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 Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
61. And He is the Supreme over His servants, and He sends guardians (angels) [66] over you. Until, when death comes to one of you, Our messengers take his soul, and they do not neglect (their duty) in the least [67].
[66] Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah ؓ narrates that the Prophet ﷺ said: Among you, angels of the day and angels of the night come in succession, one after the other. They gather at the times of Asr and Fajr prayers. Then those angels who stayed with you during the night ascend, and Allah Almighty asks them, "In what condition did you leave My servants?" although He knows best about them. The angels reply, "When we left them, they were praying," and "when we came to them, they were praying as well."
[بخاری۔ کتاب مواقیت الصلٰوۃ۔ باب فضل صلٰوۃ العصر۔ بخاری کتاب التوحید۔ باب قول اللہ تعرج الملئکۃ والروح الیہ]
The Angels Who Guard and Record Deeds:
In this hadith, there is mention of those angels who compile the record of a person's deeds. The angels of the night are separate, and those of the day are separate. In addition to them, there are also some angels who protect his life. Sometimes such incidents occur when a person sees death standing before him, but the situation turns in such a way that his life is saved, and he himself admits, "At that moment, it was only Allah who saved my life," or "There was still life left, otherwise there seemed to be no way of survival." And this happens because the appointed time of that person's death has not yet arrived. The Quran has described this reality at another place in these words: ﴿قُلْ مَنْ يَّكْلَؤُكُمْ بالَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ﴾ All the stages of human life and death are compelled. At the beginning of this verse, Allah Almighty said: ﴿وَهُوَ الْقَاهِرُ فَوْقَ عِبَادِهٖ﴾ That is, all creatures and humans are utterly helpless and compelled before the natural laws of Allah Almighty. In the mother's womb, Allah Almighty fashioned every person's form and appearance as He Himself willed. He had no say in it. Then, when he was born and came out of his mother's womb, even then he had no say in it. Then, after being born, he is compelled to eat and drink so that he may be nurtured and raised. Similarly, he is compelled to pass through the stages of childhood, youth, and old age, and is also compelled in sexual relations, but in producing offspring, he has no say. If Allah wills, He can make a poor person have many children, and if He wills, He can deprive a wealthy person of children. Then, he is also compelled in his death and in completing the days of his life; until his appointed time of death comes, no matter what calamities befall him, the angels continue to protect his life, and when the appointed time arrives, no wise man, no doctor, nor his wealth and closest relatives can save him from the jaws of death. Then, in the acquisition of sustenance, he is also greatly compelled. Every person wishes to become wealthy, but he receives only as much sustenance as is destined for him, and what is destined for him, he will surely receive. Similarly, man is compelled in the stages after death, that is, being resurrected again, being presented before Allah for the accountability of his deeds, and receiving reward or punishment for those deeds, and nothing can save him from these outcomes, nor can anything come in between, and in all these matters, his own will has no role whatsoever, and this is the meaning of this phrase. [67] That is, they do not show any negligence in their duty. Not a single small act, deed, or word of a person is left unwritten by the angels in his record of deeds. Nor do they fail to protect the one whose time of death has not yet come, nor does anyone die before the appointed time. Nor does it happen that someone's appointed time has come, but his soul is not taken, or that death is decreed for Zaid, but instead the soul of Bakr is taken. None of these situations is possible. They cannot make any addition or omission in the command given by Allah Almighty.
[66] Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah ؓ narrates that the Prophet ﷺ said: Among you, angels of the day and angels of the night come in succession, one after the other. They gather at the times of Asr and Fajr prayers. Then those angels who stayed with you during the night ascend, and Allah Almighty asks them, "In what condition did you leave My servants?" although He knows best about them. The angels reply, "When we left them, they were praying," and "when we came to them, they were praying as well."
[بخاری۔ کتاب مواقیت الصلٰوۃ۔ باب فضل صلٰوۃ العصر۔ بخاری کتاب التوحید۔ باب قول اللہ تعرج الملئکۃ والروح الیہ]
The Angels Who Guard and Record Deeds:
In this hadith, there is mention of those angels who compile the record of a person's deeds. The angels of the night are separate, and those of the day are separate. In addition to them, there are also some angels who protect his life. Sometimes such incidents occur when a person sees death standing before him, but the situation turns in such a way that his life is saved, and he himself admits, "At that moment, it was only Allah who saved my life," or "There was still life left, otherwise there seemed to be no way of survival." And this happens because the appointed time of that person's death has not yet arrived. The Quran has described this reality at another place in these words: ﴿قُلْ مَنْ يَّكْلَؤُكُمْ بالَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ﴾ All the stages of human life and death are compelled. At the beginning of this verse, Allah Almighty said: ﴿وَهُوَ الْقَاهِرُ فَوْقَ عِبَادِهٖ﴾ That is, all creatures and humans are utterly helpless and compelled before the natural laws of Allah Almighty. In the mother's womb, Allah Almighty fashioned every person's form and appearance as He Himself willed. He had no say in it. Then, when he was born and came out of his mother's womb, even then he had no say in it. Then, after being born, he is compelled to eat and drink so that he may be nurtured and raised. Similarly, he is compelled to pass through the stages of childhood, youth, and old age, and is also compelled in sexual relations, but in producing offspring, he has no say. If Allah wills, He can make a poor person have many children, and if He wills, He can deprive a wealthy person of children. Then, he is also compelled in his death and in completing the days of his life; until his appointed time of death comes, no matter what calamities befall him, the angels continue to protect his life, and when the appointed time arrives, no wise man, no doctor, nor his wealth and closest relatives can save him from the jaws of death. Then, in the acquisition of sustenance, he is also greatly compelled. Every person wishes to become wealthy, but he receives only as much sustenance as is destined for him, and what is destined for him, he will surely receive. Similarly, man is compelled in the stages after death, that is, being resurrected again, being presented before Allah for the accountability of his deeds, and receiving reward or punishment for those deeds, and nothing can save him from these outcomes, nor can anything come in between, and in all these matters, his own will has no role whatsoever, and this is the meaning of this phrase. [67] That is, they do not show any negligence in their duty. Not a single small act, deed, or word of a person is left unwritten by the angels in his record of deeds. Nor do they fail to protect the one whose time of death has not yet come, nor does anyone die before the appointed time. Nor does it happen that someone's appointed time has come, but his soul is not taken, or that death is decreed for Zaid, but instead the soul of Bakr is taken. None of these situations is possible. They cannot make any addition or omission in the command given by Allah Almighty.
