Creation

When God created everything out of nothing,

the first things God created were the angels.

We are told that they are not made out of solid stuff, like humans,

but they are made out of light.

Angels never have to eat or drink.

They have wings with which they can fly as fast as thinking,

and because they are made of light, they can either be seen or be invisible.

They are the way that God's wishes become the world around us.

Their name in Arabic Mala'ik means "message carriers".

When God creates the Angels they can only do good things.

God keeps them from what is wrong.

The Angels are created wanting only to please God.

They don't know how to disobey God's wishes.

Now although people don�t often get to see them, we know some things about them,

from God's words in the Qur'an and the things that Muhammad the Messenger has told us.

Some of the Angels have special jobs, and some of them have special names.

Perhaps the best known Angel is Jibril,

who has the special job of carrying God's Words to humankind.

It was Jibril that visited Muhammad the Messenger

and spoke to him the Words of God, which Muhammad spoke to the people.

But that's another story

So the angels never get to disagree with God at all?

Well, some muslims think there was a time when God created a different kind of Angel, called Iblis,

and Iblis refused to accept God as Liege of All Creation.

Iblis was too proud to obey God�s wishes.

It all happened at the time that God was creating mankind, the family of Adam.

Here�s how it happened.

God said to the angels, "I am putting someone on the earth to watch over it for Me."

But the Angels said, "What! Will you put someone there who will do bad things, fighting and killing, while we always praise You and call You Holy?"

And God said, "Surely I know what you do not."

And God taught Adam and Eve all the names of things, then showed them to the angels and said to them,

"Now tell Me the names of these things if you know better than Me"

And the Angels said, "O Glorious God!

We know nothing except what You have taught us.

Surely You are the All-knowing, and the All-wise."

God said, "Adam, tell them their names",

and when Adam had told them their names God said,

"Did I not tell you that I know all the hidden things of the heavens and the earth?

And I know the things you show, and the things you hide."

And when God said to the angels, "Bow yourselves to Adam", they all bowed down,

except for Iblis.

Iblis refused, and was very proud,

and so Iblis became one of those who would not accept God�s wishes.

By questioning God's Will, Iblis abandoned the angelic light, and took on the nature of the Jinn,

a smokeless fire,

from light to fire.

though some say that Iblis was a Jinn all along

and God knows best

But whichever is true the effect that Iblis has on all our lives has been told to us

and we shall speak of it in another place and another time.