The Believer's Obligation towards the Angels
The angels are slaves of Allah whom He has selected and cho- sen and they have a high position with their Lord. The believer who worships Allah and seeks His pleasure must undertake to love and respect the angels and to avoid anything that might vex or harm them.
The things that distress them most are wrong actions, acts of disobedience, disbelief and associating others with Allah. Con- versely what pleases the angels most is for a man's deen to be sin- cerely for his Lord and avoidance of all that angers Him.
That is why the angels do not enter places or houses in which Allah Almighty is disobeyed, or those in which there is something that Allah dislikes and hates, such as idols, images, and statues. Nor do they go near anyone who is involved in acts of disobedi- ence to Allah such as drunkenness,
Abu Hamid al-Ghazzali said in his lirya that Abu Hurayra said, "The house in which the Qur'an is recited is spacious for the peo- ple in it and its good is abundant and the angels are present in it and the shaytans leave it. The house in which the Book of Allah, the Mighty and Exalted is not recited is narrow for the people in it and has little good and the angels leave it and the shaytans are pre- sent in it."
Al-Bukhari transmitted with his isnad from "Ubaydullah b. 'Abdullah who heard Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with both him and his father, say, "I heard Abu Talha say, 'I heard the Mes- senger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, "The angels do not enter house in which there is a dog or an image.""
Al-Bazzar related with a sound isnad from Burayda, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
"There are three whom the angels do not go near: someone who is drunk, someone wearing saffron, and someone in janaba."
The angels are harmed by the same things that harm the sons of Adam, and this is confirmed in sound hadiths. They are harmed by foul smells, filth and dirt.
Al-Bukhari and Muslim related that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
"Anyone who eats garlic and onions or leeks should not come near our mosque. The angels are harmed by what harms the sons of Adam."
Ibn Khuzayma and Ibn Hibban transmitted that Abu Ayyub said that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was sent some food which consisted of vegetables and which contained onions or leeks. He did not see the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, choose it, so he refused to eat as well. He said to him, "What is stopping you?" He said, "I did not see the trace of your hand." He said, "I am shy before the angels of Allah. It is not forbidden." In one variant we find, "Eat. I speak intimately with those with whom you do not speak intimately." i.e. the angels.
The Prohibition against Spitting to the right during the Prayer
The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, forbade spitting to the right during the prayer because when a person stands in prayer, an angel stands on his right. In the Sahih of al-Bukhari from Abu Hurayra, may Prophet be pleased with him, is that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
"When one of you stands for the prayer, he should not spit in front of him for he is speaking with Allah as long as he is in his prayer, nor to his right, for there is an angel on his right. He should spit to his left or under his foot and bury it."
In general, all believers should be godfearing, clean, penitent, regretful, full of remembrance and thankfulness so that they may have the company of the pious angels.
O Allah, take us back to You as Muslims and let us enter among Your righteous slaves by Your mercy!
Here ends this book. We ask Allah that everyone who reads it benefits from what is in it. Allah is the One who is asked for help.
The last of our words is: Praise be to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds.