Question: A translation
of a Qur’anic verse reads:
Praise be to God who created the heavens and the earth,
who made the angels messengers with wings in two or three or four [pairs].
(35:1)
It apparently says that angels have wings.
I was wondering if this is a correct translation?
Answer: The Arabic
word used is Ajnihah which means ‘forelimbs’. When used for humans
it can be translated as ‘arms’ since the forelimbs of humans are called
arms, and when used for birds it can be translated as ‘wings’, since their
forelimbs are called wings. The word is used in both these senses in the
Qur’an. For the former use see 20:22, and for the latter see 6:38.
However, since we do not have any
knowledge of the actual physical structure of the angels, it cannot be
said what the form of their forelimbs is. Consequently, a more careful
translation of the word Ajnihah would be ‘forelimbs’.
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