Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

An angel who is blind and dumb will then be placed in charge of him

Sir dont you think you are being overly dramatic here. I thought angels had no intelligence. They only do what is commanded of them by Allah SWT. Also please give me a mustanid hadith or give the chapter and verse in the Quran where exactly what you mentioned rgds the blind and dumb angel is quoted.

Thanks

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Answer:

Hadith of blind and deaf angels

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 4735 Narrated by Al-Bara' ibn Azib

We went out with the Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) accompanying the bier of a man of the Ansar. When we reached his grave, it was not yet dug. So the Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) sat down and we also sat down around him as if birds were over our heads. He had in his hand a stick with which he was scratching the ground. He then raised his head and said: Seek refuge with Allah from the punishment in the grave. He said it twice or thrice. The version of Jabir adds here: He hears the beat of their sandals when they go back, and at that moment he is asked: O so and so! Who is your Lord, what is your religion, and who is your Prophet? Hannad's version says: Two angels will come to him, make him sit up and ask him: Who is your Lord? He will reply: My Lord is Allah. They will ask him: What is your religion? He will reply: My religion is Islam. They will ask him: What is your opinion about the man who was sent on a mission among you? He will reply: He is the Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him). They will ask: Who made you aware of this? He will reply: I read Allah's Book, believed in it, and considered it true; which is verified by Allah's words: "Allah establishes those who believe with the word that stands firm in this world and the next." The agreed version reads: Then a crier will call from Heaven: My servant has spoken the truth, so spread a bed for him from Paradise, clothe him from Paradise, and open a door for him into Paradise. So some of its air and perfume will come to him, and a space will be made for him as far as the eye can see. He also mentioned the death of the infidel, saying: His spirit will be restored to his body, two angels will come to him, make him sit up and ask him: Who is your Lord? He will reply: Alas, alas! I do not know. They will ask him: What is your religion? He will reply: Alas, alas! I do not know. They will ask: Who was the man who was sent on a mission among you? He will reply: Alas, alas! I do not know. Then a crier will call from Heaven: He has lied, so spread a bed for him from Hell, clothe him from Hell, and open for him a door into Hell. Then some of its heat and pestilential wind will come to him, and his grave will be compressed, so that his ribs will be crushed together. Jabir's version adds: One who is blind and dumb will then be placed in charge of him, having a sledge-hammer such that if a mountain were struck with it, it would become dust. He will give him a blow with it which will be heard by everything between the east and the west except by men and jinn, and he will become dust. Then his spirit will be restored to him.

Your Question: Sir dont you think you are being overly dramatic here. I thought angels had no intelligence. They only do what is commanded of them by Allah SWT. Also please give me a mustanid hadith or give the chapter and verse in the Quran where exactly what you mentioned rgds the blind and dumb angel is quoted.

Beloved and respected brother in Islam, Allah forbid we would say anything from ourselves regarding the knowledge of the ‘unseen’! The hadith we quoted was from Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 4735 and narrated by Al-Bara' ibn Azib.

Indeed, it is true that the Angels are a creation of Allah Subhanah, who do whatever they are commanded by their Lord to do; and that is precisely the guidance of the Holy Quran.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 16 Surah Nahl verses 49-50:All the animate creation in the heavens and the earth, and all the Angels prostrate themselves in adoration before Allah. They (Angels) do not show any arrogance at all; they fear their Lord Who is above them, and do whatever they are bidden (to do).

Thus, my beloved brother in Islam, your argument makes perfect logic that why would a deaf and blind Angel be appointed to punish a disbeliever in his grave; it is not as if the Angels have a free will of their own where they would feel pity or sorry and reduce the punishment which has been Decreed by Allah Subhanah!

We absolutely agree with you in your absolutely logical argument.

But beloved brother, we only quoted the exact verbatim hadith as recorded by Abu Dawood. On receipt of your letter, we went into the details of the fine-prints regarding the above quoted hadith and found that almost all the major Imams and scholars agree with the original text of the hadith as authentic; but most of them have a reservation and do not agree with the ‘Jaber’s version’ which states the deaf and blind Angel being placed.

May Allah Subhanah reward you generously for bringing this to the attention of the brothers and sisters on the forum. May Allah Subhanah increase yours and our knowledge of the deen of Islam, and bestow upon you and us the mercy and conviction to grasp the true wisdom behind each of His Commands.

We sincerely thank you for bringing this to our attention; and admit our short-coming in not thoroughly checking the hadith before quoting it. We ask for your forgiveness, the forgiveness of our brothers and sisters who have subscribed to the forum, and above all we seek the forgiveness of our Merciful Lord for our short-coming and unintentional error. Allah is our witness, it was not our intention to dramatize anything, nor do we have the courage to add or say anything other than what was quoted in the books of hadith.

May Allah Subhanah have Mercy upon us, forgive us our shortcomings, and give us the wisdom to comprehend and submit to the guidance and teachings of the Glorious Quran and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws).

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan