Translations:Yirmi Sekizinci Mektup/54/en
The Second Way:The archangels Gabriel, Michael, and Azra’il are like general supervisors. They have helpers that are similar to them in kind and resemble them, but are lesser than them. The assistants differ according to the sorts of creatures; those who take possession of the spirits of the righteous(*[1])are of one sort, while those who take possession of the spirits of the wicked are of another,(*[2])as the following verses point out:By the [angels] who tear out [the souls of the wicked] with violence; * By those who gently draw out [the souls of the blessed].(79:1-2)
- ↑ *In my native land, the Angel of Death charged with taking possession of the saints’ spirits came while a great saint well-known as Seyda was in the throes of death. Seyda shouted out beseeching the divine court: “I love students of the religious sciences, so let the angel charged with taking possession of their souls take possession of mine!” Those who were present testified to this incident.
- ↑ *Nasa’i, Jana’iz, 9; Ibn Maja, Jihad, 10.