers. We have no means of knowing the intrinsic nature or attributes of the Mala'ik, though we know some of their qualities, for instance we know they do not have will, or sexual definition, and we know some of the ways they are used by Allah sufficiently to give them different names - Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, and suchlike. Indeed we are talking about angels, but I'm quite sure that most scientists would think angels on the head of a pin less relevant than an electron micrograph of that same pinhead.
"Allah was in the Mist. There was no atmosphere above or below it. That was the first divine manifestation. The light of the essence flowed on it as He was Manifest when He said "Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth." When that Mist was dyed with the light, the forms of the angels wandering in love appeared in it. These are above the world of natural bodies. Neither the Throne or any creature preceded them." - that's from Ibn al-'Arabi.
Angels
Malaik
Message Bearers
To send on a Mission
Jabarut
Qurubiyun
Those Near to God
Jibril
Mikail
Israfil
Israil
Act in place of Divinity
(Deal with later)
Angels have no central state (self knowledge) or free will
Therefore closer to God, but man is superior
because he can know God (see God in Paradise)
In the Miraj, Jibril carried the Prophet close
but the final approach was alone
Adam - Angels commanded to bow down
Adam knew the names
Knowledge, 'Ilm, linked through intellect 'Aql
to central being and identity
Intellect / Nafs / Body - Jizm
Adam - defined by physical form
not inferior to formless angels
but able to see Essence of God through form
and conceive of the Absoluteness of Allah
Angels knowledge of Absolute is blind
like animals know us
not like we know each other.
Iblis - Refused to bow
Angel or Jinn?
or one to another?
Free Will requires self-awareness
Therefore in the making of that decision
Iblis had to be Jinn
Shaitan
Who persuades mankind to see division instead of unity
Who tricks mankind into seeing what is good as evil
and vice-versa
So we seek protection from Shaitan
and take refuge with God
before prayer and Qur'an reading.