The Angel of Death

And then Mūsā received a visit from the angel of death, in the form of a man — and this hadith is in al-Bukhārī. The angel of death presented himself to Mūsā in the form of a human being, a man, and he came and told Mūsā (peace be upon him): are you ready to die? Because we know that the angel of death takes our lives without announcement, but he does not take the life of a nabī until he has asked his permission and let him know.

The angel of death told Mūsā: are you ready to die? Mūsā (peace be upon him) slapped the angel of death on his face and knocked his eye out. He slapped him on his face and knocked his eye out. So the angel of death went to Allah (swt) and said: yā Rabb, arsaltanī ilā ʿabdin lā yurīdu al-mawt — O Allah, You have sent me to a man who does not want to die.

And then the angel of death says, in another hadith — this one is not in al-Bukhārī; I think this hadith was narrated by Imam Aḥmad: wa law lā karāmatuhū ʿalayka la-shaqaqtu ʿalayh — if it were not that I know Mūsā is beloved to You, I would have made his death difficult.

Allah (swt) told the angel of death: go back to Mūsā, and tell him to put his hand on the back of an ox, and tell him that for every hair under his hand, I will give him one year of life — for every hair under his hand. The angel of death went to Mūsā and said: O Mūsā, Allah is telling you to put your hand on the back of an ox; Allah will give you one year to live for every hair under your hand.

By now Mūsā had had a chance to think about it. So he asked the angel of death: and then what? And then what will happen? The angel of death said: then you will die. Mūsā said: then let me die now. If in the end I am going to die, let me die now.