and of Moses’ unique distinction over the other prophets in this specific respect. Yet the fact that a particular prophet is given a special merit does not necessarily make him absolutely superior to the rest; it only means that, in that particular trait, he surpasses them.

This belongs to the pillars of faith, whose first element is belief in Allah and whose second is belief in the angels. The angels are part of the unseen realm known only to Allah. He created them from light so that they might worship Him and execute His commands within creation. He has assigned to them duties which they faithfully discharge: one is entrusted with revelation, another with rain and vegetation, another with taking souls, another with blowing the Trumpet, others with recording the deeds of the children of Adam, one with the mountains, and another with the embryos in their mothers’ wombs—as in the hadith of Ibn Masʿūd: “Then the angel is sent to him and writes down his provision, his lifespan, his deeds, and whether he will be wretched or blessed.” (1)

Thus they are deputed to perform the tasks Allah has laid upon them: “They do not speak ahead of Him, and they act only on His command” (Al-Anbiyāʾ 21:27); “They glorify Him night and day without ever tiring” (Al-Anbiyāʾ 21:20).

They worship Allah continuously while at the same time carrying out the duties entrusted to them