Munkar and Nakir: Difference between revisions

'''Nakīr and Munkar''' (Arabic: {{iarabic|النکیر والمنکَر}}) or '''Bashīr and Mubashshir''' (Arabic:{{iarabic|البشیر والمبشّر}}) are the names of two [[angel]]s who enter a dead person's grave at the first night after his or her death and ask them about their beliefs and actions. If the departed is an unbeliever, then the angels will appear with a frightening face and are called "Nakir" and "Munkar", and if he or she is a believer, then they appear to them with a beautiful face, in which case they are called "Bashir" and "Mubashshir".

When the corpse is [[burial|buried]], two angels who are commissioned by God to examine the dead person's beliefs enter his or her grave. In some [[hadith]]s, they are called "the two guardians of the grave". One of the two angels stands at the right side of the dead and the other at his or her left side, and they start interrogating the dead person by asking questions about his or her beliefs. If the person is an unbeliever or a sinner, then the two angels appear to him or her with a frightening face, and when the true character of the dead is revealed, he or she will face a torture by the frightening angels, called Nakir and Munkar, and the grave will be filled with fire. But if the departed is a believer and pious, then the angels will appear to him or her with a beautiful face, and after the interrogation, they give him or her the good news of going to the [[Heaven]] and expand the grave with divine bounties. The angels are, in this case, called "Bashir" and "Mubashshir".

==The Face of Nakir and Munkar==

The appearance of Nakir and Munkar is described in hadiths as follows: they have a voice like a thunderstorm, and eyes like a dazzling light from which fire comes out. They have long and terrifying teeth that reach the ground, their shouts horrifies the dead person to the extreme and makes him or her mute.

Expressions such as the "predicament of Nakir and Munkar" or the "horror of Nakir and Munkar", that are found in hadiths, imply the anxiety or fear that a dead person feels when seeing the two angels. It is recommended to recite [[Sura al-Mulk]] on behalf of the departed in order to relieve their fears and anxieties. There are some [[supplication]]s in which God is asked to help one to go through this difficult stage.

The family and relatives of the dead person are recommended not to leave him or her alone after their burial. They had better stay with the dead by reciting the holy [[Qur'an]] and supplications, and help him or her answer the questions of Nakir and Munkar.