Christianity
Islam
Judaism
Hinduism
Buddhism
The Angel of Death
A supernatural figure who comes at the moment of death appears across the Abrahamic faiths and beyond. Whether called Azra'il, the Angel of Death, or Yama, this figure embodies the inevitability of mortality and the transition to whatever lies beyond.
Across the World's Religions
Christianity
- Practice
- Angels escorting souls; death as gateway to judgment
- Key Text
- Luke 16:22; Hebrews 9:27; Psalm 116:15
Islam
- Practice
- Malak al-Maut (Azra'il) — the angel who takes souls
- Key Text
- Quran 32:11, 6:61
Judaism
- Practice
- Mal'akh HaMavet — the Angel of Death in rabbinic tradition
- Key Text
- Psalm 89:48; Berakhot 4b; Exodus 12:23
Hinduism
- Practice
- Yama — the lord of death who guides souls to the afterlife
- Key Text
- Katha Upanishad 1.1; Rig Veda 10.14
Buddhism
- Practice
- Yama (Mara-like figure) — reminder of impermanence
- Key Text
- MN 130; Dhammapada 46, 170