and how majestic You are! You are Allah; there is no god but You. You are the Most Great; all creation shall return to You.” Behind these are one hundred thousand rows of angels, who have placed their right hands over their left. Each of them glorifies Allah with words of praise unlike those used by any other. The distance between the wings of one of them is a journey of three hundred years, and the distance from the lobe of his ear to his shoulder is four hundred years. Allah has veiled Himself from the angels around the Throne by seventy veils of fire, seventy veils of darkness, seventy veils of light, seventy veils of white pearls, seventy veils of red ruby, [seventy veils of yellow ruby] (1), seventy veils of green chrysolite, seventy veils of snow, seventy veils of water, seventy veils of hail, and other veils known only to Allah Most High.
He said: Each of the bearers of the Throne and those around it has four faces: the face of a bull, the face of a lion, the face of an eagle, and the face of a human being. Each of them has four wings: two wings cover his face, for fear that he might look at the Throne and be struck unconscious; and with the other two he flies. They utter nothing but glorification, praise, magnification, and exaltation of Allah. (2)
His saying, exalted is He: “They glorify the praises of their Lord and believe in Him”—that is, they affirm that He is One, without partner.
Abd al-Wahid al-Mulayhi informed us; Abu Mansur al-Sam‘ani informed us; Abu Ja‘far al-Rayyanī narrated to us; Humayd ibn Zanjawayh narrated to us; Umar ibn Abd Allah al-Raqqashi narrated to us; Ja‘far ibn Sulayman narrated to us; Harun ibn Rabab narrated to us; Shahr ibn Hawshab said: “The bearers of the Throne are eight. Four of them say: ‘Glory be to You, O Allah, and all praise is Yours. Praise be to You for Your forbearance despite Your knowledge.’ The other four say: ‘Glory be to You, O Allah, and all praise is Yours. Praise be to You for Your pardon despite Your power.’” He said: “It is as though they behold the sins of the Children of Adam.” (3)
His saying, exalted is He: “And they seek forgiveness for those who believe: ‘Our Lord...’”—that is, they say: “Our Lord, You have encompassed all things in mercy and knowledge.” It is said that the accusative construction is one of specification; and it is also said to result from transposition—meaning: Your mercy and knowledge encompass all things. “So forgive those who repent and follow Your path”—that is, Your religion—“and protect them from the punishment of the Hellfire.” [Mutarrif] (4) said: “The angels are Allah’s servants most sincere in their concern for the believers, while the devils are the most treacherous of all creatures toward the believers.” (5)