Angels Unveiled: A Sufi Perspective

269 Pages·2006·8.288 MB·English

by  Shaykh Muhammad, Muhammad Hisham Kabbani, Shaykh Muhammad

"By those that winnow with a winnowing
"And those that bear the burden of the rain
"And those that glide with ease upon the sea
"And those who distribute blessings by command,
"hoi That wherewith you are addressed is indeed truet”
(Koran 51:1-5)
A U
ngels nveiled
A SUFI PERSPECTIVE
S M H K
haykh uhammad isham abbani
Foreword by
Sachiko Murata
KAZI Publications, Inc.
ii • Angels Unveiled
© 1995 Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording or
by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of
the author. All inquiries may be sent to the author, Shaykh Muhammad Hisham
Kabbani, c/o the Haqqani Islamic Convention Center and Camp, 7007 Denton Hill
Road, PO Box 1184, Fenton, MI 48430.
Cover and Illustrations by
Rukkiah Tonette Sazonoff
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Kabbani, Shaykh Muhammad Hisham
Angels Unveiled: A Sufi Perspective.
Includes bibliographical references.
I. Sufism. 2. Islamic Belief. I. Kabbani, Shaykh Muhammad Hisham.
II. Title
BP1898.N38 1995
297\4—dc20
ISBN: 1-56744-514-4
Published and Distributed by:
KAZI Publications, Inc.
3023 W. Belmont
Chicago IL 60618
Tel: [phone]; FAX: [phone]
To my master,
Shaykh Muhammad Nazim Adil al-Qubrusi
an-Naqshbandi al-Haqqani
and to my wife, his daughter,
Nazihe

Contents
Exordium vii
Foreword ix
To the Reader xiii
Acknowledgements xv
Introduction 1
1 What are angels? 3
2 Belief in Angels 15
3 The Angels of the Throne 21
4 The Four Archangels in Charge of the Earth 27
5 The Angel that Carries the Whale that Carries Creation 29
6 The Soldier-Angels 33
Part One
The Past 37
7 Angels and Adam and Eve 39
8 Noah’s Angelic Light 45
9 Abraham’s Honored Guests 49
10 Joseph’s Angelic Beauty 57
11 Jonah’s Angelic Whale 63
12 Mary’s Virgin Angels 69
13 Prophet Muhammad’s Journey 77
Part Two
The Present 115
14 A Journey to the Land of Angels 117
15 The Spirit 123
16 Angelic Miracles 127
17 Angels Who Chant in Heaven 143
18 Angels Guide to Safety 149
19 Zahra and the Angels of Magic 159
20 Urwa and the Angel of Consolation 165
21 A Saint and Archangel Michael 169
22 A Saint and Angels of the Tree-Leaves, of Dreams
and Premonitions and of Nightfall and Sunrise 177
23 Angels, a Saint and Speaking in Tongues 183
Part Three
The Future 187
24 Israfil, Archangel of the Trumpet-blast 189
25 Angels of Mercy and Wrath 193
26 Gabriel, the Servant Archangel 197
27 Angels and Material Energy 203
28 Archangel Azrail and the Other Angels of Death 207
29 Angels and the Grave 215
30 The Angels Who Bring Peace in the Last Days 221
31 Conclusion 223
Sources 237
Index of Koranic Verses 239
General Index 243
When Hell was created,
the hearts of angels flew away
from their proper places.
When human beings were created
those hearts came back.
Exordium
Praise be to God Who has inspired us with the wonderful signs of
His creation and granted us the goodness of His knowledge and
love by sending us His messengers, showing us His truths, both
the manifest and the hidden. Praise be to God Who has allowed us
to peer into His hidden treasures, Who alone adorned Himself with His
divine attributes before languages came to be, and Who is alone in the
uppermost stations of Beauty and Majesty where all seekers are drawn and
hope to reach. There lovers chant and dance in His remembrance with burn­
ing love. There sincere servants seek His pleasure as messengers from His
divine presence. He is the First to be worshipped without beginning. He is
the Everlasting without end. He is the King Who alone creates and invents.
He is the Owner and Ruler of His kingdom both seen and unseen, angels and
human beings. He is the Master Whom none resembles, ever besought and
in need of none. Nothing can contain Him and He contains everything. He is
the Self-Subsistent Who sustains the seven earths and the seven heavens
and all universes with His power. He is unique in His perfect attributes. He
is the Living, the Everlasting, Whose life knows no end. He is the Knower in
His ancient knowledge. He is the Expert in creation, the All-Encompassing
in both hidden and manifest knowledge. He is the Witness before Himself of
His own Oneness. He is the All-Hearing without necessity to listen. He is the
All-Seeing without necessity to look, the Watchful Who overlooks nothing
concerning His angels and His servants. He is the Preserver Who never for­
gets, the Guardian of His creation, the All-Powerful Who brought an unlim­
ited creation into existence. He is the Provider of all without being asked. He
is the Light of lights with which the hearts of His believers are enlightened.
His Kingdom no more diminishes in the wake of His generosity than an end­
less ocean whose waves keep breaking upon the shore.