Angel of Death
- philhoraia
- Oct 31, 2021
- 3 min read
In Islam there is the concept of the angel of death, although the Quran speaks of angels (plural) in a number of passages causing a man to die. But there is one reference to an angel of death. For example:
S 4:97 Those whom the angels have caused to die wronging themselves said: In what were you? They said: We were feeble in the land. They said: Was Allah’s land not wide that you might emigrate in it? Then those, their shelter is Jahannam and evil was a destiny.
S 32:11 Say: The angel of death who has been entrusted with you causes you to die. Then to your lord you are returned.
In non-Quranic ahadith we read of an encounter between Musa and the angel of death.
Narrated Abu Huraira:
The angel of death was sent to Moses and when he went to him, Moses slapped him severely, spoiling one of his eyes. The angel went back to his Lord, and said, "You sent me to a slave who does not want to die." Allah restored his eye and said, "Go back and tell him (i.e. Moses) to place his hand over the back of an ox, for he will be allowed to live for a number of years equal to the number of hairs coming under his hand." (So the angel came to him and told him the same). Then Moses asked, "O my Lord! What will be then?" He said, "Death will be then." He said, "(Let it be) now." He asked Allah that He bring him near the Sacred Land at a distance of a stone's throw. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) (p.b.u.h) said, "Were I there I would show you the grave of Moses by the way near the red sand hill." https://sunnah.com/bukhari:1339
Angels are supposedly made from light:
'A'isha reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said:
The Angels were born out of light and the Jinns were born out of the spark of fire and Adam was born as he has been defined (in the Qur'an) for you (i. e. he is fashioned out of clay). https://sunnah.com/muslim:2996
In the angel of death hadith above it appears to be a physical being, and not just temporarily.
Now where might the founder of Islam have gotten such an idea from?
Deuteronomy Rabbah 11:5-10
[The Torah says: And this is the blessing that Moses, the man of God, bestowed upon the children of Israel before his death. [Deut. 33:1]] What is meant by “before his death”? The Rabbis say: What did Moses do? He seized the Angel of Death and cast him down in front of him and [then] blessed the tribes, each according to its [appropriate] blessing. Rabbi Meir said: The Angel of Death came to Moses and said to him: “God has sent me to you, for you are to depart this life today.” 2 Moses replied to him, “Go away, for I wish to praise the Holy One, Blessed be He.”... The Angel of Death said to Moses: “Moses, why are you so arrogant? There are others in creation who can praise God. Heaven and earth praise [God] all the time.”... Moses replied to him, “I shall silence [heaven and earth] and praise [God].” The Angel of Death then came to [Moses] a second time. What did Moses do? He pronounced over him the Ineffable Name [of God] and [the Angel of Death] fled. When he came to him a third time, Moses said, “Since [this decree] is from God, I must accept the righteousness of His judgment.” Sat 9 July 2008 (Shabbat Chazon)
Further reading:
Kommentare