Azrael (; ; ) is the canonical angel of death in Islam and appears centuries earlier in the apocryphal text Apocalypse of Peter.
Relative to similar concepts of such beings, Azrael holds a benevolent role as God's angel of death; he acts as a psychopomp, responsible for transporting the souls of the deceased after their death. 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.
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 division of heaven in Judaism and Islam. In Islam, he is one of the four archangels, and is identified with the Quranic Malak al-Mawt (), which corresponds with the Hebrew term Malʾakh ha-Maweth () in Rabbinic literature. In Hebrew, Azrael translates to 'Angel of God' or 'Help from God'. However, as the text thereon only lists names, an association of this angelic name with death cannot be identified in Judaism.
After the emergence of Islam, the name Azrael became popular among both Christian and Islamic literature and folklore. The name spelled as Ezrā’ël appears in the 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.
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.
Along with Gabriel, Michael, and Israfil, Azrael is one of the four major archangels in Islam. He is responsible for taking the souls of the deceased away from the body. Azrael does not act independently, but is only informed by God when the time is up to take a soul.
In Quran and its exegesis
Surah 32:11 mentions the angel of death identified with Azrael. Surah 6:61 mentions a multitude of angels of death interpreted as assistants of Azrael. When the unbelievers in hell cry out for help, an angel, also identified with Azrael, will appear on the horizon and tell them that they have to remain.
The eighth Umayyad Caliph Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz once reported the commentary regarding Azrael in Quran chapter As-Sajdah verse 11 , that taking many lives is 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)". He also had 4,000 wings which consisted of two types, wings of grace and wings of punishment.
Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz, an Umayyad caliph, reported a narration that the angel of death is armed with a flaming whip.
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. 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.
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.
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. 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. 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.
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. 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. 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. 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.
Some Western adaptations extended the physical description of Azrael, hence the English poet Leigh Hunt depicted Azrael in 1850 as wearing a black-hooded cloak.
Although omitting the traditional scythe, Hunt's portrayal nevertheless resembles the Grim Reaper. Azrael also appears in G. K. Chesterton's poem "Lepanto" (published in 1915) as one of the Islamic spirits commanded by "Mahound" (Muhammad) to resist Don John of Austria's crusade. In The Smurfs, the cat of the evil wizard Gargamel is called Azrael. A character of the same name was portrayed by Jason Lee in the Kevin Smith fantasy-comedy film Dogma. In Stephen King's novel, as well as the movie adaptation of Doctor Sleep, the cat that lives in the hospice care facility and senses a patient's impending death is named Azrael, nicknamed Azzie for short.
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'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
- Azriel (disambiguation)
- , personification of Death
- List of angels in theology