angels there are in the heavens whose intercession avails nothing except after Allah has given permission for whomever He wills and is pleased with.”

Allah, glorified is He, has the power to cause them to die and then bring them back to life, just as He has the power to cause humans and jinn to die and then bring them back to life.

He, glorified is He, has said:

“He is the One who originates creation, then repeats it, and that is easier for Him.”

It is established in authentic hadith, transmitted through several routes and from more than one Companion, that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“When Allah speaks revelation, something like fainting overtakes the angels.”

In another narration:

“When the angels hear His speech, they fall unconscious.”

And in another narration:

“The angels hear something like a chain being dragged over smooth rock, and they fall unconscious. Then, when fear is removed from their hearts—that is, when terror is lifted from their hearts—they say, ‘What did your Lord say?’ They reply, ‘The truth,’ and call out, ‘The truth! The truth!’”

In these authentic hadiths, he thus tells us that they fall unconscious in a swoon. If it is possible for them to fall unconscious, it is also possible for them to fall dead. These would-be philosophers, however, admit neither possibility.

Such a swoon is like that of Moses, peace be upon him. Allah, exalted is He, says:

“When his Lord manifested Himself to the mountain, He reduced it to dust, and Moses fell unconscious.”

The Quran speaks of three blasts of the Trumpet. The blast of terror is mentioned in Sūrat al-Naml (The Ants), in His words:

“On the Day the Trumpet is blown, all those in the heavens and all those on earth will be terrified, except those whom Allah wills.”