The AngelsNamed in the Quran

The angels who take turns

الْمُعَقِّبَات

  • A group of angels

Angels of the night and angels of the day who succeed one another over people and meet at the dawn and afternoon prayers.

QuranSee it in the Atlas
Also known as
Guardian angels, al-Mu'aqqibat

Role and accounts

The Quran says that every person has angels following one another before and behind him, guarding him by Allah's command (13:11). The Prophet ﷺ said that angels of the night and angels of the day take turns among you and meet at the dawn and afternoon prayers; those who spent the night rise, and their Lord, who knows best, asks how they left His servants, and they answer that they left them praying and came to them praying (al-Bukhari 555).

islamweb's fatwa concludes from these texts that the angels of the night are not those of the day, and quotes an-Nawawi citing al-Qadi 'Iyad: the clearest view, and that of most scholars, is that these are the guardian angels who record deeds. It also quotes Ibn Jarir from Ibn 'Abbas that each person has two guardians by night and two by day.

Evidence

QuranAr-Ra'd (The Thunder)Quran 13:11

لَهُۥ مُعَقِّبَـٰتٌ مِّنۢ بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِۦ يَحْفَظُونَهُۥ مِنْ أَمْرِ ٱللَّهِ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُوا۟ مَا بِأَنفُسِهِمْ ۗ وَإِذَآ أَرَادَ ٱللَّهُ بِقَوْمٍ سُوٓءًا فَلَا مَرَدَّ لَهُۥ ۚ وَمَا لَهُم مِّن دُونِهِۦ مِن وَالٍ ١١

For him [i.e., each one] are successive [angels][631] before and behind him who protect him by the decree of Allāh.[632] Indeed, Allāh will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves. And when Allāh intends for a people ill,[633] there is no repelling it. And there is not for them besides Him any patron.

Translator's notes

[631] Replacing each other by turn. [632] The phrase may also be rendered "...who guard him from [everything except] the decree of Allāh." [633] i.e., punishment or destruction because of their sins.

Saheeh International · QuranEnc v1.1.2

Another translation: Al-Hilali & Muhsin Khan · QuranEnc v1.1.2

11. For him (each person), there are angels in succession, before and behind him.[1] They guard him by the Command of Allâh. Verily! Allâh will not change the (good) condition of a people as long as they do not change their state (of goodness) themselves (by committing sins and by being ungrateful and disobedient to Allâh). But when Allâh wills a people’s punishment, there can be no turning back of it, and they will find besides Him no protector.

[1] (V.13:11) See the footnote (B) of (V.6:61).

Read in context on Quran.com
Sahih

Sahih al-Bukhari 555

Grades
GraderVerdict
al-BukhariSahih (included by al-Bukhari in his Sahih) (Sahih)
Full narration

حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ يُوسُفَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا مَالِكٌ، عَنْ أَبِي الزِّنَادِ، عَنِ الأَعْرَجِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ "‏ يَتَعَاقَبُونَ فِيكُمْ مَلاَئِكَةٌ بِاللَّيْلِ وَمَلاَئِكَةٌ بِالنَّهَارِ، وَيَجْتَمِعُونَ فِي صَلاَةِ الْفَجْرِ وَصَلاَةِ الْعَصْرِ، ثُمَّ يَعْرُجُ الَّذِينَ بَاتُوا فِيكُمْ، فَيَسْأَلُهُمْ وَهْوَ أَعْلَمُ بِهِمْ كَيْفَ تَرَكْتُمْ عِبَادِي فَيَقُولُونَ تَرَكْنَاهُمْ وَهُمْ يُصَلُّونَ، وَأَتَيْنَاهُمْ وَهُمْ يُصَلُّونَ ‏"‏‏.‏

Narrated Abu Huraira:Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Angels come to you in succession by night and day and all of them get together at the time of the Fajr and `Asr prayers. Those who have passed the night with you (or stayed with you) ascend (to the Heaven) and Allah asks them, though He knows everything about you, well, "In what state did you leave my slaves?" The angels reply: "When we left them they were praying and when we reached them, they were praying

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