Causing humans to die is an act of Allah, but Allah, most often, delegates this task to His angels. Hence, the term tawaffā is also mentioned in the Holy Qur’an as an act performed by the angels of Allah. On all such occasions, it signifies the taking of the soul, meaning death.
a. Verse 61 of Surah al-An‘am discusses this very action of the agents of Divine decree and destiny. Allah has stated that when He decides on the death of a human being, He sends His angels to take that person’s soul. These agents carry out their duties with full responsibility. They do not falter in performing their task. It is said:
وَهُوَ الْقَاهِرُ فَوْقَ عِبَادِهٖ وَيُرْسِلُ عَلَيْكُمْ حَفَظَةً حَتّٰ٘ي اِذَا جَآءَ اَحَدَكُمُ الْمَوْتُ تَوَفَّتْهُ رُسُلُنَا وَهُمْ لَا يُفَرِّطُوْنَ.
He fully dominates His servants and deputes [His] guardians over you. Until when the time of death of anyone of you arrives, it is only the angels sent by Us who claim his soul and are never negligent [in this task]. (6:61)
This responsibility of the angels is such that the Holy Qur’an has named the angel responsible for taking lives as Malak al-Maut, meaning the Angel of Death. In Surat Sajdah, it is said:
قُلْ يَتَوَفّٰىكُمْ مَّلَكُ الْمَوْتِ الَّذِيْ وُكِّلَ بِكُمْ ثُمَّ اِلٰي رَبِّكُمْ تُرْجَعُوْنَ.
Tell them: Your soul will be claimed by the very angel of death who has been deputed to you; then you shall be returned to your Lord alone. (32:11)
b. Verse 97 of Surah an-Nisa mentions those hypocrites and excuse-makers who live in the land of disbelief. They accept a life of disbelief, but not migration. They tolerate disobedience to Allah but are not ready to leave their dwellings for the sake of practicing the religion. When the angels come to take their souls, they will say to them, questioning their supposed helplessness, ‘Was not Allah’s Earth expansive enough that you could have migrated from your region to another?’
اِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ تَوَفّٰىهُمُ الْمَلٰٓئِكَةُ ظَالِمِيْ٘ اَنْفُسِهِمْ قَالُوْا فِيْمَ كُنْتُمْ قَالُوْا كُنَّا مُسْتَضْعَفِيْنَ فِي الْاَرْضِ قَالُوْ٘ا اَلَمْ تَكُنْ اَرْضُ اللّٰهِ وَاسِعَةً فَتُهَاجِرُوْا فِيْهَا فَاُولٰٓئِكَ مَاْوٰىهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ وَسَآءَتْ مَصِيْرًا.
[Even at this instance, people who are not willing to come out of the cities where they are being persecuted, tell them O Prophet that] people whose souls will be claimed by the angels in such circumstances that [while endangering their faith] they were being unjust to their souls; they will ask them: ‘What circumstances were you in?’ ‘We were totally helpless in this land,’ they will reply. The angels will say: ‘Was not the land of God spacious enough for you to migrate in it?’ So, it is these people whose abode is Hell, and what an evil abode it is. (4:97)
c. In Surat Al-Anfal, the same matter is mentioned regarding the disbelievers:
وَلَوْ تَرٰ٘ي اِذْ يَتَوَفَّي الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوا الْمَلٰٓئِكَةُ يَضْرِبُوْنَ وُجُوْهَهُمْ وَاَدْبَارَهُمْﵐ وَذُوْقُوْا عَذَابَ الْحَرِيْقِ.
Had you been able to see [you would have known what had happened at that time] when the angels were claiming the souls of these disbelievers whilst striking them on their faces and their backs and while saying: ‘Taste now the torment of the fire!’ (8:50)
d. Verse 27 of Surah Muhammad (47) warns the hypocrites of Quraysh about their outcome. It states that if they continue with their hypocritical behavior, then the day is not far when Allah’s stern angels will strike their faces and backs while seizing their souls:
فَكَيْفَ اِذَا تَوَفَّتْهُمُ الْمَلٰٓئِكَةُ يَضْرِبُوْنَ وُجُوْهَهُمْ وَاَدْبَارَهُمْ.
[If this is their attitude,] what will happen at the time when angels claim their souls while striking their faces and their backs? (47:27)
Such a daunting situation will also be faced by those who remain entrenched in the filth of polytheism and continue keep calling upon others besides Allah. When the angels come to take their souls, they will be enveloped in despair, with no alternative but to admit their disbelief themselves. In Surah Al-A'raf, it is mentioned:
فَمَنْ اَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرٰي عَلَي اللّٰهِ كَذِبًا اَوْ كَذَّبَ بِاٰيٰتِهٖﵧ اُولٰٓئِكَ يَنَالُهُمْ نَصِيْبُهُمْ مِّنَ الْكِتٰبِﵧ حَتّٰ٘ي اِذَا جَآءَتْهُمْ رُسُلُنَا يَتَوَفَّوْنَهُمْﶈ قَالُوْ٘ا اَيْنَ مَا كُنْتُمْ تَدْعُوْنَ مِنْ دُوْنِ اللّٰهِﵧ قَالُوْا ضَلُّوْا عَنَّا وَشَهِدُوْا عَلٰ٘ي اَنْفُسِهِمْ اَنَّهُمْ كَانُوْا كٰفِرِيْنَ.
So who can be more unjust than those who impute falsehood to God or deny His revelations. What has been [written for them] in their record as their share [in the life of this world] will reach them. Until when Our angels come to them to claim their souls, they will ask: ‘Where are those whom you worshipped besides God?’ They will reply: ‘All of them have been lost upon us,’ and will bear witness against themselves that they were in fact disbelievers. (7:37)
e. The same point is mentioned regarding the disbelievers of Quraysh in verse 28 of Surah An-Nahl, that when Allah’s angels approach them, they too will fabricate excuses and will insistently say that they were not committing any wrong deeds. The angels will say that Allah is fully aware of what they were doing. At that point, the angels will seize their souls:
الَّذِيْنَ تَتَوَفّٰىهُمُ الْمَلٰٓئِكَةُ ظَالِمِيْ٘ اَنْفُسِهِمْ فَاَلْقَوُا السَّلَمَ مَا كُنَّا نَعْمَلُ مِنْ سُوْٓءٍ بَلٰ٘ي اِنَّ اللّٰهَ عَلِيْمٌۣ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُوْنَ.
On those whose souls will be claimed by the angels such that they would be doing injustice to their souls. So, they will immediately concede: ‘We were not doing anything evil.’ [The angels will reply:] ‘Why not! Indeed, God knows full well what you have been doing.’ (16:28)
From the subsequent verses in the same discussion, it is clear that the matter of seizing the souls by the angels is not exclusive to disbelievers, polytheists, hypocrites, and other criminals, but the souls of pure and righteous people will also be seized by them. The difference will be that while seizing the souls of the righteous, they will utter words of peace to them and give them the glad tidings of Paradise. It is stated:
الَّذِيْنَ تَتَوَفّٰىهُمُ الْمَلٰٓئِكَةُ طَيِّبِيْنَ يَقُوْلُوْنَ سَلٰمٌ عَلَيْكُمُ ادْخُلُوا الْجَنَّةَ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُوْنَ.
Those whose souls are claimed by the angels such that they are pure. The angels will say: ‘Peace be to you. Go and live in Paradise as a reward for your deeds.’ (16:32)