View source for Azrael

{{short description|Archangel of Death in Islam}}
{{other uses}}
{{distinguish|text=[[Azazel]], a fallen angel, or [[Azazil]], in Islamic traditions the name of Iblis before his fall}}
{{redirect-distinguish|Izrail|Israel}}
{{Infobox
| above            = {{nobold|{{Script/Hebrew|עֲזַרְאֵל}}}}<br />{{nobold|{{Script/Arabic|عزرائيل}}}}
| image            = [[File:"L’Allégorie de l’Enfer" or "Azrael" (c. 1890) - Jean Delville.jpg|240px|]]
| caption          = According to Brendan Cole, this painting of Azrael is linked to a 1892 poem by Delville called "Azraël" (published in his book ''Les Horizons Hantés'')
| header5          = 
| header1          = Angel of Death
| label2           = Associated religions
| headerstyle      = background:lightgrey
| data2            = [[Islam]]
| label3           = Attributes
| data3            = [[Archangel]]; [[psychopomp]]; wings; cloak.
| label4           = Associations
| data4            = [[Gabriel#Islam|Jibrāʾīl]], [[Michael (archangel)#Islam|Mīkāʾīl]], and [[Israfil|Isrāfīl]] (in Islam)
| label5           = Alternate spellings
| data5            = * ʿĂzarʾēl
* ʿAzrāʾīl
* ʿIzrāʾīl
* Ajrā-īl
* Ezrā’ël
| label6           = Appearance in text
| data6            = * [[Quran]] (''[[As-Sajdah|Surah As-Sajdah]]'')
* [[Apocalypse of Peter]]
| title            = Azrael
}}

'''Azrael''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|æ|z|r|i|.|ə|l|,_|-|r|eɪ|-}}; {{Langx|he|עֲזַרְאֵל|translit= ʿǍzarʾēl}}, 'God has helped';<ref>{{Cite web |title=Strong's Hebrew Concordance - 5832. Azarel |url=https://biblehub.com/hebrew/5832.htm}}</ref> {{Langx|ar|عزرائيل|translit= ʿAzrāʾīl ''or'' ʿIzrāʾīl}}) is the [[canonical]] [[Angel#Abrahamic religions|angel]] of death in [[Islam]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Azrael{{!}} Meaning, Angel, & Fate {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Azrael |access-date=2024-06-06 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> and appears in the [[New Testament apocrypha|apocryphal text]] [[Apocalypse of Peter]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bauckham |first=Richard |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GxRtPwAACAAJ |title=The Fate of the Dead: Studies on the Jewish and Christian Apocalypses |date=2008 |publisher=Society of Biblical Literature |isbn=978-1-58983-288-6 |language=en}}</ref>

Relative to similar concepts of such beings, Azrael holds a benevolent role as [[God in Abrahamic religions|God]]'s angel of death; he acts as a [[psychopomp]], responsible for transporting the souls of the deceased after their death.<ref>[[Gustav Davidson|Davidson, Gustav]]. 1968. "Longfellow's Angels". ''[[Prairie Schooner]]'' 42(3):235–43. {{JSTOR|40630837}}.</ref> In Islam, he is said to hold a scroll concerning the fate of mortals, recording and erasing their names at their birth and death, similar to the role of the ''malakh ha-mavet'' (Angel of Death) in [[Judaism]].<ref name=":0">{{citation|last1=Hastings|first1=James|title=Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics Part 3|year= 2003 |publisher= Kessinger Publishing|isbn= 0-7661-3671-X|last2= Selbie|first2= John A.|page= 617}}</ref><ref name="BF">Hamilton, Michelle M. 2014. ''Beyond Faith: Belief, Morality and Memory in a Fifteenth-Century Judeo-Iberian Manuscript''. Leiden: Brill. {{ISBN|9789004282735}}.</ref>{{Rp|234}}

Depending on the perspective and precepts of the various religions in which he is a figure, he may also be portrayed as a resident of the [[Third Heaven]], a [[Heaven#Abrahamic religions|division of heaven]] in Judaism and Islam.<ref name="DoA">
[[Gustav Davidson|Davidson, Gustav]]. [1967] 1971. [https://books.google.com/books?id=kGXelGEMdWgC&pg=PA64 "A § Azrael"]. Pp. 64–65 in ''A Dictionary of Angels, Including the Fallen Angels''. New York: Free Press. {{ISBN|9780029070505}}.
</ref> In Islam, he is one of the four [[archangel]]s, and is identified with the [[Quran]]ic ''Malʾak al-Mawt'' ({{Langx|ar|ملك الموت|lit= angel of death|label=none}}), which corresponds with the Hebrew term ''Malʾakh ha-Maweth'' ({{Langx|he|מלאך המוות|label= none}}) in [[Rabbinic literature]]. In Hebrew, Azrael translates to "Angel of God" or "Help from God".<ref name="DoA" />

==Etymology and place in Judaism==
The [[Hebrew Bible]] does not mention an angel by the name Azrael, nor does it appear in the [[rabbinic literature]] of the [[Talmud]] or [[Midrashim]]. No such angel is treated as canonical in traditional [[Rabbinic Judaism]]. However, an angel by a similar name, ''Azriel'' ({{lang|he|עזריאל}}), is mentioned in Kabbalistic literature such as the ''[[Zohar]]''.

Despite the absence of such a figure in Judaism, the name ''Azrael'' is suggestive of a Hebrew [[theophoric name|theophoric]] {{lang|he|עזראל}}, meaning "the one whom God helps". [[Archeology|Archeological]] evidence uncovered in Jewish settlements in [[Mesopotamia]] confirms that it was indeed at one time used on an [[incantation bowl]] from the [[7th century]].<ref>C.D. Isbell, Corpus of the Aramaic Incantation Bowls, Missoula: Scholars Press, 1975, §12:14 and 41:7, pp. 44 and 98</ref><ref>J. Naveh and S. Shaked, Amulets and Magic Bowls: Aramaic Incantations of Late Antiquity, Jerusalem: Magnes Press, 1985, §1:13; 2:16; 7:3, pp. 40–41, 46–7 and 68–9.</ref> However, as the text thereon only lists names, an association of this angelic name with death cannot be identified in Judaism.<ref>Burge, S. (2019). Themes in Islamic angelology. In Angels in Islam: Jalal Al-Din al-Suyuti's al-Haba'ik Fi Akhbar al-Mala'ik (p. 36). essay, Routledge.</ref>

After the emergence of Islam, the name Azrael became popular among both Christian and Islamic literature and [[folklore]].{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}} The name spelled as ''Ezrā’ël'' appears in the [[Geʽez|Classical Ethiopic]] version of [[Apocalypse of Peter]] (dating to the 16th century) as an angel of hell who avenges those who had been wronged during life.<ref>S. R. Burge (University of Edinburgh)  ''cZR’L, The Angel of Death and the Ethiopic Apocalypse of Peter ''</ref>

== Islam ==
{{Islam}}
Before the creation of man, only Azrael succeeded in taking dust from Earth in order to bring God the materials needed to make man. For this success he was made the angel of death and given a register of all mankind.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Azrael | title=Azrael&#124; Meaning, Angel, & Fate &#124; Britannica }}</ref>
Along with [[Gabriel]], [[Michael (archangel)|Michael]], and [[Israfil]], Azrael is one of the four major [[archangels in Islam]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6aTXAAAAMAAJ|title=Historical Dictionary of Prophets in Islam and Judaism|last1=Noegel|first1=Scott B.|last2=Wheeler|first2=Brannon M.|date=2002|publisher=Scarecrow|isbn=9780810843059|language=en}}</ref> He is responsible for taking the souls of the deceased away from the body.<ref name=":1">Çakmak, Cenap. 2017. ''Islam: A Worldwide Encyclopaedia'', 4 vols. [[ABC-Clio]]. {{ISBN|9781610692175}}. p. 137</ref><ref name=":2">[[Martijn Theodoor Houtsma|Houtsma, Martijn Theodoor]]. [1913–1936] 1987. ''[[Encyclopaedia of Islam|E.J. Brill's First Encyclopaedia of Islam 1913-1936]]'', edited by R. Arnold and C. Gibb. Leiden: Brill Publishers. {{ISBN|978-9-004-08265-6}}. p. 570.</ref> Azrael does not act independently, but is only informed by [[God in Islam|God]] when the time is up to take a soul.<ref>Smith, Jane I., and [[Yvonne Haddad]]. 1981. ''Islamic Understanding of Death and Resurrection''. Albany: State University of New York Press. {{ISBN|9780873955072}}. p. 35.</ref>

=== In Quran and its exegesis ===
Surah 32:11 mentions the angel of death identified with Azrael.<ref>Cenap Çakmak ''Islam: A Worldwide Encyclopedia [4 volumes]'' ABC-CLIO 2017 {{ISBN|9781610692175}} pp. 137</ref> Surah [[Al-An'am|6:61]] mentions a multitude of angels of death interpreted as assistants of Azrael.<ref name="ReferenceA">Michelle M. Hamilton ''Beyond Faith: Belief, Morality and Memory in a Fifteenth-Century Judeo-Iberian Manuscript'' BRILL, 14.11.2014 {{ISBN|9789004282735}} p. 235</ref> When the unbelievers in [[Jahannam|hell]] cry out for help, an angel, also identified with Azrael, will appear on the horizon and tell them that they have to remain.<ref>Christian Lange|''Locating Hell in Islamic Traditions''| BRILL | 978-90-04-30121-4 | p. 93</ref>

The eighth Umayyad Caliph [[Umar II|Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz]] once reported the commentary regarding Azrael in Quran chapter [[As-Sajdah]] verse 11 {{Cite Quran|32|11|s=ns}}, that taking many lives are very easy for the angel, that in caliph's words "it is as if the entire mankind of earth were only like a dish on a plate from the perspective of ''Malak al-Mawt'' (angel of death)".<ref name="At-Tadzkirah Volume 1 Provisions for Facing Eternal Life"/>

=== In Hadiths ===
According to one Muslim tradition, 40 days before the death of a person approaches, God drops a leaf from a tree below the heavenly throne, on which Azrael reads the name of the person he must take with him.<ref name=":2" /> [[Al-Qurtubi]] narrated commentary from classical scholar, Ibn Zhafar al-Wa'izh, that Azrael, has a shape resembling a blue colored ram, has numerous eyes in numerous places, and according to {{ill|Ikrimah Mawlâ Ibn 'Abbâs|id|Ikrimah Maula Ibnu Abbas |ar|عكرمة البربري}}, a [[tabi'un|tabiʾ]] scholar,{{#tag:ref|According to the narrator, Ikrimah, he saw this narration from [[Israʼiliyyat|non-canonical source]] which he named the "scroll of [[Seth]]".<ref name="At-Tadzkirah Volume 1 Provisions for Facing Eternal Life" />|group="Notes"}} the size of Azrael were so huge that "if the Earth were put on his shoulder, it would be like a bean in an open field".<ref name="At-Tadzkirah Volume 1 Provisions for Facing Eternal Life">{{cite book |author1=al-Qurtubi |translator=Anshor Umar Sitanggal |author1-link=Al-Qurtubi |editor1-last=Noor Ridho |editor1-first=Abdillah |editor2-last=Ihsan |editor2-first=Muhammad |title=At-Tadzkirah Jilid 1 Bekal Menghadapi Kehidupan Abadi |trans-title=At-Tadhkirah Volume 1 Provisions for Facing Eternal Life |date=2005|type=Music / Religious / Muslim, Religion / Islam / Koran & Sacred Writings, Religion / Islam / Rituals & Practice |publisher=Pustaka al-Kautsar |location=east Jakarta |isbn=9789795926320 |pages=50, 140–141 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bLZyDwAAQBAJ |access-date=7 March 2022 |language=id |format=ebook}}</ref> He also had 4,000 wings which consisted of two types, wings of grace and wings of punishment.<ref name="At-Tadzkirah Volume 1 Provisions for Facing Eternal Life" /> The wings of punishment are made from iron rods, hooks, and scissors.<ref name="At-Tadzkirah Volume 1 Provisions for Facing Eternal Life" /> [[Muqatil ibn Sulayman]] has recorded his commentary in his commentary work, ''al-Suluk'', the angel possessed 70,000 limbs of foot.<ref name="Ternyata Kita Tak Pantas Masuk Surga|trans-title=Turns out we did not deserve to enter the heaven">{{cite book |author1=Ahmad Zacky El-Syafa |title=Ternyata Kita Tak Pantas Masuk Surga|trans-title=Turns out we did not deserve to enter the heaven |date=2020|type=Religion / Islam / General, Young Adult Nonfiction / Religion / Islam |publisher=Genta Hidayah |location=Surabaya |isbn=9786232350571 |pages=38–39 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pg_uDwAAQBAJ |access-date=7 March 2022 |language=id |format=ebook}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|Muqatil ibn Sulayman were neglected by numbers of Islamic scholars, such as [[Abu Hanifa]] (d. 150 H/ 767 CE) who criticised his theology, [[Ibn al-Mubarak]] (d. 181 H/ 797 CE) who criticised his methodology (particularly that he did not quote Hadith with chains of transmission), and [[Wakee ibn al-Jarrah]] (d. 197/ 812 CE) who criticize Muqatil as lying in his narration.<ref>Ibn Ḥajar al-‛Asqalānī, Tahdhīb, 4/143-46</ref><ref>al-Dhahabī, Mīzan, 6/505-7</ref><ref>Tohe, Achmad. ''Muqatil ibn Sulayman: A neglected figure in the early history of Qur'ānic commentary.'' Diss. Boston University, 2015. pp. 11, 20</ref> Ibn Hajar in particular quotes the following from him: "Two disgusting opinions came to us from the east: Jahm the negator [of God’s attributes] and Muqatil the anthropomorphist."<ref>Ibn Ḥajar al-‛Asqalānī, Tahdhīb, 10/281</ref> [[Ibn Rajab|Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali]] stated that the early scholars (as-salaf) rejected Muqatil's views after they became known after his debate with Jahm.<ref>Ibn Rajab al-Ḥanbalī, Bayān Faḍl ‛ilm al-Salaf ‛alā ‘Ilm al-Khalaf, ed. Muḥammad ibn Nāṣir al-‘Ajmī(Beirūt: Dār al-Bashā’ir al-Islāmiyyah, 2003), p.55</ref><ref>Tohe, Achmad. ''Muqatil ibn Sulayman: A neglected figure in the early history of Qur'ānic commentary.'' Diss. Boston University, 2015. p. 33</ref> However, more recent scholars has argued while Muqatil are not trustworthy, his theology as antrophomorphist are falsely attributed, as [[Ibn Abi al-Izz]] (d. 731), a follower of [[Ibn Taymiyyah]],<ref>Shagaviev, Damir A., and Venera N. Khisamova. "Islamic theological literature of the Salafi sect in the modern Tatarstan." Journal of Sustainable Development 8.7 (2015): 83.</ref> argued that al-Ash'ari's material originated from the Mu'tazila and/or must have been tampered with.<ref>Ṣadr al-Dīn ‘Alī ibn ‘Alī ibn Muḥammad ibn Abī al-‘Izz al-Ḥanafī, Sharḥal-Ṭaḥāwiyyahfī al-‘Aqīdah al-Salafiyyah, ed. Aḥmad Muḥammad Shākir (Riyāḍ: Fahrasah Maktabat al-Malik Fahd al-Waṭaniyyah, 1997).</ref><ref name="Tohe, Achmad 2015. p. 43">Tohe, Achmad. ''Muqatil ibn Sulayman: A neglected figure in the early history of Qur'ānic commentary.'' Diss. Boston University, 2015. p. 43</ref> Contemporary Saudi scholar Abdullah al-Ghunayman, author of the commentary on Ibn Taymiyyah's [[Al-Aqidah Al-Waasitiyyah]], argues that he could not find anything he would consider anthropomorphic from Muqatil, arguing that to be reliable, ones views must be taken from one's own works, and not from the works of an opponent. Al-Ghunayman says "Mushabbih" has become a catch word to accuse one's opponents because of their different views.<ref>Abd Allāh Mūḥammad al-Ghanīmān, Sharḥal-‛Aqīdah al-Wāsiṭiyyah(al-Maktabah al-Shāmilah), 12/8.</ref><ref name="Tohe, Achmad 2015. p. 43">Tohe, Achmad. ''Muqatil ibn Sulayman: A neglected figure in the early history of Qur'ānic commentary.'' Diss. Boston University, 2015. p. 43</ref>|group="Notes"}}

[[Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz]], an [[Umayyad Caliphate|Umayyad caliph]], reported a narration that the angel of death is armed with a flaming whip.<ref name="At-Tadzkirah Volume 1 Provisions for Facing Eternal Life" /> Caliph Umar also reported a narration that the angel of death was so huge that he dwarfed [[Bearers of the Throne]], group of angels which are known as the biggest among angels.<ref name="At-Tadzkirah Volume 1 Provisions for Facing Eternal Life" />

The "Islamic Book of Dead" describes him with 4 faces, and his whole body consists of eyes and tongues whose number corresponds to the number of humans inhabiting the Earth.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="DoA" /><ref>{{cite book | last=Qāḍī | first=ʻAbd al-Raḥīm ibn Aḥmad | title=Islamic book of the dead : a collection of Hadiths on the Fire & the Garden | publisher=Diwan Press | publication-place=Norwich, Norfolk | date=1977 | isbn=0-9504446-2-6 | oclc=13426566}}</ref>{{rp|pages=33–34}}

The angel of death features in a famous extra-Quranic creation story regarding the creation of Adam, recorded by various Muslim scholars, including Tabari, Mas'udi, Maqdisi, Kisa'i, Tha'labi, Ibn Kathir in his work ''Qiṣaṣ al-Anbiyā'' (Stories of the Prophets), and Muqatil.<ref>Chipman, Leigh NB. "Mythic Aspects of the Process of Adam's Creation in Judaism and Islam." Studia Islamica (2001): 5-25.</ref> Accordingly, God ordered the archangels to collect dust from earth from which Adam is supposed to be created. Only Azrael succeeded, whereupon he was destined to become the angel concerning life and death, a reference to show the close connection between these two.<ref name="Kisah Para Nabi">{{cite book |author1=Ibn Kathir |author1-link=Ibn Kathir |editor1-last=Hikmatiar |translator=Saefulloh MS |editor1-first=Ikhlas |title=Kisah Para Nabi Sejarah Lengkap Kehidupan Para Nabi sejak Nabi Adam Alaihissalam hingga Nabi Isa Alaihissalam|trans-title=Stories of the Prophets Complete History of the Life of the Prophets since Prophet Adam Alaihissalam to Prophet Isa Alaihissalam |date=2017|type=Religion / Islam / History |publisher=Qisthi Press |location=east Jakarta |isbn=9789791303842 |page=46 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JiCwDgAAQBAJ |access-date=10 March 2022 |language=id |chapter=Adam Alaihissalam}}</ref>

=== Relationship between Azrael and Death ===
Islam elaborated further narratives concerning the relation between Azrael and Death. Christian Lange mentioned that according to some scholars Azrael and Death were one entity; other exegesis scholars opined Azrael and Death were different entities, with Death as some kind of tool used by Azrael to take life.<ref name="Lange-2016">{{cite book |last= Lange|first= Christian |date= 2016|title= Paradise and Hell in Islamic Traditions|url= |location= Cambridge United Kingdom|publisher= Cambridge University Press|page= |isbn=978-0-521-50637-3}}</ref>{{rp|p=129}}

One account explains death and its relation to Azrael, representing ''Death'' and Azrael as former two separate entities, but when God created Death, God ordered the angels to look upon it and they swoon for a thousand years. After the angels regained consciousness, Death recognized that it must submit to Azrael.<ref>Jane I. Smith, Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad ''Islamic Understanding of Death and Resurrection'' State University of New York Press 1981 {{ISBN|9780873955072}} p. 34-35</ref> This opinion were shared among scholars of Islam such as Sultan ibn ‘Abdirrahman Al-‘Umairi, in his book ''Al-‘Uquud Adz-Dzahabiyyah ‘alaa Maqaasid Al-‘Aqiidah Al-Waasithiyyah'' where he adds commentary the Hadith about Death will be materialized after the judgment day in form of a Ram, which said as different entity than Angel Azrael.<ref name="إمداد القارى بشرح كتاب التفسير من صحيح البخارى 1-4 - 3">{{cite book |author1=Sulthon bin ‘Abdirrahman Al-‘Umairi |title=إمداد القارى بشرح كتاب التفسير من صحيح البخارى 1-4 - 3 |publisher=IslamKotob |page=506 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5tkvCwAAQBAJ |access-date=5 August 2023 |language=Ar |format=Paperback}}</ref> According to one narration, Azrael is rewarded to become the angel of death for successfully carrying the dirt of the earth from which Adam would be created.<ref name="10.1163_1573-3912_islam_SIM_3719">Wensinck, A.J., “ʿIzrāʾīl”, in: Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition, Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, W.P. Heinrichs. Consulted online on 17 August 2023 {{doi|10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_3719}}
First published online: 2012
First print edition: {{ISBN|9789004161214}}, 1960-2007</ref>

The identification of "Death" and angel Azrael as one entity were explained in a Hadith about the fate of "Death" entity itself after the judgment day, where classical Hanafite scholar [[Badr al-Din al-Ayni]] has interpreted in that Hadith which compiled in [[Sahih Bukhari]] collection, that Death would take on the form of a ram, then placed between paradise and hell, and finally slaughtered by God himself, causing Death cease to exist, which followed by God to declare to both people of paradise and hell that eternity has begun, and their state will never end.<ref name="Umdat al-Qari interpretation of Sahih al-Bukhari">{{cite web |author1=Badr al-Din al-Ayni |page=53 |title=Umdat al qari; Interpretation of Sahih Bukhari |url=https://islamweb.net/ar/library/index.php?page=bookcontents&idfrom=1&idto=31596&bk_no=303&ID=1 |website=Islamweb.net |publisher=al-Maktaba al-Islam (Islamic library) |access-date=18 March 2022 |language=ar |quote=حدثنا عمر بن حفص بن غياث ، حدثنا أبي ، حد; فيقولون : نعم هذا الموت ، وكلهم قد رآه ، ثم ينادي : يا أهل النار ، فيشرئبون وينظرون ، فيقول : هل تعرفون هذا ؟ فيقولون : نعم هذا الموت ، وكلهم قد رآه فيذبح ثم يقول : يا أهل الجنة ، خلود فلا موت ، ويا أهل النار خلود فلا موت ، ثم قرأ; Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "On the Day of Resurrection Death will be brought forward in the shape of a black and white ram. Then a call maker will call, 'O people of Paradise!' Thereupon they will stretch their necks and look carefully. The caller will say, 'Do you know this?' They will say, 'Yes, this is Death.' By then all of them will have seen it. Then it will be announced again, 'O people of Hell !' They will stretch their necks and look carefully. The caller will say, 'Do you know this?' They will say, 'Yes, this is Death.' And by then all of them will have seen it. Then it (that ram) will be slaughtered and the caller will say, 'O people of Paradise! Eternity for you and no death O people of Hell! Eternity for you and no death."'  ثنا الأعمش ، حدثنا أبو صالح ، عن أبي سعيد الخدري رضي الله عنه قال : قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : يؤتى بالموت كهيئة كبش أملح فينادي مناد : يا أهل الجنة ، فيشرئبون ، وينظرون ، فيقول : هل تعرفون هذا ؟}}</ref> Lange mentioned that according to some scholars, the ram in that Hadith narration is no other than the angel of death himself, while others assert, this to be death's own form in the hereafter.<ref name="Lange-2016" /> In other account sourced from [[Muqatil ibn Sulayman]], Azrael and death were said as one entity as he reported the angel has number of faces and hands equal to the number of living creatures on his body, where each of those faces and hands are connected with the life of each souls in the living world.<ref name="Ternyata Kita Tak Pantas Masuk Surga|trans-title=Turns out we did not deserve to enter the heaven" /> Whenever a face within Azrael body vanished, then the soul which connected with it will experience death.<ref name="Ternyata Kita Tak Pantas Masuk Surga|trans-title=Turns out we did not deserve to enter the heaven" />

=== Saints and prophets ===
A common belief holds that the lesser angels of death are for the common people, while saints and prophets meet the archangel of death himself.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Great prophets, such as [[Moses in Islam|Moses]] and [[Muhammad]] are invited politely by him, but saints are also said to meet Azrael in beautiful forms.

It is said that, when [[Rumi]] was about to die, he laid in his bed and met Azrael in human shape.<ref>[[Gustav Davidson|Davidson, Gustav]]. ''A Dictionary of Angels, Including the Fallen Angels''. New York: Free Press. [[Simon & Schuster]]. p. 255.</ref> The belief that Azrael appears to saints before they actually die to prepare themselves for death, is also attested by the testament of [[Nasir Khusraw]], in which he claims to have met Azrael during his sleep, informing him about his upcoming death.<ref>Rubanovich, Julia. 2015. ''Orality and Textuality in the Iranian World: Patterns of Interaction Across the Centuries''. Leiden: Brill. {{ISBN|9789004291973}}. p. 148.</ref> According to the [[Sufi]] teacher [[Al-Jili]], Azrael appears to the soul in a form provided by its most powerful metaphors.

It is believed to resist the pulling of the soul by the angel of death by accusing him of acting arbitrarily. In that case, the angel of death returns to heaven to bring proof for following heavenly instructions.<ref name="10.1163_1573-3912_islam_SIM_3719"/>

==Western reception==
[[File:Six-winged Seraph (Azrael). 1904.jpg|thumb|''A Six-Winged [[Seraphim|Seraph]] (Azrael)'' by [[Mikhail Vrubel]], 1904]]
The Islamic notion of Azrael, including some narratives such as the tale of [[Solomon in Islam|Solomon]] (a ''[[hadith]]'' reaching back to [[Ibn Hawshab|Shahr Ibn Hawshab]],<ref name="Al-Garrallah" />) was already known in the United States in the 18th century - as attested by Gregory Sharpe and [[James Harris (grammarian)|James Harris]].<ref name="Al-Garrallah">Al-Garrallah, Aiman Sanad. 2016. [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316475279_The_Islamic_tale_of_Solomon_and_the_angel_of_death_in_English_poetry_Origins_translations_and_adaptations "The Islamic tale of Solomon and the Angel of Death in English Poetry: Origins, Translations, and Adaptations"]. ''Forum for World Literature Studies'' 8(4):528–47. {{Issn|1949-8519}}. [http://www.fwls.org/Download/2017/0207/294.html Issue link].</ref>

Some Western adaptions extended the physical description of Azrael, hence the English poet [[Leigh Hunt]] depicted Azrael in 1850 as wearing a black-hooded cloak.<ref>
{{cite book
 |last1                = Hunt
 |first1               = Leigh
 |author-link1         = Leigh Hunt
 |editor-last1         = Ainsworth
 |editor-first1        = W. Harrison
 |editor-link1         = William Harrison Ainsworth
 |year                 = 1850
 |chapter              = The Inevitable
 |title                = The New Monthly Magazine and Humorist
 |url                  = https://books.google.com/books?id=xRncgX53trIC
 |series               = English literary periodicals, volumes 264-275
 |publication-place    = London
 |publisher            = Chapman and Hall
 |page                 = 2
 |access-date          = 9 March 2025
 |quote                = <br />He wore a cowl, from under which there shone,<br />Full on the guest, and on the guest alone,<br />A face, not of this earth, half veiled in gloom<br />And radiance, but with eyes like lamps of doom,<br />[...]
}}
</ref>
Although omitting the traditional [[scythe]], Hunt's portrayal nevertheless resembles the [[Grim Reaper]].<ref name="Al-Garrallah" /> [[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow]] mentions Azrael in "[[wikisource:Voices of the Night/The Reaper and the Flowers|The Reaper and the Flowers]]" as an angel of death, but he is not equated with [[Samael]], the angel of death in Jewish lore who appears as a [[fallen angel|fallen and malevolent angel]], instead.<ref>{{Cite journal |last =Davidson |first =Gustav |date =Fall 1968 |title =Longfellow's Angels |journal =[[Prairie Schooner]] |volume =42 |issue =3 |pages =235–243 |jstor =40630837}}</ref> Azrael also appears in [[G. K. Chesterton]]'s poem "[[Lepanto (poem)|Lepanto]]" (published in 1915) as one of the Islamic spirits commanded by "Mahound" ([[Muhammad]]) to resist [[John of Austria|Don John of Austria]]'s crusade. In ''[[The Smurfs]]'', the cat of the evil wizard [[Gargamel]] is called Azrael.

[[Philip Pullman]] uses a variant spelling of the name "Azrael" in the name of [[Lord Asriel]] in the ''[[His Dark Materials]]'' trilogy (1995-2000).

In [[Joy Williams (American writer)|Joy Williams]]'s 2024 novel ''Concerning the Future of Souls'', Azrael is a core character, although his responsibilities extend beyond serving as a [[psychopomp]] for humanity alone—he also collects the souls of other sentient beings on Earth, such as [[whales]] and [[apes]]. Williams' book includes ninety-nine story accounts of his duties and interactions with multiple souls, [[God]], [[Satan]] and countless others.

== See also ==
{{Commons category}}
* [[Angels in Islam]]
* [[Azriel (disambiguation)]]
* [[Baron Samedi]], personification of [[Death]] in [[Haitian Vodou]]
* [[Charon]]
* [[Personifications of death#Angels of death|Death (personification)]]
* [[Destroying angel (Bible)]]
* [[Dumah (angel)]]
* [[List of angels in theology]]
* [[Punishment of the Grave]]
* [[Saureil]], angel of death in Mandaeism
* [[Santa Muerte]]
* [[Thanatos]], the personification of [[Death]] in [[Greek mythology]]

== References ==
=== Notes ===
{{Reflist|group="Notes"}}

=== Citations ===
{{reflist}}

{{Angels in Abrahamic Religions}}

[[Category:Angels in Judaism]]
[[Category:Angels of death]]
[[Category:Archangels in Islam]]
[[Category:Archangels]]
[[Category:Individual angels]]
[[Category:Psychopomps]]
[[Category:Theophoric names]]