Dr. Warren Larson Lecture: Folk Islam on Angels and Satan
Dr. Warren Larson delivered a lecture, Folk Islam on Angels and Satan, during a CIU course. Here, Larson presents the Folk Islamic views of Angels and the great Satan.
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Lesson 16, goes on to angels and, so, that’s the topic. We’ve talked about it before, but, we are going to now talk about Satan as well, angels and Satan, and we’ll be looking at, some verses here, out of the Quran again. We, don’t wanna repeat ourselves, but we will, there will be some overlap here. Notice that angels, if you’re following along on the, class notes as well, angels associate with God and and his realm. They are regarded as spirits, so we are not off base here when we include angels under the spirits, the topic of the spirits, they are bodies of light and, pure and on the traditions have the eye have the got the idea that on the pilgrimage to the holy place, God creates an angel at every step and, so on and so, I don’t know where that kind of stuff comes from.
Whether Mohammed, picked it up from somebody else or not, we we don’t always sure what were the influences were in, the life of Muhammad, but he he did get a lot of stuff from others, including Christianity and Judaism, but also remembering that Zoroastrianism was there as well, not to mention the paganism. These angels descend at God’s command according to the the Quran. I almost said Bible, but they descend according to God’s command and and, you know, that sounds familiar too. They are ministering spirits, in the Bible. They are, to to protect, but I, I believe that we’ve already looked at this verse here in, let’s see, 50 and verse 17, where, it says that, yes, we’ve already looked at this verse.
The 2 guardian angels appointed to learn his doings and note them. So, on the one hand, you have angels, a little bit of comfort in Islam, but on the other hand, not the same, which, I think is is is quite evident. I I think, when I think of angels, I think of of God, having a guardian angel, at least 1, to to minister and to help me and to you too as Christians. But, there is one verse here, in reference to the prophet, that has it it it’s it’s, it says that they punish the prophet’s enemies, and the verse is 3, chapter 3 and verse 123. And, it’s referenced here to the Battle of Badr, the only place listen to this.
The only geographical place that’s mentioned in the Quran that I’m aware of, and that is Badr. That’s where the famous battle of 90 of 6 24, I believe it was, was fought. Muhammad defeated his enemies from Mecca, and it says that Allah had helped you at Badr when you were a contemptible little force. Then fear, Allah, this may be your gratitude. And suddenly goes on to say that, remember, thou saidst to the faithful, is it not enough for you that Allah could help you with 3,000 angels specifically sent down?
Yeah. If you remain firm and act aright, even if the enemy should rush here on you in hot haste, your lord would help you with 5,000 angels making terrific onslaught. So, a little bit unclear here how many there were, but I think in the traditions, it says that Mohammed only had a small, he had a smaller amount of forces, when the Meccans came against him, and, god made them look very many more, in other words, through the angels, which sounds familiar, doesn’t it, when you think back of the scriptures, Elisha and one thing or another. And in the traditions it says that God did it, in other words, God allowed Muhammad to win that battle even though he had less forces. We’ve already talked about the archangels, how many there are and what they do, so we’re not gonna talk about that again, although it is mentioned here, but let’s let’s get into talking about Satan who is the archetype of disobedience.
He is not a very nice person. He is not a very nice person in in Christianity. He’s not a very nice person in Islam. Let’s let’s see. I say in 2 and verse 34 that we could have a look at at, what Ali has to say, the commentator, but 2 and for 34 says, behold, we said to the angels, bow down to Saint Adam, and they bowed down not so Iblis.
He refused and was haughty. So, that gives you some indication of of of the fact according to the Quran that he was an angel. But in 18/50, 18 verse 50, it says that he was one of the jinn. Behold, we said, and that is always god here to the angels and almost almost always to the angels bow down, to Adam they bow down except Iblis. He was one of the jinns.
So and he broke the command of his lord. Will you then take him as his and his progeny, progeny as protectors? Sounds like, the jinn procreate, doesn’t it? So, he’s one of the angels that we’ve just read before. Read that verse first, and then 18/50, he’s one of the jinn.
Now, technically, it’s true that in, in the Bible, we know that he was an angel and then he left his lofty estate and, became disobedient. But when you look at the Koran, it’s not clear because it sounds like he was one of the jinn in the first place, and he was also, one of the angels. So it’s not quite clear who who he is. There is one verse, that we note and that’s 37 and verse 65. It says that he’s very ugly.
Satan. The shoots of its fruitstalks are like the heads of devils. He is very ugly and the the Hadith confirms this. But we know that that, Satan can turn himself into an angel of light and so, he can deceive us by his beauty. Would that we would recognize him that easily.
Certainly, he, is able to trick people, through his beauty and through his ability to transform himself into an angel of light. So, he’s very, very tricky and he has all kinds of devices. Paul says that we are acquainted with his devices, how he brings tries to bring us down even as believers and I think as believers, we are more, the object of his attention. There you have a picture there of them throwing, pebbles at the, at the in Mina on the way to the on the pilgrimage, which is an uneven number of pebbles. Satan is powerful.
He knows God’s greatest name, but his memory fails him at the, judgment. And he especially troubles believers. He’s already mentioned that. He troubles Muslims as well. I’ll say he does, and he troubles us Christians as well.
He eats and drinks with his left hand. You know, using your left hand in the Muslim world is a no no. One of the reasons is that the left hand is used for cleansing yourself. But another reason you can’t use your left hand to eat with is because Satan does it. This is what the traditions say.
Now question here is, do Muslims manipulate god, control Satan, or do they, you know, attempt to do both? That’s really the question, isn’t it? Do they manipulate god and, or do they attempt to to manipulate Satan as well? I think, we’re going to leave that question a little bit to later, but because it does come up, but, we can think about that. And, one of the verses that I have here is 17 and 62, and that is, this verse.
He said, seest thou, this is the one whom thou hast honored above me. If thou wilt but respite me to the day of judgement, I will surely bring his descendants under my sway, all but a few. Now don’t you love this, King James English that we’re using here, the and thou and, very awkward stuff. But, you know, it does say that, that Satan is, I will bring his descendants under my sway. Satan makes makes this makes this statement, and so, he is an he is an enemy.
When you look at the at the, traditions, for instance, Mishkat volume 2, volume, I guess I don’t have the volume there. I don’t know what happened to it, but page 21, it talks about, him is, his enmity towards us and how he works in the lives of of people. But another book I refer to here is People of the Lie and that’s, goes on to say that oftentimes people do things because of their loneliness. They’re medicating themselves and ins and they really, you know, get under the under the, influence of Satan, because of, of their wants and needs and so on and so forth.