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Ruling on likening women to angels

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Publication : 15-04-2007

Views : 32327

Question

What is the ruling on describing women as angels? To say, for example “this girl is an angel” or “looks like an angel” or “she has an angelic attributes” or any other likeness. And what the answer is to who justifies his poems saying “these descriptions are just figurative expressions or metonymy or any other poetic arts” meaning that he does not believe that the girl is an angel but he is just using the attributes of angels or the word “angel” to describe that girl.

Answer

Praise be to Allah.

It is not permissible to say of a girl that she is an angel or that she is like an angel, because that is an imitation of the mushrikeen who described the angels as being female. 

Allaah says of them (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And they make the angels who themselves are slaves of the Most Gracious (Allaah) females. Did they witness their creation? Their testimony will be recorded, and they will be questioned”

[al-Zukhruf 43:19]. 

Shaykh Bakr ibn ‘Abd-Allaah Abu Zayd (may Allaah preserve him) said: With regard to calling women by the names of angels, it seems that this is haraam, because it is an imitation of the mushrikeen who made the angels daughters of Allaah, exalted be Allaah above what they say. A similar matter is giving girls names such as Malaak, Malakah and Malak. End quote. Mu’jam al-Manaahi al-Lafziyyah (p. 565).  

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about calling a girl Malaak, and he did not allow that. Majmoo’ Fatawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (3/67). 

Using such words in verse to describe a girl is wrong, especially if the poem is a haraam love poem (ghazal). The angels are “noble slaves who do not disobey the commands of Allaah and do what they are commanded to do.”  They should be regarded as being above having their names used in such ways. 

And Allaah knows best.

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Source: Islam Q&A