How many angels are there in Islam?
Only Allah knows how many angels there are, but Islam teaches that their number is enormous. The Quran says no one knows the soldiers of your Lord except Him, and authentic hadith describe tens of thousands of angels for single tasks. A handful are named, and every Muslim believes in all of them.
The Quran: only Allah knows
When the Quran mentions the nineteen angels set over hell, it adds a line that answers this question directly:
So there is no official count. Any website giving an exact total of all angels is guessing.
Hints of how many there are
Authentic hadith give glimpses of the scale:
- The Frequented House: during the Night Journey, the Prophet ﷺ was shown al-Bayt al-Ma'mur in the heavens. Every day 70,000 angels enter it and they never return to it again (Sahih al-Bukhari 3207). Think about that: a new 70,000 every day, since the beginning of creation.
- Hell on the Day of Judgement: it will be brought with 70,000 reins, each pulled by 70,000 angels (Sahih Muslim 2842).
- With every person: each of us has two recording angels, plus angels who guard us by Allah's command (Quran 13:11, 50:17–18). See Do Muslims believe in guardian angels?
Multiply that by eight billion people, and you start to see why the number is beyond us.
The angels we know by name
- Jibril (Gabriel): brought revelation to the prophets.
- Mika'il (Michael): linked to rain and provision.
- Israfil: will blow the Trumpet, according to well-known narrations.
- The Angel of Death: takes souls; popularly called Azrael, though that name isn't in the Quran. See Who is the Angel of Death in Islam?
- Malik: the keeper of hell (Quran 43:77).
- Munkar and Nakir: the two angels who question people in the grave.
- Harut and Marut: mentioned in Quran 2:102.
Do I need to know them all?
No. The pillar of faith is to believe in angels in general and in the ones Allah has named. You don't need a list or a number to be a good Muslim. What helps more is remembering that angels pray for believers, record good deeds, and are present when people gather to remember Allah. For the basics, read Do Muslims believe in angels?
- There is no known total; only Allah knows (Quran 74:31).
- 70,000 new angels enter the Frequented House daily (Sahih al-Bukhari 3207).
- Every person has recording and guarding angels.
- Only a few angels are named, and you believe in all of them.
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