1a. Which angels take the soul of the Muslim, the angels of mercy or the angels of wrath?

1a.
It was narrated from al-Bara' ibn 'Aazib (may Allah be pleased with
him)that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said
-- in a lengthy hadeeth in which he described the situation of the
believer and the evildoer when their souls are taken --:
"… as for the evildoer, when he is about to enter the Hereafter and
depart from this world, the Angel of Death comes to him and sits by
his head. Therecome down to him angels from heaven with black faces,
bringing with them sackcloth. They sit with him as far as the eye can
see. Then the Angel of Death and says, 'O evil soul, come out to the
wrath and anger of Allaah…' .
This was narrated by al-Haakim in al-Mustadrak (1/93) and classed as
saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in Ahkaam al-Janaa'iz (no. 108). The
hadeeth is also narrated inal-Sunan. Ibn Tooloon compiled in his book
al-Tahreer al-Mursakh fi Ahwaal al-Barzakh (p. 75-112) the hadeeths
and reports which speak of this matter.
But if we say that what is meant by the evildoer or the bad man in
these reports is the disbeliever who is mentioned in the other
reports, then all the versions of the hadeeth are in accordance, as
seems to be the case. So that means that there is nothing definite
about Muslims who commit wrong actions and major sins. And Allah knows
best.
Shaykh al-Shanqeeti (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
"Those whose lives the angels take while they arein a pious state
(i.e. pure from all evil, and worshipping none but Allaah Alone)
saying (to them): Salaamun 'Alaikum (peace be on you) enter you
Paradise, because of that (the good) which you used to do (in the
world)"
[al-Nahl 16:32 –interpretation of the meaning].
In this verse Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, stated that the
pious who obeyed the commands of their Lord and avoided that which He
forbade willhave their souls taken by the angels when they are in a
good state, i.e., pure and free of shirk and sin -- according to the
soundest commentaries -- and they will give them the glad tidings of
Paradise and greet them with salaam..
This meaning is also stated elsewhere, as in theverses in which Allah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Verily, those who say: "Our Lord is Allaah (Alone)," and then they
stand firm, on them the angels will descend (at thetime of their
death) (saying): "Fear not, nor grieve! But receive the glad tidings
of Paradise which you have been promised!"
[Fussilat 41:30]
"and its keepers will say: Salaamun 'Alaykum (peacebe upon you)! You
have done well, so enter here toabide therein"
[al-Zumar 39:74]
"And angels shall enter unto them from every gate (saying):
24. "Salâmun 'Alaikum (peace be upon you) for you persevered in
patience! Excellent indeed is the final home!"
[al-Ra'd 13:23-24]
The glad tidings are given at the time of death, and when they entered
Paradise from one gate, because they are glad tidings of good after
moving to the Hereafter.
From the description of those whose souls are taken when they are in a
good state and to whom itis said ' peace be upon you, enter Paradise,'
it may be understood that those who are not described as pious will
notbe taken by the angels in that noble state or be greeted or given
glad tidings.
Allah has stated this meaning elsewhere, such as in the verses where
He says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Those whose lives the angels take while they aredoing wrong to
themselves (by disbelief and by associating partners in worship with
Allaah and by committing all kinds of crimes and evildeeds)." Then,
they will make (false) submission"
[al-Nahl 16:28]
"Verily, as for those whom the angels take (in death) while they are
wronging themselves (as they stayed among the disbelievers even though
emigration was obligatoryfor them), they (angels) say (to them): 'In
what (condition) were you?' They reply: 'We were weak and oppressed on
the earth.' They (angels) say: 'Was not the earth of Allaah spacious
enough foryou to emigrate therein?' Such men will find their abode in
Hell — what an evil destination!"
[al-Nisa' 4:97]
"And if you could see when the angels take away the souls of those who
disbelieve (at death); they smite their faces and their backs,
(saying): :->

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1. Which angels take the soul of the Muslim, the angels of mercy or the angels of wrath?

1.
If a Muslim who sins dies, is his soul taken by the angels of mercy or
the angels of wrath? Please note that he prays, but he commits some
sins such aslooking at haraam things or listening to music.
May Allah reward you withgood.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
The majority of texts that speak of this matter dividepeople into two
categories:
1. Believers. The angels of mercy take their souls and lift them
up to heavenwith great care, coming with glad tidings, calling them by
the most loved oftheir names, so they feel joy, blessing and happiness
which makes them steadfast.
2. Disbelievers and hypocrites. The angels of wrath take their
souls, coming with harshness and warnings, and the gates of heaven are
closedin their faces, so they are thrown in the earth to face woe and
punishmentsas recompense for what they did in this world of
wrongdoing, disbelief and enmity.
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, mentioned that in the Holy
Qur'aan, where He says (interpretation of the meaning):
"By those (angels) who pull out (the souls of the disbelievers and the
wicked) with great violence.
2. By those (angels) who gently take out (the souls of the believers).
3. And by those that swim along (i.e. angels or planets in their orbits)"
[al-Naazi'aat 79:1-3].
Al-Haafiz ibn Katheer (mayAllah have mercy on him) said:
Ibn Mas'ood, Ibn 'Abbaas, Masrooq, Sa'eed ibn Jubayr, Abu Saalih,
Abu'l-Duha and al-Suddi said: "By those who pull out" refers to the
angels, i.e., when they pull out the souls of the sons of Adam. There
are some whose soul is taken forcefully andthey suffer when it is
taken out, and there are some whose soul is taken gently, which is
referred toin the verse, "and those who gently take out." Thiswas
stated by Ibn 'Abbaas.
It was also narrated from Ibn 'Abbaas that al-naazi'aat refers to the
souls of the disbelievers, which are taken out, then plunged into the
Fire. This was narrated by Ibn Abi Haatim. End quote.
Tafseer al-Qur'aan al-Kareem, 8/312
Secondly:
There is fear for the Muslim who commits sin or is an evildoer -- and
what is meant is the one who persists in committing major sins or
transgresses against people and dies in that state. To which of the
two groups mentioned above does he belong? Is his soultaken by the
angels of mercy and treated in the same manner as the believers, or is
it taken by the angels of wrath and treated in the same manner as the
disbelievers?
This is a matter of the unseen and we have not found any text that
clearlyand definitively states the situation of the one who commits
major sins.
But there are some references that may indicate that the angels of
wrath take the souls of those who commit major sins. For example:
1.
The hadeeth about the man who killed one hundred people, then he
repented to Allah, may He be glorified and exalted. When he died, the
angels of mercy and the angels ofwrath disputed as to which of them
would takehis soul and take it up to heaven. The story was narrated by
Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him):
The angels of mercy and the angels of torment disputed over him. The
angels of mercy said: he came repenting and turning wholeheartedly
towards Allaah. The angelsof torment said: He never did anything good.
Then an angel in the form of a man came to them and they appointed him
(to decide) between them. He said: Measure the distance between the
two lands, and whichever is closer, that is where he belongs. So they
measured it and they found that he was closer to the land that he was
heading for, so the angels of mercy took him."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari (3740) and Muslim (2766).
Think about how the angels of wrath wanted totake the soul of this
sinnerwho had killed one hundred people. Were it not for the sincerity
of his repentance, his soul wouldhave fallen to the share of the
angels of wrath. So there is the fear for all of those who commit
major sins that the angels of wrath may take their soulsif they do not
repent to Allah, may He be glorified and exalted.
2.
There are many hadeeths which describe how the angels come to take the
soul of the one who is dying and take it up to thehighest heavens;
these hadeeths compare and contrast the situation of the believers and
that of the disbelievers. In some of these hadeeths it says al-faajir
(evildoer) instead of al-kaafir (disbeliever). And in some of them it
describes him as al-rajul al-su' (the bad man). This may also indicate
that the one who commits major sins is in great danger in this regard.
:->

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Reconciling between the reports that Jibreel, Adam and Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon them) sawParadise, and the hadeeth “… that which no eye has seen…”

It is well known that in Paradise there is that which no eye has seen
andno ear has heard, but wasn't Adam in Paradise? Didn't the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) enter Paradise too?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that
theProphet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "Allaah
says: 'I have prepared for My righteous slaves that which no eye has
seen, no ear has heard and it has never crossed the mind of man. All
of that is reserved, besides which allthat you have known is as
nothing.' Then he recited: 'No person knows what is kept hidden for
them of joy as a reward for what they used to do' [al-Sajdah32:17 –
interpretation of the meaning]."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari (3072) and Muslim (2824) -- the report
narrated by Muslim adds: "apart from that of which Allaah has informed
you."
Secondly:
With regard to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
seeing Paradise and entering it, that is proven in many hadeeths. Imam
al-Bukhaari, in his book al-Sharee'ah, quoted someof these hadeeths
under the chapter heading Baab Dukhool al-Nabi (sall Allahu 'alayhi wa
sallam) al-Jannah (The Prophet's entering Paradise) in which he
narrated several hadeeths, including the following:
It was narrated from Anas ibn Maalik that the Prophet (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) said: Whilst I was walking in Paradise, I
saw a river whose banks were domes of hollow pearls." I said, "What is
this, O Jibreel?" He said: "This is al-Kawthar which your Lord has
given to you." The angel struck it with his hand and its mud or
itsperfume was of the most fragrant (or pure) musk.
Narrated by al-Bukhaari (6201).
According to another report: When the Prophet (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) was taken up to heaven (the Mi'raaj), [he said:] I
came to a river whose banks …
According to a version narrated in Musnad Ahmad (19/66): "I entered
Paradise and saw a river whose banks were pavilions of pearls."
Thirdly:
With regard to the issue mentioned by the questioner, it may be
said:This that has been prepared in Paradise for the righteous slaves
of Allah has not been seen byanyone, as it states in the texts. As for
what Adam and our Prophet Muhammad (blessings andpeace of Allah be
upon them) saw, it was only part of in Paradise becauseParadise, "in
which there is that which no eye has seen" is not necessarily that
which no one has ever seen. Rather it may be that there are in it
things that some eyes have seen, even though there is in it that which
is stored up and hidden, no eye has seen it and no ear has heard, and
no one can imagine it or describe it.
Perhaps the above meaning is supported by the hadeeth of al-Mugheerah
ibn Shu'bah,who said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) said: "Moosa asked his Lord: 'Who will be the
lowest of the people of Paradise in status?' He said: 'He will be a
man who will come after I haveadmitted the people of Paradise to
Paradise and itwill be said to him: "Enter Paradise." He will say: "O
Lord, how, when the people have taken their places and been given
their portions?" It will be said to him: "Would it please you if you
had the like of what one of the kings of the world had?" He will say:
"I would be pleased, O Lord." He will say, "You will have that, and as
much again, and as much again, and as much again, and as much
again."The fifth time, he will say, "I am pleased, O Lord." He will
say: "You will have that and ten times as much, and you will have what
your heart desires and what will delight youreyes." He will say: "I am
pleased, O Lord."' (Moosa) said: 'My Lord, who will bethe highest of
them in status?' He said, 'They will be the ones whom I have chosen,
and I have plantedtheir honour with My own hand. I have set a seal
over it and no eye has seen, no ear has heard, norhas it entered the
heart of man.'" He said: And the confirmation thereof is in the Book
of Allaah, may Hebe glorified and exalted: "No person knows what is
kept hidden for them of joy as a reward for what they used to do"
[al-Sajdah 32:17].
Narrated by Muslim, 189.
It is as if those who are highest in status are thosewho have the
greatest share of this hidden treasure and blessing that no eye has
seen and no mind has imagined.
And Allah knows best.

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The Bible on marriage of young girls with much older men

As it is Christian evangelists and other believers in the Bible who
have been bitterly reviling the Holy Prophet Muhammad on account of
his marriage with Aisha, we put to them thepractices of the great
patriarchs and prophets that are recorded in the Bible itself in this
connection. The main accusations regarding the marriage of Aisha
arethat she was too young in age while the Holy Prophet was a much
older man, being fifty years of age, and that consent to marriage was
either not obtained from her or she was not capable of giving it.
Abraham
In the book of Genesis in the Bible it is recorded about Abraham:
"Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But she had an
Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; so she saidto Abram, 'The Lord has
kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I
can build a family through her.' Abram agreed to what Sarai said. So
after Abram had been living in Canaan tenyears, Sarai his wife took
her Egyptian maidservantHagar and gave her to her husband to be his
wife. He slept with Hagar,and she conceived. … So Hagar bore Abram a
son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. Abram
was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael." (Genesis,
chapter 16, verses 1–4, and 15–16, New International Version. Bolding
is mine.)
Firstly, it is evident that as Abraham (who then had the name Abram)
was 86 years old, Hagar must have been some fifty years younger than
him, and probably even younger, to bear a child. Secondly, the Bible
speaks of Sarai giving her maidservant Hagar toAbraham. So Hagar's
consent was not obtained but rather she was commanded by Saraito go
and become Abraham's wife.
David
The first book of Kings in the Bible begins as follows:
"When King David was old and well advanced in years, he could not keep
warm even when they put covers over him. So his servants said to him,
'Let us look for a young virgin to attend the king and take care of
him. Shecan lie beside him so thatour lord the king may keep warm.'
Then they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful girl and found
Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king. The girl was very
beautiful; she took care of the king and waited on him, but the king
had no intimate relations with her." (1 Kings, chapter 1, verses 1–4,
New International Version. Bolding is mine.)
So there seems nothing wrong, according to the Bible, in procuring a
young virgin, again apparently without her consent, whose duties
include lying with the elderly king in bed. The intention was
certainly for sexual enjoyment, otherwise there was no necessity of
looking for a young, beautiful virgin. Amuch older woman, perhaps a
widow, could have performed all these duties, including lying with the
king to keep him warm.
Mary and Joseph
The most famous marriage in Christianity isno doubt that of Mary,
Jesus' mother, with Joseph. While the following details are not in the
canonical Gospels in the Bible, it appears from other early
Christianwritings (known as apocryphal writings) thatMary was twelve
years old when the temple elders decided to find a husband for her.
They selected the husband by drawing lots, and Joseph whom they chose
was an elderly man, being according to some accounts ninety years old.
The husband was selected and Mary was handed over to him, and she
played no part in his selection.
These accounts are summed up in the Catholic Encyclopedia, 1913
edition, which is available online, as follows:
"It will not be without interest to recall here, unreliable though
they are, the lengthy stories concerning St. Joseph's marriage
contained in the apocryphal writings. When forty years of age, Joseph
married a womancalled Melcha or Escha by some, Salome by others; they
lived forty-nine years together and had six children … A year afterhis
wife's death, as the priests announced through Judea that they wished
to find in the tribe of Juda a respectable man to espouse Mary, then
twelve to fourteen years of age, Joseph, who was at the time ninety
years old, went up to Jerusalemamong the candidates; a miracle
manifested the choice God had made of Joseph …" [13] (Bolding ismine.)
Although these apocryphal accounts are not now accepted by many
Christians, and the Catholic Encyclopedia says that they "are void of
authority", yet it also speaks of their influence as follows:
"they nevertheless acquired in the course of ages some popularity; in
them some ecclesiastical writers sought the answer to the well-known
difficulty arising from the mention in the Gospel of the Lord's
brothers; from them also popular credulity has, contrary to all
probability, as well as to the tradition witnessed by old works of
art, retained the beliefthat St. Joseph was an oldman at the time of
marriage with the Mother of God."
However, these accounts are accepted by the Eastern churches. The
website of the Ukrainian Orthodoxy has an article on this subject
entitled An Elderly Joseph which agrees with the presentation in the
apocryphal writings "of Joseph as an elderly man,a widower with adult
children". It concludes:
"The Christian East's picture of Joseph as a courageous, faithful,
God-centred elderly widower rings true." [14]
We give below, as Appendix, a quotation from one of these apocryphal
books, The Infancy Gospel of James, describing how Mary's husband was
selected.
While the Western Christian churches may not accept these accountsas
authentic, the Eastern churches in Europe do accept that Mary was 12
years old and Joseph a widower 90 years old when they married.
Moreover, there is nothing in the Gospels of the New Testament to
contradict these accounts, and the Gospel stories are not at all
inconsistent with these ages for Mary and Joseph.
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References
[1]. Tirmidhi, Abwab-ul-Manaqib, i.e. Chapters on Excellences, under
'Virtues of Aisha'.
[2]. Muslim Saints and Mystics, abridged English translation of
Tadhkirat-ul-Auliya, by A.J. Arberry, p. 40.
[3]. Bukhari, Book of Qualities of the Ansar, chapter: 'The Holy
Prophet's marriage with Aisha, and his coming to Madina and the
consummation of marriage with her'. For Muhsin Khan's translation, see
this link and go down to reports listed as Volume 5, Book 58, Number
234 and 236.
[4]. Living Thoughts of the Prophet Muhammad, 1992 U.S.A. edition, p.
30, note 40.
[4a]. This Urdu pamphlet was published by the Ahmadiyya Anjuman
Isha'at Islam, Bombay, India. A partial English translation is
available at this Lahore Ahmadiyya website.
[5]. Tarikh Tabari, vol. 4, p. 50.
[6]. Mishkat al-Masabih, Edition with Urdu translation published in
Lahore, 1986, vol. 3, p. 300–301. (Go here to see an image of the full
entryin Urdu.)
[7]. Vol. 8, p. 346.
[8]. Those four places in Sahih Bukhari are the following:
Kitab-us-Salat, ch. 'A mosque which is in the way but does not
inconvenience people'; Kitab-ul-Kafalat, ch. 'Abu Bakr under the
protection of a non-Muslim in the time ofthe Holy Prophet and his pact
with him'; Kitab Manaqib-ul-Ansar, ch. 'Emigration of the Holy Prophet
and his Companions to Madina'; and Kitab-ul-Adab, ch. 'Should a person
visit everyday, or morning and evening'.
[9]. Muhsin Khan's Englishtranslation of Bukhari, Volume 3, Book 37,
Number 494. See this link.
[10]. Fadl-ul-Bari, vol. 1, p. 501, footnote 1.
[11]. Sahih Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Jihad wal-Siyar, Chapter: 'Women in war
and their fighting alongside men'. See this link in Muhsin Khan's
translation and go down to report listed as Volume4, Book 52, Number
131.
[12]. Fadl-ul-Bari, vol. 1, p. 651.
[13]. In article St. Joseph, under letter J. Here is a link to this
article in the online Catholic Encyclopedia.
[14]. Here is a link to this article An Elderly Joseph.

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