The Angel of Consolation

10:62, 64: "Lo! verily the friends of God are those on whom fear cometh not, nor do they grieve... Theirs are good tidings in the life of the world and in the Hereafter."

The angel of consolation follows the angel of tears. When the angel of tears touches someone's heart with his wing, that person begins to weep.

One of the great saints, named `Urwa, grew very old and began to pray that God take Him back to Him and place Him among His beloved ones. One day, as he was making such a prayer by the graveside of St. John the Baptist in Damascus, he saw a very handsome young man coming to him, dressed in green and covered with blazing light. The young man smiled at `Urwa and said: "O my father, may God bless you! What prayer are you making?" Urwa told him: "O my son, may God have mercy on you! I am asking for a good end and a quick return to God for a goodly meeting with the loved ones. Who are you, my dear son?" He said: "I am the mercy of your Lord sent to console human beings. My name is Artiya'il and I am an angel. I was created to wipe away the sadness and pain from the breast of those beloved to God." Then the angel disappeared, and `Urwa's sadness was gone with him.

One day, the disciples of another great saint went among a certain tribe in Central Asia and weeks passed without them coming back. Their master was meditating one day with a heavy heart, worried that something might have happened to them. A green bird of Paradise came to his window and began to chant with a voice which wiped clean his heart from all sadness: "I am Artiya'il, I am the destroyer of sadness! I am the bringer of good news to the hearts of children and men and women young and old. I bring you news of your beloved ones." Later, the master said: "I knew Artiya'il would come, but I had to despair first!"

Artiya'il is the angel who allows people to return to their normal lives and free themselves from the pangs of depression and anxiety. These diseases of the soul are great tests which God sends to human beings to remind them that they should not run after material things and forget their angelic inheritance. Angels always remember God. If they stopped they would instantly cease to exist. Similarly, human beings need to remember the Creator of all that surrounds them in order to live happily in those surroundings.

God ordered the angels to serve those who remember Him and fight those who forget Him. This is not to punish them but to help them and correct them. Babies and children cry when they are given bitter medicine. Grown-ups know their need for the angelic energies of goodness and beauty, and if they choose to ignore such a need, they are reminded of it through the medicine of depression. The latter is the effect of the "shock to the system" of those who forget God, the Creator of goodness and beauty.

The characteristic of an angelic nature is to be able to feed and sleep on the remembrance of God, whereas brute beasts are unable to feed on other than fodder or sleep without giving up their conscience. When human beings do this over a long period of time rust builds up on the heart. Depression settles in and melancholy finds a permanent home. That is why the Prophet said: "Everything has a polish, and the polish of hearts is the remembrance of God."

Depression is a sickness of heart and soul made possible only through heedlessness. A vigilant heart keeps belief and hope and trust posted at its gate as so many guardian angels. It never allows the darkness of depression and doubt to enter. Human hearts are a precious treasure. Many thieves lurk in the surrounding shadows looking to rob and plunder it. However, when the owner of the treasure is a friend of God, the treasure is well guarded. Its guardians are fed and paid with the currency of faith and remembrance. If there is no faith, there are no guardians; if no remembrance, no salary. Without guardians the palace doors lay open to what is unwanted. Thieves will never go to an empty house. That is why the Holy Koran insists that: "We verily did honor all the children of Adam" [17:70]. The explanation of that honor is the treasure which God deposited into the hearts of human beings.

Angels teach those among human beings who are able to connect with them never to be cheated and robbed of the angelic light of their hearts.


Blessings and Peace on the Prophet, his Family, and his Companions.


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