Harriet Adediji 9BB
'Sincerely believing in Angels is the most important Islamic belief'.
I will be arguing that sincerely believing in angels is not the most important Islamic belief.
Instead, I think that Tawhid is the most significant belief for Muslims. In Islam, Tawhid is ‘the
belief in the oneness of God’, and is the most central and essential concept in the religion,
especially as it addressed first in the 5 Roots of ’Usul ad-Din in Shi’a Islam and the 6 Articles
of Faith in Sunni Islam.
Tawhid is the most important belief in Islam; the term ‘Tawhid’ means ‘the oneness of God’,
otherwise known as monotheism. All Muslims believe in Allah being the one true God, just
like the other Abrahamic religions – Christianity and Judaism – which are also monotheistic.
The reason that Tawhid is the most significant Islamic belief is because this doctrine shows
that Allah is the only true living God due to the fact that he is the ultimate creator and
sustainer of mankind, and the whole universe. This can be seen when he is described in the
Qur’an 6:102 as the “the Creator of all things”. In this verse it also says that “there is no god
but He”, and that “He has charge of all things”, so all should “worship Him (and Him alone)”.
As “there is no god but” Allah, we see his true omnipotent nature and uniqueness – nobody
else has power, or is any way comparable to Him. Because the Qur’an clearly says that He,
and only He, should be worshipped, it impacts Muslims by giving them explicit directions on
how to live their lives and the way in which they should hold Allah in the highest regard, and
treat Him with the very most respect. Also, because Muslims believe that Allah has “charge
of all things”, it again impacts them by allowing them to feel safe and secure knowing that
Allah is responsible for them, and will take care of them as long as they truly believe in Him,
putting Him first and living a life that is pleasing to Him. This brings all Muslim communities
closer together, as Tawhid is a very central concept in all sects of Islam, including Sunni,
Shi’a and even Sufi, that every Muslim shares with one another, and it allows Muslims to
remind each other that they can always rest assured that they are secure in Allah, who has
the power to create anything and do all that he wills. Due to this, many Muslims believe that
Tawhid is the most important belief in their religion.
On the other hand, some may argue that angels are a more important Islamic belief than
Tawhid. This is because angels of Allah are part of the six articles of faith, in Sunni Islam.
This is a contradictory view to Shia Muslims, who do not include angels as part of their 5
principles of faith. But, Sunni Muslims believe that angels were the very first of God’s
creation, made from divine light (called Nur). In Islam, angels are thought to be without free
will, and are solely made to perform specific functions as dutiful worshippers and servants of
Allah, communicating with humanity. Described to “not descend except by the command of
the Lord” [Surah 19:64], we can clearly see their sole submission to Allah alone, which may
set a positive example for Muslims to follow and embody similarly: because of the examples
that angels set, many Muslims will strive to reflect their characteristics. Another reason that
Sunni Muslims may believe Malaikah, or angels, are the most significant Islamic belief is
because the Qu’ran describes there to be “two scribes, one each sitting on the right and the
left, recording everything” [Surah 50:17]. These are 2 angels that record every good and bad
deed that a person commits, throughout their entire life. By knowing that these angels are
always there, observing everything, it influences a Sunni Muslim’s life particularly, as they
feel compelled to act righteously, and in a way that is pleasing to God, as they are aware
that all that they do will be documented. This can bring Muslim communities closer together
as they feel the need to act kindly to one another, as well as treat others with respect, and
live responsible Muslim lives, because they know that all of their wrongdoings could
eventually be used against them later on, on the Day of Judgement. Therefore, some could
argue that angels are the most important belief for Muslims, especially Sunni Muslims, as
Harriet Adediji 9BB
angels were Allah’s first creation, made completely pure and recording all that a person
does.
Despite the fact that angels are a fairly significant Islamic belief, Tawhid is still a much more
important one. This is because Tawhid shows that Allah is the ultimate judge, with power to
determine whether or not a person will go to Jannah or Jahannam (Heaven or Hell).
Although the angels document all the actions of a person, Allah has the final say in whether
or not the person will have eternal life in paradise or not. “Judgement is only Allah’s” [Surah
6:57], and this shows that nobody else has the capability to be a fair judge apart from Allah
himself. This impacts Muslims because they feel confident and content in Allah’s
judgement’s, knowing that he makes the ultimate decisions, and is fair in doing so. In Shi’a
Islam, a doctrine in the 5 Roots of ‘Usul ad-Din, linking closely to Tawhid, is Adalah or Adalat
– which refers to divine justice and fairness. Shi’a Muslims believe that in Allah’s omnipotent
and beneficent nature, He is always fair and just in his judgements, and that He is the only
one who has the ability to make completely fair decisions, based on humans’ actions. This is
an idea that is also held by Sunni Muslims, although it is not formally part of their belief
system. The concept of God being a just and righteous judge impacts Muslims lives by
reassuring them that God will always make the right decisions for them, as long as they live
in a way that is pleasing to Allah, and as long as they don’t commit Shirk, which is denying
Allah as the true one God (the worst sin of all). Also, it emphasizes to Muslims once more
that Allah has all the power and “only” he has the capability to decide whether a person
deserves to live in eternal peace or suffer in hell for the rest of time. Only He has the final
say, and because all Muslims are aware of this, it encourages them to strive to ask God for
forgiveness, take responsibility for their actions and lead righteous lives, that set a positive
example to fellow Muslims and unbelievers, so that on the Day of Resurrection the ultimate
Judge, Allah, will be satisfied with their life on Earth and allow them into Jannah.
In conclusion, I believe that angels are not the most important Islamic belief, and instead
Tawhid is. Although angels do have their significance in Muslims’ lives due to them being
dutiful messengers and servants of Allah, that have brought down many important messages
to humans (including the Angel Jibril revealing the Qur’an to Muhammad, for example),
Tawhid is still the most important belief. This is because it is addressed in both the Sunni
and Shi’a belief systems, and it solidifies the fact that Allah is the one true, all-powerful, allloving, just and merciful god, creator, sustainer and judge.