Verse 30

Behold, your Lord and Sustainer said to the angels: 7 will create a vicegerent on earth.' They said: 'Will You place therein one who will make mischief therein and shed blood? Whilst we do celebrate Your praises and glorify Your holy [name]?' He said: '/ know what you know not.' (Wa idh qâla rabbuka li'l-malâ'ika innî jâ'ilun fi'l-ard khalîfatan qâlû a taj'alu fi-hâ man yufsidu fî-hâ wa yasfiku al-dimâ a wa nahnu nusabbihu bi-hamdika wa nuqaddisu la-ka qâla innî a'lamu mâ lâ ta'lamûn.)

An Introduction

Consider this: confirmatory belief in the existence of the angels in one of the pillars of faith. We may discuss it here in several stations (maqâmat):¹

The First Station

Whoever observes the earth, [will see that] despite its lowliness it is filled with beings with spirits (dhawî al-arwâh), and if he studies the precise order of the world, he will surmise that the lofty constellations also have inhabitants.
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1.For a more detailed discussion, see, the Twenty-Ninth Word (The Words, 521-37).

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