💯 Miscellaneous Benefits from Yemen

BENEFIT 43: The gender of Angels Sheikh Yūsuf Al-Jazā'iri ḥafidhahullāh said (paraphrasing): The correct view in this matter is that the angels are male, and this is supported by many evidences: ▪️ It is authentically reported from Abū Miljaz (Lāḥiq ibn Ḥumaid) raḥimahullāh (who was from the Tābi’ēn), that he said: «إنهم ذكور وليسوا بإناث» “They (the angels) are males and not females.” [Reported by Aṭ-Ṭabarī in his Tafsīr (Sūrah Al-A’rāf: 46) with an authentic chain] Sheikh Yūsuf said: “He (Abū miljaz) is a Thiqah (credible authority) as mentioned by Adh-Dhahabi and Ibn ’Abdil Barr...and to my knowledge, no one has opposed him in his statement from Ṣaḥābah nor from the Tābi’ēn...thus his statement holds more weight that of anyone else who came after him.” 🔺Note: Sheikh Yūsuf said: “As for those who say, the angels are neither male nor female, then I have not come across anyone from the Salaf who uttered this statement. Rather, this opinion was mentioned by some of the Ashā’irah, like Al-Ḥulaimi, Al-Qūnī, As-Suyūṭi, and others. 🔺Note: As for the statement that is attributed to Sa’ēd ibn Al-Musayyab raḥimahullāh, that he said: «الملائكة عليهم السلام ليسوا بذكور ولا إناث ولا يتوالدون ولا يأكلون ولا يشربون» “The angels, peace be upon them, are neither male nor female, nor do they reproduce, nor do they eat or drink,” then this is NOT AUTHENTIC! ➢ Also when Sheikh ibn Bāz raḥimahullāh was asked concerning the ruling of describing nurses as angels of Mercy, he answered: “It is not permissible to use this description, since ANGELS ARE MALES AND NOT FEMALES. Allāh (سبحانه) disapproved when the Mushriks (Polytheists) claimed that angels were females. Moreover, true angels of mercy are not similar to nurses, who can be kind or wicked. Thus, it is not permissible to use this description with nurses. Allāh is the Grantor of success.” [Majmū’ Al-Fatāwa Ibn Bāz (8/423)] ➢ Moreover, there are numerous evidences which explicitly describe the angels as being males, such as the ḥadīth of Samurah raḍhiyallāhu ’anhu that the Prophet ﷺ said: ((...فأتينا على رجل كريه المرآة، كأكره ما أنت راء رجلاً مرآة، وإذا عنده نار يحشها ويسعى حولها، قال: قلت لهما: ما هذا؟ قال: قالا لي: انطلق))...((وأما الرجل الكريه المرآة، الذي عند النار يحشها ويسعى حولها، فإنه مالك خازن جهنم)) “we proceeded till we came to a man with a repulsive appearance, the most repulsive appearance, you ever saw a man having! Beside him there was a fire and he was kindling it and running around it...The bad looking man whom you saw near the fire kindling it and going around it, was Mālik, the gatekeeper of Hell.” [Bukhāri 7047] This ḥadīth clearly proves that the Angel entrusted with watching over the Hellfire is a male. • Another evidence which indicates this is the statement of Allāh: {وَلَوۡ جَعَلۡنَـٰهُ مَلَكࣰا لَّجَعَلۡنَـٰهُ رَجُلࣰا} “And if We had sent an angel, We would have certainly made it ˹assume the form of˺ a man...” [Sūrah Al-An’ām: 9] • Likewise, the angels would come to the Prophets and righteous in the form of men, as found in many evidences. • Also, Sheikh Yaḥyā mentioned in last night's lesson that the Messengers of Allāh are all male, whether from the humankind or from the angels. Allāh ﷻ said: {وَمَاۤ أَرۡسَلۡنَا مِن قَبۡلِكَ إِلَّا رِجَالࣰا} “We did not send ˹messengers˺ before you ˹O Prophet˺ except men.” [Sūrah An-Naḥl: 43] 🔺Final note: Affirming that angels are males does not necessarily mean they possess the male reproductive organ, because this is from the affairs of the unseen which we have no knowledge concerning, the same way that affirming the glorification of inanimate objects for Allāh [see Sūrah Al-Isrā’: 44] does not necessarily mean they possess the organ of speech.