Do Souls Meet Angels After Leaving the Body?
Written by: Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Ameenpuri
Question:
Do souls meet angels after leaving the body?
Answer:
When the soul of a believer is taken out, it is elevated towards the heavens. The angels of every heaven welcome this purified soul and give it glad tidings. How exactly this occurs is known only to Allah ﷻ. Our duty is to affirm it, since it is authentically established through sound Ahadith.
✿ Sayyidunā Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه narrates that the Prophet ﷺ said:
الميت تحضره الملائكة، فإذا كان الرجل صالحا، قالوا : اخرجي أينها النفس الطيبة كانت فى الجسد الطيب، الخرجي حميدة، وأبشري بروح وريحان ورب غير غضبان، فلا يزال يقال لها حتى تخرج، ثم يعرج بها إلى السماء، فيفتح لها، فيقال : من هذا؟ فيقولون : فلان، فيقال : مرحبا بالنفس الطيبة، كانت فى الجسد الطيب، ادخلي حميدة وأبشري بروح وريحان ورب غير غضبان، فلا يزال يقال لها ذلك، حتى ينتهى بها إلى السماء التى فيها الله عز وجل
“When death approaches a person, angels come to him. If he is a righteous man, they say: ‘O pure soul that resided in a pure body, come out! You are praiseworthy. Rejoice in mercy, fragrance, and a Lord who is not displeased with you.’ This continues to be said to it until the soul departs the body. Then it is taken up towards the heaven. The gates of the heaven are opened for it. It is asked: ‘Who is this?’ The angels reply: ‘So-and-so.’ Then it is said: ‘Welcome, O pure soul that resided in a pure body! Enter praiseworthy, and rejoice in mercy, fragrance, and a Lord who is pleased with you.’ This continues to be said until the soul reaches the heaven wherein Allah Almighty is.”
(Musnad Aḥmad 2/364, Sunan Ibn Mājah 4262, and its chain is ḥasan)
✿ Ḥāfiẓ al-Būṣīrī رحمه الله stated:
He graded its chain as authentic.
(Miṣbāḥ az-Zujājah 4/250)
This proves that the righteous soul does indeed meet the angels after departing the body, and they continuously greet it with glad tidings until it reaches the highest heaven.