Qur’an Refutes Claim: Angels Are Neither Male Nor Female

Renowned early scholar Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyib (RA) said that angels are neither male nor female. They do not eat, do not marry, and do not have children. (Fath al-Bari 6/306)

Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani (RA) also stated that angels are neither male nor female. (Fath al-Bari 8/298)

Mullah Ali Qari (RA) explained that angels are honored servants of Allah who obey His commands completely. They are sinless, do not disobey Allah, and are free from characteristics of men or women. Any claim that angels are female is rejected by Allah in the Qur’an:

“And they claim that the servants of the Most Merciful are women. Have they witnessed their creation? Their testimony will be recorded, and they will be questioned.” – Surah Az-Zukhruf 43:19 (Sharh al-Fiqh al-Akbar, p. 27)

Thus, angels are genderless beings, distinct from human characteristics.
 

Ibn Kathir (RA), in his Tafsir of the verse, explains that Allah clearly stated that the polytheists considered Allah’s angels as women and even thought of daughters of Allah, which was entirely false. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir 4/577)

Identity and Characteristics of Angels:
Angels are honored servants of Allah, tasked as His messengers. They are noble, truthful, and pure in character and actions. They obey Allah’s commands completely, do not commit disobedience, and carry out every order they receive.

Angels Created from Light:
Aisha (RA) narrated that the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said: Angels were created from light, jinn were created from a smokeless flame of fire, and Adam was created as described (from clay). (Qur’an 15:26 – Sahih Muslim)

We do not need to go into details about the nature of this light; it suffices to know that angels were created from light. However, this light is a creation of Allah and not the light of Allah Himself.

When Were Angels Created?
Angels were created before the creation of humans. Allah says:

“And [mention, O Muhammad], when your Lord said to the angels, ‘Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority (khalifa).’” – Surah Al-Baqarah 2:30

From this verse, it is understood that angels were created before Adam (AS).