Azrael is typically known as one of the names of the Angel of death, and is an English form of the name 'Izrail,' the name traditionally attributed to the Angel of death appearing in the Qur'an. It is also spelled Azrail, Ashriel, Azaril, and Azriel. The name literally means whom God helps.

He is generally depicted as an archangel under the command of God and usually not in a fashion similar to those associated with darker incarnations of death personified. Depending on the outlook and precepts of various religions in which he is a figure, Azrael is portrayed as residing in the third Heaven. He has four faces and four thousand wings, and his whole body consists of eyes and tongues, the number of which corresponds to the number of people inhabiting the earth. He will be the last to die, recording and erasing constantly in a large book the names of men at birth and death, respectively.

In Muslim tradition, Azrael is forever writing in a large book and forever erasing what he writes; what he writes is the name of a man at birth, and what he erases is that said name at death. Also, in Islamic legend, Allah is said to have sent out four angels, Michael, Gabriel, Israfel, and Azrael, on a mission to retrieve seven handfuls of earth for the creation of Adam. Michael, Gabriel, and Israfel returned to Allah empty-handed, but the persistent

See Death (personification) and Angels in Islam for more information.

Azrael in fiction

• Azrael makes a brief but memorable appearance in Terry Pratchett's novel Reaper Man. While there are many deaths for different worlds (who are themselves divided into deaths for different creatures) in the Discworld novels, Azrael, as the Death of Universes, is their ruler. All other Deaths are aspects of him.

• The novel Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman includes the Angel of Death, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, who calls himself Azrael.

• In The Smurfs, the sorcerer Gargamel's pet cat was named Azrael.

• Azrael appears in at least one John Bellairs book.

• In Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, the chief human rebel against the Authority is called Lord Asriel. At the end of the first book of the series, he separates the soul of a young boy from his body.

• In Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's trilogy The Rose of the Prophet, Asrial is the name of a young guardian angel - an immortal serving the good god Promenthas.

• Jason Lee played the character Azrael, a forsaken muse with a hidden agenda, in Kevin Smith's movie Dogma (though the film gives the Loki-like character the name Azrael, and the Azrael-like character the name Loki).

• In Kidou Senshi Gundam Seed, Murata Azrael is
  
  
  
  the name of the leader for Blue Cosmos, an extremist group dedicated to eradicating genetically enhanced humans (the coordinators).

• There is also a novel "Azrael" by the German author Wolfgang Hohlbein. Azrael is a codename for a special drug to enhance human skills for military purposes.

• In Yoshiki Tanaka's novel The Heroic Legend of Arslan, Azrael (or Azrail) is the name of a hawk. The name is translated to Japanese as 'Kokushitenshi' (告死天使) which means 'Angel Who Announces Death'.

• The alias of the writer of the Outpost Nine editorial series "I am a Japanese School Teacher" is Azrael.

• In the computer game Disciples 2 Azrael is the Guardian of the Empire Capital. It is very powerful and uses the attack Holy Wrath.

• In the science-fiction setting of the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop wargame, the Dark Angels Chapter Master is known as Azrael.

• In the fictional Batman universe, Azrael is another masked and costumed superhero, a mostly-faithful ally to Batman himself and his allies. Real name Jean Paul Valley, he stood in for Bruce Wayne as Batman during the Knightfall saga.

• A 'Prince Azrael' was also a wizarding cat who appeared briefly in Spyro the Dragon

• Azriel is also an anagram for the Name Raziel which was used in the Legacy of Kain's Soul Reaver, though this is not intention, as Raziel is the name of another archangel.

• In the video game Chaos Legion, Azrail is the forbidden spirit of chaos, one of the final bosses in the game.

• In the Dragon King series by Stephen Lawhead, Azrael is the ruler of the underworld, frequently invoked in interjections.

• Azrael is the real name of the wingless angel in the manga Juvenile Orion.

• Azriel is an ancient Babylonian spirit floating around Manhattan in a novel by Anne Rice titled Servant of the Bones.

• In the computer game Diablo II, one of the Desert Warrior mercenaries that can be purchased in Act II is named Azrael.

• In Kevin Smith's Dogma, Jason Lee plays Azrael the Angel of Death.

• In the video game Yu-gi-oh: The Falsebound Kingdom, Azrael is
  
  
  
  the name of the first Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

Azrael in Music

• The 1999 self-titled album by Demons & Wizards features a three song epic about a gnome named Azrael, "who is unhappy with the universe he created and begins to disassemble it." ().

• The 1986's album Horse Rotorvator by Coil, which contains only songs devoted to death, features The golden section describing visions of death in different cultural traditions, also Azrael. The lyrics can be read .

• Azrael is an artist in the highly localized, Seattle's Oldominion crew.

• The Azrael is
  
  
  
  the name of an album by Black Sunrise, a portuguese hardcore-metal band.

• Asrael is a symphony by Czech composer Josef Suk from 1906.

• Azrael is a song on the 1986 album Crimson Glory by progressive metal band Crimson Glory about the angel of mercy, Azrael. Azrael

Azrael Azrael Azrael Azrael Azrail