ColossiansOne

celestial hierarchy

The Offices of the Mala'ika

Islamic angelology ranks by function rather than by proximity to the throne, and holds one line firmly: angels have no capacity to disobey. That is why Iblis has to be jinn, and why Harut and Marut are so argued over.

Qur'an & Hadith · 7th c. CE onward

Entries per grouping

Source base of members

  • 80+2
  • <258

Alignment mix

  • Celestial6
  • Disputed2
  • Fallen1
  • Infernal1

10 of 14 nodes link to a profile; the rest are structural labels from the source text.

14 nodes

the whole structure as one tree

The Offices of the Mala'…The Offices of the Mala'ikaThe great archangelsThe great archangelsJibrilBrings down the reve…Jibril — Brings down the revelation.Mika'ilProvision and rain.Mika'il — Provision and rain.IsrafilHolds the trumpet, w…Israfil — Holds the trumpet, waiting.Azra'ilTakes souls at the a…Azra'il — Takes souls at the appointed term.The recorders and questi…The recorders and questionersKiraman KatibinTwo scribes, one per shoulder.Kiraman Katibin — Two scribes, one per shoulder.Munkar and NakirThree questions in t…Munkar and Nakir — Three questions in the grave.The disputedThe disputedHarut and MarutAngels who teach wha…Harut and Marut — Angels who teach what harms, while declaring themselves a trial.Not angels at allA separate created order, made…Not angels at all — A separate created order, made of smokeless fire, with free will.IblisOf the jinn — which …Iblis — Of the jinn — which is what makes his refusal possible.The IfritA strong jinni. May …The Ifrit — A strong jinni. May serve a prophet or oppose one.The GhulPreys on travellers in waste p…The Ghul — Preys on travellers in waste places.

Reading this tree

Nodes with a coloured dot and an underline link to a full profile. Structural nodes — spheres, ranks, offices — are labels from the source text itself and have no separate entry. Where a figure appears in more than one hierarchy, its profile lists every placement.

The book this structure comes from

A hierarchy is one text's arrangement, not a consensus. This is the text.

All hierarchies