Michael the Angel in Islam

[6Roman6Catholic6]

Who is Saint Michael the Arch Angel to Muslims? In Christianity, St. Michael is the Angel that defeated Satan and his armies in Heaven. 

Here is Saint Michael the Arch Angel defeating Satan.

[Shaikh Hakim]

مَن كَانَ عَدُوًّا لِّلَّـهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَجِبْرِيلَ وَمِيكَالَ فَإِنَّ اللَّـهَ عَدُوٌّ لِّلْكَافِرِينَ - http://tanzil.net/#2:98

Qarai Translation:[Say,] ‘Whoever is an enemy of Allah, His angels and His apostles and Gabriel and Michael, [let him know that] Allah is the enemy of the faithless.

َAccording to Ahadith, Michael is commissioned by Allah, سبحانه و تعالی, to manage the sustenance of the creatures.

 

[PureExistence1]

Salaam, bumping this to see if anyone has any further info on this as i just reached ayah 2;98.

JazakAllahkheyr

[Ethics]

1 hour ago, PureExistence1 said:

Salaam, bumping this to see if anyone has any further info on this as i just reached ayah 2;98.

JazakAllahkheyr

Salaam this is the tafsir of that ayat

Tafsir Al Mizan on 2:98
 

Qur’an: Say: “Whoever is the enemy of Gabriel - for surely he revealed it to your heart by Allah's Command: Apparently the verse was revealed as a reply to something the Jews had said - they arrogantly refused to believe in what was revealed to the Apostle of Allah (S), on the pretext that they were enemies of Gabriel who had the charge of bringing the revelation to Muhammad (S).

Allah replied to them in two verses - concerning the Qur'an and Gabriel both. Also the traditions giving the background of the verses confirm it. The verses contain four replies to their arrogance in denial of the Qur'an.

First: Gabriel has revealed the Qur'an to your heart by Allah's Command, not by his own wish. Therefore, even if they feel enmity towards Gabriel, it should not prevent them from believing in a revelation sent down by Allah's Command.

Second: The Qur'an verifies the Divine Book which was revealed before it and which they have in their hands. How can they believe in a book and deny another which verifies it?

Third: The Qur'an is a guidance for those who believe in it.

Fourth: It is also a good news for the believers. How can a sane person turn his face away from guidance and good news, even if it is brought to him by a supposed enemy of his?
So far as their professed enmity towards Gabriel was con­cerned, they were replied as follows:

Gabriel is one of the angels of Allah; he has no authority except to follow and obey the Divine Command - just like Michael and other angels. They are honoured servants of Allah; they do not disobey His command, and they do as they are told.

Likewise, the apostles of Allah have no authority except by Allah and from Allah. To have enmity towards them, to harbour hatred for them is enmity and hatred towards Allah Himself. Therefore, whoever is the enemy of Allah and His angels and His apostles and Gabriel and Michael, so surely Allah is his enemy.

All these replies are clearly given in these two verses.

Qur’an: for surely he revealed it to your heart by Allah's Command: Apparently, it should have been “to my heart”; instead, it says, “to your heart”. The pronoun has been changed from the first to the second person to draw attention to an im­portant factor:

So far as the revelation of the Qur'an is concerned, neither Gabriel has any choice or authority of his own in bringing it down (he is subject to the Divine command, which he faith-fully carries out) nor the Apostle of Allah (s. a.w. a.) has any choice or authority of his own in receiving it and conveying it to his ummah; his heart is the receptacle of revelation, on which he has no control at all and which he is bound to convey to his people.

The Jews have been mentioned in these verses sometimes in the second person, and sometimes in the third. Their admoni­tion and condemnation has continued for a long time; and the Speaker wants to show that they do not deserve the honour of being addressed by Him.

That is why He frequently changes the styles, again and again going from the second to the third person pronouns. The audience gets the impression that the Speaker does not like to speak to them - because of their heedlessness and depravity, but at the same time does not like to leave them as they are without pronouncing His judgment against them.

Qur’an: the enemy of the unbelievers: Instead of saying, “their enemy”, the verse uses the word, “enemy of the un­believers”; it serves to show also the reason of that enmity. Allah is their enemy, because they are unbelievers, and Allah is the enemy of the unbelievers.

Qur’an: and none disbelieve in them except the transgressors: It explains the cause of their disbelief; they disbelieve because they are transgressors. Or, may be the definite article ”the”, in “the transgressors” refers to the group mentioned in the beginning of the chapter:

But He does not cause to err by it (any) except the transgressors, who break the covenant of Allah after its confirmation... (2:26-27)

As for Gabriel and how he brought the revelation to the heart of the Apostle of Allah (s. a.w. a.), we shall explain it, God willing, in another place; the same applies to Michael and other angels.

Traditions

Ibn ''Abbas explained the reason of the revelation of the verse, Say: “Whoever is the enemy of Gabriel...”, in these words: “When the Prophet came to Medina, Ibn Suriya and some Jews of Fadak asked him (some questions). They said: 'O Muhammad! How do you sleep? Because we have been told about the sleep of the Prophet who would come in the last days?'

He said: 'My eyes sleep while my heart is awake.' They said: 'You are right, O Muhammad! Now tell us about the child whether it is from the man or from the woman?' He said: 'As for the bones, the nerves and the veins, they are from the man; and as for the flesh, the blood, the nails and the hairs, they are from the woman.'

They said: 'You are right, O Muhammad! Then why is it that sometimes the child resembles his paternal uncles, without having a least likeness of his maternal uncles? And sometimes he resembles his maternal uncles without having any likeness at all to his paternal uncles?' He replied: 'He resembles to that parent's (side) whose fluid dominates the other's.' They said: 'You spoke the truth, O Muhammad! Now, tell us about your Lord, what is He?' Then Allah revealed (the Chapter 112):

Say: “He, Allah is One...”

Then Ibn Suriya said: 'One (more) thing; if you tell (us) about it, I shall believe in you and follow you. Which angel is it that brings to you that which Allah reveals to you?' He said: 'Gabriel.' (Ibn Suriya) said:

'He is our enemy; he brings the (order of) fighting, hard-ship and war. And Michael brings comfort and happiness. Had it been Michael who came to you (with revelation) we would have believed in you.' ”

The author says: Very many traditions (nearly mutawatir in number) have been narrated by both Sunni and Shi'ah narrators, that (when) the Apostle of Allah (s. a.w. a.) (slept) his eyes used to sleep but his heart kept awake.

Sleep did not make him unaware of himself; when asleep, he was well aware that he was asleep; when he dreamt he knew that he was dreaming. Not too often, this happens to some other good persons too when their souls are clean and they keep in touch with the Divine sublimity.

When the soul rises to that level, it can never be oblivious of the various changes occurring to itself in its worldly life, nor can it forget its relation to its Lord. At this stage, it may look at the world and its life taking the whole spectrum at one glance, as a man looks at a tree and perceives it all at once. In this detached manner, it observes that all human beings are asleep - not only those who are manifestly asleep, but those too who are thought to be awake.

Almost all men have taken shelter under sensual perception; have bound themselves to the fetters of materialism. They are in fact asleep, even when they think they are awake. 'Ali ((عليه السلام).) has said: “The people are asleep; when they die they will wake up...”
This topic will be further explained in other place; other sentences of this tradition too will be explained later

https://www.al-islam.org/al-mizan-exegesis-quran-volume-2-sayyid-muhammad-husayn-tabatabai/suratul-baqarah-verses-94-−-99

 

 

[Eddie Mecca]

'Angels In Islam' Wikipedia page  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angels_in_Islam

In Islam, angels (Arabic: ملاك٬ ملك‎, romanized: malāk; plural: ملائِكة‎, malāʾik/malāʾikah)^[1] are believed to be heavenly beings, created from a luminous origin by God.^[2][3] Although Muslim authors disagree on the exact nature of angels, they agree that they are autonomous entities with subtle bodies.^[4]: 508 Yet, both concepts of angels as anthropomorphic creatures with wings and as abstract forces are acknowledged.^[5]

They have different roles, including their praise of God, interacting with humans in ordinary life, defending against devils (shayāṭīn) and carrying on natural phenomena.^[3] Angels are more prominent in Islam compared to Judeo-Christian tradition,^[6] being involved in humans everyday life. Belief in angels is one of the main articles of faith in Islam.^[7]

The Quran is the principal source for the Islamic concept of angels,^[5] but more extensive features of angels appear in hadith literature, Mi'raj literature, Islamic exegesis, theology, philosophy, and mysticism.^[2][3][8] The angels differ from other spiritual creatures in their attitude as creatures of virtue, in contrast to devils and jinn.^[2][9] Angels play an important role in Muslim everyday life by protecting the believers from evil influences and recording the deeds of humans.

Islamic Modernist scholars such as Muhammad Asad and Ghulam Ahmed Parwez have suggested a metaphorical reinterpretation of the concept of angels.^[10]

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Etymology[edit]

 

Angel Blowing a Woodwind, ink and opaque watercolor painting from Safavid Iran, c. 1500, Honolulu Academy of Arts

The Quranic word for angel (Arabic: ملك, romanized: malak) derives either from Malaka, meaning "he controlled", due to their power to govern different affairs assigned to them,^[11] or from the triliteral root '-l-k, l-'-k or m-l-k with the broad meaning of a "messenger", just as its counterpart in Hebrew (malʾákh). Unlike the Hebrew word, however, the term is used exclusively for heavenly spirits of the divine world, as opposed to human messengers. The Quran refers human messengers as rasul instead.^[12]

Characteristics[edit]

In Islam, angels are heavenly creatures created by God. They are considered older than humans and jinn.^[13] Contrary to popular belief, angels are never described as agents of revelation in the Quran, although exegesis credits Gabriel with that.^[14]

One of the Islamic major characteristic is their lack of bodily desires; they never get tired, do not eat or drink, and have no anger.^[15] As with other monotheistic religions, angels are characterized by their purity and obedience to God.^[16] In Islamic traditions, they are described as being created from incorporeal light (Nūr .^[17][18][a] A narrative transmitted from Abu Dharr al-Ghifari, audited and commented by two hadith commentary experts in the modern era, Shuaib Al Arna'ut^[26] and Muḥammad 'Abd ar-Raḥmān al-Mubarakpuri,^[27] has spoken a hadith that Muhammad said the number of angels were countless, to the point that there is no space in the sky as wide as four fingers, unless there is an angel resting his forehead, prostrating to God.^[27][26]

Nobility[edit]

Humans and angels[edit]

Muslim scholars have debated whether human or angels rank higher. Angels usually symbolize virtuous behavior, while humans have the ability to sin, but also to repent. The prostration of angels before Adam is often seen as evidence for humans' supremacy over angels. Others hold angels to be superior, as being free from material deficits, such as anger and lust. Angels are free from such inferior urges and therefore superior, a position especially found among Mu'tazilites and some Asharites.^[28] A similar opinion was asserted by Hasan of Basri, who argued that angels are superior to humans and prophets due to their infallibility, originally opposed by both Sunnis and Shias.^[29] This view is based on the assumption of superiority of pure spirit against body and flesh. Maturidism generally holds that angels' and prophets' superiority and obedience derive from their virtues and insights to God's action, but not as their original purity.^[30]

Contrarily argued, humans rank above angels, since for a human it is harder to be obedient and to worship God, hassling with bodily temptations, in contrast to angels, whose life is much easier and therefore their obedience is rather insignificant. Islam acknowledges a famous story about competing angels and humans in the tale of Harut and Marut, who were tested to determine, whether or not, angels would do better than humans under the same circumstances,^[31] a tradition opposed by some scholars, such as ibn Taimiyya, but still accepted by others, such as ibn Hanbal.^[32] It seems that humans' quality of obedience and temptations mirrors that of angels: In the Quran, Adam fell from God's favor for his wish to be like the angels, while a pair of angel is said to have fallen for their desire for human lust.^[33] In a comment of Tafsir al-Baydawi it is said that the angels' "obedience is their nature while their disobedience is a burden, while human beings' obedience is a burden and their hankering after lust is their nature.^[4]: 546

Andalusian scholar ibn Arabi argues that a human generally ranks below angels, but developed to Al-Insān al-Kāmil, ranks above them.^[34] This reflects the major opinion that prophets and messengers among humans rank above angels, but the ordinary human below an angel, while the messengers among angels rank higher than prophets and messengers among humans.^[28] Ibn Arabi elaborates his ranking in al-Futuhat based on a report by Tirmidhi. Accordingly, Muhammad intercedes for the angels first, then for (other) prophets, saints, believers, animals, plants and inanimate objects last, this explaining the hierarchy of beings in general Muslim thought.^[35]

Groups of modern scholars from Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University in Yemen and Mauritania issued fatwa that the angels should be invoked with blessing Islamic honorifics (ʿalayhi as-salāmu), which is applied to human prophets and messengers.^[36] This fatwas were based on the ruling from Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya.^[36]

Impeccability[edit]

Main article: Ismah

 

The angels Harut and Marut punished by hanging over the well, condemned to teach sorcery. (c. 1703)

The possibility and degree of erring angels is debated in Islam.^[37] Hasan of Basra (d. 728) is often considered one of the first who asserted the doctrine of angelic infallibility. Others accepted the possibility of fallible angels, such as Abu Hanifa (d. 767), who ranked angels based on their examples in the Quran.^[38]

The Quran describes angels in al-Tahrim (66:6) "not disobeying" and in al-Anbiya "not acting arrogant", which served as a base for the doctrine of angelic impeccability. Others argue that, if angels couldn't sin, it wouldn't be necessary to compliment them for their obedience.^[4]: 546 Similarly al-Anbiya (21:29) stresses out that if an angel were to claim divinity for himself, he would be sentenced to hell, implying that angels might commit such a sin.^[30][39] This verse is generally associated with Iblis (Satan), those nature (angel, jinn, or devil) is likewise up to debate. The presense of two fallen angels referred to as Harut and Marut, further hindered their complete absolution from potentially sinning.^{[4]: 548 [40]}

To defend the doctrine of angelic impeccability, al-Basri already reinterpreted these verses and argued that Harut and Marut were human kings but not angels. Likewise, he was a strong advocate for rejecting Iblis' angelic origin.^[41] His approach is by no means universally accepted among Muslim scholars. Al-Maturidi (853–944 CE) pointed at verses of the Quran, according to which angels are tested by God and concludes angels have free-will, but, due to their insights to God's nature, choose to obey. Some angels nevertheless lack this insight and fail.^[30] Al-Baydawi asserts that "certain angels are not infallible even if infallibility is prevalent among them — just as certain human beings are infallible but fallibility is prevalent among them."^[4]: 545 Al-Taftazani (1322 AD –1390 AD) agrees with al-Basri that angels wouldn't become unbelievers, such as Iblis did, but accepted they might slip into error and become disobedient, like Harut and Marut.^[42] Most scholars of Salafism reject accounts on erring angels entirely and do not investigate this matter further.^[43]

Purity[edit]

Angels believed to be engaged in human affairs are closely related to Islamic purity and modesty rituals. Many hadiths, including Muwatta Imam Malik from one of the Kutub al-Sittah, talk about angels being repelled by humans' state of impurity.^[44]: 323 Such angels keep a distance from humans, who polluted themselves by certain actions (such as sexual intercourse). However, angels might return to an individual as soon as the person (ritually) purified themselves. The absence of angels may cause several problems for the person. If driven away by ritual impurity, the Kiraman Katibin, who record people's actions,^[44]: 325 and the Guardian angel,^[44]: 327 will not perform their tasks assigned to the individual. Another hadith specifies, during the state of impurity, bad actions are still written down, but good actions are not. When a person tells a lie, angels nearby are separated from the person from the stench the lie emanates.^[44]: 328 Angels also depart from humans when they are naked or are having a bath out of decency, but also curse people who are nude in public.^[44]: 328

Some scholars assert that such circumstances might interfere with an angels' work and thus impede their duty. For example, dogs, unclean places, or something confusing them might prevent them from entering a home.^{[45][46][47][48]}

In philosophy[edit]

Inspired by Neoplatonism, the medieval Muslim philosopher Al-Farabi developed a cosmological hierarchy, governed by several Intellects. For al-Farabi, human nature is composed of both material and spiritual qualities. The spiritual part of a human exchanges information with the angelic entities, who are defined by their nature as knowledge absorbed by the Godhead.^[49] A similar function is attested in the cosmology of the Muslim philosopher Ibn Sina, who, however, never uses the term angels throughout his works. For Ibn Sina, the Intellects have probably been a necessity without any religious connotation.^[50]

Muslim theologians, such as al-Suyuti, rejected the philosophical depiction on angels, based on hadiths stating that the angels have been created through the light of God (nūr). Thus angels would have substance and could not merely be an intellectual entity as claimed by philosophers.^[51]

The chain of being, according to Muslim thinkers, includes minerals, plants, animals, human and angels. Muslim philosophers usually define angels as substances endowed with reason and immortality. Humans and animals are mortal, but only men have reason. Devils are unreasonable like animals, but immortal like angels.^[52][53]

Sufism[edit]

 

1543 illustration of the Mi'raj from an edition of the Khamsa of Nizami Ganjavi created for Shah Tahmasp I^[54]

Unlike kalām (theology), Sufi cosmology usually makes no distinction between angels and jinn, understanding the term jinn as "everything hidden from the human senses". Ibn Arabi states: "[when I refer to] jinn in the absolute sense of the term, [I include] those which are made of light and those which are made of fire."^[55] While most earlier Sufis (like Hasan al-Basri) advised their disciples to imitate the angels, Ibn-Arabi advised them to surpass the angels. The angels being merely a reflection of the Divine Names in accordance within the spiritual realm, humans experience the Names of God manifested both in the spiritual and in the material world.^[56]

Just as in non-Sufi-related traditions, angels are thought of as created of light. Al-Jili specifies that the angels are created from the Light of Muhammad and in his attribute of guidance, light and beauty.^[57] Influenced by Ibn Arabi's Sufi metaphysics, Haydar Amuli identifies angels as created to represent different names/attributes of God's beauty, while the devils are created in accordance with God's attributes of Majesty, such as "The Haugthy" or "The Domineering".^[58]

The Sufi Muslim and philosopher Al Ghazali (c. 1058–19 December 1111) divides human nature into four domains, each representing another type of creature: animals, beasts, devils and angels.^[59] Traits human share with bodily creatures are the animal, which exists to regulate ingestion and procreation and the beasts, used for predatory actions like hunting. The other traits humans share with the jinn^[b] and root in the realm of the unseen.

Angels as companions[edit]

In later Sufism, angels are not merely models for the mystic but also their companions. Humans, in a state between earth and heaven, seek angels as guidance to reach the upper realms.^[56] Some authors have suggested that some individual angels in the microcosmos represent specific human faculties on a macrocosmic level.^[61] According to a common belief, if a Sufi can not find a sheikh to teach him, he will be taught by the angel Khidr.^[62][63] The presence of an angel depends on human's obedience to divine law. Dirt, depraved morality and desecration may ward off an angel.^[56]

Angels and devils[edit]

According to al-Ghazali, humans consist of animalistic and spiritual traits. From the spiritual realm (malakut), the plane in which symbols take on form, angels and devils advise the human hearth (qalb).^[64] However, the angels also inhabit the realm beyond considered the realm from which reason ('aql) derives from and devils have no place.

While the angels endow the human mind with reason, advices virtues and leads to worshipping God, the devil perverts the mind and tempts to abusing the spiritual nature by committing sins, such as lying, betrayal, and deceit. The angelic natures advices how to use the animalistic body properly, while the devil perverts it.^[65] In this regard, the plane of a human is, unlike whose of the jinn and animals, not pre-determined. Humans are potentially both angels and devils, depending on whether the sensual soul or the rational soul develop.^[66][67]

In Salafism[edit]

Contemporary Salafism continues to regard the belief in angels as a pillar of Islam and regards the rejection of the literal belief in angels as unbelief and an innovation brought by secularism and Positivism. Modern reinterpretations, as for example suggested by Nasr Abu Zayd, are strongly disregarded. Simultaneously, many traditional materials regarding angels are rejected on the ground, they would not be authentic. The Muslim Brotherhood scholars Sayyid Qutb and Umar Sulaiman Al-Ashqar reject much established material concerning angels, such as the story of Harut and Marut or naming the Angel of Death Azrail. Sulayman Ashqar not only rejects the traditional material itself, he furthermore disapproves of scholars who use them.^[68]

Classification of angels[edit]

Islam has no standard hierarchical organization that parallels the division into different "choirs" or spheres hypothesized and drafted by early medieval Christian theologians, but generally distinguishes between the angels in heaven (karubiyin) fully absorbed in the ma'rifa (knowledge) of God and the messengers (rasūl) who carry out divine decrees between heaven and earth.^[69][70] Others add a third group of angels, and categorize angels into İlliyyûn Mukarrebûn (those around God's throne), Mudabbirât (carrying the laws of nature), and Rasūl (messengers).^[71] Since angels are not equal in status and are consequently delegated to different tasks to perform, some authors of tafsir (mufassirūn) divided angels into different categories.

Al-Baydawi records that Muslim scholars divide angels in at least two groups: those who are self-immersed in knowledge of "the Truth" (al-Haqq), based on "they laud night and day, they never wane" (21:29), they are the "highmost" and "angels brought near" and those who are the executors of commands, based on "they do not disobey Allah in what He commanded them but they do what they are commanded" (66:6), who are the administers of the command of heaven to earth.^[4]: 509

Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (d. 1209) divided the angels into eight groups, which shows some resemblance to Christian angelology:^[72]

• Hamalat al-'Arsh, those who carry the 'Arsh (Throne of God),^[73] comparable to the Christian Seraphim.
• Muqarrabun (Cherubim), who surround the throne of God, constantly praising God (tasbīḥ)
• Archangels, such as Jibrāʾīl, Mīkhāʾīl, Isrāfīl, and ʿAzrāʾīl
• Angels of Paradise, such as Riḍwān.
• Angels of Hell, Mālik and Zabānīya
• Guardian angels, who are assigned to individuals to protect them
• The angels who record the actions of people
• Angels entrusted with the affairs of the world, like the angel of thunder.

Angels in Islamic art[edit]

 

Muhammad advancing on Mecca, with the angels Gabriel, Michael, Israfil and Azrail. (Siyer-i Nebi, 16th century)

Angels in Islamic art often appear in illustrated manuscripts of Muhammad's life. Other common depictions of angels in Islamic art include angels with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, angels discerning the saved from the damned on the Day of Judgement, and angels as a repeating motif in borders or textiles.^[74] Islamic depictions of angels resemble winged Christian angels, although Islamic angels are typically shown with multicolored wings.^[74] Angels, such as the archangel Gabriel, are typically depicted as masculine, which is consistent with God's rejection of feminine depictions of angels in several verses of Quran.^[75] Nevertheless, later depictions of angels in Islamic art are more feminine and androgynous.^[74]

The 13th century book Ajā'ib al-makhlūqāt wa gharā'ib al-mawjūdāt (The Wonders of Creation) by Zakariya al-Qazwini describes Islamic angelology, and is often illustrated with many images of angels. The angels are typically depicted with bright, vivid colors, giving them unusual liveliness and other-worldly translucence.^[76] While some angels are referred to as "Guardians of the Kingdom of God," others are associated with hell. An undated manuscript of The Wonders of Creation from the Bavarian State Library in Munich includes depictions of angels both alone and alongside humans and animals.^[76] Angels are also illustrated in Timurid and Ottoman manuscripts, such as The Timurid Book of the Prophet Muhammad’s Ascension (Mir‘ajnama) and the Siyer-i Nebi.^[77]

List of angels[edit]

Archangels (karubiyin)[edit]

There are four special angels (karubiyin)^[78] considered to rank above the other angels in Islam. They have proper names, and central tasks are associated with them:

• Jibrīl/Jibrāʾīl/Jabrāʾīl (Arabic: جِبْرِيل, romanized: Jibrīl; also Arabic: جبرائيل, romanized: Jibrāʾīl or Jabrāʾīl; derived from the Hebrew גַּבְרִיאֵל, Gaḇrīʾēl)^{[79][80][81][82]} (English: Gabriel),^[83] is venerated as one of the primary archangels and as the Angel of Revelation in Islam.^[79][80][81] Jibrīl is regarded as the archangel responsible for revealing the Quran to Muhammad, verse by verse;^[79][80][81] he is primarily mentioned in the verses 2:97, 2:98, and 66:4 of the Quran, although the Quranic text does not explicitly refer to him as an angel.^[80] Jibrīl is the angel who communicated with all of the prophets and also descended with the blessings of God during the night of Laylat al-Qadr ("The Night of Divine Destiny (Fate)"). Jibrīl is further acknowledged as a magnificent warrior in Islamic tradition, who led an army of angels into the Battle of Badr and fought against Iblis, when he tempted ʿĪsā (Jesus).^[84]
• Mīkāl/Mīkāʾīl/Mīkhāʾīl (Arabic: ميكائيل)(English: Michael),^[85] the archangel of mercy, is often depicted as providing nourishment for bodies and souls while also being responsible for bringing rain and thunder to Earth.^[86] Some scholars have pointed out that Mikail is in charge of angels who carry the laws of nature.^[87]
• Isrāfīl (Arabic: إسرافيل) (frequently associated with the Jewish and Christian angel Raphael), is the archangel who blows into the trumpet in the end time, therefore also associated with music in some traditions.^[88] Israfil is responsible for signaling the coming of Qiyamah (Judgment Day) by blowing a horn.^{[citation needed]} However, Ali Hasan al-Halabi [ar] (a student of Muhammad Nasiruddin al-Albani),^[89] Muhammad ibn al-Uthaymeen,^[90] and Al-Suyuti,^[91] have given commentary that all the hadiths that describe Israfil as the horn-blower are classified as Da'if, although given the multitude of narrative chains that support this concept, they state that it is still possible.^[89][91][90]
• ʿAzrāʾīl/ʿIzrāʾīl (Arabic: عزرائيل)(English: Azrael), is the archangel of death. He and his subordinative angels are responsible for parting the soul from the body of the dead and will carry the believers to heaven (Illiyin) and the unbelievers to hell (Sijjin).^[92][93]

Mentioned in the Quran[edit]

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A 16th-century Siyer-i Nebi image of angel Gabriel visiting Muhammad

• Nāziʿāt and Nāshiṭāt, helpers of Azrail who take the souls of the deceased.^[94]
  • Nāziʿāt: they are responsible for taking out the souls of disbelievers painfully.
  • Nāshiṭāt: they are responsible for taking out the souls of believers peacefully.
• Hafaza, (the Guardian angel):
  • Kiraman Katibin (Honourable Recorders),^[95] two of whom are charged to every human being; one writes down good deeds and another one writes down evil deeds. They are both described as 'Raqeebun 'Ateed' in the Qur'an.
  • Mu'aqqibat (the Protectors)^[96] who keep people from death until its decreed time and who bring down blessings.

 

Muhammad requests Maalik to show him Hell during his heavenly journey. Miniature from The David Collection.

• Angels of Hell:
  • Mālik, chief of the angels who govern Jahannam (Hell).
  • Nineteen angels of hell, commanding the Zabaniyah, to torment sinful people in hell. The nineteen angel chiefs of hell were depicted in Quran chapter Al-Muddaththir verse Quran 74:10–11.^[97] The Saudi Arabia religious ministry released their official interpretation that Zabaniyah were collective names of angels group which included those nineteen chief angels.^[97] Those nineteen angels of hell were standing tall above Saqar, one of levels in hell.^[98] Muhammad Sulaiman al-Asqar, professor from Islamic University of Madinah argued the nineteen instead were nineteen type of hell angels which each type has different kind of form.^[97]
• Angels who distribute provisions, rain, and other blessings by God's command.^[99]
• Ra'd or angels of thunders, a name of angels group who drive the clouds.^[100][101] The angels who regulating the clouds and rains in their task given by God were mentioned in Quran 13:13 Ibn Taymiyyah in his work, Majmu al-Fatwa al-Kubra, has quoted the Marfu hadith transmitted by Ali ibn abi Thalib, that Ra'd were the name of group of angels who herded the dark clouds like a shepherd.^[101][102] Ali further narrated that thunder (Ra'dan Arabic: رعدان) was the growling voices of those angels while herding the clouds, while lightning strikes (Sawa'iq Arabic: صوائق) were a flaming device used by the said angel in gathering and herding the raining clouds.^[101] Al-Suyuti narrated from the hadith transmitted from Ibn Abbas about the lightning angels, while giving further commentary that hot light produced by lightning (Barq Arabic: برق) were the emitted light produced from a whip device used by those angels.^[101][102] Saudi Grand Mufti Abd al-Aziz Bin Baz also ruled on the sunnah practice of reciting Sura Ar-Ra'd, Ayah 13 Quran 13:13 ^{(Translated by Shakir)} whenever a Muslim hears the sound of thunder, as this was practiced according to the hadith tradition narrated by Zubayr ibn al-Awwam.^[103] The non-canonical interpretation from Salaf generation scholars regarding the tradition from Ali has described that "It is a movement of celestial clouds due to air compression in the cloud. However, this does not contradict that (the metaphysical explanation), […] the angels move the clouds from one place to another. Indeed, every movement in the upper and lower World results from the action of the angels. The voice of a person results from the movement of his body parts, which are his lips, his tongue, his teeth, his epiglottis, and his throat; he, however, along with that, is said to be praising his Lord, enjoining good, and forbidding evil."^[104]
• Hamalat al-'Arsh, those who carry the 'Arsh (Throne of God),^[73] comparable to the Christian Seraphim.
• Harut and Marut, often depicted as fallen angels who taught the humans in Babylon magic; mentioned in Quran (2:102).^[105] Some early scholars, such as Hasan al-Basri,^[106] and especially Salafi scholars,^[107] rejected the notion that Harut and Marut were fallen angels.^[106][107]

Mentioned in canonical hadith tradition[edit]

• The angels of the Seven Heavens.
• Jundullah, those who helped Muhammad in the battlefield.^[108]
• Those that give the spirit to the fetus in the womb and are charged with four commands: to write down his provision, his life-span, his actions, and whether he will be wretched or happy.^[109]
• Malakul Jibaal (The Angel of the Mountains), met by the Prophet after his ordeal at Taif.^[110]
• Munkar and Nakir, who question the dead in their graves.^[111]

Hadith narratives of Isra and Mi'raj[edit]

 

Muhammad encounters the angel composed of fire and ice during his Night journey. Miniature from a copy of al-Sarai's Nahj al-Faradis from The David Collection

According to hadith transmitted by Ibn Abbas, Muhammad encountered several significant angels on his journey through the celestial spheres.^[112][113] Many scholars such as Al-Tha'labi drew their exegesis upon this narrative, but it never led to an established angelology as known in Christianity. The principal angels of the heavens are called Malkuk, instead of Malak.^[114]

The rooster angel, in Miraj Literature, was held to be "enormous" and "white", and the comb on the top of his head "graze[d] the foot of Allah's celestial throne, its feet reach[ed] the earth", and its wings were thought to be large enough to "envelop both heaven and earth" and were covered with emeralds and pearls.^[115] It is also thought to wake up mankind every morning through means like making "cocks below on Earth...crow" when it opens its mouth.^[116]

First heaven	Second heaven	Third heaven	Fourth heaven	Fifth heaven	Sixth heaven	Seventh heaven
Habib	Angel of Death	Maalik	Salsa'il	Kalqa'il	Mikha'il (Archangel)	Israfil
Rooster angel	Angels of death	Angel with seventy heads	Angels of the sun	-	Cherubim	Bearers of the Throne
Ismail (or Riḍwan)	Mika'il	Arina'il	-	-	Shamka'il	Afra'il

Mentioned in non canonical tradition[edit]

• Ridwan, the keeper of Paradise.
• Artiya'il, the angel who removes grief and depression from the children of Adam.^[5]
• Habib, an angel Muhammad met during his night journey composed of ice and fire.
• The angels charged with each existent thing, maintaining order and warding off corruption. Their exact number is known only to God.^[c][118]
• Darda'il (The Journeyers), who travel the earth searching out assemblies where people remember God's name.^[119]

Disputed[edit]

• Dhul-Qarnayn, believed by some to be an angel or "part-angel" based on the statement of Umar bin Khattab.^[120]
• Khidr, sometimes regarded as an angel which took human form and thus able to reveal hidden knowledge exceeding those of the prophets to guide and help people or prophets.^[121]
• Azazil, in many early reports a former archangel, who was among those who were commanded to bow before Adam, but he refused to and was banished to hell.

[Eddie Mecca]

The Reality of Angels Al-Islam.org https://www.al-islam.org/180-questions-enquiries-about-islam-volume-2-various-issues/9-what-reality-angels

9. What Is The Reality Of Angels?

The Noble Qur’an has spoken about the angels on numerous occasions with a great number of verses speaking of their attributes, characteristics and responsibilities. So much so that the Qur’an places the issue of belief in the angels at par with belief in Allah ((سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى).), the prophets and the Divine books, and this itself is proof of the fundamental importance of this issue.

آمَنَ الرَّسُولُ بِمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ رَبِّهِ وَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ كُلٌّ آمَنَ بِاللٌّهِ وَ مَلاَئِكَتِهِ وَ كُـتُبِهِ وَ رُسُلِهِ‏

“The messenger believes in what has been revealed to him from his Lord, and (so do) the believers; they all believe in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers.” (2:285).

Undoubtedly, the existence of the angels is one of the issues of the ghaib (Unseen) and therefore, proving their existence and their characteristics cannot be accomplished except by means of transmitted proofs; hence, we ought to accept them according to the ruling of 'believing in the Unseen'.

The Qur’an mentions their characteristics as follows:

1. The angels are entities that possess intelligence and comprehension, and are the honourable servants of Allah ((سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى).).

بَلْ عِبَادٌ مُكْرَمُونَ

“Nay! they are honored servants.” (21:26).

2. They are totally subservient to Allah ((سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى).) and never exhibit insubordination towards Him.

لاَ يَسْبِقُونَهُ بِالْقَوْلِ وَ هُمْ بِأَمْرِهِ يَعْمَلُونَ

“They do not precede Him in speech and (only) according to His commandment do they act.” (21:27).

3. They have been assigned important and greatly varied responsibilities on the part of Allah ((سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى).).

- A group upholds the 'Arsh (Throne).1

- A group 'regulates the affair'.2

- A group of them are for the seizing of the souls.3

- A group is vigilant of the deeds of the humans.4

- A group protects humans from perils and untoward incidents.5

- A group is responsible for punishing and chastising the rebellious and recalcitrant nations.6

- Some angels are divine helpers for the believers during battles.7

- And finally some of the angels bring down the Revelation and the Divine books for the prophets…8

…And if we were to enumerate each of their duties, the discussion would become greatly protracted.

4. They are perpetually engaged in glorifying and sanctifying Allah ((سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى).), as we read in verse 5 of Surah al-Shura.

وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ يُسَبِّحُونَ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّهِمْ وَيَسْتَغْفِرُونَ لِمَنْ فِي الْأَرْضِ

“And the angels sing the praise of their Lord and ask forgiveness for those on earth.” (42:5).

5. Despite all the above, man, due to his ability to develop and achieve perfection, is superior to them to the extent that all the angels, without exception, fell into prostration when Adam ((عليه السلام).) was created and he became their teacher.9

6. Occasionally they take the form of humans and manifest themselves before the prophets and even individuals who are not prophets, as we read in the chapter Maryam (s.a.) that a great angel appeared before Maryam (s.a.) in the form of a 'perfect' man.

فَأَرْسَلْنَا إِلَيْهَا رُوحَنَا فَتَمَثَّلَ لَهَا بَشَراً سَوِيًّا

“Then We sent to her Our spirit, and there appeared to her a well-made man.” (19:17).

On other occasions they appeared before prophets Ibrahim and Lut ((عليه السلام).) in the form of humans.10
From the end of these verses it can also be inferred that the people of prophet Lut ((عليه السلام).) too witnessed them in that 'measured' human form.11

Is this appearance in the human form an objective reality? Or was it an imagination or a kind of seizing of the eyes? The apparent meaning of the verses seem to indicate the first meaning, although some distinguished commentators have opted for the second view.

1. From the Islamic traditions it can be inferred that they are so numerous that their numbers cannot be compared to the humans at all. We read in a tradition that Imam as-Sadiq ((عليه السلام).) was asked: Are the angels more in number or the humans? Whereupon he ((عليه السلام).) replied: “By Allah, in Whose grasp is my soul! The angels of Allah that are present in the heavens are more than the particles of sand present on the earth; in the heavens there does not exist a place to put one's foot except that there is an angel there, engaged in glorifying and sanctifying Allah.”12

2. They do not eat and drink, and neither do they marry. In a tradition Imam as-Sadiq ((عليه السلام).) says: The angels do not eat food, do not drink water and do not marry, rather, they stay alive by means of the zephyr of Allah's 'Arsh (Throne)!)13

3. They are not overcome by sleep, lethargy and heedlessness. Imam 'Ali ((عليه السلام).) says: In them there is no lassitude, heedlessness and disobedience. Sleep never prevails over them, their intellects are never overcome by inadvertence and forgetfulness, their bodies never experience lethargy, and they are never ensconced in the loins of fathers and the wombs of mothers.14

4. They possess different grades and varied ranks; some are always in a state of ruku' while others are perpetually in a state of prostration.

وَ مَـا مِنَّا إِلاَّ لَهُ مَقَامٌ مَعْلُومٌ وَ إِنَّا لَنَحْنُ الصَّآفُّونَ وَ إِنَّا لَنَحْنُ الْمُسَـبِّحُونَ‏

“And there is none of us but has an assigned place, and most surely we are they who draw themselves out in ranks, and we are most surely they who declare the glory (of Allah).” (37:164-166).

Imam as-Sadiq ((عليه السلام).) has said: “Allah ((سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى).) possesses certain angels, who are in (a state of) ruku' (and shall continue to remain so) until the Day of Judgment, and certain angels, who are in (a state of) sajdah, (and shall continue to remain so) until the Day of Judgment.”15

[For further information about their characteristics and categories, refer to 'The Chapter of Angels' of the section السَّماَء وَ الْعَالــم of the book Bihar al-Anwar (vol. 59, pp. 144-326) and Nahj al-Balaghah, Sermons 1, 91, 109 and 171.]

Question

In view of the characteristics that have been mentioned above, are angels corporeal or non-corporeal entities?

Undoubtedly, with the characteristics that they possess, they cannot be constituted of this lowly and elemental matter; nevertheless it is possible for them to have been created out of subtle material elements - material elements that are superior to this ordinary matter familiar to us.

Proving absolute immateriality for the angels - immateriality with respect to place, time and parts - is not an easy task and furthermore, research on this subject does not possess that great a benefit. The important thing is that we recognize the angels according to the attributes that have been mentioned by the Qur’an and the conclusive Islamic traditions, and regard them as a huge assemblage of lofty and preeminent entities of Allah ((سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى).) without attributing any status to them except that of servitude and slavery (of Allah ((سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى).) ) and without regarding them as being partners to Allah ((سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى).) in creation and worship, for then this would be downright polytheism and kufr.
In connection with the angels we content ourselves with what has been discussed and leave the details for books, specifically devoted to this topic.

In numerous expressions of the Torah the angels have been referred to as Gods - an expression enshrouded with polytheism and one of the signs of the distortion of the present Torah. But the Noble Qur’an is pure from such expressions for it does not ascribe to them any rank except that of servitude, worship and execution of Allah's ((سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى).) commands. Moreover, as we have previously mentioned, it is apparent from various verses of the Qur’an that the rank of the Perfect Man is loftier and more exalted than that of the angels.16

• 1.See Surah al-Haqqah, 69:17.
• 2.See Surah al-Nazia'at, 79:5.
• 3.See Surah al-A'raf, 7:37.
• 4.See Surah al-Infitar, 82:10-13.
• 5.See Surah al-An'am, 6:61.
• 6.See Surah Hud, 11:77.
• 7.See Surah al-Ahzab, 33:9.
• 8.See Surah al-Nahl, 16:2.
• 9.See Surah al-Baqarah, 2:30 – 34.
• 10.Surah Hud, 11:69-77.
• 11.See Surah Hud, 11:78.
• 12.Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 59, pg. 176, no. 7. There are numerous other traditions too that have been mentioned in this regard.
• 13.Ibid., pg. 174, no. 4.
• 14.Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 59, pg. 175.
• 15.Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 59, pg. 174.
• 16.Tafsir-e-Namuna, vol. 18, pg. 173.

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[Eddie Mecca]

Archangel Michael In Judaism, Christianity and Islam Wikipedia page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_(archangel)#Islam

Michael (archangel)

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

"Saint Michael" redirects here. For other uses, see Saint Michael (disambiguation).

Saint   Michael
Saint Michael in The Fall of the Rebel Angels by Luca Giordano
Archangel, Prince (Commander) of the Heavenly Host
Venerated in	Judaism All Christian denominations which venerate saints Islam Baháʼí Faith
Major shrine	Mont-Saint-Michel, The Sanctuary of Saint Michael the Archangel
Feast	29 September ("Michaelmas" - Catholic Church, Anglican Communion and Lutheranism) 8 November (New Calendar Eastern Orthodox Churches) 8 November (Eastern Catholic Churches) 21 November (Old Calendar Eastern Orthodox Churches) 12th of each month in Coptic calendar (Coptic Churches) Many other local and historical feasts
Attributes	banner, scales, weighing souls, sword, slaying Satan or a dragon
Patronage	Protector of the Jewish people,[1] Guardian of the Catholic Church,[2] Vatican City[3][4] France, Germany, Normandy, Poor souls, against lightningstroke and windstorm[5]

Michael,^{[Notes 1]} also called Saint Michael the Archangel, Archangel Michael and Saint Michael the Taxiarch^[6] is an archangel in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and the Baha'i faith. The earliest surviving mentions of his name are in 3rd and 2nd-century BC Jewish works, often but not always apocalyptic, where he is the chief of the angels and archangels, and he is the guardian prince of Israel and is responsible for the care of Israel.^{[7][8][9][10]} Christianity adopted nearly all the Jewish traditions concerning him,^[11] and he is mentioned explicitly in Revelation 12:7–12,^[12] where he does battle with Satan,^[13] and in the Epistle of Jude, where the author denounces heretics by contrasting them with Michael.^[14]

Second Temple Jewish writings[edit]

 

Guido Reni's Michael (in Santa Maria della Concezione church, Rome, 1636) tramples Satan. A mosaic of the same painting decorates St. Michael's Altar in St. Peter's Basilica.

The earliest surviving mention of Michael is in a 3rd century BC Jewish apocalypse, the Book of Enoch.^[9] This lists him as one of seven archangels (the remaining names are Uriel, Raguel, Raphael, Sariel, Gabriel, and Remiel), who, according to a slightly later work, the Book of Tobit, "stand ready and enter before the glory of the Lord".^[10] The fact that Michael is introduced in both works without explanation implies that readers already knew him and the other named angels, which in turn implies that they are earlier than the late 3rd century BC (the earliest possible date of the relevant passages in the Book of Enoch), but although their origins remain a matter for speculation there is no evidence that they are older than the Hellenistic period.^[9][15] He is mentioned again in last chapters of the Book of Daniel, a Jewish apocalypse composed in the 2nd century BC although set in the 6th, in which a man clothed in linen (never identified, but probably the archangel Gabriel) tells Daniel that he and "Michael, your prince" are engaged in a battle with the "prince of Persia", after which, at the end-time, "Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise".^[16][17]

Enoch was instrumental in establishing the pre-eminent place of Michael among the angels or archangels, and in later Jewish works he is said to be their chief, mediating the Torah (the law of God) and standing at the right hand of the throne of God.^[7] In the traditions of the Qumran community he defends or leads the people of God in the eschatological (i.e., end-time) battle,^[18] and in other writings he is responsible for the care of Israel (and he may be the "one like a son of man" mentioned in Daniel 7:13–14) and the commander of the heavenly armies; he is Israel's advocate contesting Satan's claim to the body of Moses; he intercedes between God and humanity and serves as High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary; and he accompanies the souls of the righteous dead to Paradise.^[8]

New Testament[edit]

 

Saint Michael, Archangel, painting from Melchor Pérez de Holguín, (1708)

The seven archangels (or four - the traditions differ but always include Michael) were associated with the branches of the menorah, the sacred seven-branched lampstand in the Temple as the seven spirits before the throne of God, and this is reflected in the Revelation of John 4:5 ("From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God" - ESV).^[19] Michael is mentioned explicitly in Revelation 12:7-12, where he does battle with Satan and casts him out of heaven so that he no longer has access to God as accuser (his formal role in the Old Testament).^[13] The fall of Satan at the coming of Jesus marks the separation of the New Testament from Judaism.^[20] In Luke 22:31 Jesus tells Peter that Satan has asked God for permission to "sift" the disciples, the goal being to accuse them, but the accusation is opposed by Jesus, who thus takes on the role played by angels, and especially by Michael, in Judaism.^[21]

Michael is mentioned by name for the second time in the Epistle of Jude, a passionate plea for believers in Christ to do battle against heresy.^[22] In verses 9-10 the author denounces the heretics by contrasting them with the archangel Michael, who, disputing with Satan over the body of Moses, "did not presume to pronounce the verdict of 'slander' but said, 'The Lord punish you!'^[23]

Quran and other Muslim traditions[edit]

Michael is called Mika'il in Muslim works generally, but in the one instance in which he is mentioned in the Quran he is called Mikal.^[24] The single Quranic mention comes in the QS 2:98, when the Jews of Medina challenged Muhammed to tell them the name of the angel from whom he received his revelations; when he told them it was Gabriel, the Jews said that Gabriel was their enemy, and that revelations came from Michael.^[25] The hadith (sayings of and about the Prophet collected by his followers) quote Muhammed mentioning both Gabriel and Michael as two angels who showed him Paradise and hell, and in the early years of Islam the Muslims recited the names of both in the obligatory daily prayers (the salat).^[26] The place of Michael, and some of the other archangels, is not clearly identified in the major sources, and among ordinary Muslims knowledge of them is drawn from non-Islamic sources, notably Jewish.^[26]

Later traditions[edit]

Judaism[edit]

 

The name Michael in Hebrew

According to rabbinic tradition, Michael acted as the advocate of Israel, and sometimes had to fight with the princes of the other nations (Daniel 10:13) and particularly with the angel Samael, Israel's accuser. Their enmity dates from the time Samael was thrown from heaven and tried to drag Michael down with him, necessitating God's intervention.^[27][28]

The idea that Michael was the advocate of the Jews became so prevalent that in spite of the rabbinical prohibition against appealing to angels as intermediaries between God and his people, he held a place in the Jewish liturgy: "When a man is in need he must pray directly to God, and neither to Michael nor to Gabriel."^[29] Jeremiah addresses a prayer to him.^[30]

The rabbis declare that Michael entered into his role of defender at the time of the biblical patriarchs. Rabbi Eliezer ben Jacob said he rescued Abraham from the furnace into which he had been thrown by Nimrod (Midrash Genesis Rabbah xliv. 16). Some say he was the "one that had escaped" (Genesis 14:13), who told Abraham that Lot had been taken captive (Midrash Pirke R. El.), and who protected Sarah from defilement by Abimelech.

Michael prevented Isaac from sacrifice by his father by substituting a ram in his place. He saved Jacob, while yet in his mother's womb, from death by Samael.^[31] He later prevented Laban from harming Jacob.(Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer, xxxvi).

The midrash Exodus Rabbah holds that Michael exercised his function of advocate of Israel at the time of the Exodus and destroyed Sennacherib's army.^[32]

Christianity[edit]

Early Christian views and devotions[edit]

 

Statue of the Archangel Michael at the University of Bonn, slaying Satan as a dragon; Quis ut Deus is inscribed on his shield

Michael was venerated as a healer in Phrygia (modern-day Turkey).^[33]

The earliest and most famous sanctuary to Michael in the ancient Near East was also associated with healing waters. It was the Michaelion built in the early 4th century by Constantine the Great at Chalcedon, on the site of an earlier temple called Sosthenion.^[34]

Epiphanius of Salamis (c. 310–320 – 403) in his Coptic-Arabic Hexaemeron referred to Michael as a replacement of Satan. Accordingly, after Satan fell, Michael was appointed to the function Satan served when he was still one of the noble angels.^[35]

A painting of the Archangel slaying a serpent became a major art piece at the Michaelion after Constantine defeated Licinius near there in 324. This contributed to the standard iconography that developed of the Archangel Michael as a warrior saint slaying a dragon.^[34] The Michaelion was a magnificent church and in time became a model for hundreds of other churches in Eastern Christianity; these spread devotions to the Archangel.^[36]

In the 4th century, Saint Basil the Great's homily (De Angelis) placed Saint Michael over all the angels. He was called "Archangel" because he heralds other angels, the title Ἀρχανγέλος (archangelos) being used of him in Jude 1:9.^[33] Into the 6th century, the view of Michael as a healer continued in Rome; after a plague, the sick slept at night in the church of Castel Sant'Angelo (dedicated to him for saving Rome), waiting for his manifestation.^[37]

In the 6th century, the growth of devotions to Michael in the Western Church was expressed by the feasts dedicated to him, as recorded in the Leonine Sacramentary. The 7th-century Gelasian Sacramentary included the feast "S. Michaelis Archangeli", as did the 8th-century Gregorian Sacramentary. Some of these documents refer to a Basilica Archangeli (no longer extant) on via Salaria in Rome.^[33]

The angelology of Pseudo-Dionysius, which was widely read as of the 6th century, gave Michael a rank in the celestial hierarchy. Later, in the 13th century, others such as Bonaventure believed that he is the prince of the Seraphim, the first of the nine angelic orders. According to Thomas Aquinas (Summa Ia. 113.3), he is the Prince of the last and lowest choir, the Angels.^[33]

Catholicism[edit]

For Roman Catholic views and prayers, see Saint Michael (Roman Catholic).

 

Archangel Michael frees souls from purgatory, by Jacopo Vignali, 17th century

Catholics often refer to Michael as "Holy Michael, the Archangel"^[38] or "Saint Michael", a title that does not indicate canonisation. He is generally referred to in Christian litanies as "Saint Michael", as in the Litany of the Saints. In the shortened version used in the Easter Vigil, he alone of the angels and archangels is mentioned by name, omitting saints Gabriel and Raphael.^[39]

In Roman Catholic teachings, Saint Michael has four main roles or offices.^[33] His first role is the leader of the Army of God and the leader of heaven's forces in their triumph over the powers of hell.^[40] He is viewed as the angelic model for the virtues of the "spiritual warrior", his conflict with evil taken as "the battle within".^[41]

 

St. Michael weighing souls during the Last Judgement, Antiphonale Cisterciense (15th century), Abbey Bibliotheca, Rein Abbey, Austria

The second and third roles of Michael in Catholic teachings deal with death. In his second role, he is the angel of death, carrying the souls of Christians to heaven. In this role he descends at the hour of death, and gives each soul the chance to redeem itself before passing; thus consternating the devil and his minions. Catholic prayers often refer to this role of Michael. In his third role, he weighs souls on his perfectly balanced scales. For this reason, he is often depicted holding scales.^[42]

In his fourth role, Saint Michael, the special patron of the Chosen People in the Old Testament, is also the guardian of the church. Saint Michael was revered by the military orders of knights during the Middle Ages. The names of villages around the Bay of Biscay express that history. This role also was why he was considered the patron saint of a number of cities and countries.^[43][44]

Roman Catholicism includes traditions such as the Prayer to Saint Michael, which specifically asks for the faithful to be "defended" by the saint.^[45][46][47] The Chaplet of Saint Michael consists of nine salutations, one for each choir of angels.^[48][49]

Saint Michael the Archangel prayer[edit]

Main article: Prayer to Saint Michael § In the Leonine Prayers

Blessed Michael, archangel,
defend us in the hour of conflict.
Be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil
(may God restrain him, we humbly pray):
and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host,
by the power of God thrust Satan down to hell
and with him those other wicked spirits
who wander through the world for the ruin of souls.
Amen.^[50]

Eastern and Oriental Orthodoxy[edit]

The Eastern Orthodox accord Michael the title Archistrategos, or "Supreme Commander of the Heavenly Hosts".^[51] The Eastern Orthodox pray to their guardian angels and above all to Michael and Gabriel.^[52]

The Eastern Orthodox have always had strong devotions to angels. In contemporary times they are referred to by the term of "Bodiless Powers".^[53] A number of feasts dedicated to Archangel Michael are celebrated by the Eastern Orthodox throughout the year.^[53]

Archangel Michael is mentioned in a number of Eastern Orthodox hymns and prayer, and his icons are widely used within Eastern Orthodox churches.^[54] In many Eastern Orthodox icons, Christ is accompanied by a number of angels, Michael being a predominant figure among them.^[54]

In Russia, many monasteries, cathedrals, court and merchant churches are dedicated to the Chief Commander Michael; most Russian cities have a church or chapel dedicated to the Archangel Michael.^[55][56]

While in the Serbian Orthodox Church Saint Sava has a special role as the establisher of its autocephaly and the largest Belgrade church is devoted to him, the capital Belgrade's Orthodox cathedral, the see church of the patriarch, is devoted to Archangel Michael (in Serbian: Арханђел Михаило / Arhanđel Mihailo).

The place of Michael in the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria is as a saintly intercessor. He is the one who presents to God the prayers of the just, who accompanies the souls of the dead to heaven, who defeats the devil. He is celebrated liturgically on the 12th of each Coptic month.^[57] In Alexandria, a church was dedicated to him in the early fourth century on the 12th of the month of Paoni. The 12th of the month of Hathor is the celebration of Michael's appointment in heaven, where Michael became the chief of the angels.^[58]

Protestant views[edit]

 

West window showing Michael in armour, Anglo-Catholic Church of the Good Shepherd (Rosemont, Pennsylvania) United States

 

Statue at St. Michaelis Church, Hamburg

Protestant denominations recognize Michael as an archangel. Within Protestantism, the Anglican and Methodist tradition recognizes four angels as archangels: Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, and Uriel.^[59][60] Within Anglicanism, the controversial bishop Robert Clayton (died 1758) proposed that Michael was the Logos and Gabriel the Holy Spirit.^[61] Controversy over Clayton's views led the government to order his prosecution, but he died before his scheduled examination.^[62][63]

The Lutheran Churches of St. Michael's Church, Hamburg and St. Michael's Church, Hildesheim are named for him. In Bach's time, the annual feast of Michael and All the Angels on 29 September was regularly celebrated with a festive service in Lutheran churches, for which Bach composed several cantatas, for example the chorale cantata Herr Gott, dich loben alle wir, BWV 130 in 1724, Es erhub sich ein Streit, BWV 19, in 1726 and Man singet mit Freuden vom Sieg, BWV 149, in 1728 or 1729.

Seventh-day Adventists[edit]

See also: Seventh-day Adventist, beliefs about Michael and Pre-existence of Christ

 

Le Grand Saint Michel, 1518, by Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio), Archangel Michael defeating evil

Seventh-day Adventists believe that "Michael" is but one of the many titles applied to the pre-existent Christ, or Son of God. According to Adventists, such a view does not in any way conflict with the belief in his full deity and eternal preexistence, nor does it in the least disparage his person and work.^[64] According to Adventist theology, Michael was considered the "eternal Word", and the one by whom all things were created. The Word was then born incarnate as Jesus.^[65]

They believe that name "Michael" signifies "One Who Is Like God" and that as the "Archangel" or "chief or head of the angels" he led the angels and thus the statement in Revelation 12:7–9 identifies Jesus as Michael.^[66]

Jehovah's Witnesses[edit]

See also: Jehovah's Witnesses beliefs about Jesus

Jehovah's Witnesses believe Michael to be another name for Jesus in heaven, in his pre-human and post-resurrection existence.^[67] They say the definite article at Jude 9^[68]—referring to "Michael the archangel"—identifies Michael as the only archangel. They consider Michael to be synonymous with Christ, described at 1 Thessalonians 4:16^[69] as descending "with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet".^[70][71][72]

They believe the prominent roles assigned to Michael at Daniel 12:1,^[73] Revelation 12:7,^[74] Revelation 19:14,^[75] and Revelation 16^[76] are identical to Jesus' roles, being the one chosen to lead God's people and as the only one who "stands up", identifying the two as the same spirit being. Because they identify Michael with Jesus, he is therefore considered the first and greatest of all God's heavenly sons, God's chief messenger, who takes the lead in vindicating God's sovereignty, sanctifying his name, fighting the wicked forces of Satan and protecting God's covenant people on earth.^[77] Jehovah's Witnesses also identify Michael with the "Angel of the Lord" who led and protected the Israelites in the wilderness.^[78] Their earliest teachings stated that Archangel Michael was not to be worshipped and was distinct from Jesus.^[79]

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints[edit]

See also: Beliefs and practices of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that Michael is Adam, the Ancient of Days (Dan. 7), a prince, and the patriarch of the human family. They also hold that Michael assisted Jehovah (the pre-mortal form of Jesus) in the creation of the world under the direction of God the Father (Elohim); under the direction of the Father, Michael also cast Satan out of heaven.^{[80][81][82][83]}

Islam[edit]

In Islam, Michael, or Mīkāʾīl,^[84] is the angel said to effectuate God's providence as well as natural phenomena, such as rain.^[85] He is one of the four archangels along with Jebreel (Gabriel, whom he is often paired with), ʾIsrāfīl (trumpeter angel) and ʿAzrāʾīl (angel of death).^[86]

Michael in Islam is tasked with providing nourishment for bodies and souls and is also responsible for universal or environmental events, and is often depicted as the archangel of mercy. He is said to be friendly, asking God for mercy toward humans and is, according to Muslim legends, one of the first to obey God's orders to bow before Adam.^[87][85] He is also responsible for the rewards doled out to good persons in this life. From the tears of Michael, angels are created as his helpers.^[88]

Consensus of Islamic scholars and clerics has enclosed various hadiths as interpretation material for the verse of Al Imran, Ayah 124|Quran 3:124 ^{(Translated by Shakir)} that Gabriel,^[89][90] Michael, Raphael^{[91] [Notes 2][Notes 3]} and thousands of best angels from third level of sky, all came to the battle of Badr.^[95] Various hadith traditions linked to the Al Imran, verse 125|Quran 3:124 ^{(Translated by Shakir)}, has stated that those angels has taken form of Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, companion of Muhammad.^{[Notes 4][98]}

In a version of a hadith by an-Nasāʾi, Muhammad is quoted as saying that Gabriel and Michael came to him, and when Gabriel had sat down at his right and Michael at his left, Gabriel told him to recite the Qurʾān in one mode, and Michael told him to ask more, till he reached seven modes, each mode being sufficiently health-giving.^[99] According to another hadith in Sahih Muslim, Michael, along with Gabriel both dressed in white, were reported to have accompanied Muhammad on the day of the Battle of Uhud.^[100] Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri has recorded in his historiography works of Quran and Hadith revelation in Prophetic biography, that Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas testified has saw Jibril and Mikail during that battle.^[101]

In Shia Islam, in Dua Umm Dawood, a supplication reportedly handed down by the 6th Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq, the reciter sends blessing upon Michael (with his name spelled as Mīkā'īl):^[102][103]

O Allah! Bestow your blessing on Michael-angel of Your mercy and created for kindness and seeker of pardon for and supporter of the obedient people.

In the creation narrative of Adam he was sent to bring a handful of earth, but the Earth did not yield a piece of itself, some of which will burn. This is articulated by Al-Tha'labi, whose narrative states that God tells Earth that some will obey him and others will not.^[104]

Baha'i Faith[edit]

The archangel Michael seems to have never been mentioned publicly by Baha'u'llah, 'Abdu'l-Baha, Shoghi Effendi, or even the Universal House of Justice. Baha'i publications interpreting the Book of Revelation from the New Testament say Baha'u'llah was a chief prince of Persia^[105][106] foretold as Michael who would win "final victory over the dragon". Or, Michael, "One like God", is thought to be Baha'u'llah, as archangel Michael is thought to be an emanation of Hod or "glory" in Jewish Mysticism^[107] - because "Baha'u'llah" means splendor or glory of God.

Gnosticism[edit]

In the Secret Book of John, a 2nd-century text found in the Nag Hammadi codices of Gnosticism, Michael is placed in control of the demons who help Yaldabaoth create Adam, along with six others named Uriel, Asmenedas, Saphasatoel, Aarmouriam, Richram, and Amiorps.^[108] According to Origen of Alexandria in his work Against Celsus, Michael was represented as a lion on the Ophite Diagram.^[109]

Feasts[edit]

 

Archangel Michael at a Portuguese feast in Cabeceiras de Basto

In the General Roman Calendar, the Anglican Calendar of Saints, and the Lutheran Calendar of Saints, the archangel's feast is celebrated on Michaelmas Day, 29 September. The day is also considered the feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, in the General Roman Calendar and the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels according to the Church of England.^[110]

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, Saint Michael's principal feast day is 8 November (those that use the Julian calendar celebrate it on what in the Gregorian calendar is now 21 November), honouring him along with the rest of the "Bodiless Powers of Heaven" (i.e. angels) as their Supreme Commander (Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers), and the Miracle at Chonae is commemorated on 6 September.^[111][112]

In the calendar of the Church of England diocese of Truro, 8 May is the feast of St. Michael, Protector of Cornwall. The archangel Michael is one of the three patron saints of Cornwall.^[113] The feast of the Appearing of S. Michael the Archangel is observed by Anglo-Catholics on 8 May.^[114] From medieval times until 1960 it was also observed on that day in the Roman Catholic Church; the feast commemorates the archangel's apparition on Mount Gargano in Italy.^[115]

In the Coptic Orthodox Church, the main feast day in 12 Hathor and 12 Paoni, and he is celebrated liturgically on the 12th of each Coptic month.

Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels is commemorated on 29 September in ROCOR Western Rite.^[116]

Apparition of Saint Michael in 492 on Mount Gargano is commemorated on 8 May^[117] and Dedication of Saint Michael the Archangel is commemorated on 29 September (Antiochian Western Rite Vicariate).^[118]

Dedication of Saint Michael sanctuary Mont-Saint-Michel by Saint Aubert of Avranches is commemorated on 16 October.^[119]

On 7 April Oriental Orthodox Church commemorates deliverance prophet Jeremiah from prison by Michael.^[120]

Patronages and orders[edit]

In late medieval Christianity, Michael, together with Saint George, became the patron saint of chivalry and is now also considered the patron saint of police officers, paramedics and the military.^[44][121]

Since the victorious Battle of Lechfeld against the Hungarians in 955, Michael was the patron saint of the Holy Roman Empire and still is the patron saint of modern Germany and other German-speaking regions formerly covered by the realm.

 

Statue of St Michael at the former seat of the Bavarian Military Order of Saint Michael in the Electoral Palace, Bonn, Germany.

In mid to late 15th century, France was one of only four courts in Western Christendom without an order of knighthood.^[122] Later in the 15th century, Jean Molinet glorified the primordial feat of arms of the archangel as "the first deed of knighthood and chivalrous prowess that was ever achieved."^[123] Thus Michael was the natural patron of the first chivalric order of France, the Order of Saint Michael of 1469.^[122] In the British honours system, a chivalric order founded in 1818 is also named for these two saints, the Order of St Michael and St George (see also: Order of Saint Michael).^[124]

Prior to 1878, the Scapular of St. Michael the Archangel could be worn as part of a Roman Catholic Archconfraternity. Presently, enrollment is authorized as this holy scapular remains as one of the 18 approved by the Church.

Apart from his being a patron of warriors, the sick and the suffering also consider Archangel Michael their patron saint.^[125] Based on the legend of his 8th-century apparition at Mont-Saint-Michel, France, the Archangel is the patron of mariners in this famous sanctuary.^[33] After the evangelisation of Germany, where mountains were often dedicated to pagan gods, Christians placed many mountains under the patronage of the Archangel, and numerous mountain chapels of St. Michael appeared all over Germany.^[33]

Similarly, the Sanctuary of St. Michel (San Migel Aralarkoa), the oldest Christian building in Navarre (Spain), lies at the top of a hill on the Aralar Range, and harbours Carolingian remains. St. Michel is an ancient devotion of Navarre and eastern Gipuzkoa, revered by the Basques, shrouded in legend, and held as a champion against paganism and heresy. It came to symbolize the defense of Catholicism, as well as Basque tradition and values during the early 20th century.^[126]

 

Coat of arms of Brussels

 

Coat of arms of Kyiv

He has been the patron saint of Brussels since the Middle Ages.^[127] The city of Arkhangelsk in Russia is named for the Archangel. Ukraine and its capital Kyiv also consider Michael their patron saint and protector.^[128]

In Linlithgow, Scotland, St. Michael has been the patron saint of the town since the 13th century, with St. Michael's Parish Church being originally constructed in 1134. Since the 14th century, Saint Michael has been the patron saint of Dumfries in Scotland, where a church dedicated to him was built at the southern end of the town, on a mound overlooking the River Nith.^[129]

An Anglican sisterhood dedicated to Saint Michael under the title of the Community of St Michael and All Angels was founded in 1851.^[130] The Congregation of Saint Michael the Archangel (CSMA), also known as the Michaelite Fathers, is a religious order of the Roman Catholic Church founded in 1897. The Canons Regular of the Order of St Michael the Archangel (OSM) are an Order of professed religious within the Anglican Church in North America, the North American component of the Anglican realignment movement.^[131]

The city of Arkhangelsk, Russia, and the federal subject Arkhangelsk Oblast are named after Michael, the Archangel

In the United States military Saint Michael is considered to be a patron of paratroopers and, in particular, the 82nd Airborne Division.^[132] One of the first battles where the unit first was combat christened is the Battle of Saint-Mihiel during World War I.

The beret insignia of the French paratroopers is a winged arm grasping a dagger, representing Saint Michael.^[133] Saint Michael is the patronus of italian special forces 9° Reggimento "Col Moschin" and the italian state police. Saint Michael (Croatian: Sveti Mihovil) is patron of Croatian Police and Croatian Army, his feast day being also celebrated as the Police day in Croatia.^[134]

Legends[edit]

Judaism[edit]

There is a legend which seems to be of Jewish origin, and which was adopted by the Copts, to the effect that Michael was first sent by God to bring Nebuchadnezzar (c. 600 BC) against Jerusalem, and that Michael was afterward very active in freeing his nation from Babylonian captivity.^[135] According to midrash Genesis Rabbah, Michael saved Hananiah and his companions from the Fiery furnace.^[136] Michael was active in the time of Esther: "The more Haman accused Israel on earth, the more Michael defended Israel in heaven".^[137] It was Michael who reminded Ahasuerus that he was Mordecai's debtor;^[138] and there is a legend that Michael appeared to the high priest Hyrcanus, promising him assistance.^[139]

According to Legends of the Jews, archangel Michael was the chief of a band of angels who questioned God's decision to create man on Earth; a deeper analysis about Archangel Michael's action here is that Archangel Michael could have also questioned God as to why he did not kill Satan and his rebel horde of demons the minute Adam and Eve were created, thus removing the parable of evil and the question of the Garden of Eden.^[140] Regardless, the entire band of angels, except for Michael, was then consumed by fire.^[140]

Christianity[edit]

 

A 12th-century icon of the Miracle at Chonae, from Saint Catherine's Monastery, Mount Sinai.

The Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates the Miracle at Chonae on September 6.^[141] The pious legend surrounding the event states that John the Apostle, when preaching nearby, foretold the appearance of Michael at Cheretopa near Lake Salda, where a healing spring appeared soon after the Apostle left; in gratitude for the healing of his daughter, one pilgrim built a church on the site.^[142] Local pagans, who are described as jealous of the healing power of the spring and the church, attempt to drown the church by redirecting the river, but the Archangel, "in the likeness of a column of fire", split the bedrock to open up a new bed for the stream, directing the flow away from the church.^[143] The legend is supposed to have predated the actual events, but the 5th – 7th-century texts that refer to the miracle at Chonae formed the basis of specific paradigms for "properly approaching" angelic intermediaries for more effective prayers within the Christian culture.^[144]

There is a late-5th-century legend in Cornwall, UK that the Archangel appeared to fishermen on St Michael's Mount.^[145] According to author Richard Freeman Johnson, this legend is likely a nationalistic twist to a myth.^[145] Cornish legends also hold that the mount itself was constructed by giants^[146] and that King Arthur battled a giant there.^[147]

The legend of the apparition of the Archangel at around 490 AD at a secluded hilltop cave on Monte Gargano in Italy gained a following among the Lombards in the immediate period thereafter, and by the 8th century, pilgrims arrived from as far away as England.^[148] The Tridentine Calendar included a feast of the apparition on 8 May, the date of the 663 victory over the Greek Neapolitans that the Lombards of Manfredonia attributed to Saint Michael.^[33] The feast remained in the Roman liturgical calendar until removed in the revision of Pope John XXIII. The Sanctuary of Monte Sant'Angelo at Gargano is a major Catholic pilgrimage site.

According to Roman legends, Archangel Michael appeared with a sword over the mausoleum of Hadrian while a devastating plague persisted in Rome, in apparent answer to the prayers of Pope Gregory I the Great (c. 590–604) that the plague should cease. After the plague ended, in honor of the occasion, the pope called the mausoleum "Castel Sant'Angelo" (Castle of the Holy Angel), the name by which it is still known.^[37]

According to Norman legend, Michael is said to have appeared to St Aubert, Bishop of Avranches, in 708, giving instruction to build a church on the rocky islet now known as Mont Saint-Michel.^{[149][150][151]} In 960 the Duke of Normandy commissioned a Benedictine abbey on the mount, and it remains a major pilgrimage site.^[151]

A Portuguese Carmelite nun, Antónia d'Astónaco, reported an apparition and private revelation of the Archangel Michael who had told to this devoted Servant of God, in 1751, that he would like to be honored, and God glorified, by the praying of nine special invocations. These nine invocations correspond to invocations to the nine choirs of angels and origins the famous Chaplet of Saint Michael. This private revelation and prayers were approved by Pope Pius IX in 1851.^[152][153]

From 1961 to 1965, four young schoolgirls had reported several apparitions of the Archangel Michael in the small village of Garabandal, Spain. At Garabandal, the apparitions of the Archangel Michael were mainly reported as announcing the arrivals of the Virgin Mary. The Catholic Church has neither approved nor condemned the Garabandal apparitions.^[154]

Art and literature[edit]

In literature[edit]

In the 1667 English epic poem Paradise Lost by John Milton, Michael commands the army of angels loyal to God against the rebel forces of Satan. Armed with a sword from God's armory, he bests Satan in personal combat, wounding his side.^[155]

In Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's translation of the mid-13th century The Golden Legend, Michael is one of the angels of the seven planets. He is the angel of Mercury.^[156]

In Japanese light novel series Date a Live, Michael is the name of a spiritual weapon (referred to as Angels within the series), belonging to Mukuro Hoshimiya. Michael is a sword-sized key capable of locking away abilities or properties of objects (Michael Segva), as well as opening portals (Michael Lataib) and molecular deconstruction.

Music[edit]

Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Praelium Michaelis Archangeli factum in coelo cum dracone, H.410, oratorio for soloists, double chorus, strings and continuo. (1683)

«Archangel Michael» — a song performed by Nikolai Karachentsov.^[157]

Film[edit]

The 1996 film Michael portrays the archangel as being sent to Earth to perform various tasks.

Peter Mensah portrays Michael in the 2023 movie The Devil Conspiracy.

Artistic depictions[edit]

Main article: Archangel Michael in Christian art

 

10th-century gold and enamel Byzantine icon of St Michael, in the treasury of the St Mark's Basilica

In Christian art, Archangel Michael may be depicted alone or with other angels such as Gabriel. Some depictions with Gabriel date back to the 8th century, e.g. the stone casket at Notre Dame de Mortain church in France.^[158]

The widely reproduced image of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, an icon of the Cretan school, depicts Michael on the left carrying the lance and sponge of the crucifixion of Jesus, with Gabriel on the right side of Mary and Jesus.^[159]

In many depictions, Michael is represented as an angelic warrior, fully armed with helmet, sword, and shield.^[33] The shield may bear the Latin inscription Quis ut Deus or the Greek inscription Christos Dikaios Krites or its initials.^[160] He may be standing over a serpent, a dragon, or the defeated figure of Satan, whom he sometimes pierces with a lance.^[33] The iconography of Michael slaying a serpent goes back to the early 4th century, when Emperor Constantine defeated Licinius at the Battle of Adrianople in 324 AD, not far from the Michaelion, a church dedicated to Archangel Michael.^[34]

Constantine felt that Licinius was an agent of Satan and associated him with the serpent described in the Book of Revelation (12:9).^[161] After the victory, Constantine commissioned a depiction of himself and his sons slaying Licinius represented as a serpent – a symbolism borrowed from the Christian teachings on the Archangel to whom he attributed the victory. A similar painting, this time with the Archangel Michael himself slaying a serpent, then became a major art piece at the Michaelion and eventually lead to the standard iconography of the Archangel Michael as a warrior saint.^[34]

In less common depiction, Michael holds a pair of scales, weighs the souls of the departed and holds the book of life (as in the Book of Revelation) to show he partakes in the judgment.^[158] Michelangelo depicted this scene on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel.^[162]

In Byzantine art, Michael was often shown as a princely court dignitary rather than a warrior who battled Satan or with scales for weighing souls on the Day of Judgement.^[163]

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  Archangel Michael on a 9th-century Makurian mural

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  Andrei Rublev's standalone depiction c. 1408

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  Michael (left) with archangels Raphael and Gabriel, by Botticini, 1470

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  Weighing souls on Judgement Day by Hans Memling, 15th century

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  Michael defeating the fallen angels, by Luca Giordano c. 1660–1665

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  Bronze statue of the Archangel Michael, standing on top of the Castel Sant'Angelo, modelled in 1753 by Peter Anton von Verschaffelt.

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  Michael's icon on the northern deacons' door on the iconostasis of Hajdúdorog. The archangel is often depicted on iconostases' doors as a defender of the sanctuary.

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  Archangel Michael by Emily Young in the grounds of St Pancras New Church. Plaque inscription: "In memory of the victims of the 7th July 2005 bombings and all victims of violence. 'I will lift up my eyes unto the hills'"

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  St. Michael the Archangel and the Dragon. Queen of Archangels Roman Catholic Parish, Clarence, PA

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  St Michael's Victory over the Devil, a 1958 sculpture by Jacob Epstein.

Churches named after Michael[edit]

• St. Michael's Church (disambiguation)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Structured gallery of churches dedicated to Archangel Michael.

 

The Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy, France

 

St. Michael's Jesuit church, Munich, Bavaria, Germany

• Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel (es), San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato Mexico World Heritage Site
• Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel Cocula Jalisco Mexico
• St Michael's Church, Frenaros, Cyprus
• St Michael's Church, Pedoulas, Cyprus
• Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel, Utuado, Puerto Rico
• Sacra di San Michele (Saint Michael's Abbey), near Turin, Italy
• Pfarrei Brixen St. Michael with the White Tower, Brixen, Italy
• Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula, in Brussels, Belgium
• Mont-Saint-Michel, Normandy, France – a World Heritage Site
• St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica (Toronto), Canada
• St. Michael's Cathedral (Izhevsk), Russia
• St. Michael's Cathedral, Qingdao, China
• Chudov Monastery in the Moscow Kremlin
• Cathedral of the Archangel in the Moscow Kremlin – a World Heritage Site
• Sanctuary of Monte Sant'Angelo, Gargano, Italy – a World Heritage Site
• St Michael's Mount, Cornwall, UK
• St. Michael Catholic Church
• St. Michael, MN
• St. Michael's Basilica, Miramichi, Canada
• Skellig Michael, off the Irish west coast – a World Heritage Site
• St Michael's Cathedral, Coventry, UK
• St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery, Kyiv, Ukraine
• Basilica of St Michael the Archangel, Pensacola, Florida, United States
• St. Michael's Church, Vienna in Vienna, Austria
• Tayabas Basilica, Tayabas, Quezon, Philippines
• St. Michael the Archangel Parish Church, Pontevedra, Negros Occidental, Philippines
• Archdiocesan Shrine and Parish of St. Michael the Archangel, Argao, Cebu, Philippines (Argao Church)
• St. Michael's Church, Berlin, Germany
• St. Michael's Cathedral, Iligan City, Philippines
• St. Michael Cathedral, Ilagan, Philippines
• San Miguel Church (Manila), Philippines
• Cathedral of Saint Michael, Kalibo, Aklan, Philippines
• Iglesia Filipina Independiente - Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel, Bacoor, Cavite, Philippines
• St. Michael the Archangel Parish, Taguig, Philippines
• St. Michael's Jesuit church, Munich, Germany
• St. Michael's Cathedral, Belgrade in Belgrade, Serbia
• Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel in Gamu, Isabela, Philippines
• Mission San Miguel Arcángel, San Miguel, California, United States, one of the California Missions
• St Michael at the North Gate, Oxford, UK
• St. Michael's Church, Mumbai, India
• Church of St. Michael, Štip, Republic of Macedonia
• St Michael and All Angels Church, Polwatte
• St Michael's Church, Churchill, UK
• St Michael's Catholic Church, Halifax, Canada
• St Michael the Archangel, Llanyblodwel, England
• St Michael's Parish Church, Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland
• St Michael's Parish Church, Blackrock, Cork, Ireland

See also[edit]

• Abatur
• Angelus
• Arkhangelsk
• Biblical cosmology
• Christian angelic hierarchy
• Guardian Angel of Portugal
• Hierarchy of angels
• List of angels in theology
• Metatron
• Saint Michael, patron saint archive
• Psychopomp
• Quis ut Deus?
• Saint Michael in the Catholic Church
• Saureil
• Seraph
• Theophory in the Bible
• Uriel

References