All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
We do not know of any authentic basis for this story in the Qur’an, the Sunnah, or what has been reliably transmitted from the early generations. Therefore, it is not correct to say that the Angel of Death complained to Allah about the task of taking souls, or that Allah created the causes of death because of such a complaint. What is established is that Allah appointed the Angel of Death to take souls, that other angels are with him carrying out what Allah commands them to do, and that the manner in which the soul is taken differs between the believer and the disbeliever.
Allah Almighty says:
“Say, ‘The Angel of Death who has been entrusted with you will take you in death. Then to your Lord you will be returned.’”
[As-Sajdah: 11]
This verse affirms the existence of the Angel of Death and that Allah has entrusted him with this task.
However, the revealed texts also indicate that there are other angels who have a role in taking souls.
Allah says:
“Until, when death comes to one of you, Our messengers take him in death, and they do not neglect their duty.”
[Al-An‘am: 61]
For this reason, the scholars have mentioned that the Angel of Death is the one primarily entrusted with this matter, and that other angels are with him carrying out what Allah has assigned to them.
All death occurs by Allah’s decree and command, and the Angel of Death merely carries out what Allah has commanded him to do.
Allah Almighty has decreed the lifespan of every person, and when that appointed time ends, the angels carry out the tasks assigned to them.
Thus, there is no contradiction between attributing the taking of souls to Allah, to the Angel of Death, or to the angels. Allah is the One who commands and decrees, while the angels carry out His command.
The Qur’an indicates the severity of the condition of disbelievers and wrongdoers at the time of death.
Allah says:
“If only you could see when the wrongdoers are in the agonies of death while the angels stretch out their hands, saying, ‘Give up your souls! Today you will be rewarded with the punishment of humiliation.’”
[Al-An‘am: 93]
And He says:
“If only you could see when the angels take the souls of those who disbelieved, striking their faces and their backs, saying, ‘Taste the punishment of the Burning Fire.’”
[Al-Anfal: 50]
These texts demonstrate the severity of what the disbeliever experiences at death.
As for the believer who remains steadfast in obedience to Allah, the Qur’an tells us that the angels give him glad tidings and reassurance.
Allah says:
“Indeed, those who say, ‘Our Lord is Allah,’ and then remain steadfast, the angels descend upon them, saying, ‘Do not fear and do not grieve, but receive the glad tidings of Paradise which you were promised.’”
[Fussilat: 30]
Thus, the state of the believer at death differs from that of the disbeliever, and the angels act in each case according to what Allah Almighty has commanded them.
No, this is not authentically established.
The story claiming that the Angel of Death feared that people would hate him because he takes their souls, so he complained to Allah, and Allah then created diseases, accidents, and other causes of death so that people would focus on those causes instead of him, is not known to have any authentic basis in the Sunnah or in the statements of the early generations, according to the fatwa.
Therefore, it should not be narrated as a religious fact.
Matters concerning the angels belong to the unseen. Their feelings, words, and what occurred between them and Allah cannot be known except through evidence from revelation.
The world of the angels is one of the subjects around which many undocumented stories and reports circulate.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“It is enough falsehood for a man to narrate everything he hears.”
[Reported by Muslim in the introduction to his Sahih]
Imam An-Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him, explained that a person hears both truth and falsehood, so if he transmits everything he hears without verification, he may end up transmitting things that never occurred.
For this reason, especially in matters of the unseen, we should not attribute a story or statement to Allah or to the angels unless its source has been verified.
We affirm what has been established in the revealed texts, among the most important of which are:
As for details and stories for which there is no authentic evidence, the basic principle is to refrain from affirming them.
The story claiming that the Angel of Death complained to Allah about taking souls, and that Allah then created illnesses, accidents, and other causes of death because of his complaint, is not authentic. No established basis for this story is known in the Qur’an, the Sunnah, or the statements of the early generations.
What is established is that Allah Almighty appointed the Angel of Death to take souls, and that other angels are with him carrying out what Allah commands them to do. All of them carry out Allah’s command and do not act on their own.
In matters of the unseen, especially those related to the angels, one should limit oneself to what is authentically established in the Qur’an and the authentic Sunnah, and avoid spreading stories for which no reliable basis is known.
And Allah knows best.