Transliteration:( Allazeena yahmiloonal 'Arsha wa man hawlahoo yusabbihoona bihamdi Rabbihim wa yu'minoona bihee wa yastaghfiroona lillazeena aamanoo Rabbanaa wasi'ta kulla shai'ir rahmatanw wa 'ilman faghfir lillazeena taaboo wattaba'oo sabeelaka wa qihim 'azaabal Jaheem )
"Those who bear [16] the Divine Authority and those around [17] it, glorify their Lord with praise (18) and believe in Him and beg His Forgiveness (19) for the believers saying: 'O our Lord! You comprehend (20) everything in mercy and knowledge. So, forgive those who repent (21) and follow Your path (22) and save them from the punishment of Hell.'"
This refers to the Angels who carry the Throne of Allah. Presently, there are four angels assigned to this great task. However, on the Day of Judgment, their number will increase to eight, as Allah states: “And on that Day, eight (angels) will bear the Throne of your Lord above them” (Surah Al-Haqqah, 69:17). Their role is both majestic and a sign of divine power.
Surrounding the Throne are countless angels, known as Narrabeen, who circumambulate the Divine Throne continuously. Their exact number is known only to Allah. These angels engage constantly in acts of glorification and praise, a mark of their nearness to Allah and their deep submission to His majesty.
The angels begin with Tasbeeh, glorifying Allah by saying: “Glory be to Thee, O Allah. I recite Your praises, for all praise belongs to You upon Your Perfection and Your Knowledge.” This reflects the proper etiquette of du‘a, where praising Allah precedes any request, even by the most exalted of creations.
Several key points emerge from this section:
Intercession of angels is an established truth. They are already praying for the forgiveness of believers, showing their concern and love for the faithful.
Believers hold great honor in Allah’s court, as angels mention them in praise and make du‘a for their forgiveness.
It is recommended that Muslims also pray for angels and remember them in goodness. As Allah says: “Is the reward for good [anything] but good?” (Surah Ar-Rahman, 55:60)
Making du‘a for other Muslims in their absence is a noble practice of the angels and a means to earn Allah’s pleasure.
Pilgrims especially should take this practice seriously. At sacred sites like Multazam, they should pray for the entire Ummah, as these places are known for accepted du‘as.
This section highlights that the angels’ practice of glorifying Allah before making a du‘a sets an example for believers. Praising Allah’s mercy and knowledge before making a request reflects the humility and reverence that should accompany all supplications.
The angels pray for those who repent sincerely, whether from infidelity or from sin. Such repentance, especially when followed by good deeds and sincere prayer, is highly virtuous. The angels’ du‘a affirms its value and acceptance in Allah’s court.
This final part reminds us that mere verbal repentance is not enough. True repentance must be followed by a commitment to Allah’s path. Only then does the plea for forgiveness and salvation from Hell carry weight.
This verse offers deep insight into the relationship between angels and believers, the etiquette of du‘a, and the great value of sincere repentance and good deeds in Islam.
7. Those (angels) who bear the Throne (of Allah) and those around it glorify the praises of their Lord, and believe in Him, and ask forgiveness for those who believe (saying): “Our Lord! You comprehend all things in mercy and knowledge, so forgive those who repent and follow Your way, and save them from the torment of the blazing Fire! 8. Our Lord! And make them enter the `Adn (Eternal) Gardens which you have promised them — and to the righteous among their fathers, their wives, and their offspring! Verily, You are the Almighty, the All-Wise. 9. And save them from the sins, and whomsoever You save from the sins that Day, him verily, You have taken into mercy.” And that is the supreme success.
Allah tells us that the angels who are close to Him, the bearers of the Throne, and the angels who are around Him — all glorify the praises of their Lord. They combine glorification (Tasbih) which implies that He is free of any shortcomings, with praise (Tahmid) which is an affirmation of praise.
(and believe in Him,) means, they humbly submit themselves before Him.
(and ask forgiveness for those who believe) means, for those among the people of earth who believe in the Unseen. Allah commanded that His angels who are close to Him should pray for the believers in their absence, so it is a part of the angels’ nature that they say Amin when a believer prays for his brother in his absence. In Sahih Muslim it says:
(When a Muslim prays for his brother in his absence, the angel says, `Amin, and may you have something similar to it’.)” Shahr bin Hawshab said, “The bearers of the Throne are eight; four of them say, `Glory and praise be to You, O Allah, to You be praise for Your forebearance after Your knowledge. ‘ Four of them say, `Glory and praise be to You, O Allah, to You be praise for Your forgiveness after Your power.’ When they pray for forgiveness for those who believe, they say:
(Our Lord! You comprehend all things in mercy and knowledge,) meaning, `Your mercy encompasses their sins and Your knowledge encompasses all their deeds, words and action.’
(so forgive those who repent and follow Your way.)” That is, `forgive the sinners when they repent to You and turn to You and give up their former ways, following Your commands to do good and abstain from evil.’
(and save them from the torment of the blazing Fire!) means, `snatch them away from the punishment of Hell, which is a painful, agonizing punishment.’
(Our Lord! And make them enter the `Adn (Eternal) Gardens which you have promised them — and to the righteous among their fathers, their wives, and their offspring!) meaning, `bring them together so that they may find delight in one another in neighboring dwellings. ‘ This is like the Ayah:
(And those who believe and whose offspring follow them in faith, — to them shall We join their offspring, and We shall not decrease the reward of their deeds in anything)(52:21). This means, `that all of them will be made equal in status. In this way they may delight in one another’s company; the one who is in the higher status will not lose anything. On the contrary We will raise the one whose deeds are of a lower status so that they will become equal, as a favor and a blessing from Us.’ Sa`id bin Jubayr said that when the believer enters Paradise, he will ask where his father, son and brother are. It will be said to him, `they did not reach the same level of good deeds as you did’. He will say, `but I did it for my sake and for theirs.’ Then they will be brought to join him in that higher degree. Then Sa`id bin Jubayr recited this Ayah:
(Our Lord! And make them enter the `Adn (Eternal) Gardens which you have promised them — and to the righteous among their fathers, their wives, and their offspring! Verily, You are the Almighty, the All-Wise.) Mutarrif bin `Abdullah bin Ash-Shikhkhir said, “The most sincere of the servants of Allah towards the believers are the angels.” Then he recited this Ayah:
(Our Lord! And make them enter the `Adn (Eternal) Paradises which you have promised them) He then said, “The most treacherous of the servants of Allah towards the believers are the Shayatin.”
(You are the Almighty, the All-Wise.) means, `the One Whom none can resist or overwhelm; what You will happens and what You do not will does not happen; You are Wise in all that You say and do, in all that You legislate and decree.’
(And save them from the sins,) means, the actions and the consequences.
(and whomsoever You save from the sins that Day,) means, the Day of Resurrection,
(him verily, You have taken into mercy.) means, `You have protected him and saved him from punishment.’
(And that is the supreme success. )
(40:7) The angels that bear the Throne and those that are around to extol your Lord’s glory with His praise, they believe in Him, and ask forgiveness for the believers,[6]saying: “Our Lord! You encompass everything with Your Mercy and Knowledge.[7] So forgive those that repent and follow Your Path,[9] and guard them against the chastisement of Hell.[8]
6. This thing has been said for the consolation of the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) companions, who were feeling greatly discouraged at the impudence and rebellious attitude of the disbelievers of Makkah as against their own helplessness, as if to say: Why do you feel grieved at what these mean and worthless people say? You have the support of the angels who bear the divine Throne and of those who stand around it. They are interceding with Allah for you. The mention of the angels who bear the divine Throne and of those who stand around it, has been made, instead of the common angels, to impress the fact that not to speak of the common angels of divine kingdom, even the angels who are the pillars of this kingdom, being nearest in rank and station to Allah, bear deep sympathy and regard for you. Then the words: They affirm faith in Him and ask forgiveness for the believers, show that the relationship of the faith is the real relationship, which has joined the heavenly creatures and the earthly creatures together, and which has induced sympathy and esteem in the angels stationed around the Throne for the mortal humans inhabiting the earth, who affirm faith in Allah just like them. The angels affirming the faith in Allah does not mean that they could disbelieve, and they adopted belief instead of disbelief, but it means that they believe in the sovereignty of Allah, the One, alone there is no other being that may be commanding them and they submit before it in utter obedience. When the same attitude and behavior was adopted by the human believers, a strong relationship of cherishing a common creed and faith was established between them and the angels in spite of the great disparity in species and remoteness in rank and station.
7. That is, the weakness, lapses and errors of Your servants are not hidden from You. You indeed know everything, but like Your knowledge, Your Mercy also is infinite. Therefore, forgive the poor creatures in spite of knowing their errors. Another meaning can be: Forgive by Your Mercy all those about whom by knowledge You know that they have repented sincerely and have, in reality, adopted Your way.
8. To forgive and to save from the torment of Hell are although not related, and there seems to be no need to mention the other when one has been mentioned, this style, in fact, reflects the deep interest the angels have in the believers. It is customary that when a person who is deeply involved in a matter, finds an opportunity to make submissions before a judge, he presents the same petition humbly over and over again, in different ways, and does not rest content with making the petition just once.
9. And save those who have given up disobedience and rebellion, adopted obedience and followed the way which You Yourself have shown.
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