Question:
The verse 78:38 says: “On the Day when the Spirit (Rūḥ) and the angels stand in rows, none will speak except the one whom the Most Merciful permits and who speaks what is correct.”
The question is: If Jibreel is already an angel, so why does the verse say, “the Spirit and the angels”? Why mention him separately?
Answer:
This can be explained in two ways.
First, if we say, “the angels,” then Jibreel is already included among them. So grammatically it might seem unnecessary to mention him separately.
But this type of expression exists in many languages, not only Arabic. Sometimes a group is mentioned generally, and then a specific individual from that group is mentioned again to highlight importance.
For example, in everyday speech someone might say: “People came, and the Chief Minister also came.” The Chief Minister is already one of the people, but he is mentioned separately because of his special status.
Similarly, one may say: “The ministers came, and the Prime Minister came.”
Even though the Prime Minister is technically one of the ministers, he is mentioned separately to emphasize his importance. The same linguistic style appears in the Qur’an.
For example, another verse says: “Whoever is an enemy to Allahﷻ, His angels, Jibreel, and Mikaeel…”
Here the angels are mentioned first, and then Mikaeel and Jibreel are mentioned separately. Grammatically, mentioning angels would already include them. But they are singled out because of their special status and importance. So, in the verse “the Spirit and the angels,” the mention of “Spirit” highlights the special rank of Jibreel among the angels.
Second explanation: In the Qur’an, Jibreel is sometimes called by different names. For example:
- “Rūḥ al-Qudus” (Holy Spirit)
- “Rūḥ al-Amīn” (Trustworthy Spirit)
In 26:193, the Qur’an says that the Trustworthy Spirit brought the revelation. In another verse it says, “the angels and the Spirit ascend to Him.” Here “Spirit” refers to Jibreel. So “Rūḥ” is also one of the names used for Jibreel in the Qur’an.
Therefore, when the verse says, “the Spirit and the angels,” it means:
- the angels in general
- and specifically, Jibreel, who holds a distinguished position.