ANGELS IN ISLAM A Commentary with Selected Translations of Jalāl al-Dīn al-Suyūṭī’s Al-Ḥabā’ik fī akhbār al- malā’ik (The Arrangement of the Traditions about Angels) S. R. Burge Doctor of Philosophy The University of Edinburgh 2009 A loose-leaf from a MS of al-Qazwīnī’s, cAjā’ib fī makhlūqāt (British Library) Source: Du Ry, Carel J., Art of Islam (New York: Abrams, 1971), p. 188 0.1 Abstract This thesis presents a commentary with selected translations of Jalāl al-Dīn cAbd al- Raḥmān al-Suyūṭī’s Al-Ḥabā’ik fī akhbār al-malā’ik (The Arrangement of the Traditions about Angels). The work is a collection of around 750 ḥadīth about angels, followed by a postscript (khātima) that discusses theological questions regarding their status in Islam. The first section of this thesis looks at the state of the study of angels in Islam, which has tended to focus on specific issues or narratives. However, there has been little study of the angels in Islamic tradition outside studies of angels in the Qur’an and eschatological literature. This thesis hopes to present some of this more general material about angels. The following two sections of the thesis present an analysis of the whole work. The first of these two sections looks at the origin of Muslim beliefs about angels, focusing on angelic nomenclature and angelic iconography. The second attempts to understand the message of al-Suyūṭī’s collection and the work’s purpose, through a consideration of the roles of angels in everyday life and ritual. The translation and annotated commentary that follow focus on angels mentioned in the Qur’ān itself: Gabriel, Michael, Isrāfīl, the Angel of Death, the Bearers of the Throne, the Spirit, Riḍwān, Mālik, the Guardians of Heaven and Hell, al-Sijill, Hārūt, Mārūt and the Sakīna. The aim of the thesis is to open up the study of the angelic world of the ḥadīth, beyond the eschatological material and to show the vitality of Muslim beliefs about angels in Islamic tradition. 0.2 Declaration I declare that I, Stephen Russell Burge, have written this thesis and that the work is my own. The thesis has been submitted to the University of Edinburgh for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and it has not been submitted for any other degree or professional qualification. S. R. Burge 0.3 Acknowledgements There are a number of people who have helped me enormously during my doctoral studies and whom I wish to thank. I am very grateful for the financial support of the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), who have provided me with a Doctoral Studentship throughout my studies, which covered my fees, maintenance and a grant for a research trip. I would not have been able to complete this work without their generous financial support. Firstly, I would like to thank Prof. Julia Bray, now of the Université de Paris VIII, for introducing me to al-Suyūṭī’s Al-Ḥabā’ik fī akhbār al-malā’ik. She also encouraged me greatly in my undergraduate studies at the University of St. Andrews. A number of colleagues and staff in the Department of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies have provided me with helpful comments on my work, but I would like to mention especially Dr. Ayman Shihadeh, Jokha Al-Ḥarthī and Samy Ayoub for their comments on my Arabic; Songul Mecit for helping me with my German; Margaret Graves for introducing me to Islamic Art and especially Saeko Yazaki and Alex Mallett who have both been a joy to work with and to know. Special thanks go to my parents who have been extremely encouraging and supportive throughout my studies. My interest in Arabic and Islam began when we lived in Khartoum in the mid 1980s, but I doubt that they ever anticipated one of their children would be writing a thesis as a result. I would like, especially, to thank my supervisor, Prof. Carole Hillenbrand OBE, for all her encouragement since we first met in 2003. I hope that she has been as fascinated as I have been by Al-Suyūṭī's Al-Ḥabā’ik and the weird and wonderful world of Islamic angelology. She has not only supervised my work, but encouraged me to publish and to develop as an academic, a researcher, a tutor and an individual; for that I am eternally grateful. Above all, I would like to thank my wife, Laurelin. Our family has doubled since I began my studies and she has been happy to look after two young children on her own, whilst I worked long hours. She has also been willing to listen to me talking about angels in Islam for more than most could stand and has commented on all of my ideas and random thoughts. I could not have completed this thesis without her constant and steadfast support. I also thank, although they do not yet understand, my two children, Christian and Peter, who show me constantly that play is just as important as work. 0.4 Transliteration System Arabic The transliteration used in this thesis is a modified version of the Encyclopaedia of Islam: Consonants ’, b, t, th, j, ḥ, kh, d, dh, r, z, s, sh, ṣ, ḍ, ṭ, z,̣ c, gh, f, q, k, l, m, n, h, w, y Vowels ā, a, ī, i, ū, u, Diphthongs ay, aw Feminine Endings -a / at (in iḍaāfa) Nisba adjectives iyy Definite article al- / ‘l- [‘sun’ letters have not been assimilated] Enclitics: bi-‘l- Case endings are only marked when necessary. Common English names (such as Michael, Gabriel and Adam) have not been transliterated. ان اﻟﻤﻼﺋﻜﺔ ﺗﺒﺴﻂ أﺟﻨﺤﺘﻬﺎ ﻟﻄﺎﻟﺐ اﻟﻌﻠﻢ اﻟﺴﻴﻮﻃﻲ اﻟﺤﺎﺑﺎﺋﻚ ﻓﻲ اﺧﺒﺎر اﻟﻤﻼﺋﻚ . for Laurelin, Christian and Peter with love CONTENTS 0. Front Matter 0.1 Abstract 5 0.2 Declaration 6 0.3 Acknowledgements 7 0.4 Transliteration System 8 0.5 Contents 13 1. Angels in Islam: Classical Islam and Previous Scholarship 19 1.1 The Study of Angels in Previous Scholarship 22 1.2 Jalāl al-Dīn al-Suyūṭī’s Al-Ḥabā’ik fī akhbār al-malā’ik 33 1.3 Contextualizing al-Suyūṭī in the Late Mamluk Milieu 38 1.4 Jalāl al-Dīn al-Suyūṭī: Methodology and Sources 47 1.5 The Purpose of Al-Ḥabā’ik and its Audience 60 2. The Origin of Islamic Beliefs About Angels 65 2.1 Angelic Nomenclature 69 2.1.1 Theophoric Names 72 2.1.2 Function Names 78 2.1.3 Function Names without Malak 84 2.1.4 Other Miscellaneous Names 87 2.2 The Iconography of Angels 93 2.2.1 The Physical Form of Angels 97 2.2.2 Angels of Great Size 104 2.2.3 Finer Detailing: Clothing, Jewellery and Colours 110 2.3 Conclusions 118 3. The Angelic World of al-Ḥabā’ik fī akhbār al-malā’ik 123 3.1 The Angels’ Roles in Human Life 127 3.1.1 The Angels of the Womb 127 3.1.2 The Scribes 131 3.1.3 The Angel of Death 136 3.1.4 The Post-Mortem Angels 146 3.2 Angels and Ritual 152 3.2.1 Angels as the Template of Ritual 154 3.2.2 Commanding Right and Forbidding Wrong? 165 3.3 Conclusions 181 4. Al-Ḥabā’ik fī akhbār al-malā’ik: Text and Translation 185 4.1 A Note on the Supporting Manuscript 189 4.2 Translation and Commentary 191 4.2.1 Preface 193 4.2.2 The Necessity of Belief in Angels 193 4.2.3 The Origin of the Creation of the Angels 195 4.2.4 The Great Abundance of Angels 196 4.2.5 The Four Archangels 203 4.2.6 Gabriel 208 4.2.7 Michael 224 4.2.8 Isrāfīl 227 4.2.9 The Angel of Death 235 4.2.10 The Bearers of the Throne 262 4.2.11 The Spirit 273 4.2.12 Riḍwān, Mālik and the Keepers of the Fire 278 4.2.13 Al-Sijill 284 4.2.14 Hārūt and Mārūt 286 4.2.15 The Sakīna 296 5. Conclusions 299 6. Appendices 307 A Arabic Text 309 B Chapter Details – Leiden MS Or. 474(28) 347 C Textual Variants – Leiden MS Or 474(28) 349 D Al-Suyūṭī’s Sources 361 E The Authorities of the Ḥadīth 379 F Précis of Ḥadīth Not Translated 387 G Images of Angels in Islamic Art 431 7. Indexes 439 7.1 Index of al-Suyūṭī’s Sources 441 7.2 Index of Qur’ānic Quotations 443 7.3 Index of Authorities 444 8. Bibliography 449 8.1 Abbreviations 451 8.1.1 Journals, Encyclopaedia and Monographs 451 8.1.2 Ancient and Mediaeval Texts 453 8.2 Primary Sources (Muslim) 454 8.3 Primary Sources (Non-Muslim) 459 8.4 Secondary Sources 462 19 Introduction: Angels in Islam 20 21 1. Angels in Islam: Classical Islam and Previous Scholarship In an article published in The Muslim World in 1937, the American missionary Samuel M. Zwemer commented: ‘The angelology of Islam is very extensive and has been treated only partially by western scholars, although it holds such an important place in the belief of popular Islam…’1 There still remains a large gap in the scholarly literature on the role of angels in Islam, with only two early monographs available on the subject.2 Admittedly, there are a number of studies in areas that include the angels, but none devoted exclusively to them. This is quite surprising as angels are a fundamental part of Islamic belief, as Sachiko Murata notes: ‘The Islamic concepts of creation, revelation, prophecy, the events that occur in the world, worship, the spiritual life, death, resurrection, and the central position of man in the cosmos cannot be understood without reference to angels.’3 In fact, belief in angels is necessary in Islam and their rejection constitutes kufr.4 This strong stance on angels can be seen quite clearly in the Qur’ān, for example: ‘Whoever is an enemy to God and His angels and His messengers, Gabriel, and Michael – surely God is an enemy 1 Zwemer, Samuel M., ‘The Worship of Adam by Angels (With Reference to Hebrews 1.6)’MW 27 (1937) pp.