III.4.1 Angels and the Heavens
As we showed in the concluding chapter of Volume I, angels are spiritual beings of one dimension, and they are made of light, although in general the name can describe all types of spirits. The Universal Intellect is also an angel. Ibn al-Arabi says that the reality of the angel does not accept deviation, because they are the origin of the straight line connecting the two nines (of the divine Source and its human receptacles). So they only move back and forth between the straight (creative) motion and the reverse motion (returning from the creature to God). The angel is precisely the subtle thread connecting the Source and the creatures [I.54.21].
On the other hand, there is strong evidence in Ibn al-Arabi s texts that some angels indeed function as, among other things, forces of Nature, as their Arabic name suggest, since it indicates conducting, force and the intensity. He also says that there is no place in heaven or earth void of angels, since the Real continues to create them from the motions of creations, as long as they are still breathing [I.123.2].
There are so many types of angels who also have different states or levels, and different compositions or structures. Some of those various types are mentioned in the Quran (37:1-3, 51:1-4, 77:1-5, 79:1-5, etc.), and Ibn al-Arabi talks about them in some detail very often in the Meccan Revelations [for example: III.445.35-446.6] and in his famous book of Inshaa al-Dawair (Constructing the Circles).