Azrael does not act independently, but is only informed by when time is up to take a soul | Relative to similar concepts of such beings, Azrael holds a rather benevolent role as the angel of death, wherein he acts as a , responsible for transporting the souls of the deceased after death |
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A welcoming depiction of the Archangel of Death, as usually attributed to Azrael, by , 1881 | 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 |
Along with , , and , Azrael is one of the four major.
, the personification of in References [ ]• Only Azrael succeeded, whereupon he was destined to become the angel concerning life and death of humanity | The "Islamic Book of Dead" describes him with 4 faces, 4000 wings, and 70,000 feet, and his whole body consists of eyes and tongues whose number corresponds to the number of men inhabiting the Earth |
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, , , , , , | Other Quranic verses refer to a multitude of angels of death; according to , these verses refer to lesser angels of death, subordinate to Azrael, who aid the archangel in his duty |
Forum for World Literature Studies 8 4 :528—47.
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