The High positions of Mikail and Jibrail

The Holy Qur’an in the ninety eighth verse of the Holy Surah of Baqarah refers to Mikail as “Mikal” and considers enmity of anybody towards him as the enmity

towards God.

مَنْ كَانَ عَدُوًّا لِلَّهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَجِبْرِيلَ وَمِيكَالَ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ عَدُوٌّ لِلْكَافِرِينَ

 “Whoever is the enemy of Allah and His angels and His apostles and Jibrail and Mikail, so surely Allah is the enemy of the unbelievers(Qur’an 2:98).

In a narration from Imam Ali(a.s) it is reported from him who has said: Jibrail is the caller to prayers for the residents of the heavens, whereas Mikail is their leader in prayers and and befits only a person who deserves it.

The Holy Qur’an refers to Jibrail with the following attributes: The faithful, an honorable messenger, the possessor of strength, one to be obeyed, and faithful in trust. The following verses also show this fact.

قُلْ مَنْ كَانَ عَدُوًّا لِجِبْرِيلَ فَإِنَّهُ نَزَّلَهُ عَلَى قَلْبِكَ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ مُصَدِّقًا لِمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ وَهُدًى وَبُشْرَى لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ  [1]

 “Say: whoever is the enemy of Jibrail for surely he revealed it to your heart by Allah’s command, verifying that which is before it and guidance and good news for the believers.”

وَإِنَّهُ لَتَنْزِيلُ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ نَزَلَ بِهِ الرُّوحُ الْأَمِينُ عَلَى قَلْبِكَ لِتَكُونَ مِنْ الْمُنذِرِينَ  [2]

 “And most surely this is a revelation from the Lord of the worlds. The faithful Spirit has descended with it, upon your heart that you may be admonished.”

إِنَّهُ لَقَوْلُ رَسُولٍ كَرِيمٍ ذِي قُوَّةٍ عِنْدَ ذِي الْعَرْشِ مَكِينٍ مُطَاعٍ ثَمَّ أَمِينٍ  [3]

“Most surely it is the word of an honored messenger, The processor of strength, having an honorable place with the Lord of the Dominion, One to be obeyed and faithful in trust.”

As we have seen above, five attributes are used in these verses for Jibrail. These attributes will depict his position:

The Honorable messenger: This trait refers to Jibrail’s position and his high value.

The possessor of strength: This trait is used because a strong power is required to receive the revelations and convey them to the apostles. Jibrail had such a power.

The one to be obeyed: This shows Jibrail is the supervisor and commander of all angels.

Faithful in Trust: Jibrail was completely reliable and trustable.

In a narration, we will read that: At the time of the revelation of these verses, the great Prophet(s.a.w) told Jibrail:

مَا أحْسنَ ما أثْنى عَلَيْكَ رَبُّكَ: (ذِي قُوَّةٍ عِنْدَ ذِي الْعَرْشِ مَكِينٍ مُطَاعٍ ثَمَّ أَمِينٍ) فَما كانَتْ قُوَّتُكَ، وَما كانَتْ أمانَتُكَ؟[4]

“How elegantly has Allah described you! God has said regarding you “Jibrail is the possessor of strength, he holds a special position in the eyes of the Owner of Arsh, he is the commander; he is faithful.” Now tell us some samples of your strength. Jibrail answered: One sample of my strength is the following: I got the mission to destroy the cities of the Lut Nation. They had four cities in each one of which there were four hundred thousand warriors, without accounting for their children. I lifted this city and took it to the skies where the angels cloud hear the sound of their animals; then I took it back to the earth; then I annihilated it. One sample for my honesty and faith in trust is my absolute obedience towards the commands that are issued by Allah.

وَ الَّذِينَ لَا تَدْخُلُهُمْ سَأْمَةٌ مِنْ دُءُوبٍ وَ لَآ إِعْيَآءٌ مِنْ لُغُوبٍ وَ لَا فُتُورٌ وَ لَا تَشْغَلُهُمْ عَنْ تَسْبِيحِكَ الشَّهَوَاتُ وَ لَا يَقْطَعُهُمْ عَنْ تَعْظِيمِكَ سَهْو الْغَفَلَاتِ الْخُشَّعُ الْأَبْصَارِ فَلَا يَرُومُونَ النَّظَرَ إِلَيْكَ النَّوَاكِسُ الْأَذْقَانِ الَّذِينَ قَدْ طَالَتْ رَغْبَتُهُمْ فِيمَا لَدَيْكَ الْمُسْتَهْتَرُونَ بِذِكْرِ آلَآئِكَ وَ الْمُتَوَاضِعُونَ دُونَ عَظَمَتِكَ وَجَلَالِ كِبْرِيَآئِكَ

 “O God! Send your blessings to the angels who do everything to satisfy You, to sanctify You and to worship You. They would not show any sign of feebleness. Their lusts and wishes will not hinder them from praising You. Forgetfulness will never influence them to forget You. Those angels who bow their heads down as a sign of obedience and who do not try to look at You. They are humble in front of Your Grandeur. They are delighted to praise You; they are zealous to thank You for what You have offered them: they are humble in front of your Grandeur.”