Belief in the angels is one of the pillars of Iman. Denying the existence of the angels means rejecting Allah’s supremacy and sovereignty. It will affect our Iman towards Allah. When I was a child, I had always been told stories by the old folks in my family about the angels’ existence in a complicated way. I was made to believe that they would come to visit us in the form of a man, during our sleep, especially on the night of Qadr in Ramadan. That caused fright in me with the approaching of Ramadan.

Growing up, I realized the stories were incorrectly told to the young. As parents, we should inform our young ones about angels in positive ways with positive vibes. One exciting piece of knowledge we can share with our kids is about the angel Jibril.

The Quranic verse about Angels on the night Of Qadr

Allah says in the Quran (English translation), ‘The Angels and the Spirit descend therein by permission of their Lord for every matter.’ [1] This verse relates to what happened on the Night of Qadr. Allah mentioned that the Angels and the Spirit (Angel Jibril) would go down to earth that night.

Do we know who Angel Jibril is, the greatest of all the Angels? What can we tell our kids about him? In this article, we will share several facts about Angel Jibril, a special Angel that come down to earth with the other Angels every year on the Night of Qadr In Ramadan.

Angel Jibril was the same angel that met Prophet Muhammad in front of Cave Hira more than 1440 years ago.

Prophet Muhammad always went to Cave Hira’ for his routine seclusion during Jahiliyah. When Prophet Muhammad was sitting at Cave Hira’s entrance, Angel Jibril came down until he was very close. ‘Then he (Jibril) approached and came closer and was at a distance of but two bow-lengths or (even) nearer. And He (Allah) revealed to His servant (Muhammad) what he revealed.’ [2]

What does Angel Jibril look like in his actual form?

Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saw him twice in actual form. From ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ood (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saw Jibril in his true form. He had six hundred wings, each of which covered the horizon. There fell from his wings, jewels, pearls, and rubies. Only Allah knows about them.” [3]

Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, describing Jibril: “I saw Jibril descending from heaven, and his great size filled the space between heaven and earth.” [4] Ibn Mas’ood reported that Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, ‘Jibril came to me wearing green silk garments with pearls attached to them [5]

Did Angel Jibril ever appear in human form, and can people see him?

Angel Jibril used to come to Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon Him) in various forms. Sometimes he would appear in the form of Dihyah al-Kalbi, a sahabi (companion) who was very handsome, and sometimes in the form of a Bedouin. 

The Famous Hadith Jibril

It was narrated that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) said: while we were with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) one day, a man came to us whose garment was exceedingly white and whose hair was exceedingly black, and there were no signs of travel on him, and none of us knew who he was. 

He came and sat before the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), resting his knees against his and placing his hands on his thighs. Then he said: O Muhammad, tell me about Islam. Umar said: Then he went away. I stayed there for a while, then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to me: “O ‘Umar, do you know who that questioner was?” I said: Allah and His Messenger know best. He said: “That was Jibrail, who came to you to teach you your religion.” [6]

The story about Maryam and Jibril

Maryam, the mother of Prophet Isa, also met Angel Jibril in a human form. Allah sent Jibrail to Maryam in the form of a man, as Allah says: “. . . Then We sent her Our angel, and he appeared before her as a man in all respects.” [7]
Aisyah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, ‘The person I have seen most similar to Jibril is Dihyah al-Kalbi.’ [8]

Do you know his other names?

Angel Jibril is also called in the Quran’ ar-Rooh’, which means ‘the Spirit’ or ‘the Life’ because he carried the teachings from Allah to the prophets that give life and spirits to humans’ hearts. He is also known as ‘ar Rooh al Ameen,’ which means ‘the Trustworthy Spirit.’ “Which the trustworthy spirit has brought down, Upon your heart, that you may be (one) of the warners.” [9]. He is also called ‘Rooh Al Qudus,’ which means ‘the Spirit that belongs to the Holy One.’ Allah also called him ‘Roohuna,’ which means ‘the Spirit that Belongs to Us.’

Who are the wives of Prophet Muhammad that Angel Jibril gave salaam to?

Some narrations show that Jibril gave salaam to Aisyah and Khadeejah (may Allah have mercy upon them). Prophet Muhammad said that Jibril told him: ‘O Muhammad, give salaam to Khadeejah from her Lord.’ [10] Aisyah also reported that on several occasions, Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) would say to her: ‘O Aisyah, Jibril is here, and he gives you salaam.’ [11]

Jibril came to Prophet Muhammad every Ramadan to review Al Quran.

Angel Jibril would go to Prophet Muhammad every year to review the Quran. However, the year before Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) passed away, he examined it twice in Ramadan with Angel Jibril. Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: Jibril used to review the Quran with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) once every year and checked it with him twice the year which he passed away.[12]

Angel Jibril taught Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) & the Muslims?

Yes. It is true. Angel Jibril was responsible for delivering revelation from Allah to Prophet Muhammad and all mankind. He taught Prophet Muhammad how to perform wudu and salat.  Jibril always advised Prophet Muhammad. There is a hadith from Aishah. Prophet Muhammad said: ‘Jibril kept telling me to be kind to the neighbors until I thought he would tell me to give them the inheritance.’ [13]

Conclusion

These are the seven essential facts. If you know any other facts about Angel Jibril, please state them in the form below.
May this little sharing help increase our knowledge and strengthen about belief in the Angels. We hope it will motivate us to seek the Night of Qadr. It is the Night that Jibril will come down to earth with Baraka.

Get our FREE worksheets on our Learning about The Angels here. Our ‘The Blissful Heart’ contains hadith Jibril lesson plans, worksheets, and activities. The book is about Iman, Islam, and Ihsan, and the lesson plans on the pillars of Iman. 

Please find beneficial free worksheets on the same topic by Sis Zahra Osman. Her worksheets were prepared based on ‘Iman Made Easy’ by Sheikh Muhammad Al Jibaly. 

If you find this beneficial, please share this with your kids, relatives, and friend. If you know any other facts about Angel Jibril you want to share with us, please comment below(with the evidence from the Quran/ As-Sunnah). Jazakumullahu khairan.

[1] Surah Al Qadr 97:4

[2] Surah An Najm 53:8-9

[3] It was reported by Ahmad in al-Musnad, and Ibn Katheer said in al-Bidayah that its isnad (chain of narrators) is jayyid (good).

[4] Sahih Muslim

[5] Recorded by Ahmad and Ad Daaraqutnee.

[6] Sahih al-Bukhaari.

[7] Surah Maryam 19:17

[8] Recorded by ibn Sa’d. Verified to be authenticated by Sheikh al Albanee.

[9] Surah Shuara 26:193-194

[10] Recorded by Al Bukhari, Muslim and others from Abu Hurairah.

[11] Recorded by Al Bukhari, Muslim and others.

[12] Sahih al-Bukhari (4614)

[13] Recorded by Al Bukhari, Muslim and others.

References:

1. Knowing the Angels by Sheikh Muhammad Al Jibaly
2. https://islamqa.info/en/answers/843/al-malaaikah-angels