SAEDNEWS: When it comes to who takes a person’s life—Azrael or the angels—the Quran provides a clear answer to humanity.
According to Saednews, Questions often arise in the human mind, such as: Why did God create human beings? And how does Azrael, the Angel of Death, take a person’s life? What actually happens when a person dies?
The answers to these questions are discussed in the text below.
In the Quran, God sometimes attributes certain actions directly to Himself, while elsewhere the same actions are attributed to others. For example, regarding the taking of a person’s life, one verse says that God takes the souls of people. Elsewhere, it says that the Angel of Death (Azrael) takes their souls. In another passage, it says that the angels take their souls.
The Quran therefore makes it clear that the taking of human lives is not necessarily described as the responsibility of only one individual. Angels are messengers who are sent to people when their appointed time of death arrives, and they take their souls.
According to the Quran, at death, it is the soul or self (nafs) that is taken from us.
It is important to remember that, according to Islamic belief, nothing happens in existence except by God’s permission and in accordance with the divine laws and principles of creation (Sunnat Allah). Even God’s chosen prophets, who are sent to guide humanity, can only tell people what God commands them to say and must act according to His instructions.
For example, the descent of the revelation to the Prophet through the “Trustworthy Spirit” occurs by God’s permission, and the Prophet has no authority to alter the revealed message according to his own will.
The Quran states in Surah Ghafir (40:78):
“Indeed, We sent messengers before you. Among them are those whose stories We have related to you, and among them are those whose stories We have not related to you. It was not for any messenger to bring a sign except by Allah’s permission. Then, when the command of Allah comes, judgment is made in truth, and those who follow falsehood are the losers.”
Death occurs only by God’s permission.
According to the Quran, God alone ultimately gives life and causes death. He creates, provides sustenance, heals, and guides. He may accomplish these acts through His messengers and angels.
No person dies except by God’s permission.
The Quran says in Surah Al Imran (3:145):
“No soul can die except by Allah’s permission, at a decreed time. Whoever desires the reward of this world, We will give him some of it; and whoever desires the reward of the Hereafter, We will give him some of it. And We will reward the grateful.”
Therefore, what God’s messengers and angels do is ultimately carried out by God’s command and as part of the mission assigned to them.
The Quran says in Surah As-Sajdah (32:11):
“Say: The Angel of Death, who has been entrusted with you, will take you in full; then you will be returned to your Lord.”
The Quran uses several different expressions when describing the taking of a person’s soul.
In Surah Az-Zumar (39:42), it says:
“Allah takes the souls at the time of their death…”
In Surah As-Sajdah (32:11), it says:
“The Angel of Death will take you…”
And in Surah Al-An'am (6:61), it refers to messengers or angels taking the soul:
“When death comes to one of you, Our messengers take his soul, and they do not neglect their duty.”
These three descriptions can be understood as complementary rather than contradictory: God is the ultimate authority, while the Angel of Death and other angels carry out the task by His command.
Some interpretations suggest that the angels take souls and deliver them to the Angel of Death, while the Angel of Death ultimately delivers them to God.
Another possible interpretation is that the souls of ordinary people are taken by angels, the souls of distinguished individuals are taken by the Angel of Death, and the souls of God’s closest servants are taken directly by God. However, this is an interpretation rather than something explicitly established by the Quran.
The central point in all of these descriptions is that, according to the Quran, nothing happens in creation except by God’s permission and in accordance with the laws He has established.
The Quran can attribute an action to God as its ultimate source while also attributing the same action to angels or messengers as the agents who carry it out.
A similar pattern appears in descriptions of the people of Paradise. In one verse, God is described as giving them drink, while another verse describes them simply as being given a drink without explicitly mentioning God.
Thus, when the Quran says that God takes the soul, that the Angel of Death takes it, or that the angels take it, these statements can be understood within the same overall framework: God is the ultimate authority, and His angels carry out their assigned duties by His permission.
