from Your servants on earth, who glorify You, proclaim Your greatness and Your oneness, praise You, and ask of You.’” The hadith continues at length.

(The second point is that he said in it:

“Who asks Me, that I may give to him? Who calls upon Me, that I may answer him? Who seeks My forgiveness, that I may forgive him?”

These are not words that an angel may utter on Allah’s behalf. Rather, what an angel says is illustrated by the authentic report from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace:

“When Allah loves a servant, He calls Gabriel: ‘I love so-and-so, so love him.’ Gabriel then loves him and calls out in heaven: ‘Allah loves so-and-so, so love him.’ The inhabitants of heaven then love him, and acceptance is granted to him on earth.”

Something similar was mentioned concerning hatred. Thus, when an angel makes a proclamation on Allah’s behalf, he does not speak in the first person. Rather, he says, “Allah has commanded such-and-such,” or, “He has said such-and-such.”

Likewise, when a ruler commands a herald to make a proclamation, the herald says, “O people! The ruler has commanded such-and-such, forbidden such-and-such, and decreed this.” He does not say, “I have commanded such-and-such and forbidden such-and-such.” Indeed, were he to say that, he would promptly be punished.

This is one of the Jahmiyyah’s longstanding interpretations. They interpreted Allah’s speaking to Moses, peace be upon him, to mean that He commanded an angel to speak to him. The people of the Sunnah replied to them: Had an angel spoken to him, he would not have said:

“Indeed, I am Allah. There is no deity except Me, so worship Me.”

Rather, he would have spoken as the Messiah, peace be upon him, did:

“I told them only what You commanded me: ‘Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord.’”

The angels are Allah’s messengers to the prophets. They speak as Gabriel, peace be upon him, used to speak