Azrael (“Help from God/God helps”), the Angel of Death.

In Islamic folklore (where she is called “Izra’il”), she (yes, my version of Azrael is female) is canonically the Archangel of Death, who presides over a whole host of lower-ranking angels of death. Azrael is a benevolent figure and one of the four big Archangels. She ends lives by separating the soul from the body and also acts as a psychopomp, guiding souls to the afterlife. To good people she appears as a stunningly beautiful being, while evil-doers see a horrific monster.

She is said to hold a scroll containing the names of humans. She records the names of the newborn and erases the names of those who die. God informs her forty days in advance, when she is to take a life.

There is a legend saying that Azrael became the Angel of Death (“Malak al-Maut”), because she was the only angel, who could handle looking at Death without fainting, which prompted Death to submit to her.

I based one of my headcanons on that legend: after the War in Heaven, Death asked God (or Life, as she calls Him) for a new vessel, as her old one had fallen. So God tested His angels to see, which one was worthy. All of them fainted in terror, except for Azrael, who kept staring at Death in mesmerisation. Seeing that this Archangel alone could handle her presence, she chose her to be her new vessel. That’s how Azrael became the Angel of Death. The other angels fear her a little and even her fellow Archangels feel uneasy in her presence (save for Raphael, who as a healer is used to facing her). But she is generally compassionate, civil, level-headed and as calm as can be, unless God asks her to reveal her darker, more destructive side.

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Of course Azrael has countless hands, because she’s an Archangel, but I chose to depict only six. Her left hand (the one attached to her arm) is holding the inevitable scythe that Death is associated with in Christianity. The hourglass stands for the passing of time, the scales for judgement, the lamp is to guide the souls into the afterlife, she replaced her scroll with a handier smartphone and she’s pointing heavenwards as a symbol of hope for a place in paradise.

Islamic lore: the three (known) sapient creations of Allah swt

According to islamic lore, the three sapient creations of Allah swt (God) which are known to mankind, are angels, jinn, and men.

It is reported that the Prophet (Muhammed saw) said; “The angels were created from light, the jinn were created from fire, and Adam was created from that which has been described to you (clay).”

Al-Malaa’ikah (Angels)

According to the Quran and the hadith (collection of narrations from the time of the Prophet), the angels (Al-Malaa'ikah) where created from light, long before the creation of mankind. The Malaa'ikah belong to the world of the “unseen”, that which cannot be seen or properly comprehended by man. Believing in the Malaa'ikah is one of the six pilars of faith in Islam. The Malaa'ikah are not said to be male or female, nor are they mentioned to reproduce. The Malaa'ikah do not have free will; they only serve Allah swt and his command. As such, they do not have the ability to disobey God, unlike jinn and men. Islamic lore thus rejects the idea of fallen angels (and in accordance, the belief that Iblis (the Devil) was an angel). In Islam, the only distiction made is between the archangels and other angels. The archangels include Jibril (Gabriel), Mikail (Michael), Israfi,l and the angel of Death (known to some as Azrael). It is mentioned in the Quran that “For each one [human] are successive [angels] before and behind him who protect him by the decree of Allah(..)” (Ar-Ra’d, 13:11), indicating that there are more Malaa'ikah, than there are humans.

Al-Jinn (romanized as Djinn, or anglicized as Genies)

The Jinn are mentioned throughout the Quran and in many hadith. They were created long before mankind and have existed on earth long before mankind arrived. The jinn, like the Malaa'ikah, belong to the world of the “unseen”, although they can make themselves visible to mankind if they so wish. It is mentioned in the Quran that; “Indeed, he (Iblis) sees you, he and his tribe, from where you do not see them.” (Al-Araf, 7:27). The Jinns have free will, they can be good or bad, have different faiths, reproduce like humans, and also need food and drink. They have long lives of perhaps hundreds or even thousands of years and can posess humans. The Prophet is also reported to have said; “The jinn are of three types: a type that has wings and they fly through the air; a type that looks like snakes and dogs; and a type that stops for a rest then resumes its journey.” (Reported by At-Tahawi in Mushkil Al-’Athar). Other types are mentioned, such as different rankings of shaytans (evil jinns). Iblis, known also as Satan or Lucifer in Christian lore, i.e. the Devil, according to islamic lore, was a jinn. The jinns live on earth like humans, usually in places such as ruins, or unclean places. Furthermore the Prophet is reported to have said; “There is not one of you (humans) who does not have a jinn appointed to be his constant companion.” (Reported by Ibn Mas`ud). This jinn companion follows him or her all through life.

Mankind