In Islamic tradition, what are the two angels who question the dead in the grave called?

In Islamic tradition, the two angels who question the dead in the grave are called Munkar and Nakir.

Islamic teachings commonly describe these angels as examining a deceased person after burial. Their questions concern fundamental beliefs, especially faith in God, Muhammad, and Islam. The account is associated with the intermediate stage between death and resurrection, often discussed under the concept of barzakh.

Munkar and Nakir are distinct from other named angels in Islam. Kiraman Katibin, for example, are associated with recording human deeds, while Malik is described as the keeper of Hell. The questioning angels are also different from the angel of death, commonly called Azrael in later Islamic tradition.

Descriptions of the grave questioning appear in hadith literature and later Islamic theology. Details vary among scholars and traditions, but the paired names Munkar and Nakir are the standard answer in popular and theological accounts of the Islamic afterlife.