The AngelsNamed in the Sunnah

Munkar and Nakir

الْمُنْكَر وَالنَّكِير

  • A group of angels

The two angels who question the dead in the grave, named in a hadith of at-Tirmidhi.

HasanSee it in the Atlas

Role and accounts

When the dead person is buried, two angels come to him. One is called al-Munkar and the other an-Nakir, and they ask him what he used to say about the Prophet ﷺ. The believer testifies that he is Allah's servant and messenger, and his grave is widened and lit for him (at-Tirmidhi 1071). islamweb's article quotes Ibn Abi al-'Izz that the reports of this questioning are widely transmitted.

islamweb's fatwa says that the questioning of the people of the qiblah and of the hypocrite is agreed upon, while scholars differ on the open disbeliever. Ibn 'Abd al-Barr leaned towards the questioning being for the people of the qiblah only; Ibn Hajar and Ibn al-Qayyim held that the disbeliever is questioned too.

Evidence

Hasan

Jami' at-Tirmidhi 1071

Grades
GraderVerdict
Ahmad Muhammad ShakirHasan (Hasan)
Al-AlbaniHasan (Hasan)
Zubair Ali ZaiIsnaad Hasan (Hasan)
Full narration

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو سَلَمَةَ، يَحْيَى بْنُ خَلَفٍ حَدَّثَنَا بِشْرُ بْنُ الْمُفَضَّلِ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ إِسْحَاقَ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْمَقْبُرِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ إِذَا قُبِرَ الْمَيِّتُ - أَوْ قَالَ أَحَدُكُمْ أَتَاهُ مَلَكَانِ أَسْوَدَانِ أَزْرَقَانِ يُقَالُ لأَحَدِهِمَا الْمُنْكَرُ وَالآخَرُ النَّكِيرُ فَيَقُولاَنِ مَا كُنْتَ تَقُولُ فِي هَذَا الرَّجُلِ فَيَقُولُ مَا كَانَ يَقُولُ هُوَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولُهُ أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ ‏.‏ فَيَقُولاَنِ قَدْ كُنَّا نَعْلَمُ أَنَّكَ تَقُولُ هَذَا ‏.‏ ثُمَّ يُفْسَحُ لَهُ فِي قَبْرِهِ سَبْعُونَ ذِرَاعًا فِي سَبْعِينَ ثُمَّ يُنَوَّرُ لَهُ فِيهِ ثُمَّ يُقَالُ لَهُ نَمْ ‏.‏ فَيَقُولُ أَرْجِعُ إِلَى أَهْلِي فَأُخْبِرُهُمْ فَيَقُولاَنِ نَمْ كَنَوْمَةِ الْعَرُوسِ الَّذِي لاَ يُوقِظُهُ إِلاَّ أَحَبُّ أَهْلِهِ إِلَيْهِ ‏.‏ حَتَّى يَبْعَثَهُ اللَّهُ مِنْ مَضْجَعِهِ ذَلِكَ ‏.‏ وَإِنْ كَانَ مُنَافِقًا قَالَ سَمِعْتُ النَّاسَ يَقُولُونَ فَقُلْتُ مِثْلَهُ لاَ أَدْرِي ‏.‏ فَيَقُولاَنِ قَدْ كُنَّا نَعْلَمُ أَنَّكَ تَقُولُ ذَلِكَ ‏.‏ فَيُقَالُ لِلأَرْضِ الْتَئِمِي عَلَيْهِ ‏.‏ فَتَلْتَئِمُ عَلَيْهِ ‏.‏ فَتَخْتَلِفُ فِيهَا أَضْلاَعُهُ فَلاَ يَزَالُ فِيهَا مُعَذَّبًا حَتَّى يَبْعَثَهُ اللَّهُ مِنْ مَضْجَعِهِ ذَلِكَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ وَفِي الْبَابِ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ وَزَيْدِ بْنِ ثَابِتٍ وَابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ وَالْبَرَاءِ بْنِ عَازِبٍ وَأَبِي أَيُّوبَ وَأَنَسٍ وَجَابِرٍ وَعَائِشَةَ وَأَبِي سَعِيدٍ كُلُّهُمْ رَوَوْا عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي عَذَابِ الْقَبْرِ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى حَدِيثُ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ غَرِيبٌ ‏.‏

Abu Hurairah narrated that:The Messenger of Allah said: "When the deceased - or he said when one of you - is buried, two angels, black and blue (eyed_ come to him. One of them is called Al-Munkar, and the other An-Nakir. They say: 'What did you used to say about this man?' So he says what he was saying (before death) 'He is Allah's slave and His Messenger. I testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger.' So they say: 'We knew that you would say this.' Then his grave is expanded to seventy by seventy cubits, then it is illuminated for him. Then it is said to him: 'Sleep.' So he said: 'Can I return to my family to inform them?' They say: 'Sleep as a newlywed, whom none awakens but the dearest of his family.' Until Allah resurrects him from his resting place.""If he was a hypocrite he would say: 'I heard people saying something, so I said the same; I do not know.' So they said: 'We knew you would say that.' So the earth is told: 'Constrict him.' So it constricts around him, squeezing his ribs together. He continues being punished like that until Allah resurrects him from his resting place

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