سُوْرَةُ الْاَنْعَامِ
Surah Al-An'aam (6) — Ayah 61
وَهُوَ ٱلْقَاهِرُ فَوْقَ عِبَادِهِۦ ۖ وَيُرْسِلُ عَلَيْكُمْ حَفَظَةً حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءَ أَحَدَكُمُ ٱلْمَوْتُ تَوَفَّتْهُ رُسُلُنَا وَهُمْ لَا يُفَرِّطُونَ ﴿61﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
He is the Irresistible, (Supreme) over His slaves, and He sends guardians (angels guarding and writing all of one’s good and bad deeds) over you, until when death approaches one of you, Our Messengers (angel of death and his assistants) take his soul, and they never neglect their duty.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَهُوَ
wahuwa
And He
ٱلْقَاهِرُ
l-qāhiru
(is) the Subjugator
فَوْقَ
fawqa
over
عِبَادِهِۦ ۖ
ʿibādihi
His slaves
وَيُرْسِلُ
wayur'silu
and He sends
عَلَيْكُمْ
ʿalaykum
over you
حَفَظَةً
ḥafaẓatan
guardians
حَتَّىٰٓ
ḥattā
until
إِذَا
idhā
when
جَآءَ
jāa
comes
أَحَدَكُمُ
aḥadakumu
(to) anyone of you
ٱلْمَوْتُ
l-mawtu
the death
تَوَفَّتْهُ
tawaffathu
take him
رُسُلُنَا
rusulunā
Our messengers
وَهُمْ
wahum
and they
لَا
lā
(do) not
يُفَرِّطُونَ
yufarriṭūna
fail
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
(Ayah 61) ➊ {وَ هُوَ الْقَاهِرُ فَوْقَ عِبَادِهٖ:} {’’ هُوَ ‘‘} is the subject in this sentence. Because of the definite article on {’’ الْقَاهِرُ ‘‘} in the predicate, it is translated as "He alone." The meaning of {’’ الْقَاهِرُ ‘‘} is "dominant," and it is an additional attribute to {’’ اَلْقَادِرُ ‘‘}, meaning that along with being able Himself, He also prevents others from attaining their aims. (Baghawi) Allah Almighty's attribute of Qahhariyyah is that He brought the universe into existence from non-existence, then continues to bring about destruction and decay upon existence, so all the acts of creation and annihilation happening in the universe are manifestations of Allah Almighty's Qahhariyyah. The verses (26, 27) of Surah Al-Imran fully explain this attribute.
➋ {وَ يُرْسِلُ عَلَيْكُمْ حَفَظَةً:} Some of the angels who guard are those who protect humans from calamities, as He said: «لَهٗ مُعَقِّبٰتٌ مِّنْۢ بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَ مِنْ خَلْفِهٖ يَحْفَظُوْنَهٗ مِنْ اَمْرِ اللّٰهِ» [ الرعد : ۱۱ ] "For him are successive angels before him and behind him who guard him by the command of Allah." And some are those who record the deeds of humans, as He said: «وَ اِنَّ عَلَيْكُمْ لَحٰفِظِيْنَ(10)كِرَامًا كَاتِبِيْنَ(11)يَعْلَمُوْنَ مَا تَفْعَلُوْنَ» [ الانفطار : ۱۰ تا ۱۲ ] "But verily, over you are appointed guardians, noble, recording, who know whatever you do."
➌ {حَتّٰۤى اِذَا جَآءَ اَحَدَكُمُ الْمَوْتُ …:} The name of the angel who takes souls is popularly known as Azrael, but Shaykh al-Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) has declared all such narrations to be weak. [ أحکام الجنائز، باب بدع الجنائز، حاشیہ بدعۃ، رقم : ۹۲ ] In the Qur'an, he is called Malak al-Mawt, as He said: «قُلْ يَتَوَفّٰىكُمْ مَّلَكُ الْمَوْتِ » [ السجدۃ : ۱۱] "Say, the Angel of Death will take you."
From {’’ تَوَفَّتْهُ رُسُلُنَا ‘‘} it is understood that there are several angels of death, and in several verses, the taking of souls is attributed to Allah Almighty, as He said: «اَللّٰهُ يَتَوَفَّى الْاَنْفُسَ حِيْنَ مَوْتِهَا» [ الزمر : ۴۲ ] "Allah takes the souls at the time of their death." Considering all these verses, the correct understanding is that the one who takes the soul is Allah Almighty Himself, by whose command everything happens. Then there is Malak al-Mawt, who according to most scholars is one, but he has assisting angels of mercy and punishment, as mentioned in the verse under exegesis and in the hadith of Bara’ bin Azib (may Allah be pleased with them both), that with Malak al-Mawt are also angels of mercy and punishment.
➍ {وَ هُمْ لَا يُفَرِّطُوْنَ:} That is, when they seize a soul, they do so by Allah's command at its appointed time, neither before nor after.
➋ {وَ يُرْسِلُ عَلَيْكُمْ حَفَظَةً:} Some of the angels who guard are those who protect humans from calamities, as He said: «لَهٗ مُعَقِّبٰتٌ مِّنْۢ بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَ مِنْ خَلْفِهٖ يَحْفَظُوْنَهٗ مِنْ اَمْرِ اللّٰهِ» [ الرعد : ۱۱ ] "For him are successive angels before him and behind him who guard him by the command of Allah." And some are those who record the deeds of humans, as He said: «وَ اِنَّ عَلَيْكُمْ لَحٰفِظِيْنَ(10)كِرَامًا كَاتِبِيْنَ(11)يَعْلَمُوْنَ مَا تَفْعَلُوْنَ» [ الانفطار : ۱۰ تا ۱۲ ] "But verily, over you are appointed guardians, noble, recording, who know whatever you do."
➌ {حَتّٰۤى اِذَا جَآءَ اَحَدَكُمُ الْمَوْتُ …:} The name of the angel who takes souls is popularly known as Azrael, but Shaykh al-Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) has declared all such narrations to be weak. [ أحکام الجنائز، باب بدع الجنائز، حاشیہ بدعۃ، رقم : ۹۲ ] In the Qur'an, he is called Malak al-Mawt, as He said: «قُلْ يَتَوَفّٰىكُمْ مَّلَكُ الْمَوْتِ » [ السجدۃ : ۱۱] "Say, the Angel of Death will take you."
From {’’ تَوَفَّتْهُ رُسُلُنَا ‘‘} it is understood that there are several angels of death, and in several verses, the taking of souls is attributed to Allah Almighty, as He said: «اَللّٰهُ يَتَوَفَّى الْاَنْفُسَ حِيْنَ مَوْتِهَا» [ الزمر : ۴۲ ] "Allah takes the souls at the time of their death." Considering all these verses, the correct understanding is that the one who takes the soul is Allah Almighty Himself, by whose command everything happens. Then there is Malak al-Mawt, who according to most scholars is one, but he has assisting angels of mercy and punishment, as mentioned in the verse under exegesis and in the hadith of Bara’ bin Azib (may Allah be pleased with them both), that with Malak al-Mawt are also angels of mercy and punishment.
➍ {وَ هُمْ لَا يُفَرِّطُوْنَ:} That is, when they seize a soul, they do so by Allah's command at its appointed time, neither before nor after.
