It is impermissible to say that angels were created from the light of Allaah

Question

As-salaamu Alaikum, I was listening to a lecture about belief in the angels, and the speaker said that some sects believe that the angels were created from the Light of Allah. He said that as Muslims we should not claim to know what kind of light the angels were created from. But I was expecting him to say that this belief was impossible, not just that we shouldn't claim to know. From my understanding I would have thought that it is impossible for anything to be created from the Light of Allah, because I have always heard that there is complete separation between the Creator and His creation. Can you please explain this issue as quickly as possible because it seems to me that this is a fundamental question of aqeedah. Jazaak Allahu khair

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

‘Aa’ishah  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  her narrated that the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) said: “The angels were created from light…” [Muslim] There is no doubt that it is only Allaah Who knows the reality of the light from which the angels were created; and we have not come across a clarification by the scholars about the reality of this light. But we must decisively say that the angels were not created from the light of Allaah, as the angels are a creation among Allaah’s creations and they are not from the Essence of Allaah Almighty. Allaah is as He described Himself in His Book. He says (what means): {Say, “He is Allaah, [Who is] One. Allaah, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born. Nor is there to Him any equivalent.} [Quran 112:1-4]

It should be mentioned that the scholars who said that the angels are from the light of Allaah mean that they are from the light which Allaah had created, and this light is attributed to Him as an honor, like saying "the House of Allaah", and this cannot be denied. Therefore, it is permissible to use this term according to this meaning.

For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 90180.

Allaah Knows best.

Source: IslamWeb