fourth heaven. The angel had a large tablet placed in front of him, and nearby was a large tree whose branches were spread from the East to the West. The angel was looking at this tree very carefully.

The Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم asked Jibrīl عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلاَم, “Who is this angel?”

“O Messenger of Allah!”, Jibrīl replied, “He is the one who ends joy, separates friends from one another, renders women widows, makes children into orphans, turns luxurious palaces into empty places, and fills the graveyards: this is the angel of death, ʿIzrāīl.”

Jibrīl then said to the angel of death, “O ʿIzrāīl, here is the master of the preceding and succeeding generations, Allah’s beloved: Muhammad صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم.”

Hearing this, the angel of death stood up, presented salam to the Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, had the honour of embracing him, and even kissed his blessed forehead out of love. He then requested the Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم to sit near him.

“O Messenger of Allah!”, the angel of death said, “What would you like me to do?”

The Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم asked, “What is this tablet before you?”

The angel said, “Allah has entrusted to me the souls of all of creation. This board contains details regarding them, and I use this to keep account of them.”

The Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم then asked, “What is this large tree?”

The angel said, “The leaves of this tree are equal to the number of creation. There is no human except he has his name inscribed on one of them. When he falls ill, the leaf with his name upon it turns yellow, and I learn they are ill.”