Like Judaism and Christianity, we find archangels in Islam. While only a few angels are explicitly named in the Qur’an, some appear in other sources and in the later writings of Muslims

One such angels is Israfil the Angel of Resurrection

Israfil is not named in the Qur’an but is one of three angels in a supplication attributed to Muhammad and is found in the hadith.

The angel is believed to be the Trumpter of heaven, holding the soor or horn that will herald the Day of Resurrection.

It is said the horn will be blown twice, one to mark the end the world and a second time to resurrect the dead.

Irafil waits with eyes upturned to God and when the signal is given, the angel will reputedly blow on the horn ending all life, flattening the mountains, and bringing the end.

Then when Israfil blows again all will be resurrected and the Day of Judgement begins.

At the dawn of creation, Israfil is said to have asked God for guardianship of the seven heavens and the earth.

God also makes Israfil custodian of the mountains and winds.

While Azra’il the Angel of Death is described as having thousands of eyes, Israfil is said to have having countless tongues and mouths which praise God in thousands upon thousands of languages.

The praises of Israfil are spiritually significant for from their essence God fashions new angels who surround the Throne.

It is also on account on the beautiful praises, the angel is believed to be the muezzin of heaven.

Israfil is a being of deep mercy. The angel gazes down on Hell three times a day and weeps.

The tears of Israfil threaten to flood the Earth, but God restrains their flow.

Conversely Israfil is so vast that if all the waters of the Earth were poured over the angel’s head, it would never reach the ground.

Israfil is said to be closest in proximity to God, standing next to the Throne. Using one wing to shield himself from the full unbearable majesty of God.

He is said to have four wings.

The main function of Israfil is to herald of Day of Judgement. It is said, even in the time of Muhammad the Horn is poised upon the angel’s lips to blow.

This is also how Israfil is commonly depicted in art.

In some interpretation, Israfil even visited Muhammad before he received the Qur’an, preparing him for his prophetic mission.

In esoteric circles, Israfil is the angel of the West, the Sun, and sometimes Thursday. Other times the angel of Jupiter Sarfayail is assigned to Thursday. The astrological overlap may hint at a parallel with the Jewish angel Seraphiel or Raphael.

Seraphiel is also described as the angel singing God’s praises, but is connected with Tuesday and Mars.

In certain magical practices, protective talismans are crafted with the names of the four archangels including Israfil.

Such talismans are used to bind the jinn kings

The descriptions of Israfil emphasize the apocalyptic element within Islam—the Day of Judgement is a major component of faith and it is nigh.

While this acts as a warning and certainly throughout the centuries Muslims have interpreted various cataclysmic events are heralding the end from the coming of the Mongols, Tamerlane, and various plagues.

It is also a reminder the end cannot be predicted. Israfil has had the horn poised on his lips since the very beginning.

Life goes on.

And so Muslims often held a pragmatic approach to the end. It comes when it does. Be mindful of the end, but do not let it consume

I will cover other angels in future threads.