Significance of angels
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain the nature, roles and importance of angels in Islam.
Key learning points
- In Islam, angels are immortal beings made of light, who are without sin.
- The belief in angels is known as 'malaikah' and is supported by Surah 2:97-98, 2:285, 32:11.
- Four key angels in Islam are Jibril, Mika’il, Israfil and Izra'il, who have different roles and relationships to humans.
Keywords
Angels - beings of light delivering God’s messages and watching over humans
Israfil - the angel who will blow the trumpet before the Last Days
Jibril - the angel who revealed the Qur’an to Muhammad (Gabriel in English)
Malaikah - the Arabic word for angels
Mika’il - an angel providing spiritual and material help (Micheal in English)
Common misconception
Angels are male (e.g., Jibril is male).
In Islam, angels are genderless but can appear in a male form.
Teacher tip
In addition to this lesson, students can create a table of information on each of the four key angels in Islam: Jibril, Mik'ail, Israfil and Izrail, and their roles and importance for Muslims.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
5 Questions
Q1.Which of the following is NOT part of the message delivered by the prophets in Islam?
Q2.The Prophet Muhammad is known as the " of the Prophets," meaning no prophet will come after him.
Q3.How was the Qur'an revealed to the Prophet Muhammad?
Q4.What role do the Hadith play in the life of a Muslim?
Q5.How was the Qur'an preserved during the Prophet’s life?
Assessment exit quiz
5 Questions
Q1.Which of the following is NOT a belief about angels in Islam?
Q2.What is the role of angels in relation to human actions in Islam?
Q3.Which angel is known as the angel of revelation, delivering messages from God to the Prophets?
Q4.In Islam, angels were created humans.
Q5.The belief in angels remains important for Muslims today because it ...
To help you plan your 10 religious education lesson on: Significance of angels, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 religious education lesson on: Significance of angels, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 religious education lessons from the Islam: Beliefs and teachings unit, dive into the full secondary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.