Question: Gabriel
is an angel. In the following verse, he is mentioned separately from the
Angels. What is the reason for this?
Whoever becomes an enemy of Allah, and for His
angels, and His Messengers, and Gabriel, and Mikail, thus truly Allah is
enemy for disbelievers. (2:98)
Answer: The
word Gabriel is mentioned separately because the Jews showed great disregard
to him and respected Michael. They are told that both are Allah’s angels
and showing disrespect to one is like showing disrespect to all.
In the words of Abdu’l-Majid Daryabadi:
The Jewish conception is that Gabriel stands
nearest to Michael but does not equal him in rank. (JE. V. p. 541)*,
and is the ‘angel of heavenly vengeance and of fire’. (JE. I. p. 593)**.
The Jews considered Michael to be their national guardian, and made a grievance
of the agency of Gabriel who according to them was the messenger of wrath
and punishment. It was Michael, they said, who was the messenger of peace
and plenty. Hence, they proceeded that they must treat as spurious the
revelation ascribed to the instrumentality of Gabriel. (Daryabadi,
1st ed., vol. 1 [Karachi: Daru’l-Isha‘at, 1991] p. 64)
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