Indonesian Council of Ulama Fatwa on the Archangel Gabriel Accompanying Human Beings

This fatwa was issued in response to a letter to the Indonesian Council of Ulama (Majelis Ulama Indonesia) from Ir. Andan Nadriasta requesting an explanation of the teachings of a Qur'anic study group led by Lia Aminuddin. Aminuddin claimed to have been visited by the Archangel Gabriel (Malaikat Jibril), claims which Nadriasta believed could upset the Islamic community because they contradicted Islamic beliefs. Aminuddin, in a subsequent letter to the Secretary of the Council Fatwa Commission, confirmed that she had indeed been visited by, and received teachings from, the Archangel Gabriel.

During a Fatwa Commission hearing, Aminuddin explained that on one occasion she had been left upset by the attitudes of Anton Medan and two kiai (Nur Muhammad Iskandar and Zainuddin MZ), which had left her in tears every night, and moved her to voice her frustrations to Allah. Aminuddin claimed that one night her entire body had trembled and that she had sweated excessively, all the while feeling cold. The next day she was able to see a variety of things: for example, she could see which cars on the road were the result of corruption. She could also treat a variety of illnesses. Afterwards, she was visisted by an invisible creature which followed her and provided her with Islamic teachings and guidance. That creature revealed itself to her as Habib al-Huda.

One day one of Aminuddin's patients, Indra, who Aminuddin claimed was a genie, told Aminuddin that she was being accompanied by the Archangel Gabriel. On another day, another person came to see Aminuddin and told her the same thing. When Aminuddin questioned the truthfulness of these statements to her accompanist, her accompanist confirmed he was indeed the Archangel Gabriel. Aminuddin was then instructed by the Archangel Gabriel to carry out umrah in order to obtain evidence that he was indeed Gabriel. Along her umrah journey Aminuddin saw signs that she had indeed been accompanied by Gabriel. Gabriel, however, only visited her when he wanted, and in order to convey to her necessary messages.

This fatwa determines that belief in angels, including the Archangel Gabriel, must be based on information or an explanation from revelation (the Qur'an or Hadith). There exists no Qur'anic verse or hadith that states that the Archangel Gabriel is still instructed by Allah to impart teachings on the people because the teachings of Allah are already perfect. A person's confession that they have been visited and received teachings from the Archangel Gabriel is, therefore, contrary to the Qur'an. The fatwa states that Aminuddin's confession is viewed as being misled and misleading. The fatwa concludes by imploring Muslims to take care when receiving spiritual guidance, and to always preference teachings derived from the Qur'an and Hadith as ratified by ulama.

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