Malaa'ikah - Energetic Beings of Nur (Light)

The Quran teaches that angels are one of Allah's creation like humans and jinn except without a free-will. Allah ﷻ testifies to their complete submission: “…and do whatever they are bidden to do.” He also says: “and they do not ever neglect” unlike humans and jinns who can disobey. A prophetic hadith describes their creation: “The angels were created from nur (light)...”

Nur in Arabic means ‘light’, however; this light is not same as observable with a naked eye. In fact a very subtle, concentrated form of light, which cannot be grasped by our normal sight. In the Quran and Prophetic hadith, angels are referred to with the Arabic term malaa’ikah, plural for ‘many angels’, while malak is for singular 'angel' also related to the term maalik which means ‘king’ or ‘sultan’ implying authority, power or energy. The term implies their creation maybe from a subtle form of energy that moves within the electromagnetic spectrum within our universe, a frequency undetectable to our normal sense perceptions. This could be true as birds can detect ultra violet rays from sunlight, invisible to human sight due to special receptors their eyes carry. Knowing this special ability of theirs we may understand the prophetic hadith that teaches certain birds ability to detect angels: “When you hear the crowing of the roosters, then ask Allah of His bounty, for verily they have seen an angel." Just as exposure to intense UV-rays can cause humans to experience Photokeratitis, a painful eye condition, it explains why angels remain invisible to us in their normal frequency mode while in a stronger frequency their appearance may cause us harm. Hadith experts narrate that Hamza insisted Prophet ﷺ to see Gabriel. Prophet ﷺ pointed towards Ka'bah, but Hamza could not bear the sight and fell unconscious.