The short answer
Angels in Islam are beings that Sahih Muslim 2996 says were created from light (graded sahih, meaning authentic). Al-Baqarah 2:285 includes belief in them, and the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, lists it among six things of faith in Sahih Muslim 8. Al-Baqarah 2:97 names the angel Jibril, peace be upon him, who brought revelation by Allah's leave.
What do Muslims believe about angels?
Belief in angels is part of the believers' own statement of faith in the Quran. Al-Baqarah 2:285 says they believe in Allah, His angels, His scriptures and His messengers.
ءَامَنَ ٱلرَّسُولُ بِمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِن رَّبِّهِۦ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ ۚ كُلٌّ ءَامَنَ بِٱللَّهِ وَمَلَـٰٓئِكَتِهِۦ وَكُتُبِهِۦ وَرُسُلِهِۦ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِّن رُّسُلِهِۦ ۚ وَقَالُوا۟ سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا ۖ غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ ٱلْمَصِيرُ
The hadith of Jibril gives the same list as a teaching. A man asked the Prophet about iman (faith), and he named belief in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and the decree, its good and its bad. 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, reported it.
1AuthenticSahih Muslim 8
Sahih Muslim 2996 describes where angels come from. 'Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, reported that the Prophet said the angels were created from light. The report says nothing about how they look and gives no number of them.
Sahih Muslim 2996
خُلِقَتِ الْمَلاَئِكَةُ مِنْ نُورٍ
2AuthenticSahih Muslim 2996
Who is the angel Jibril, also called Gabriel?
Jibril, peace be upon him, is the name rendered Gabriel in English translations. Al-Baqarah 2:97 names him as the one who revealed the Scripture to the Prophet's heart by Allah's leave. The next verse names Mikail (Michael in the translation below), peace be upon him, beside him.
قُلْ مَن كَانَ عَدُوًّا لِّجِبْرِيلَ فَإِنَّهُۥ نَزَّلَهُۥ عَلَىٰ قَلْبِكَ بِإِذْنِ ٱللَّهِ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ وَهُدًى وَبُشْرَىٰ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ مَن كَانَ عَدُوًّا لِّلَّهِ وَمَلَـٰٓئِكَتِهِۦ وَرُسُلِهِۦ وَجِبْرِيلَ وَمِيكَىٰلَ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَدُوٌّ لِّلْكَـٰفِرِينَ
The verse keeps the qualifier with the role: the revelation came by Allah's leave. This page keeps that phrase whenever it describes Jibril's task.
Which names have references in the sources?
Each name below comes with the reference that gives it. Some references name an angel without giving that angel a task.
| Name | What the reference establishes |
|---|---|
| Jibril, peace be upon him | Brings revelation by Allah's leave (Al-Baqarah 2:97). |
| Mikail, peace be upon him | Named beside Jibril (Al-Baqarah 2:98). The verse gives him no task. |
| Israfil, peace be upon him | Named with Jibril and Mikail in the opening supplication of the Prophet's night prayer (Sahih Muslim 770). The report gives him no task. |
| Malik, peace be upon him | The keeper of the Fire, in the report of Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him (Sahih al-Bukhari 3239). |
| Harut and Marut, peace be upon them | Named in Al-Baqarah 2:102 as the two angels in Babel, who said, before teaching anyone, that they were only a temptation. |
| The angel of death | Given charge concerning people (As-Sajdah 32:11). The verse gives the role, not a personal name. |
Sahih al-Bukhari 3239
وَرَأَيْتُ مَالِكًا خَازِنَ النَّارِ
4AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 3239
Sahih Muslim 770
اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّ جِبْرَائِيلَ وَمِيكَائِيلَ وَإِسْرَافِيلَ
3AuthenticSahih Muslim 770
The table is a reading aid, not a full list. The sources opened for this page give no total number of angels, and this page gives none.
Mikail and Israfil are named, but the sources give no task for either. Naming an angel is not the same as describing a task, so the table keeps the two apart.
Is the Angel of Death called Azrael, peace be upon him?
۞ قُلْ يَتَوَفَّىٰكُم مَّلَكُ ٱلْمَوْتِ ٱلَّذِى وُكِّلَ بِكُمْ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُمْ تُرْجَعُونَ
The verse names the angel of death by his role, the one who has charge concerning you, and gives no personal name.
Ibn Kathir, in his commentary Tafsir al-Quran al-Azim on 32:11, says the name Azrael appears in some transmitted accounts, calls it the well-known name, and attributes the naming to Qatada and others. That is the commentary's report of those accounts. This page does not treat it as an authentication of them, and it does not call the name Quranic. 7
What other work do angels do in the sources?
Some passages describe groups by what they do, without naming each member.
Recorders of deeds
Al-Infitar 82:10 to 12 describes guardians who are "Generous and recording" and who know what you do. The passage gives them no names.
Those who bear the Throne
Ghafir 40:7 describes those who bear the Throne, and those around it, who praise their Lord and ask forgiveness for believers. The verse names no one.
Wardens of the Fire
Al-Muddaththir 74:31 says: "We have appointed only angels to be wardens of the Fire, and their number have We made to be a stumbling-block for those who disbelieve". It adds: "None knows the hosts of your Lord except Him"
Malik, named in the table above, is the keeper of the Fire in the report of Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him. The verse mentions their number only as a test for those who disbelieve and does not state it; the second clause leaves knowledge of your Lord's hosts with Him, so this page gives no count.
In the grave
Sahih al-Bukhari 1338 reports, from Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, that when a person is laid in the grave, two angels come to him, make him sit, and ask him about the Prophet. The report does not name the two angels.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1338
أَتَاهُ مَلَكَانِ فَأَقْعَدَاهُ
5AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 1338
At the Fajr and Asr prayers
Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported in Sahih al-Bukhari 555 that angels come in succession by night and by day and gather at the Fajr and Asr prayers. Allah asks them how they left His servants, and they answer that they were praying.
Sahih al-Bukhari 555
يَتَعَاقَبُونَ فِيكُمْ مَلاَئِكَةٌ بِاللَّيْلِ وَمَلاَئِكَةٌ بِالنَّهَارِ، وَيَجْتَمِعُونَ فِي صَلاَةِ الْفَجْرِ وَصَلاَةِ الْعَصْرِ
6AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 555
When you make notes from this section, keep two columns: the name the source gives and the task it describes. An unnamed role is still a role, and this page does not give one a name.
Was Satan (the devil) an angel?
Al-Kahf 18:50 says Iblis, the one this question calls Satan, was of the jinn. The same verse says the angels were told to prostrate to Adam, peace be upon him, and they did, except Iblis. This page reports what the verse says about him and no more. The jinn have their own page: Jinn.
وَإِذْ قُلْنَا لِلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ ٱسْجُدُوا۟ لِـَٔادَمَ فَسَجَدُوٓا۟ إِلَّآ إِبْلِيسَ كَانَ مِنَ ٱلْجِنِّ فَفَسَقَ عَنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّهِۦٓ ۗ أَفَتَتَّخِذُونَهُۥ وَذُرِّيَّتَهُۥٓ أَوْلِيَآءَ مِن دُونِى وَهُمْ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّۢ ۚ بِئْسَ لِلظَّـٰلِمِينَ بَدَلًا
What the sources do not settle
- The sources opened for this page give no total number of angels.
- This page describes no angel's appearance and does not draw or depict angels. Sahih Muslim 2996 says where angels were created from, not how they look.
- The report in Sahih al-Bukhari 1338 gives no names for the two angels in the grave.
I had a picture of angels from childhood stories, with names I had never checked. Going back to what the sources actually name, and what they leave unnamed, was a relief.
Try it: four questions
Pick an answer; each one explains itself.
1Which angel does Al-Baqarah 2:97 name as the one who brought revelation by Allah's leave?
Answer: Jibril. Al-Baqarah 2:97 names Jibril, who revealed the Scripture to the Prophet's heart by Allah's leave.
2Does Al-Baqarah 2:98 give Mikail a particular task?
Answer: No, it names him beside Jibril. The verse names Mikail beside Jibril and gives him no task in that verse.
3Does As-Sajdah 32:11 give the angel of death a personal name?
Answer: No, it describes his charge over people. The verse gives the role. The name Azrael appears only in the commentary report of other accounts, described in the section on the Angel of Death.
4How does Al-Kahf 18:50 describe Iblis?
Answer: As one of the jinn. Al-Kahf 18:50 says: "He was of the jinn, so he rebelled against his Lord's command."
Questions people ask
Does every angel have a name in these sources?
No. The sources opened here name a few angels, including Jibril, Mikail, Israfil and Malik, and describe unnamed groups, such as the recorders of deeds in Al-Infitar 82:10 to 12. Sahih al-Bukhari 1338 describes two angels in the grave without naming them.
Is Mikail mentioned in the Quran?
Al-Baqarah 2:98 names Mikail beside Jibril. The verse does not describe a particular task for him.
Is Israfil mentioned in a sahih hadith?
Sahih Muslim 770 names Israfil in the supplication with which the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, began his night prayer, as 'Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, reported. The report names him without describing his role.
Was Satan (the devil) an angel?
Al-Kahf 18:50 says Iblis was of the jinn, and this page reports what that verse says.
Sources
Every claim on this page comes from one of these. Gradings are reported with the scholar's name; we do not grade hadith ourselves.
- 1
In the hadith of Jibril, a man asked the Prophet about Islam, and he answered: to testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, to establish the prayer, give zakat, fast Ramadan and make Hajj to the House if you are able to find a way to it; asked about iman (faith), he answered: to believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and the decree, its good and its bad.
Sahih Muslim 8 Book 1, Hadith 1
Authentic: in Sahih Muslim
- 2
'A'isha reported that the Prophet said: the angels were created from light, the jann from marij of fire (min marijin min nar, the phrase of Ar-Rahman 55:15), and Adam from what was described to you.
Sahih Muslim 2996 Book 55, Hadith 78
Authentic: in Sahih Muslim
- 3
'A'isha, asked how the Prophet began his night prayer, said that he began with a supplication that names Gabriel, Michael and Israfil.
Sahih Muslim 770 Book 6, Hadith 239
Authentic: in Sahih Muslim
- 4
Ibn 'Abbas reported that on the night of the Ascent the Prophet saw Malik, the keeper of the Fire.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3239 Book 59, Hadith 50
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 5
Anas reported that when a person is laid in the grave, two angels come to him, make him sit and ask him about the man Muhammad; the report does not name them.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1338 Book 23, Hadith 93
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 6
Abu Hurayrah reported that angels come in succession by night and by day and gather at the Fajr and Asr prayers.
Sahih al-Bukhari 555 Book 9, Hadith 32
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 7
Ibn Kathir, in his commentary on As-Sajdah 32:11, says the name Azrael appears in some transmitted accounts, calls it the well-known name, and attributes the naming to Qatada and others.
Isma'il ibn 'Umar ibn Kathir, Tafsir al-Quran al-Azim (Tafsir Ibn Kathir), vol. 6, p. 322, commentary on As-Sajdah 32:11 (shamela book 23604, page 2770). Wording checked on the page today: "وقد سمي في بعض الآثار بعزرائيل ، وهو المشهور". Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyya edition, as on shamela.ws book 23604. Read on 26 October 2026 on the electronic text, which shows no print volume or page. Print volume and page still to be checked before publication. Record: scholarly-ibnkathir-azrael-32-11.
- Q
Quran Arabic and English for Al-Baqarah 2:97 to 98, 2:102, 2:285, 18:50, As-Sajdah 32:11, Ghafir 40:7, Al-Muddaththir 74:31 and Al-Infitar 82:10 to 12, and the clauses quoted from them.
Tanzil Project (Arabic); Pickthall 1930, adapted (English) Uthmani text, CC BY 3.0. English: adapted from Marmaduke Pickthall's translation (1930), modernised and checked against modern translations.
Next
- Jinn: what the Quran and hadith sayMeaning explained
- Jannah: what the Quran and hadith describeMeaning explained
- The Day of JudgementMeaning explained
- The last two verses of Al-BaqarahQuran lesson
- The Unseen and the HereafterThe hub
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