Azrael (; Biblical Hebrew: ??????) is an angel in the Abrahamic religions. He is often identified with the Angel of Death of the Hebrew Bible.
The Hebrew name translates to "Angel of God", "Help from God", or "One Whom God Helps". Azrael is the spelling of the Chambers Dictionary.
The Qur'an refers to a "?????? ????????" (Malak Al-Mawt or "Angel of Death"), which corresponds with Hebrew term Malach ha-Mawet in Rabbinic Literature. Islamic-Arabic tradition adopts the name, in the Arabic alphabet as ?Azr???l (Arabic: ????????).
Video Azrael
Background
Depending on the outlook and precepts of various religions in which he is a figure, Azrael may be portrayed as residing in the Third Heaven. In one description, he has four faces and four thousand wings, and his whole body consists of eyes and tongues whose number corresponds to the number of people inhabiting the Earth. He will be the last to die, recording and erasing constantly in a large book the names of men at birth and death, respectively.
Maps Azrael
In Judaism
In Jewish mysticism, he is commonly referred to as "Azriel" (Biblical Hebrew: ???????), not "Azrael". He is associated with the South and is considered to be a high-ranking commander of God's angels.
In Christianity
There is no reference to Azrael in the Christian Bible, and as such Azrael is regarded as neither a canonical nor non-canonical figure in Christianity. In the apocryphal book of 2 Esdras, however, a story features a scribe and judge named Ezra, sometimes written "Azra" in different languages. Azra was visited by the Archangel Uriel and given a list of laws and punishments he was to adhere to and enforce as judge over his people. Azra was later recorded in the Apocrypha as having entered Heaven "without tasting death's taint". Depending on various Christian religious views, it could be taken as Ezra ascending to angelic status. This would add the suffix "el" to his name, which denotes a heavenly being (e.g. Michael, Raphael, Uriel). Hence, it would be Ezrael/Azrael. Later books also state a scribe named Salathiel, who was quoted as saying, "I, Salathiel, who is also Ezra". Again, depending on certain views of Christian spirituality, this could be seen as angelic influence from Ezrael/Azrael on Salathiel.
In Islam
Along with Jibrail, M?kh?'?l and Isr?f?l, the Angel of Death, called Azrail (???????) is believed by Muslims to be one of the archangels. He and his subordinate angels are responsible for taking the souls of the deceased away from the body. Azrail does not act independently from God and just takes those who were commanded to be taken. Rather than merely representing an independent personified death, Azrail is described in Islamic sources as subordinate to the will of God "with the most profound reverence".
Several Muslim traditions recount meetings between the Angel of Death and the prophets, the most famous being a conversation between the Angel of Death and Moses. In an Islamic narration, Idris befriended the angel of death. Idris offered him food, whereupon he revealed to him his non-human essence because as an angel, he does not eat. Later the angel of death showed him the heavens.
See also
- List of angels in theology
- Death (personification)
- Islamic view of angels
- Punishment of the Grave
- Sariel
- Thanatos, the personification of Death in Greek mythology
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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