Artistic depiction of the angel of death

Azrael (in standard Arabic transliteration it is Ezra'il or Ezra'eil عزرائیل) is typically known as one of the names of the angel of death, and is an English form of the Arabic name Ezra'il or Ezra'eil, the name traditionally attributed to the angel of death in Islam, although the Qur'an never uses this name, usually using instead Malak al-Maut (which is a direct translation of angel of death). It is also spelled Izrail, Izrael, Azrail, and Azrael. In standard Arabic transliteration it is `Ezra'il or `Ezra'eil. Chambers English dictionary gives Azrael, but it doesn't seem to be in the Oxford English Dictionary. The name literally means whom God helps. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (541x700, 80 KB)An artistic depiction of the angel of death. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (541x700, 80 KB)An artistic depiction of the angel of death. ... Death, as a skeleton carrying a scythe, visiting a dying man. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Islam (Arabic:  ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the Quran, its principal scripture, whose followers, known as Muslims (مسلم), believe God (Arabic: الله ) sent through revelations to Muhammad. ... The Qurān [1] (Arabic: ‎ , literally the recitation; also called The Noble Quran; also transliterated as Quran, Koran, and Al-Quran), is the central religious text of Islam. ... This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ...

Azrael was first known as Azra, the descendant of the high priests of Aaron and scribe of the Babylonian exile and second Temple Jerusalem period. During the early Christian period he became known as Esdras, the prophet who bears witness to the coming of Christ. It was this early Christian story that claimed Azrael ascended into heaven without tasting death. He was also mentioned in the Christian heretic Marcion's records concerning the "Angel of Law". Aaron (אַהֲרֹן, a word meaning bearer of martyrs in Hebrew(perhaps also, or instead, related to the Egyptian Aha Rw, Warrior Lion), Standard Hebrew Aharon, Tiberian Hebrew ), was one of two brothers who play a unique part in the history of the Hebrew people. ... 1. ... Marcion of Sinope (ca. ...

He is generally depicted as an archangel under the command of God rather than in the fashion of the figure of Death personified. Depending on the outlook and precepts of various religions in which he is a figure, Azrael is portrayed as residing in the third Heaven. He has four faces and four thousand wings, and his whole body consists of eyes and tongues, the number of which 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. [Rf: Hastings, Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics IV, 617] This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Death, as a skeleton carrying a scythe, visiting a dying man. ... Heaven is an afterlife concept found in many religions or spiritual philosophies. ...

Azrael is also portrayed as the wisest or cleverest of the archangels. One story in the Qur'an has that God asked the four archangels (Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, and Azrael) to gather seven handfuls of dirt from the base of the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden. They realized that only three of them would be able to present the Lord with two handfuls, while the last would only bring one handful. Michael and Uriel immediately began to argue over which of them would carry two handfuls and which would carry only one. Gabriel tried to step in as a mediator, but eventually fell in with the argument. While they were thus distracted, Azrael snuck away and gathered all seven handfuls of dirt by himself, putting them in a bag and taking them to God alone.

In Exodus 12:12, when God inflicts the tenth and final plague on Egypt (the death of the firstborn), it is said that Azrael was the one that actually came and took the souls of the firstborn.

See also

• Death (personification)
• Angels in Islam for more information.

Death, as a skeleton carrying a scythe, visiting a dying man. ... Angels in Islam are light-based creatures, created by Allah to serve and worship him. ...

Azrael in fiction

Depiction of Azrael by Mikhail Vrubel

• Azrael makes a brief but memorable appearance in Terry Pratchett's novel Reaper Man. While there are many Deaths for different worlds (who are themselves divided into Deaths for different creatures) in the Discworld novels, Azrael, as the Death of Universes, is their ruler. All other Deaths are aspects of him.
• The novel Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman includes the Angel of Death, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, who calls himself Azrael.
• In The Smurfs, the sorcerer Gargamel's pet cat was named Azrael.
• Azrael appears in at least one John Bellairs book.
• In Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, the chief human rebel against the Authority is called Lord Asriel.
• In Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's trilogy The Rose of the Prophet, Asrial is the name of a young guardian angel - an immortal serving the good god Promenthas.
• Jason Lee played the character Azrael, a forsaken muse with a hidden agenda, in Kevin Smith's movie Dogma (though the film gives the Loki-like character the name Azrael, and the Azrael-like character the name Loki). He wears a white Cabot hat to hide two small horns growing out of his forehead, because after being cast out of Heaven for not fighting for God's side in the rebellion of Lucifer, Azrael is cast out of heaven and becomes a demon.
• In Kidou Senshi Gundam Seed, Muruta Azrael is the name of the leader for Blue Cosmos, an extremist group dedicated to eradicating genetically enhanced humans (the coordinators).
• There is also a novel Azrael by the German author Wolfgang Hohlbein. Azrael is a codename for a special drug to enhance human skills for military purposes.
• In Yoshiki Tanaka's novel The Heroic Legend of Arslan, Azrael (or Azrail) is the name of a hawk. The name is translated to Japanese as 'Kokushitenshi' (告死天使) which means 'Angel Who Announces Death'.
• The alias of the writer of the Outpost Nine editorial series "I am a Japanese School Teacher" is Azrael.
• In the science-fiction setting of the Warhammer 40,000 strategy war game, the Dark Angels Chapter Master is known as Commander Azrael, Supreme Grand Master of the Dark Angels.
• In the fictional Batman universe, Azrael is another masked and costumed superhero, a mostly-faithful ally to Batman himself and his allies. Real name Jean Paul Valley, he stood in for Bruce Wayne as Batman during the Knightfall saga.
• In the Dragon King series by Stephen Lawhead, Azrael is the ruler of the underworld, frequently invoked in interjections.
• Azrael is the real name of the wingless angel in the manga Juvenile Orion.
• Azriel is an ancient Babylonian spirit floating around Manhattan in a novel by Anne Rice titled Servant of the Bones. [1]
• In the Mists of Everness series, Azrael appears as an evil sorcerer, formerly Merlin, who has forsaken his previous name through acts of evil.
• In the Japanese manga, Chrono Crusade (Chrno Crusade), the main character, Rosette remembers singing a song with her brother about the angel, Azrael.
• An episode of the third season of the TV show CSI:New York, that aired November 15th, 2006, was titled "Here's To You, Mrs. Azrael".
• Azrael appears as an enemy in Square Enix's Final Fantasy III.
• In Square-Enix's Final Fantasy XII, the Esper Zalera, the Death Seraph is named after Azrael. Zalera is an anagram of Azrael.
• In Capcom's game Chaos Legion, Azrael is the Lord of the Spirits, and the final boss.

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2115x1911, 1491 KB) Mikhail Vrubel. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2115x1911, 1491 KB) Mikhail Vrubel. ... Self-portrait, 1885 Mikhail Aleksandrovich Vrubel (Russian: Михаил Александрович Врубель;March 17, 1856 - April 14, 1910, all n. ... See also: Discworld magic The Discworld gods are the fictional deities from Terry Pratchetts Discworld series of fantasy novels. ... Terence David John Pratchett OBE (born April 28, 1948, in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England[1]) is an English fantasy author, best known for his Discworld series. ... Reaper Man is a Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett. ... Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (1990) is a fantasy novel written in collaboration between Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. ... Neil Richard Gaiman () (born November 10, 1960, Portchester, Hampshire) is an English author of numerous science fiction and fantasy works, including many graphic novels. ... Death, as a skeleton carrying a scythe, visiting a dying man. ... Woodcut of the Four Horsemen by Albrecht Dürer The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are mentioned in the Bible in chapter six of the Book of Revelation. ... A smurf The Smurfs (Les Schtroumpfs in French) are a fictional group of small sky blue creatures who live somewhere in the forests of Europe. ... The Sorceress by John William Waterhouse Magic and sorcery are the influencing of events, objects, people and physical phenomena by mystical or paranormal means. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... Image:Notre Dame years. ... Philip Pullman CBE (born October 19, 1946) is an English writer. ... The trilogy (non-North American versions), in order of succession from left to right. ... Lord Asriel is a major character in Philip Pullmans His Dark Materials series. ... Jason Lee may refer to: Jason Lee (missionary) (1803–1845), American missionary and pioneer in the Oregon Territory Jason Scott Lee (born 1966), Asian-American film actor Jason Lee (actor) (born 1970), American actor in TV series My Name is Earl, Church of Scientology member, and former professional skateboarder Jason... Dogma is a 1999 comedy film, written and directed by Kevin Smith, who stars in the film along with Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Linda Fiorentino, Alan Rickman, Salma Hayek, Chris Rock, Jason Lee, Jason Mewes, George Carlin, and Alanis Morissette. ... This picture, from an 18th century Icelandic manuscript, shows Loki with his invention - the fishing net. ... Title of the series Mobile Suit Gundam SEED (or Gundam Seed) is an anime television series from Japan. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards and be more accessible to a general audience, this article or section may require cleanup. ... == == == == Wolfgang Hohlbein es un putoooooo == == == == Wolfgang Hohlbein (* August 11, 1953) is a German writer of fantasy and horror fiction who was born in Weimar, Thuringia and today lives near Neuss, North Rhine-Westphalia with his Family and a large number of cats and dogs. ... A code name or cryptonym is a word or name used clandestinely to refer to another name or word. ... Dr. Yoshiki Tanaka (田中 芳樹 Tanaka Yoshiki, born October 22, 1952) is a famous novelist in Japan. ... The Heroic Legend of Arslan is the title of a Japanese fantasy novel, which is known in Japan as Arslan Senki (アルスラーン戦記). In the 1800s, Naqib ul-Mamālik (نقیب الممالک), royal story teller of Nasereddin Shahs court, became popular for creating the tale Amir Arsalān-i Nāmdār. In... This article lacks information on the subject matters importance. ... Cover of the Warhammer 40,000 4th edition rulebook This article is about the tabletop miniature wargame and the fictional universe in which it is set. ... The Dark Angels were the first of the original twenty First Founding Legions of the Space Marines serving the Imperium of Man in the fictional future of the tabletop wargame Warhammer 40,000. ... It has been suggested that Skills and abilities of Batman be merged into this article or section. ... Azrael (Jean-Paul Valley) is a fictional character from DC Comics. ... This article may contain original research or unverified claims. ... For other uses, see Batman (disambiguation). ... Cover to Batman #497: The breaking of the Bat. ... Stephen R. Lawhead (born July 2, 1950) is an American writer known for novels, both fantasy and science fiction and more recently his works of historical fiction. ... 2nd English edition of InuYasha Vol. ... Juvenile Orion ) is a trading card game and shoujo manga series. ... Anne Rice. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Chrono Crusade ), known as Chrno Crusade in Japan, Singapore, Germany, and Australia, is an eight volume manga series authored by the Japanese mangaka Daisuke Moriyama. ... SQUARE ENIX (Japanese: スクウェア・エニックス) is a Japanese producer of popular video games and manga. ... This article is about the Famicom game, Final Fantasy III. For the Nintendo DS remake, see Final Fantasy III (Nintendo DS). ... Square Enix ) TYO: 9684 is a video game company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series and the Dragon Quest series (known for many years as Dragon Warrior in North America). ... Final Fantasy XII ) is a console role-playing game produced by Square Enix for the Sony PlayStation 2 video game console. ... Capcom Co. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Azrael in Music

• The 1999 self-titled album by Demons & Wizards features a three song epic about a gnome named Azrael, "who is unhappy with the universe he created and begins to disassemble it." (http://www.demonsandwizards.za.net/ns_demonsandwizards.htm).

• The 1986's album Horse Rotorvator by Coil, which contains only songs devoted to death, features The Golden Section describing visions of death in different cultural traditions, including Azrael. The lyrics can be read here.

• The Azrael is the name of an album by Black Sunrise, a Portuguese hardcore-metal band.

• Asrael is a symphony by Czech composer Josef Suk from 1906.

• Azrael (Angel of Death) is a song from on re-issues of the 1967 album The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack by progressive band The Nice

• Azrael is a song on the 1986 album Crimson Glory by progressive metal band Crimson Glory about the angel of mercy, Azrael.

• Azrael is a song from on the 1998 album No Limits by heavy metal band U.D.O.

• The single for the song Darkangel by VNV Nation contains the tracks Darkangel (Gabriel), and Darkangel (Azrael).

• There is a Japanese power metal band by the name of Azrael.

• There is a Marduk song called Azrael.

• There is a death metal band from Buffalo, New York called Sons of Azrael

• Azrael is also a power metal band from Granada, Spain.

• Azrael is also a black metal band from the Midwestern Uniteds States.

• "Upon Azrael's wings" is a song by British stoner/doom metal band Cathedral

• "Twilight Of Azrael" is a song from the "Beyond The Cursed Eclipse" album by the black metal band Vesperian Sorrow.

• "Azrael at Dawn" is a german indie rock musician.

• Azrael the Silent Angel is a rapper from the Oldominion crew.

• There is a poem by Robert Gilbert Welsh titled "Azrael", depicting him as the Angel of Death

• Arthur Miller's play "The Creation of Life and Other Business" features Azrael as a character.

1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... The Main members of the band: Jon Schaffer (left) and Hansi Kürsch (right) Demons & Wizards is a Power Metal recording project conceived as a side-project of the metal bands Blind Guardian and Iced Earth. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Coil (1982 - 13 November 2004) were a cross-genre, experimental music group who worked in such forms as industrial, noise, ambient and dark ambient, neo-folk, spoken word, drone music, and minimalism. ... Josef Suk (January 4, 1874 - May 29, 1935) was a Czech composer and violinist. ... 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack is a 1967 early progressive rock album by The Nice. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Crimson Glory is a progressive metal band from the USA which formed in the mid 80s. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... U.D.O. is a German heavy metal band founded by lead singer Udo Dirkschneider in 1987. ... VNV (which stands for Victory, not Vengeance) Nation, is an electronic music group originally from London, now based in Hamburg, that combines elements of trance, synthpop and electronic body music (EBM), into what they call futurepop. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Marduk is a Swedish black metal band, who are based in Norrköping. ... Death metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal that evolved out of thrash metal during the early 1980s. ... Nickname: City of Good Neighbors, Queen City, City of Light Location of Buffalo in New York State County Erie County Mayor Byron Brown Area    - City 136. ... Official language(s) None Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  Ranked 27th  - Total 54,520 sq mi (141,205 km²)  - Width 285 miles (455 km)  - Length 330 miles (530 km)  - % water 13. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article is about the Spanish city. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... Black metal started in the early 1980s with bands such as Bathory, Mayhem, Mercyful Fate, and Hellhammer/Celtic Frost; as well as Venom to a lesser extent (due to their influence on Hellhammer/Celtic Frost). ... Rapping is one of the elements of hip hop and the distinguishing feature of hip hop music; it is a form of rhyming lyrics spoken rhythmically over musical instruments, with a musical backdrop of sampling, scratching and mixing by DJs. ... Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and author. ...

External links

• Song of Azrael information about the origins of Azrael in Jewish, Islamic and Christian history.
• http://www.spiritwritings.co.nz/ The Teaching. Teaching about the purpose of human life, written by Kathleen Long, who claims that she had a personal contact to Azrael.