Kitāb al-Zuhd 1, record 217 of the digital edition

Translation

9.Faḍālah ibn Abī al-Maghrāʾ said, “Yaʿqūb al-Aḥmar narrated to me saying, ‘I went to visit Abā ʿAbdillāh (a) in order to console him for [the death of] Ismāʿīl, so he invoked [divine] mercy upon him and then said, “Verily Allah consoled His Prophet (ṣ) Himself and said: Verily you shall die, and they will [all] die [too] (Q39:30). And He said: Every soul will taste death (Q3:195).” Then he began speaking [about the subject of death] and said, “Indeed, all the inhabitants of the earth shall die until no one remains. Then the inhabitants of the heavens will die until no one remains except the Angel of Death, the bearers of the [Divine] Throne, Jibraʾīl, and Mīkāʾīl. Then the Angel of Death will come and stand before Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, so he will be asked, ‘Who has remained?’ while He [already] knows better. He will reply, ‘O Lord, no one remains except the Angel of Death, the bearers of the [Divine] Throne, Jibraʾīl,and Mīkāʾīl.’ He will be told, ‘Command Jibraʾīl and Mīkāʾīl so that they both die.’ So the angels [who remain] will say, ‘O Lord, they are Your messengers and Your most trusted ones!’ He will say, ‘I have decreed for every living soul that it must die.’ Then the Angel of Death will come and stand before Allah, the Almighty, so he will be asked, ‘Who has remained?’ while He [already] knows better. He will reply, ‘O Lord, no one remains except the Angel of Death and the bearers of the [Divine] Throne. He will be told, ‘Command the bearers of the [Divine] Throne so that they may die.’ Then [having done that] the Angel of Death will come with his gaze lowered. He will be asked, ‘Who has remained?’ So he will say, ‘O Lord, no one remains except the Angel of Death.’ So He shall say to him, ‘Die, O Angel of Death!’ The Angel of Death will thus die. Then He will take the earth in His left hand and the heavens in His right hand, shaking them severely many times. Then He will say, ‘Where are those who used to invoke [others as] associates with Me? Where are those who had placed with Me another deity?’”

Translation: Shaykh Tahir Ridha Jaffer — published with the edition, reproduced verbatim.