—as the Almighty says, “Rather, they are honored servants; they do not outstrip Him in speech, and they act only on His command” (Qur’an 21:26–27).

Among the angels is the one placed in charge of rain and the growth of vegetation: Michael. Another is the angel entrusted with blowing the Trumpet: Israfil. He will blow the Trumpet, whereupon every creature will perish, as the Most High says, “The Trumpet will be blown, and all who are in the heavens and on the earth will swoon away, except those whom Allah wills.” Then it will be blown a second time, and the souls will fly back into their bodies—“Then it will be blown again, and suddenly they will be standing, looking on” (Qur’an 39:68).

The spirits will dart from the horn—the Trumpet—into their bodies, re-enter them, and by Allah’s permission they will return to life; after that they will set out for the gathering place.

Another angel is charged with seizing souls when their appointed terms expire: the Angel of Death. The Almighty says, “Say: The Angel of Death who has been assigned to you will take you, then you will be returned to your Lord” (Qur’an 32:11). He is assisted by other angels: “Our messengers take him in death and never fall short of their duty” (Qur’an 6:61)—that is, the helpers of the Angel of Death.

Still others are entrusted with the embryos in the wombs. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “The creation of each of you is gathered in his mother’s womb for forty days as a drop of fluid, then he is a clinging clot for a similar period, and then a lump of flesh for the same length of time…”