Azrael

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The Angel of Death by Evelyn De Morgan , 1881

Azrael or Asrael ( Arabic عزرائیل Izrail , DMG ʿIzrāʾīl ) isthe angel of death in the Islamic traditionand is one of the four great angels in Islam. In the Koran an angel of death is explicitly mentioned ( sura 32 : 11), who is identified as Azrael in the Islamic tradition. Many aspects of his legend, however, are not supported by the official doctrines , but by popular belief . Azrael separates thehuman soul from the body and thus brings death . He does not act on his own, but on behalf of Allah . It is also said that the angel Azrael writes down the names of the newborns and crosses out those of the deceased .

mention

The name ʿIzrā'īl is not mentioned in the Koran, but this name is often assigned to the angel of death mentioned in the Koran. In a Shiite hadith , the name Azrael appears as the angel who takes away the souls of creatures. In this case, Abu Dharr , one of the closest companions of Muhammad , quoted (mention highlighted):

“The Messenger of Allah said: 'During the Ascension, I passed an angel who was sitting on a bed of light, one of his legs to the east and the other leg to the west. Between his hands was a blackboard that he looked at. The whole world was between his eyes and creation was between his knees. And his hands reached east and west. ' Then I said: 'O Gabriel , who is that?' He said, 'This is Azrael . Go over so you can greet him. ' Then I went over and said hello to him. Then he said: 'And peace be upon you, O Ahmad! How is Ali, your uncle's son? ' I asked: 'You know Ali, my uncle's son?' He said: 'And how could I not know him when Allah has appointed me to take the souls of all creatures except your soul and the soul of Ali ibn Abi Talib , your uncle's son, for surely Allah will take your souls whenever he wants. '"

In modern popular culture

  • In the DC Universe , Jean-Paul Valley is for the Order of Saint Dumas , a medieval knightly order that still exists in the present, the avenging angel named Azrael . The publisher DC Comics published the comic series Azrael also issues with Azrael as the main character.
  • The Angel of Death Azrael is a character for two novels of the same name (1994/1998) by the German author Wolfgang Hohlbein .
  • In Peyo's comics about The Smurfs , as well as in the related films, the cat of the magician Gargamel is named Azrael .
  • In the television series Lucifer comes Azrael as a sister in front of the devil. Relevant for episode 8 of the second season is Azrael's sword, which extinguishes the existence, including of heavenly beings, and destroys the soul of those killed by the sword.
  • The Supreme Grand Master of the Dark Angels Space Marines in Warhammer 40,000 is Azrael .
  • The German metal band UDO released a track on their album No Limits (1998) that deals with Azrael and also bears his name.

literature

Web links

Commons : Azrael  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 32. Adoration (As-Sadschdah). www.koran-auf-deutsch.de, 2019, accessed on April 15, 2020 .
  2. ↑ Syrinx von Hees: Encyclopedia as a Mirror of the World View: Qazwīnīs Miracle of Creation - A Natural History of the 13th Century , Otto Harrassowitz Verlag , 2002, ISBN 978-3-447-04511-7 , p. 328.
  3. ↑ Al-Hafiz Muhhib Al-Deen Ahmad Al-Tabari: Zakha'ir Al-Uqba fi Manaqib Zul-Qurba, Manaqaib Al Abi Talib. Volume 2, p. 75 (Note: Al-Tabari is one of the Shiite scholars, not to be confused with Al-Tabarí of the Sunni scholars).