32:11 As-Sajda (The Prostration)

{ قُلْ يَتَوَفَّاكُمْ مَلَكُ الْمَوْتِ الَّذِي وُكِّلَ بِكُمْ } أي: جعله اللّه وكيلاً على قبض الأرواح، وله أعوان. { ثُمَّ إِلَى رَبِّكُمْ تُرْجَعُونَ } فيجازيكم بأعمالكم، وقد أنكرتم البعث، فانظروا ماذا يفعل اللّه بكم.

ثم قال تعالى "قل يتوفاكم ملك الموت الذي وكل بكم" الظاهر من هذه الآية أن ملك الموت شخص معين من الملائكة كما هو المتبادر من حديث البراء المتقدم ذكره في سورة إبراهيم وقد سمي في بعض الآثار بعزارئيل وهو المشهور قاله قتادة وغير واحد وله أعوان وهكذا ورد في الحديث أن أعوانه ينتزعون الأرواح من سائر الجسد حتى إذا بلغت الحلقوم تنازلها ملك الموت قال مجاهد حويت له الأرض فجعلت مثل الطست تناول منها متى يشاء. ورواه زهير بن محمد عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم بنحوه مرسلا. وقاله ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما" وروى ابن أبي حاتم حدثنا أبي حدثنا يحيى بن أبي يحيى المقري حدثنا عمر بن سمرة عن جعفر بن محمد قال سمعت أبي يقول: نظر رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إلى ملك الموت عند رأس رجل من الأنصار فقال له النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم "يا ملك الموت أرفق بصاحبي فإنه مؤمن" فقال ملك الموت: يا محمد طب نفسا وقر عينا فإني بكل مؤمن رفيق واعلم أن ما في الأرض بيت مدر ولا شعر في بر ولا بحر إلا وأنا أتصفحهم في كل يوم خمس مرات حتى أني أعرف بصغيرهم وكبيرهم منهم بأنفسهم والله يا محمد لو أنى أردت أن أقبض روح بعوضة ما قدرت على ذلك حتى يكون الله هو الآمر بقبضها. قال جعفر بلغني أنه إنما يتصفحهم عند مواقيت الصلاة فإذا حضرهم عند الموت فإن كان ممن يحافظ على الصلاة دنا منه الملك ودفع عنه الشيطان ولقنه الملك لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله في تلك الحال العظيمة وقال عبد الرزاق حدثنا محمد بن مسلم عن إبراهيم بن ميسرة قال سمعت مجاهدا يقول: ما على ظهر الأرض من بيت شعر أو مدر إلا وملك الموت يطرف به كل يوم مرتين وقال كعب الأحبار والله ما من بيت فيه أحد من أهل الدنيا إلا وملك الموت يقوم على بابه كل يوم سبع مرات ينظر هل فيه أحد أمرأن يتوقاه. رواه ابن أبي حاتم وقوله تعالى " ثم إلى ربكم ترجعون "أي يوم معادكم وقيامكم من قبوركم لجزائكم".

Refutation of Those Who think the Resurrection is unlikely to happen

Allah tells us how the idolators thought it unlikely that the resurrection would ever come to pass, and how they said:

أَءِذَا ضَلَلْنَا فِى الاٌّرْضِ

(When we are lost in the earth,) meaning, `when our bodies have been scattered and have disintegrated and dispersed in the earth,'

أَءِنَّا لَفِى خَلْقٍ جَدِيدٍ

(shall we indeed be created anew) means, `after that, will we come back again' They thought it unlikely that this would happen, and in terms of their own feeble abilities it is indeed unlikely, but this is not the case with regard to the power of the One Who created them from nothing, Who when He wills a thing merely says to it, "Be!" and it is. Allah says:

بَلْ هُم بِلَقَآءِ رَبِّهِمْ كَـفِرُونَ

(Nay, but they deny the meeting with their Lord!) Then Allah says:

قُلْ يَتَوَفَّـكُم مَّلَكُ الْمَوْتِ الَّذِى وُكِّلَ بِكُمْ

(Say: "The angel of death, who is set over you, will take your souls...") The apparent meaning of this Ayah is that the angel of death is a specific personality among the angels, as is also apparent from the Hadith of Al-Bara' which we quoted in (our Tafsir of) Surah Ibrahim. In some reports he (the angel of death) is called `Izra'il, which is well known. This is the view of Qatadah and others. The angel of death has helpers. It was reported in the Hadith that his helpers draw out the soul from the rest of the body until it reaches the throat, then the angel of death takes it. Mujahid said, "The earth is brought together for him and it is like a platter from which he takes whenever he wants."

ثُمَّ إِلَى رَبِّكُمْ تُرْجَعُونَ

(Then you shall be brought to your Lord.) means, on the Day when you are resurrected and brought forth from your graves to receive your reward or punishment.

Say to them ‘The Angel of death who has been charged with you shall receive you in death in other words he shall seize your spirits then to your Lord you shall be returned’ alive whereat He will requite you for your deeds.

Commentary

In verse 11, it was said: قُلْ يَتَوَفَّاكُم مَّلَكُ الْمَوْتِ الَّذِي وُكِّلَ بِكُمْ (Say, "The angel of death who has been assigned for you will take you in full" -11). In the verse previous to it, the deniers of the Qiyamah were warned and an answer was given to their wondering as to how would they be brought back to life once again after they had died and become dust. In the verse cited above, such people are being reminded, 'Think of your death which is, in itself, a great manifestation of the perfect power of Allah Ta’ ala. Your heedlessness and ignorance make you think that one's death comes all by itself, just like that. This is not how it is. In fact, fixed for your death there is a time with Allah and for this there is a standing system run through angels. Sayyidna ` Izra'il (علیہ السلام) is the foremost among them, the one who is the master-manager of death throughout the world. Whenever and wherever a person is destined to die, it is precisely at that time that he draws out his soul from his body.' This is what has been stated in the cited verse. It should be noted that مَلَکُ المَوت (malakul maut: angel of death) has been mentioned in the singular form. It means Sayyidna ` Izra'il (علیہ السلام) . Please compare it with another verse where it is said: الَّذِينَ تَتَوَفَّاهُمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ (the ones to whom the angels brought death - 16:28).

Here, the word: مَلَائِكَةُ (mala'ikah: angels) has been used in the plural form. This releases the hint that Sayyidna ` Izra'il ill does not do this alone. Many angels under him take part in accomplishing this duty.

Some details about the Exacting of Soul and the Angel of Death

Tafsir authority, Mujahid has said, 'before the angel of death, the whole world is very much like an open tray before a human being sprinkled in which there are grains and he picks up whichever he wants.' The same subject has also appeared in a mar' hadith, that is, traceable to the Holy Prophet ﷺ . (As mentioned by al-Qurtubi in At-tadhkirah)

According to a hadith, once the Holy Prophet ﷺ saw the angel of death standing behind the head of an Ansari sahabi on his death bed. He said, 'make it easy on my sahabi.' The angel of death said, 'Rest assured. I make it easy on every believer,' then, he added, ` just imagine the number of people living in towns or villages and in forests, mountains or waters, I see every one of them five times a day, therefore, I am directly acquainted with everyone of them, young or old.' Then, he concluded by saying, '0 Muhammad t, all this I am telling you about is nothing but what happens with the will and command of Allah. Otherwise, if I wanted to take the life of even a mosquito, I do not have the power to do so - unless there comes the very command of Allah Ta’ ala that I have to do it.'

The soul of animals: Does the angel of death exact that too?

From the hadith report mentioned above, it seems that it is the angel of death who, subject to Divine permission, exacts the soul of a mosquito too. Imam Malik (رح) has also said this while answering a question. But, some other reports show that this exacting of the soul is particular to human beings - because of their nobility and distinction. As for the animals, they will die under Divine will without the medium of the angel. (Mentioned by Ibn ` Atiyyah from al-Qurtubi)

The same subject has been reported by Abu ash-Shaikh, ` Uqaili, Dailami and others on the authority of Sayyidna Anas i narrating it from the Holy Prophet ﷺ . According to this report, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said, "All animals and insects keep glorifying Allah (for this is their life). When this glorification stops, Allah Ta’ ala takes their soul. The death of animals has not been entrusted with the angel of death". Another related hadith has been reported from Sayyidna Ibn ` Umar ؓ . (Mazhari)

It appears in yet another hadith, 'when Allah Ta’ ala handed over to Sayyidna ` Izra'il (علیہ السلام) the charge of managing the death of everyone in the world, he pleaded, "0 my Lord, You have put such a service in my charge that the entire race of the children of 'Adam living in the world is going to give me a bad name to the extent that every time I am remembered, I shall be dubbed as evil." Allah Ta’ ala would say, "We have taken care of that by placing some obvious diseases and causes of death in the world due to which everyone will attribute death to these diseases and causes and you will remain safe from their adverse comments." (Al-Qurtubi in his Tafsir and A1-tadhkirah)

And Imam al-Baghawi reports on the authority of Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said, "All diseases, and things like pain and wound, are the universal message-bearers of death. They remind every human being of his or her death. After that, when comes the time of death, the angel of death turns towards the dying person and says, '0 servant of God, how many notices have I served on you and how many message-bearers have I sent to you one after the other! All these diseases and accidents delivered at your doors were simply to warn you that you should get ready for death. Now, here I am after whom no bearer of some message will come to you anymore. Now you have got to say yes to the order of your Lord necessarily, whether willingly or unwillingly." (Mazhari)

Ruling:

The angel of death does not know the time of anyone's death in advance - until he is ordered to exact the soul of a certain person. (Deduced by Ahmad and Ibn Abi ad-Dunya from Ma'mar, Mazhari)

Say: “The angel of death, who has been entrusted with you, will make you die.” Were it not for the hearts' heedlessness, the taking of their spirits would not have been turned over to the angel of death. Since they were heedless of witnessing the realities, He addressed them in the measure of their understandings and attached their hearts to others. He addresses each of them in the measure of what their strength and weakness can carry. This address is in the measure of the understanding of the lords of customs and habits, who in their heedlessness do not find the road to the Real's realities and do not perceive the subtle secrets of the Beginningless, so they are given to drink in the measure of their capacities. Otherwise, in respect of the Haqiqah and what is addressed to the chevaliers of the Tariqah, the angel of death sifts the dust of the empire, seeking mines in the dust, and gems in the mines. “People are mines, like mines of gold and silver.” He is sifting the dust to see what you have nurtured within it-a carnelian, a ruby, a turquoise. Or no-you are bitumen, or tar, or pebbles. Are you a vile word [14:26] or a goodly word [14:24]? He sifts the dust, he twists the veins, he breaks the bones. How can his hands touch the pure deposit? What does he have to do with that? For he did not put it there that he should take it back. God takes the souls at the time of their death [39:42]. Khayr Nassāj was ill. The angel of death wanted to take his spirit. At the time of prayer, the muezzin said, “God is greater, God is greater.” Khayr said, “O Angel of Death! Wait until I per- form the obligatory night prayer. Otherwise, I will miss out on this command, but I will not miss out on your command.” When he performed the prayer, he put down his head in prostration and said, “O God, on the day when You placed this deposit, the angel of death was not there to intrude. What harm if today You take me without his intrusion?” O Lord, if You annihilate me with the sword of friendship, the angel of death will have nothing to do with me.