Editing Azrael (section)

{{short description|Archangel of Death in Islam}}
{{other uses}}
{{distinguish|text=[[Azazel]], a fallen angel, or [[Azazil]], in Islamic traditions the name of Iblis before his fall}}
{{redirect-distinguish|Izrail|Israel}}
{{Infobox
| above            = {{nobold|{{Script/Hebrew|עֲזַרְאֵל}}}}<br />{{nobold|{{Script/Arabic|عزرائيل}}}}
| image            = [[File:"L’Allégorie de l’Enfer" or "Azrael" (c. 1890) - Jean Delville.jpg|240px|]]
| caption          = According to Brendan Cole, this painting of Azrael is linked to a 1892 poem by Delville called "Azraël" (published in his book ''Les Horizons Hantés'')
| header5          = 
| header1          = Angel of Death
| label2           = Associated religions
| headerstyle      = background:lightgrey
| data2            = [[Islam]]
| label3           = Attributes
| data3            = [[Archangel]]; [[psychopomp]]; wings; cloak.
| label4           = Associations
| data4            = [[Gabriel#Islam|Jibrāʾīl]], [[Michael (archangel)#Islam|Mīkāʾīl]], and [[Israfil|Isrāfīl]] (in Islam)
| label5           = Alternate spellings
| data5            = * ʿĂzarʾēl
* ʿAzrāʾīl
* ʿIzrāʾīl
* Ajrā-īl
* Ezrā’ël
| label6           = Appearance in text
| data6            = * [[Quran]] (''[[As-Sajdah|Surah As-Sajdah]]'')
* [[Apocalypse of Peter]]
| title            = Azrael
}}

'''Azrael''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|æ|z|r|i|.|ə|l|,_|-|r|eɪ|-}}; {{Langx|he|עֲזַרְאֵל|translit= ʿǍzarʾēl}}, 'God has helped';<ref>{{Cite web |title=Strong's Hebrew Concordance - 5832. Azarel |url=https://biblehub.com/hebrew/5832.htm}}</ref> {{Langx|ar|عزرائيل|translit= ʿAzrāʾīl ''or'' ʿIzrāʾīl}}) is the [[canonical]] [[Angel#Abrahamic religions|angel]] of death in [[Islam]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Azrael{{!}} Meaning, Angel, & Fate {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Azrael |access-date=2024-06-06 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> and appears in the [[New Testament apocrypha|apocryphal text]] [[Apocalypse of Peter]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bauckham |first=Richard |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GxRtPwAACAAJ |title=The Fate of the Dead: Studies on the Jewish and Christian Apocalypses |date=2008 |publisher=Society of Biblical Literature |isbn=978-1-58983-288-6 |language=en}}</ref>

Relative to similar concepts of such beings, Azrael holds a benevolent role as [[God in Abrahamic religions|God]]'s angel of death; he acts as a [[psychopomp]], responsible for transporting the souls of the deceased after their death.<ref>[[Gustav Davidson|Davidson, Gustav]]. 1968. "Longfellow's Angels". ''[[Prairie Schooner]]'' 42(3):235–43. {{JSTOR|40630837}}.</ref> In Islam, he is said to hold a scroll concerning the fate of mortals, recording and erasing their names at their birth and death, similar to the role of the ''malakh ha-mavet'' (Angel of Death) in [[Judaism]].<ref name=":0">{{citation|last1=Hastings|first1=James|title=Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics Part 3|year= 2003 |publisher= Kessinger Publishing|isbn= 0-7661-3671-X|last2= Selbie|first2= John A.|page= 617}}</ref><ref name="BF">Hamilton, Michelle M. 2014. ''Beyond Faith: Belief, Morality and Memory in a Fifteenth-Century Judeo-Iberian Manuscript''. Leiden: Brill. {{ISBN|9789004282735}}.</ref>{{Rp|234}}

Depending on the perspective and precepts of the various religions in which he is a figure, he may also be portrayed as a resident of the [[Third Heaven]], a [[Heaven#Abrahamic religions|division of heaven]] in Judaism and Islam.<ref name="DoA">
[[Gustav Davidson|Davidson, Gustav]]. [1967] 1971. [https://books.google.com/books?id=kGXelGEMdWgC&pg=PA64 "A § Azrael"]. Pp. 64–65 in ''A Dictionary of Angels, Including the Fallen Angels''. New York: Free Press. {{ISBN|9780029070505}}.
</ref> In Islam, he is one of the four [[archangel]]s, and is identified with the [[Quran]]ic ''Malʾak al-Mawt'' ({{Langx|ar|ملك الموت|lit= angel of death|label=none}}), which corresponds with the Hebrew term ''Malʾakh ha-Maweth'' ({{Langx|he|מלאך המוות|label= none}}) in [[Rabbinic literature]]. In Hebrew, Azrael translates to "Angel of God" or "Help from God".<ref name="DoA" />