:salam2:
We hear about Jibreel (as) more often than we can count..after all..his name almost always accompanies those of prophets and messengers..and we have gotten to know him as The Messenger from Allah to His Prophets..The Archangel..and The Spirit..
But have we wondered how magnificent he is in *proportion?!*
Well..let's cease the wonderment..and read below..
his creation (as):
"'A'isha reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: The Angels were born out of light." [Muslim]
his size (as):
"Narrated Aisha: Whoever claimed that (the Prophet) Muhammad saw his Lord, is committing a great fault, for he only saw gabriel in his genuine shape in which he was created covering the whole horizon." [Bukhari]
his wings (as):
"Ibn Mas'ud narrated to us that the Prophet had seen Gabriel with 600 wings." [Bukhari & Muslim]
"Ibn Mas'ud narrated: Rasulullah (saaws) said: 'I saw Gibrae'el having 600 wings, spreading from the feathers of his wings alarming [amounts] of pearls and rubies" [Ahmad, with a sahih sanad]
his divinely praised power & characteristics (as):
"A most honourable messenger. Owner of power, with the Lord of the Throne, Obeyed (by the angels in the heavens), and trustworthy". [At-Takweer 19-21]
"Your companion has neither gone astray nor has erred. Nor does he speak of (his own) desire. It is only a Revelation revealed. He has been taught by one mighty in power. One free from any defect in body and mind." [An-Najm 2-6]
It was a mind-boggling read wasn't it?!..but let's read one more hadith about this magnificent angel...which is *the point* of this entire thread
Rasulullah (saaws) narrated to the companions:
"I was passed into the High Abode on the night of my ascension [to heaven], and Jibreel was like a worn-out hils" [Al-Albani, Al-Bayhaqi, Al-Sayoti, Al-Tabarani]
Now you must have caught sight of the word *hils* at the end of the hadith...the word *hils* is Arabic..it stood for:
"A thin fabric used as a rug to cover the ground, or to put on the backs of camels under their saddles which eventually sticks to the surface it is layed upon"
In all of his magnifcance..beauty..power..and significance..out of shame..and awe of Allah (swt)..seemed like a *hils*..a worn-out piece of fabric..*stuck* to the *ground* in prostration before The Might of Allah (swt)
How many of us..can say we have reached *that level* of awe?..how many of us have set a *climax* for our fear of Allah?..how many of us are ashamed of Allah (swt)..not out of sin..but out of *gratefulness*..*humility*..and *love?!*...how many of us sense their *insignificance* before their Almighty Creator..whom no eye can see..but He certainly..sees *all?!*..indeed very few of us can claim to having such states..indeed many of us have come short of comprehending such states..and indeed many of us get satisified with *the little things* they do..and it is all because we have not gotten to know Allah as we *should* know Him (swt)..nor we've been worshipping Him (swt) as He should be worshipped!
Al-Tirmidhi said some very wise words regarding this issue..he said:
"The most fortunate of creation aware of Allah (swt) are the ones most knowing of Him (i.e. most knowledgeable of His Lordship, Attributes, Worship, etc.)"
Indeed..the closest of servants to Allah (swt)..and the best of them..are those who are in *most* awe of Him..who know Him (swt) as He should be known..and worship Him as He (swt) should be worshipped..and put His Favor..and His Love..first and foremost..sincerely..and satisfactorily..and unless with *narrowness of comprehension* and *self-affliction* we seek from the hereafter deliverance from its hell-fire *only*..we must ardently aim towards being of those most knowing of Allah as The Creator and Sustainer of the worlds..even if we have to *crawl* to reach that aim..lest we lose the rapture of looking upon a smiling Lord declaring His eternal favor upon the successful of servants
I conclude with the words of the most eloquent and beloved of beings Rasulullah (saaws) when he was heard supplicating:
"Allahomma I seek refuge with Your Favor from Your Disfavor, with Your Redemption from Your Punishment, and I seek refuge with You from You, I shall not count praise upon You, as You have praised Yourself" [narrated by Aisha (raa), from Sahih Bukhari]
wassalato wassalamo 'ala sayidina Mohammad wa 'ala alihi wa sahbihi 'ajmae'een
We hear about Jibreel (as) more often than we can count..after all..his name almost always accompanies those of prophets and messengers..and we have gotten to know him as The Messenger from Allah to His Prophets..The Archangel..and The Spirit..
But have we wondered how magnificent he is in *proportion?!*
Well..let's cease the wonderment..and read below..
his creation (as):
"'A'isha reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: The Angels were born out of light." [Muslim]
his size (as):
"Narrated Aisha: Whoever claimed that (the Prophet) Muhammad saw his Lord, is committing a great fault, for he only saw gabriel in his genuine shape in which he was created covering the whole horizon." [Bukhari]
his wings (as):
"Ibn Mas'ud narrated to us that the Prophet had seen Gabriel with 600 wings." [Bukhari & Muslim]
"Ibn Mas'ud narrated: Rasulullah (saaws) said: 'I saw Gibrae'el having 600 wings, spreading from the feathers of his wings alarming [amounts] of pearls and rubies" [Ahmad, with a sahih sanad]
his divinely praised power & characteristics (as):
"A most honourable messenger. Owner of power, with the Lord of the Throne, Obeyed (by the angels in the heavens), and trustworthy". [At-Takweer 19-21]
"Your companion has neither gone astray nor has erred. Nor does he speak of (his own) desire. It is only a Revelation revealed. He has been taught by one mighty in power. One free from any defect in body and mind." [An-Najm 2-6]
It was a mind-boggling read wasn't it?!..but let's read one more hadith about this magnificent angel...which is *the point* of this entire thread
Rasulullah (saaws) narrated to the companions:
"I was passed into the High Abode on the night of my ascension [to heaven], and Jibreel was like a worn-out hils" [Al-Albani, Al-Bayhaqi, Al-Sayoti, Al-Tabarani]
Now you must have caught sight of the word *hils* at the end of the hadith...the word *hils* is Arabic..it stood for:
"A thin fabric used as a rug to cover the ground, or to put on the backs of camels under their saddles which eventually sticks to the surface it is layed upon"
In all of his magnifcance..beauty..power..and significance..out of shame..and awe of Allah (swt)..seemed like a *hils*..a worn-out piece of fabric..*stuck* to the *ground* in prostration before The Might of Allah (swt)
How many of us..can say we have reached *that level* of awe?..how many of us have set a *climax* for our fear of Allah?..how many of us are ashamed of Allah (swt)..not out of sin..but out of *gratefulness*..*humility*..and *love?!*...how many of us sense their *insignificance* before their Almighty Creator..whom no eye can see..but He certainly..sees *all?!*..indeed very few of us can claim to having such states..indeed many of us have come short of comprehending such states..and indeed many of us get satisified with *the little things* they do..and it is all because we have not gotten to know Allah as we *should* know Him (swt)..nor we've been worshipping Him (swt) as He should be worshipped!
Al-Tirmidhi said some very wise words regarding this issue..he said:
"The most fortunate of creation aware of Allah (swt) are the ones most knowing of Him (i.e. most knowledgeable of His Lordship, Attributes, Worship, etc.)"
Indeed..the closest of servants to Allah (swt)..and the best of them..are those who are in *most* awe of Him..who know Him (swt) as He should be known..and worship Him as He (swt) should be worshipped..and put His Favor..and His Love..first and foremost..sincerely..and satisfactorily..and unless with *narrowness of comprehension* and *self-affliction* we seek from the hereafter deliverance from its hell-fire *only*..we must ardently aim towards being of those most knowing of Allah as The Creator and Sustainer of the worlds..even if we have to *crawl* to reach that aim..lest we lose the rapture of looking upon a smiling Lord declaring His eternal favor upon the successful of servants
I conclude with the words of the most eloquent and beloved of beings Rasulullah (saaws) when he was heard supplicating:
"Allahomma I seek refuge with Your Favor from Your Disfavor, with Your Redemption from Your Punishment, and I seek refuge with You from You, I shall not count praise upon You, as You have praised Yourself" [narrated by Aisha (raa), from Sahih Bukhari]
wassalato wassalamo 'ala sayidina Mohammad wa 'ala alihi wa sahbihi 'ajmae'een
