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Refutations

How Many Angels Were at Badr? Resolving the 1,000 vs 3,000 vs 5,000 Doubt — Quran, Tafsir & Bible

12 min read 2692 words

Angels at Badr — Apologetics & Responses

Table of Contents

Part One — The Number of Angels (1,000 vs. 3,000 vs. 5,000)

The Doubt

The Doubt — Contradiction in Numbers? The doubt is divided into two parts:

First, was the number of angel reinforcements a thousand or more on the day of Badr only?

The Verses

Surah Al-Anfal 9 “When you sought help from your Lord, and He answered you, ‘I will reinforce you with a thousand angels, following one another.’” — Al-Anfal: 9
Surah Al-Imran 124–125 “When you said to the believers, ‘Is it not sufficient for you that your Lord should reinforce you with three thousand angels sent down?’” — Al-Imran: 124

“Yes, if you are patient and fear God and they come to you all at once, your Lord will reinforce you with five thousand angels, marked.” — Al-Imran: 125

The Answer — Ibn Kathir

Resolution via the Word “In Succession” The answer to this is in the word “in succession”, meaning that each of these thousand of the archangels has an army of angels, according to Ibn Kathir’s interpretation.

And the Almighty’s saying: (with a thousand angels in succession) meaning: they follow each other.

Narrations from Ibn Abbas & Ali (r.a.) Harun bin Antara on the authority of Ibn Abbas: (In succession) — in succession.

On the authority of Ibn Abbas: (In succession) — he says: the reinforcements, as you say: go to a man and give him such and such.

On the authority of Ibn Abbas: (He reinforced you with a thousand angels in succession) — he said: behind every angel there is an angel.

On the authority of Ali — may Allah be pleased with him: Gabriel descended with a thousand angels on the right of the Prophet ﷺ — and in it was Abu Bakr. And Michael descended with a thousand angels on the left of the Prophet ﷺ — and I was on the left.

Critique of the Objector If the objector had opened any interpretation as he claimed in the introduction, he would have found the responses to this doubt simply, and he would not have said with utmost ignorance that it is agreed upon that this was only the day of Badr!

The Two Scholarly Positions

First Position — All Events at Badr This is incorrect because there is another saying that it was the day of the Battle of Uhud.

The three thousand were on the day of Badr and the reinforcement was completed.

As for the five thousand, God promised to reinforce them on the day of the Battle of Uhud if they were patient and feared God, but they were not patient, so the reinforcement was not completed. — Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Ibn Kathir — On the Compatibility of 1,000 and 3,000+ If it is said: What is the connection between this verse — according to this saying — and the saying of God Almighty in the story of Badr:

“When you called upon your Lord, and He answered you, ‘I will reinforce you with a thousand angels, following one another.’ And God did not make it except as good tidings and that your hearts might be reassured thereby. And victory is not but from God. Indeed, God is Exalted in Might and Wise.” — Al-Anfal: 9–10

The answer: The specification of the thousand here does not contradict the three thousand and above, because He said: (following one another) meaning that others would follow them and thousands more like them would follow them.

This context is similar to the context in Surah Al-Imran. It appears that this was on the day of Badr, as is well known, that the fighting of the angels was on the day of Badr, and Allah knows best.

— Tafsir Ibn Kathir | http://quran.ksu.edu.sa/tafseer/katheer/sura3-aya124.html

Second Position — Promise Was for the Day of Uhud This promise is related to His statement: (And when you went forth from your family to assign the believers to their stations for battle) — and that was on the day of Uhud.

This is the statement of Mujahid, Ikrimah, Ad-Dahhak, Az-Zuhri, Musa bin Uqbah and others.

But they said: The five thousand reinforcements were not provided, because the Muslims fled on that day, based on His statement: (Yes, if you are patient and fear Allah) — so they were not patient, rather they fled, so they were not reinforced by a single angel.

Part Two — The Command to Strike Necks & Fingertips

The Doubt

The Doubt — Only 70 Killed? Then he says: How is it conceivable that the angels were ordered to fight a thousand of the polytheists and to strike above the necks and every fingertip, and only 70 of them were killed?

The Answer — Tafsir Al-Tabari

Falsification and Distortion of the Verse This is a falsification and distortion of the verse. The address is not directed to the angels at all, but to the believers:

“When your Lord inspired to the angels, ‘I am with you, so strengthen those who have believed. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve, so strike above the necks and strike from them every fingertip.’” — Al-Anfal: 12 | Tafsir Al-Tabari

As for His statement: “And strike from them every fingertip” — its meaning is: O believers, strike from your enemy every limb and joint of their hands and feet.

The Primary Function of the Angels

What Is the Function of These Angels? The most important thing here is: What is the function of these angels? Can one angel kill all the disbelievers?
Answer — Reassurance of Believers’ Hearts The verses speak about a specific, primary function of the angels, which God has defined in all of these verses:

“When you sought help from your Lord, and He responded to you, ‘I will reinforce you with a thousand angels, following one another.’ And God did not make it except as good tidings and that your hearts might be reassured thereby. And victory comes only from God. Indeed, God is Exalted in Might and Wise.” — Al-Anfal: 9–10

Then He confirmed that by saying: “When your Lord inspired the angels, ‘I am with you, so be steadfast.’” — Al-Anfal: 12

This is their primary job: to reassure the hearts of the believers, strengthen them, and defend them.

Indeed, this small number — only 300 Muslims — were victorious against 1,000 polytheist warriors, which is equivalent to three times the Muslim army. This is an obvious miracle!

Therefore, the verse specified and said: “And Allah did not make it except as good tidings and that your hearts might be reassured thereby. And victory is not except from Allah.”

Surah Al-Imran Confirmation

Al-Imran 124–126 — The Objector’s Incomplete Citation The objector mentioned Al-Imran 124–125, but did not complete the verse that follows, which also solves the problem:

“And Allah has not made it except as good tidings for you.” — Al-Imran: 126

Here also, the Almighty says that their function is to bring them good news and reassure their hearts.

Ibn Kathir on the Function of Angels

Ibn Kathir — Victory Is from God Alone His statement: (And God did not make it except as good news for you and that your hearts may be reassured by it) means: God did not send down the angels and inform you of their sending down except as good news for you and to comfort your hearts and reassure you.

Otherwise, victory is from God, who, if He had willed, would have been victorious over His enemies without you, and without needing you to fight them.

Jesus in the Objector’s Own Sources — Father Tadros Yacoub Saint John Chrysostom wonders that if one angel killed 185 thousand in one night, why did he tell his disciples that if he wanted to ask the Father, he would send twelve armies of angels.
Conclusion on Angel Function So the primary function of these angels is to bring peace to the hearts of believers, reassure them, and defend them. This may lead to:
  • Keeping the infidels away from the believers in battle, or
  • Sometimes having them participate in the war in order to achieve victory.

Part Three — The Objector’s Use of Biblical Texts

The Objector’s Claim

The Objector’s Biblical Citations Thirdly, he cites his books, which Muslims consider to be distorted, saying:

“And he prayed, saying, ‘You, O Lord, sent your angel in the time of Hezekiah king of Judah, and he killed of Sennacherib’s army one hundred and eighty-five thousand.’” — 2 Maccabees 15:22

“And now, O King of heaven, send a good angel before us, with fear and trembling, and with the greatness of your arm.” — 2 Maccabees 15:23

Here only one angel is able to kill a large number!

Then he asked a strange question that only applies to his book, saying: Why does God involve his angels in fighting among humans and in shedding blood?

Contradiction in the Objector’s Argument I do not know how he cites his books that say that God made an angel shed the blood of 185 thousand people and then object to the same thing afterwards!

The Answer — What the Bible Actually Shows

Preliminary Note on Sources Regardless of the fact that he is citing a text that is not originally canonical for Jews and Protestants from the Book of Maccabees, he should have cited a canonical text such as:

2 Kings 19:35 “And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand. And when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.”

Answer — The “One Angel” Is an Archangel with an Army Is the meaning here that this angel alone did that? The answer is no, because this angel is an archangel who has under his command a large army of angels.

Interpretation by Father Tadros Yacoub: Archangel Michael, the leader of the Lord’s army, who saved the people by killing 185,000 in one night. Rather, these angels did not directly carry out the killing, but only struck them with a plague.

Interpretation by Father Antonius Fikry: The Egyptian records say that the army of the King of Assyria was destroyed by a plague on the borders of Egypt, but they attributed this to their gods. https://st-takla.org/pub_Bible-Interpretations/Holy-Bible-Tafsir-01-Old-Testament/Father-Antonius-Fekry/12-Sefr-Molouk-El-Thani/Tafseer-Sefr-Molouk-El-Thany__01-Chapter-19.html#35

So the angel mentioned is the archangel who heads armies of angels, commanding and leading them.

Biblical Evidence for Angel Armies

Matthew 26:53 — Jesus Himself Confirms Angel Armies This is of course ignorance on the part of the objector regarding his books, which confirm that God sends entire armies of angels to war.

Jesus says when the Roman and Jewish armies attacked him: “Do you think that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he will present me with more than twelve legions of angels?” — Matthew 26:53

If God only sends one angel, why would God send 12 full legions of angels?

Daniel 10:13, 20–21 — Gabriel and Michael Cooperate in War And the prince of the kingdom of Persia stood against me twenty-one days, and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, and I was left there with the kings of Persia.

“And he said, ‘Do you know why I came to you? Now I will return and fight with the prince of Persia. But I declare to you what is decreed in the book of truth: And no one holds fast to me against these except Michael your prince.’” — Daniel 10:20–21

If a single angel can defeat entire armies of men, why did the angel Gabriel tell Daniel the prophet that there is an army and soldiers of the archangel Michael to help him in that war?

Joshua 5:13–14 — The Captain of the Host of the Lord “And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, a man stood opposite him, with his drawn sword in his hand.”

“And he said, No; but I am the captain of the host of the LORD: now have I come. Then Joshua fell on his face to the ground and worshiped.” — Joshua 5:13–14

Notice here also that the angel carrying the drawn sword is the leader of another host of angels!

Revelation 12:7 — Michael and His Angels Fight “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon also fought with his angels.” — Revelation 12:7
Genesis 19:1, 12–13 — Two Angels to Destroy Sodom “Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom.”

“And the men said to Lot, ‘For we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to destroy it.’” — Genesis 19:1, 12–13

Why did not only one angel destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, but did he need two angels?

Luke 16:22 — Multiple Angels Carry One Person “Then the poor man died, and the angels carried him to Abraham’s bosom.” — Luke 16:22

Why would God send many angels, not just one, to carry one person named Lazarus?

Mark 13:27 — Angels Gather the Elect from Everywhere “Then He will send His angels, and will gather His elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.” — Mark 13:27

Why did God assign many angels to gather His elect? Can’t just one angel do it?

Luke 4:10 / Psalm 91:11 — Angels Guard Jesus “For it is written, ‘He will give his angels charge over you to guard you.’” — Luke 4:10

“For He will give His angels charge over you, to guard you in all your ways.” — Psalm 91:11

Why did God assign many angels to guard Jesus? Can’t just one angel protect him?

Summary

Final Point So the angel mentioned in all these cases is the archangel who heads armies of angels, commanding and leading them.

This is of course ignorance on the part of the objector regarding his own books, which confirm that God sends entire armies of angels to war — but for other purposes and goals that are much less important than war — and that only one angel can do.