The Magnificence of Jibreel

In The Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

By The Star When It Goes Down (1) Your Companion Has Neither Gone Astray Nor Erred (2) Nor Does He Speak Of His Own Desire (3) It Is But An Inspiration That Is Inspired (4) He Has Been Taught (The Qur’an) By One Who Is Great In Power (5) Free From Any Defect In Mind And Body, Then He Rose And Became Stable (6) While He Was In The Highest Part Of The Horizon (7) Then He Approached And Became Closer (8) And Was At A Distance Of Two Bows Length Or Even Nearer (9) [Holy Qur’an, Sura 53, Al-Najm]

Once Upon A Time…

Ever since the creation of Man (Or Adam for that fact), humans were bent on the idea of worshipping a supreme being, namely Allah, The Most Exalted One. Surely, He had other names in Judaism and Christianity (Yahweh and Jehovah), but His supremacy was never denied in these religions. However, that instinct was altered with the passing of time through the poisonous channels of Iblis or Satan. Thus, it became a widely acceptable custom to worship more than one god. Some tribes thought of these “mini-deities” as Allah’s partners, whereas others created a supreme yet visible god surrounded by stony minions, each with a special capability that the other does not possess. It was then when Allah The Most Exalted and Revered of All sent Messengers and Prophets, to guide their people to the righteous path and to abandon the false ideologies of their ancestors’ traditions.

Now, it happened that Allah favored a specific method of sending His message to His beloved representatives, and that was generally through an intermediary from Heaven. Rarely has it been when He had directly spoken to them, such as in the case of Moses (pbuh) and Mohammed (pbuh). That heavenly agent was to be Jibreel (pbuh), the Archangel, the superior of his race, and one of Allah’s closest Angels.

Jibreel (pbuh) had the colossal task of transmitting Allah’s message from seven skies all the way to Earth, where the Messenger or Prophet awaits. Now, such a distance is a mind-boggling idea to the human brain, but verily it has been testified in the Holy Qur’an:

“The Angels and The Holy Spirit (Jibreel) ascend to Him (Allah) in A Day the measure whereof is fifty thousand years (4) so be patient (O Mohammed), with good patience (5)” [Holy Qur’an, Sura 70, Al-Ma’arij]

Therefore, a being that could travel all this sheer distance must possess sheer power. Verses 5 to 9 of Surat Al-Najm recognized the magnificence of Jibreel (pbuh) in a way that I have not ever witnessed anywhere in the Holy Qur’an. It was as if Allah wanted to prove to His beloved Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) and us the important status of Jibreel (pbuh).

During the event that Surat Al-Najm is referring to, Mohammed (pbuh) saw Jibreel (pbuh) in his true form. According to Dr. Tariq Al-Suwaidan, author of the Prophetic Biography audio book, Mohammed (pbuh) saw the archangel in his true form twice, both times being in Mecca. This is a strong response to those who claim that Mohammed had actually saw him in his true form again in Medina, and that he had not seen him as an angel before. In fact, the evidence is of divine origin:

“And indeed he (Mohammed) saw him (Jibreel) another time (13) Near Sidrat-ul-Muntaha (lote-tree of the utmost boundary, beyond which none can pass) (14) Near it is the Paradise of Abode (15)” [Holy Qur’an, Sura 53, Al-Najm]

The verses above refer to the time when the Final Prophet (pbuh) ascended to the seventh sky from the Farthest Mosque (Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa) of Jerusalem. Islamic Scholars and Historians agree that this night took place during Mohammed’s (pbuh) stay in Mecca.

Jibreel The Enemy?

During the time of the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh), a party of Medina’s Jews claimed that Jibreel was a corrupted angel, while Mikaal (Michael) was their friend (Abdullah Yusuf Ali). I also had my own discussions with a Christian priest who stuck to the same claim, saying that angels are known to rebel against the will of their Lord. His intention was to prove to me that the Qur’an could be Jibreel’s work! Seeing that such claims refute the purity of these beings, Allah sent spine-tingling verses to set things straight:

“Say (O Mohammed): Whoever is an enemy to Jibreel (let him die in his fury), for indeed he has brought it (this Qur’an) down to your heart by Allah’s Permission, confirming what came before it [i.e. the Taurât (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)] and guidance and glad tidings for the believers (97) Whoever is an enemy to Allah, His Angels, His Messengers, Jibreel and Mikaal, then verily, Allah is an enemy to the disbelievers (98)” [Holy Qur’an, Sura 2, Al-Baghara]

Any open-minded intellectual will refuse to believe that angels actually rebel against the will of their Lord! Angels cannot do such a thing, because they do not have the ability to choose. In addition, Jibreel is Allah’s closest angel and thus cannot be the enemy of man. Hence the verses mentioned above.

In fact, Jibreel was ordered by the Exalted One to aid Mohammed (pbuh) and the Muslims at the battle of Badr. We learn from the Prophetic Biography that the archangel was the commander of the Angelic Army, and their presence was vividly described in the holiest of all Books:

“And Allah has already made you victorious at Badr, when you were a weak little force. So fear Allah much [abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which He has forbidden and love Allah much, perform all kinds of good deeds which He has ordained] that you may be grateful (123) Remember when you (Mohammed) said to the believers: Is it not enough for you that your Lord (Allah) should help you with three thousand angels; sent down? (124) Yes, if you hold on to patience and piety, and the enemy comes rushing at you; your Lord will help you with five thousand angels having marks (of distinction) (125)” [Holy Qur’an, Sura 3, Al-Imran]

When Allah The Most Supreme assigns an angel to command a righteous army of three thousand angels, he could not have possibly been an enemy to anyone whom Allah loves.

Jibreel’s Distinctions

Finally, allow me to demonstrate Jibreel’s distinctions through the following authentic evidence from the best of creation, Mohammed (pbuh):

Narrated Abu Ishaq-Ash-Shaibani: I asked Zir bin Hubaish regarding the Statement of Allah: "And was at a distance Of but two bow-lengths or (even) nearer; So did (Allah) convey The Inspiration to His slave (Jibreel) and then he (Jibreel) Conveyed (that to Mohammed). (53.9-10) On that, Zir said, "Ibn Mas'ud informed us that the Prophet had seen Jibreel having six hundred wings." [Sahih Bukhari]

Narrated Masruq: I asked Aisha "What about His Statement: -- "Then he (Jibreel) approached and came closer, and was at a distance of but two bow-lengths Or (even) nearer?" (53.8-9) She replied, "It was Jibreel who used to come to the Prophet in the figure of a man, but on that occasion, he came in his actual and real figure and (he was so huge) that he covered the whole horizon." [Sahih Bukhari]