Wikipedia's first sentence called it “two black”. Today it says “angels who test the faith of the dead in their graves”.
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Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
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The opening as it read in 2005
Munkar and Nakeer , in Islamic eschatology , are two black, blue-eyed malaikah ( angels ) who test the faith of the dead in their graves.1After death, a person's soul passes through a stage called barzakh , where it is stored near their grave. (Even if the person's body was destroyed, the soul will still rest in the earth near their place of death.) The Angels prop the deceased soul upright in the grave and ask three questions, "Who is your Lord?2What is your way of life? Who is your Prophet?" A righteous Muslim will respond correctly, saying that their Lord is Allah , that their way of life is Islam , and depending on what time period they live in, they will name their prophet (which would currently be Muhammad for those living today). A voice from God will resonate down into the grave, confirming that what the person said was true. He or she will then be shown a window to the place he or she could have had in Hell , but are then shown the place that Allah has given for him or her in Paradise. Then there comes to him some of heaven's breezes and fragrances, and the grave will expand into a comfortable space as far as the eye can see, and his grave will be lit up. The righteous believer will then remain in a state of bliss until the Day of Resurrection. A non-believer, of course, will not respond correctly, and the angels will rebuke him: "Neither did you know nor did you seek guidance from those who had knowledge (Islam)." They will then show the soul the place he or she could have had in Paradise , and then show that person his or her eternal place in Hell . Then he will be hit with an iron hammer between his ears, and he will cry and that cry will be heard by whatever approaches him except human beings and Jinns . That person's grave is tightened until his chest ribs come over each other like clasped hands, and he or she remains in a state of torture until the Day of Resurrection.3
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 15918814.
The opening as it stood in 2010 9 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Munkar and Nakir , ( ) in Islamic eschatology , are angels who test the faith of the dead in their graves. According to Islam, after death, a person's soul passes through a stage called barzakh , where it exists in the grave (even if the person's body was destroyed, the soul will still rest in the earth near their place of death). The questioning will begin when the funeral is over and the last person of the funeral congregation has stepped 70 steps away from the grave. Nakir and Munkar prop the deceased soul upright in the grave and ask three questions: "Who is your Lord? Who is your Prophet? What is your religion?".A righteous believer will respond correctly, saying that their Lord is Allah , that Muhammad is their prophet and that their religion is Islam .If the deceased answers correctly, the time spent awaiting the resurrection is pleasant.Those who do not answer as described above are chastised until the day of judgment.Muslims believe that a person will correctly answer the questions not by remembering the answers before death (compare with the Egyptian Book of the Dead ) but by their iman and deeds such as salah and shahadah (the Islamic profession of faith).Munkar is sometimes transliterated as Monkir.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 370717375.
The opening as it stood in 2015
Munkar and Nakir ( ) (English translation: "The Denied and The Denier") in Islamic eschatology , are angels who test the faith of the dead in their graves. Many Muslims believe that, after death, a person's soul passes through a stage called barzakh , where it exists in the grave (even if the person's body was destroyed, the soul will still rest in the earth near their place of death). The questioning will begin when the funeral is over and the last person of the funeral congregation has stepped 40 steps away from the grave. Nakir and Munkar prop the deceased soul upright in the grave and ask three questions: "Who is your Lord? Who is your Prophet? What is your religion?". A righteous believer will respond correctly, saying that their Lord is Allah , that Muhammad is their prophet and that their religion is Islam . If the deceased answers correctly, the time spent awaiting the resurrection is pleasant. Those who do not answer as described above are chastised until the day of judgment. These angels are described as having solid black eyes, having a shoulder span measured in miles, and carrying hammers "so large, that if all of mankind tried at once to move them a single inch, they would fail".When they speak, tongues of fire come from their mouths.If one answers their questions incorrectly, one is beaten every day, other than Friday, until Allah gives permission for the beating to stop. Muslims believe that a person will correctly answer the questions not by remembering the answers before death (compare with the Egyptian Book of the Dead ) but by their iman and deeds such as salat and shahadah (the Islamic profession of faith). Munkar is sometimes transliterated as Monkir.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 669259352.
The opening as it stood in 2020 13 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Munkar and Nakir ( ) (English translation: "The Denied and The Denier") in Islamic eschatology , are angels who test the faith of the dead in their graves.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 964495585.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023
Islamic eschatological angels This illustration from Walters manuscript W.659 depicts the angels Munkir and Nakir, who are charged with questioning the deceased people. Munkar and Nakir ( ) (English translation: "The Denied and The Denier") in Islamic eschatology , are angels who test the faith of the dead in their graves.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1168548497.
The opening as it stood in 2025
Islamic eschatological angels This illustration from Walters manuscript W.659 depicts the angels Munkir and Nakir, who are charged with questioning the deceased people. Munkar and Nakir ( Arabic : منكر ونكير ) (English translation: "The Denied and The Denier") in Islamic eschatology , are angels who test the faith of the dead in their graves.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1277164225. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “two black”. Today it says “angels who test the faith of the dead in their graves”. Read the current article and compare.
2005
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2020
Oct '23
2025
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What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2005, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
two black
Now
angels who test the faith of the dead in their graves
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
