The angels descend upon the mu'mineen

Hadbrat Ibn Abbaas radiyAllaahu unlhuma narrates that Rasulullali sallAllaahu alaybi wa sallam said on the day of Badr: This is Jibraeel holding onto the head of his horse, equipped with the implements of war”

Hadbrat Sa’d bin Abi Waqqaas radiyAllaahu unhu narrated:

On the day of Uhud I saw on the right and on the left of Rasulullah sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam two men dressed in white fighting fiercely. I had never seen them before and neither thereafter. They were Jibraeel and Meekaaeel alayhiinassalaam.

Abbaas radiyAllaahu unhu once sent his son Abdullah radiyAllaahu unhu to Rasulullah sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam for some work, but he found Rasulullah sallAllaahu alayhi wasallam busy with a man, so he returned without speaking to him. Abbaas (ra) asked: Did you see the man”

He said: “Yes”.

Abbaas (ra) said: That was Jibraeel alayhissallaam. He who has seen Jibraeel alayhissalaam will not die until he loses his eyesight and be granted vast knowledge.”

It is well known that Abdullah bin Abbaas (ra) became Hibrul Unmmah - a most distinguished Aaalim, even amongst the Sahaabah (ra). During his old age he lost his eyesight. This prediction was thus fulfilled.]

Sahl (ra) said to his son Abu Umaamah (ra):

Oh my son, if only you had seen us on the day of Badr, pointing our swords towards the head of a mushrik, and his head would fall from his body before our swords would reach him.”

Anas (ra) narrates that a man who used to write for Rasulullah sallAllaahu alayhi wasallam became a murtad (apostate, na’uthbillah) and joined the mushrikeen. Rasulullah sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam prophesised: The earth will not accept him.

He narrates: We buried him a number of times, but the earth did not accept him. i.e. the grave expelled his body each time.

Source: Signs of ar-Rahman

A Du'a which made the Angels confuse

إِنَّ عَبْدًا مِنْ عِبَادِ اللهِ قَالَ:يَا رَبِّ لَكَ الْحَمْدُ كَمَا يَنْبَغِي لِجَلَالِ وَجْهِكَ وَعَظِيمِ سُلْطَانِكَ. فَعَضَلَتْ بِالْمَلَكَيْنِ فَلَمْ يَدْرِيَا كَيْفَ يَكْتُبَانِهَا فَصَعِدَا إِلَى اللهِ فَقَالَا: يَا رَبَّنَا إِنَّ عَبْدًا قَدْ قَالَ مَقَالَةً لَا نَدْرِي كَيْفَ نَكْتُبُهَا، قَالَ اللهُ، وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا قَالَ عَبْدُهُ: مَاذَا قَالَ عَبْدِي؟ قَالَا: يَا رَبِّ إِنَّهُ قَالَ: لَكَ الْحَمْدُ يَا رَبِّ كَمَا يَنْبَغِي لِجَلَالِ وَجْهِكَ وَعَظِيمِ سُلْطَانِكَ. فَقَالَ اللهُ لَهُمَا: اكْتُبَاهَا كَمَا قَالَ عَبْدِي، حَتَّى يَلْقَانِي فَأَجْزِيهِ بِهَا.» 

A servant of Allah once said, `O Allah! Yours is the Hamd that is suitable for the grace of Your Face and the greatness of Your Supreme Authority.' The two angels were confused as to how to write these words. They ascended to Allah and said, `O our Lord! A servant has just uttered a statement and we are unsure how to record it for him.' Allah said while having more knowledge in what His servant has said, 'What did My servant say' They said, `He said, `O Allah! Yours is the Hamd that is suitable for the grace of Your Face and the greatness of Your Supreme Authority.' Allah said to them, `Write it as My servant has said it, until he meets Me and then I shall reward him for it.

Source: Tafsir Ibn Kathir: Tafsir of Soorah Al-Fatiha. 

Allah sends angels to protect and support righteous people

Allah may send angels to protect some of His righteous slaves other than the Prophets and Messengers. This may be what happened to a man whose story is told by Ibn Katheer. In Tafseer Ibn Katheer, in the commentary on the aayah –

Is not He (better than your gods) who responds to distressed one, when he calls on Him, and He removes the evil (Qur'an 27:62)

- He said:

Al-Haafiz ibn ‘Asaakir mentioned the story of a man of whom Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Dawood ad-Daynoori, who was known as Ad-Daqqi as-Soofi. This man said:

I used to transport people and their goods with a mule that belonged to me, from Damascus to Balad az-Zabadaani. One day a man rode with me, and for part of the way we were traveling off the beaten track. He said to me, “Take this path, it is shorter”, I said, “That’s no good. “He said “But it is shorter”

So we took the path, and it reached a place where it was very difficult to go, and there was deep valley in which there were many dead bodies. He said, “Hold the mule’s head, so I can dismount.” So he dismounted, then he rolled up his sleeves and gathered his garments. Then he pulled out a knife and came towards me. I ran away from him and he followed me. I implored him by Allah, and said, “Take the mule and all the baggage on it. He said they are mine anyway but I am going to kill you. I tried to scare him by reminding him of Allah and the punishment, but he paid no heed to that."

So I surrendered to him, and said “let me pray two rakah” He said hurry up then. So I stood up to pray , but the words of the Qur’an would not come to me. I could not remember even a single letter. I remained standing, confused and he was saying “Come on! get on with it” Then Allah enabled me to recite this Ayah

Is not He (better than your gods) who responds to distressed one, when he calls on Him, and He removes the evil (Qur'an 27:62)

Suddenly I saw a horseman who had come from the mouth of the valley with a spear on his hand. He threw the spear at the man, and it did not miss his heart. The man fell dead, and I clung to the horseman and said, “By Allah, who are you” He said "I am a messenger of the One who responds to the distressed one when he calls on Him, and Who removes the evil” Then I took the mule and the baggage and I returned safe and sound.

Similarly, Allah sent Jibreel to help the mother of Ismaa’eel in Makkah. In Saheeh al-Bukhaari it is narrated from Ibn ‘Abbaas from the Prophet (Peace be upon him), in the story of Ibraaheem’s migration with Ismaa’eel and his mother Haajir to the land of Makkah – which is a long story – that the mother of Ismaa’eel ran like a distressed person between As-Safa’ and Al-Marwah seven times, looking for water.

“When she looked out from Al-Marwah, she heard a voice, and she kept quiet and listened attentively. She heard the voice again and said,

“O (whoever you may be)! You have made me hear your voice; have you got something to help me?”

And she saw an angel at the place of Zamzam, digging the earth with his heel (or his wing), till water flowed from that place...

The angel said to her,

‘Don’t be afraid of being neglected, for this is the House of Allah which will be built by this boy and his father, and Allah never neglects His people.’”

(Bukhaari, 6/397, hadith no. 3364)

This angel who came to her was Jibreel. In Al-Musnad it is narrated from Ibn ‘Abbaas that Ubayy ibn Ka’b said:

“When Jibreel dug Zamzam with his heel, the mother of Ismaa’eel started to scoop up the earth around it.

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

‘May Allah have mercy on Ismaa’eel’s mother! Had she left Zamzam alone (flowing without trying to control it), Zamzam would have been a stream flowing on the surface of the earth.’”

(Musnad Ahmad, 5/121)

Source: The World of the Noble Angels In the Light of the Qur'an and Sunnah : Islamic Creed Series Volume 2 by Umar S. al-Ashqar

Some beautiful hadith regarding the excellence of remembering Allah

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said, "Allah, the Exalted, has teams of angels who go about on the roads seeking those who remember Allah. When they find some people remembering Allah they call to one another and say, `Come to what you are looking for;' and they surround them with their wings till the space between them and the lowest sky is fully covered. Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, asks them (although He is best informed about every thing): `What are my slave saying?' They say: `They are glorifying Your Tasbih, Tahmid, Takbir, Tamjid, (i.e., they were declaring Your Perfectness, praising, remembering the Greatness and Majesty of Allah).' He asks: `Have they seen Me?' They reply, `No, indeed, they have not seen You.' He asks: `How would they act if they were to see Me?' Thereupon they reply: `If they were to see You, they would engage more earnestly in worshipping and glorifying You and would extol You more.' He would say: `What do they beg of Me?' They say, `They beg You for Your Jannah.' Allah says, `Have they seen My Jannah?' They say, `No, our Rubb.' He says: `How would they act if they were to see My Jannah?' They reply, `Were they to see it, they would more intensely eager for it.' They (the angels) say, `They seek Your Protection.' He asks, `Against what do they seek My Protection?' They (the angels) say, `Our Rubb, from the fire of Hell.' (He, the Rubb) says, `Have they seen the fire of Hell?' They say, `No. By Your Honour, they have not seen it.' He says: `How would they act if they were to see My Fire?' They say: `If they were to see it, they would more earnest in being away from it and fearing it. They beg of Your forgiveness.' He says: `I call you to witness that I hereby grant pardon to them and confer upon them what they ask for; and grant them protection against what they seek protection from.' One of the angels says: `Our Rubb, there is amongst them such and such slave who does not belong to the assembly of those who are participating in Your remembrance. He passed by them and sat down with them.' He says: `I also grant him pardon because they are the people by virtue of whom their associates will not be unfortunate'."
(Riyad us Saaliheen : Book 15/ Chapter 247/1447)

Abu Hurairah and Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said, "When a group of people assemble for the remembrance of Allah, the angels surround them (with their wings), (Allah's) mercy envelops them, Sakinah, or tranquillity descends upon them and Allah makes a mention of them before those who are near Him."
(Riyad us Saaliheen : Book 15/ Chapter 247/1448)

Abud-Darda (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said, "Shall I not inform you of the best of your actions which are the purest to your Rubb, which exalt you to the high ranks, which are more efficacious than spending gold and silver (in charity), and better for you than you should encounter your enemies whom you will smite their necks and they will smite your necks?" They said, "Certainly." He (Peace be upon him) said, "Remembrance of Allah the Exalted."
(Riyad us Saaliheen : Book 15/ Chapter 244/1441)