Michael

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Michael or Mīkāʾīl (Arabic: میکائیل) is an archangel assigned with the important responsibility of providing sustenance and livelihood to humanity. He is mentioned in the Qur'an. According to hadiths, Michael is an angel of mercy, a carrier of the Divine Throne, and one of the first angels who prostrated before Adam (a).

Other duties attributed to him include "expanding the chest" of the Prophet (s), protecting him during Laylat al-Mabit, aiding Muslims in the Battle of Badr, and facilitating the Prophet's (s) journey on Buraq during the Night of Ascension (Mi'raj). Additionally, the Bible refers to him as the leader of all angels.

His Place

Michael, or Mika'il, is an archangel close to God. In the Qur'an,[1] he is referred to as Mikal.[2] Many Sunni exegetes of the Qur'an as well as some Shi'a exegetes cite hadiths to show that he is the angel of mercy.[3] Furthermore, according to some hadiths, the Preserved Tablet (al-Lawh al-Mahfuz) has four tenets, one of which (the tenet of will) is epitomized by Michael.[4] In addition, Michael is the manifestation of God’s name “Lord” (Rabb), and a carrier of the Divine Throne.[5]

Michael, Gabriel, Israfil, and Azrael are considered as the four archangels who hold a special position close to God. They are described as “leading angels” or “archangels.”[6] In hadiths, Michael is deemed the second closest angel to God, after Gabriel.[7] The Qur'an says about him that “Whoever is an enemy to Allah and His angels and His messengers and Gabriel and Michael - then indeed, Allah is an enemy to the disbelievers.”[8]

As per some hadiths, Michael, Gabriel, and Israfil were created from a single exaltation of God.[9] During his midnight prayers, the Prophet (s) addressed God as "O Lord of Gabriel, Michael, and Israfil."[10] Imam 'Ali (a) has stated in a hadith that Michael is the imam or leader of all angels. In the "frequented house" (al-Bayt al-Ma'mur), all angels pray behind Michael.[11] Imam al-Sajjad (a) prays for Michael as follows: "O God, bestow peace and greetings upon Michael, who holds a standing position with You and a place of great obedience.[12]

Duties

According to Shiite hadiths, God provides sustenance and livelihood to all of His creatures through the angel Michael.[13] Moreover, on the day of resurrection, he is said to be responsible for setting up the Sirat Bridge over the Hell.[14] There are also some hadiths that describe him as the angel in charge of bringing rain[15] and having performed other duties, including:

  • Participation in vanquishing the Pharaoh’s people
  • Participation in vanquishing the Lot’s people
  • Giving the good tidings of Prophet Isaac’s birth to Prophet Abraham (a)
  • Receiving the news from Israfil and delivering it to Gabriel
  • Protecting the Prophet (s) on the Laylat al-Mabit
  • Aiding the Muslims during the Battle of Badr
  • Bringing Buraq for the Prophet (s) on the Night of Ascension
  • Performing a prayer for the Prophet's (s) corpse[16]

According to some hadiths, Michael and Gabriel were among the first angels who prostrated for Adam (a).[17] Moreover, they “expanded the breast” (sharh al-sadr) of the Prophet (s).[18]

In Other Religions

In Jewish and Christian sources, Michael is described as an archangel holding a special position close to God. He is also called Michel.[19] For Jews, Michael counts as a constant supporter of the Jewish people, holding a rank higher than even Gabriel.[20] Moreover, the Bible (Book of Daniel 10, 12) characterizes Michael as the leader of all angels who aids Daniel to defeat his enemies.[21] The Epistle of Jude describes Michael as the leader of the angels who engages in a conflict with Satan over the body of Prophet Moses (a), warning him that Yahweh would reproach him.[22] In the Book of Revelation by John, Michael is mentioned along with an army of angels who fight against a dragon.[23]

Notes

  1. ↑ Qur'an 2:98
  2. ↑ Rijālī Tihrānī, Firishtigān taḥqīqī Qurʾānī riwāyī wa ʿaqlī, p. 105.
  3. ↑ Zamakhsharī, Kashshāf, vol. 4, p. 394.
  4. ↑ Ibn Fanārī, Miṣbāḥ al-uns, p. 402.
  5. ↑ Mūsawī Khomeinī, Ādāb al-Ṣalāt, p. 275.
  6. ↑ Rijālī Tihrānī, Firishtigān taḥqīqī Qurʾānī riwāyī wa ʿaqlī, p. 105.
  7. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 8, p. 260.
  8. ↑ Whoever is an enemy of Allah, His angels and His apostles, and Gabriel and Michael, [let him know that] Allah is indeed the enemy of the faithless. (Qur'an 2:98)
  9. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 17, p. 8.
  10. ↑ Pākatchī, Isrāfīl, p. 288.
  11. ↑ Rijālī Tihrānī, Firishtigān taḥqīqī Qurʾānī riwāyī wa ʿaqlī, p. 105.
  12. ↑ Ṣaḥīfa al-Sajjādīyya, Third supplication, p. 20.
  13. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 8, p. 260.
  14. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 20, p. 469.
  15. ↑ Pākatchī, Isrāfīl, p. 288.
  16. ↑ Ḥāshimī Rafsanjānī, Farhang-i Qurʾān, vol. 30, p. 232-243; Pākatchī, Isrāfīl, p. 288; Rustamī and Āl-i Būya, Siyrī dar asrār-i firishtigān, p. 239-245.
  17. ↑ Khurramshāhī, "Mīkāl", p. 2195.
  18. ↑ Khurramshāhī, "Mīkāl", p. 2195.
  19. ↑ Ibrāhīm, Jibraʾīl, p. 544.
  20. ↑ Ibrāhīm, Jibraʾīl, p. 544.
  21. ↑ Daniel 10:13 and 21; Daniel 12:1
  22. ↑ Jude:8.
  23. ↑ John 12:7

References

  • The Holy Qurʾān.
  • The Bible. New Revised Standard Version.
  • Ḥāshimī Rafsanjānī, Akbar. Farhang-i Qurʾān. Qom: Būstān-i Kitāb, 1389 Sh.
  • Ibn Fanārī, Muḥammad b. Ḥamza. Miṣbāḥ al-uns. Tehran: Nashr-i Mawlā, 1374 Sh.
  • Khurramshāhī, Qawām al-Dīn. "Mīkāl" in Dānishnāma-yi Qurʾānī. Tehran: Nashr-i Dūstān, 1377 Sh.
  • Mūsawī Khomeinī, Sayyid Ruḥ Allāh. Ādāb al-Ṣalāt. Tehran: Muʾassisa-yi Tanẓīm wa Nashr-i Āthār-i Imām Khomeini, 1387 Sh.
  • Pākatchī, Aḥmad. Isrāfīl in Dāʾirat al-maʿārif buzurg-i Islāmī. under supervision of Kāzim Burūjirdī. Tehran: Markaz-i Dāʾirat al-Maʿārif Buzurg-i Islāmī, 1377 Sh.
  • Rijālī Tihrānī, ʿAlī Riḍā. Firishtigān taḥqīqī Qurʾānī riwāyī wa ʿaqlī. Qom: Daftar-i Intishārāt-i Islāmī, 1376 Sh.
  • Rustamī, Muḥammad Zamān and Āl-i Būya, Ṭāhira. Siyrī dar asrār-i firishtigān bā rūykardī Qurʾānī wa ʿIrfānī. Qom: Pazhūhishgāh-i ʿUlūm wa Farhang Islāmī, 1393 Sh.
  • Ṣaḥīfa al-Sajjādīyya. Mashhad: Intishārāt-i Āstān-i Quds Raḍawī, 1387 Sh.
  • Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn al-. Al-Mīzān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Qom: Intishārāt-i Islāmī (Jāmiʿat al-Mudarrisīn), 1417 AH.
  • Zamakhsharī, Maḥmūd b. ʿUmar al-. Tafsīr al-kashshāf. Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-ʿArabī, 1407 AH.
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