The Presence of Angels in Our Lives

Occasion: Transcription of a Fajr khatira delivered on 1 January 2026 Source: A transcription of a video khatira by Dr. Ahmed Abouseif — Watch the original video on YouTube

At the beginning of Sūrat al-Shūrā there is a particular discussion of the angels, and of how they seek forgiveness for those on earth.^[1] And you reflect on this great Qur'anic scene: why do the angels come to seek forgiveness for those on earth? You find no answer except that it is one of the forms of the mercy of Allah, Blessed and Exalted, toward human beings.

Allah's Mercy and Our Shortcomings

Our deeds and good works, in principle, are not enough to give thanks for the blessings Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has bestowed on us. And if you add to that the sheer quantity of random mistakes that issue from us, piled up before us on the Day of Resurrection, you see that we would be drowning in a vast quantity of sins and errors that came from us randomly, without our being aware of them. Someone might say: what happens randomly is forgiven automatically. But the simple calculation is that the human being, by default, is meant to practice complete and perfect obedience to Allah, Blessed and Exalted, if not out of a commitment to salvation, then as a kind of gratitude to the Lord of the worlds, glory be to Him. Yet Allah, Mighty and Majestic, increases the reassurance of the believers on this earth, and tells us that the angels seek forgiveness for those on earth.

In Sūrat Ghāfir there is a verse that supports this: ﴿الَّذِينَ يَحْمِلُونَ الْعَرْشَ وَمَنْ حَوْلَهُ يُسَبِّحُونَ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّهِمْ وَيُؤْمِنُونَ بِهِ وَيَسْتَغْفِرُونَ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ۖ رَبَّنَا وَسِعْتَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ رَحْمَةً وَعِلْمًا فَاغْفِرْ لِلَّذِينَ تَابُوا وَاتَّبَعُوا سَبِيلَكَ وَقِهِمْ عَذَابَ الْجَحِيمِ﴾ (Those who bear the Throne and those around it glorify their Lord with praise, and believe in Him, and seek forgiveness for those who believe: "Our Lord, You encompass everything in mercy and knowledge, so forgive those who repent and follow Your way, and protect them from the punishment of the Blaze.")^[2] This is a lengthy supplication; if we began to explain the supplication itself and the dimensions of its words, it would take us a long time. But let us move on to a simple matter: the importance of our belief in the angels, or the educational dimensions that the Lord of the worlds, glory be to Him, wants for us as we believe in the angels.

A Pillar of Faith

Belief in the angels is one of the pillars of faith: ﴿آمَنَ الرَّسُولُ بِمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِن رَّبِّهِ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ ۚ كُلٌّ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِّن رُّسُلِهِ﴾ (The Messenger believes in what was sent down to him from his Lord, and so do the believers. All of them believe in Allah, His angels, His books, and His messengers: "We make no distinction between any of His messengers.")^[3] So why?

A Watchfulness That Drives Us Toward Good

The Lord of the worlds, glory be to Him, speaks to us about them in His words: ﴿مَّا يَلْفِظُ مِن قَوْلٍ إِلَّا لَدَيْهِ رَقِيبٌ عَتِيدٌ﴾ (Not a word does he utter but there is beside him a watcher, ever present.)^[4] Our understanding of the matter is that they write, record and register the deeds of all creatures: the angel of good deeds writes your good deeds, and the angel of evil deeds writes what issues from us, and we seek Allah's forgiveness for our shortcoming and disobedience. That is one aspect. So imagine that you know there is someone following your every step and writing it down against you; we are before a constant, complete watchfulness, as if they were border guards against acts of disobedience, moving a person to do good deeds and more acts of obedience. Whenever you are about to utter a word and you remember an angel here and an angel there, you hold back from it because it contains a fault, and whenever you are about to do a good deed or a kind act, you find yourself watching the angel of good deeds, and you rush toward it or do more of it.

Guardians by Allah's Command

The other point is that the Lord of the worlds, glory be to Him, teaches us in His words: ﴿لَهُ مُعَقِّبَاتٌ مِّن بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِ يَحْفَظُونَهُ مِنْ أَمْرِ اللَّهِ﴾ (For each person there are successive angels before him and behind him, who guard him by Allah's command.)^[5] The scholars comment on this verse and say that these are the angels whom Allah, Blessed and Exalted, appointed to protect this human being and guard him, so they shield him from many things that would happen to him because Allah, Blessed and Exalted, has not yet permitted them. They are the means of protection by which the Lord of the worlds, glory be to Him, protects you, or one of the means of divine safeguarding for the human being. And whenever you advance in life and set out in it, you feel that there are angels around you defending you; you are not alone, but with you are some of the soldiers of the Lord of the worlds, glory be to Him, who protect you.

There is a very strong proof in His words, Exalted is He: ﴿إِذْ يُوحِي رَبُّكَ إِلَى الْمَلَائِكَةِ أَنِّي مَعَكُمْ فَثَبِّتُوا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ۚ سَأُلْقِي فِي قُلُوبِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا الرُّعْبَ فَاضْرِبُوا فَوْقَ الْأَعْنَاقِ وَاضْرِبُوا مِنْهُمْ كُلَّ بَنَانٍ﴾ (When your Lord inspired the angels: "I am with you, so make those who believe stand firm. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve, so strike above the necks and strike every fingertip of them.")^[6] This is a direct charge from the Lord of the worlds, glory be to Him, to the angels to protect His believing servants. So you are strong through your faith in Allah, Blessed and Exalted, and strong through your faith in the angels.

Witnesses to the Truth

In other scenes there is a model of the importance of the presence of the angels in our lives, when you hear the words of the Lord of the worlds, glory be to Him: ﴿شَهِدَ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ وَأُولُو الْعِلْمِ قَائِمًا بِالْقِسْطِ﴾ (Allah bears witness that there is no god but Him, and so do the angels and those of knowledge, upholding justice.)^[7] So you understand that the angels are among the witnesses to the truth on this earth, and you learn from them how you should stand up for good and for truth, bear witness to what is right, enjoin it, forbid wrongdoing, and so on. There are many dimensions and important lessons we learn from the presence of the angels in our lives.

For whether they bear witness for us or against us, they are witnesses to the truth before us, they are guardians for Allah, Blessed and Exalted, in our lives, and they are the eyes that see the movements and actions that issue from us. Our Lord, glory be to Him, made them among the causes of awareness in the life of the Muslim; so if you do something in your day, expect that there are angels around you who guard you by Allah's command, at the very time that they steer your aim straight and help you in your striving, and at the very time that they record your steps, register your work and watch your conduct.

I ask Allah, Blessed and Exalted, to make the angels witnesses for us before Allah on the Day of Resurrection, and to make us among those who are included in the angels' prayers for forgiveness and their supplications. O Allah, amen, O Lord of the worlds. May Allah reward you with good.

--- ^[1]: Editor's documentation: Al-Shūrā: 5. The speaker did not recite the verse verbatim in the transcript. ^[2]: Editor's documentation: Ghāfir: 7. The speaker quoted the verse in this text. ^[3]: Editor's documentation: Al-Baqarah: 285. ^[4]: Editor's documentation: Qāf: 18. ^[5]: Editor's documentation: Al-Ra'd: 11. ^[6]: Editor's documentation: Al-Anfāl: 12. ^[7]: Editor's documentation: Āl 'Imrān: 18.