In the name of Adonai,
God of Israel, to my right is Michael, and to my left is Gabriel; before me is
Uriel and behind me is Raphael; and above my head is the Shekhinah,
God's presence.
Tziporah:
Yasmina, when we were speaking last week you mentioned angels and I haven't been able to stop thinking about them! In discussing the need to praise God very day, you said, "When a person is absorbed with her daily routines, an angel comes to remind her to remember God.” And I had this image of an angel tapping me on the shoulder! I love that Muslims understand the sudden occurrence of a thought into one’s head or heart as an encounter with an angel. Often, Jews resist discussing the presence of angels in the world, claiming that angels are Christian, when in fact Jewish literature and liturgy is filled with mentions of angels. I sing “The Angel Song” (arranged by the late Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach) every night to my son before he goes to sleep. Each of the angels mentioned in the song plays a specific role in protecting humans in the world. It comforts me to think that God sends us angels to help us in our times of need and to remind us that God is present in our daily lives.
Grace:
Similar to the nightly song of angels that you sing
to your son, Tziporah, is the bedtime blessing in my family: “May all God’s
holy angels watch over you as you sleep.” While the Christian gospels recount
significant appearances by angels as God’s messengers or as heralds of good
news, the concept of a Guardian Angel from Catholic Christianity is not
universally shared among non-Catholics. Even so, the motif of supernatural
angel with wings and halo is pervasive in Christian art, iconography and verse.
While these images abound in art and
artifact, deeply ingrained in Christian teaching is this verse from Hebrews:
“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have
entertained angels unawares.” (Heb 13:2) Thus, angels may also be viewed as
spiritual beings who take embodied form. I wonder if it is this teaching that
gives rise to a popular exclamation expressed toward someone who has
demonstrated a deep kindness, “You are an angel!”
Yasmina:
Yes, the thought of angels
protecting, helping and recording our deeds is inherent to Islamic teachings
and gives me ample room for contemplation about the unseen world.
Coincidentally, reciting the verse known as the “Verse of the Throne”[1]
grants a Muslim a peaceful night-watch from an angel. One of my favorite
Hadiths about angels that relates to the remembrance of God is: “When any group
of men remembers God, angels surround them and mercy covers them, tranquility
descends upon them, and God mentions them to those who are with Him.”[2]
What a humbling and wondrous thing it is to be the subject of God’s mention! To
me, this is a magnificently gentle and loving sign of generosity from my Lord.
[1] Ayatul Qursi 2:255
[2] from Fiqh-us-Sunnah by Sayyid Saabiq, Vol. 4,
p.102
Yasmina refers to the peaceful night-watch from an angel. I have never heard this phrase and yet it resonates so perfectly that I cannot believe I never thought of our evening prayers as setting the stage in just this way.
ReplyDeleteWe do a lovely version of Hashkiveinu (an evening prayer) at bedtime with our kids. For them, it is reassuring that God is embracing and protecting them as they slumber.
For me, I can get a good night's sleep with God on night-watch.
When I read your beautiful comments on angles a key Hadith of the prophet came to my mind, it goes as follow:
ReplyDelete“ While we were one day sitting with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah upon him, there appeared before us a man dressed in extremely white clothes and with very black hair. No traces of travel were visible on him, and none of us knew him. He sat down close by the Prophet, peace and blessings upon him, rested his knees against his knees and placed his palms on his thighs, and said, O Muhammad! Inform me about Islam." Muhammad said, "Islam is that you should testify that there is no deity save Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger, that you should perform salah (ritual prayer), pay the zakah (alms), fast during Ramadan, and perform Hajj (pilgrimage) to the House (the Ka'bah at Makkah), if you can find a way to it (or find the means for making the journey to it)." Said he (the man), "You have spoken truly." We were astonished at his thus questioning him and telling him that he was right, but he went on to say, "Inform me about Iman (faith)." He (the Messenger of Allah) answered, "It is that you believe in Allah and His angels and His Books and His Messengers and in the Last Day, and in fate (qadar), both in its good and in its evil aspects." He said, "You have spoken truly." Then he (the man) said, "Inform me about Ihsan." He (the Messenger of Allah) answered, " It is that you should serve Allah as though you could see Him, for though you cannot see Him yet He sees you." He said, "Inform me about the Hour." He (the Messenger of Allah) said, "About that the one questioned knows no more than the questioner." ................." Thereupon the man went off. I waited a while, and then he (the Messenger of Allah) said, "O 'Umar, do you know who that questioner was?" I replied, "Allah and His Messenger know better." He said, "That was Jibril. He came to teach you your religion.[8]" [Muslim]Volume 1, Book 2, Number 48
Although we know that prophets and messengers of God saw the angles but to my knowledge this is the only time the prophet' companions saw an angle and it was in the human body.
Thank you ladies for a wonderful, rich discussion. Peace.
Thank you for sharing this story! In the Hebrew bible, there are instances of angels (or messengers of God) appearing in human form, the most famous beings the 3 "men" who visit Abraham in Genesis 18. There is also a rich tradition of rabbinic stories about angels visiting with biblical figures, such as the angel Gabriel saving Moses' life when he is a young boy. The idea that any person you meet could be an angel resonates for me; I strive to greet every person as I meet as a messenger of God. Shalom, Tziporah
Delete