Death, and the exit of the soul

[ابوالوليد المسلم]

Death, and the exit of the soul (1)

‘Abdullah bin Hamoud al-Furaih


Death, and the exit of the soul

Each person has a fixed lifetime and to death he shall walk, so one should prepare himself for that day.

It is a fixed time known to Allah Almighty as He is the All-Knowing and the Expert. As for us, we do not know its time or place. The Almighty said:

{ وَمَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ مَّاذَا تَكْسِبُ غَداً وَمَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ بِأَيِّ أَرْضٍ تَمُوتُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ }
“And no soul perceives what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul perceives in what land it will die. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.” [Luqman: 34].
Death shall come truly to every creature: kings, the poor, the young and the old, men and women. The Almighty said:

{ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ ثُمَّ إِلَيْنَا تُرْجَعُونَ }
Every soul will taste death. Then to Us will you be returned. [Al Ankaboot: 57]

The eternal life is for the Lord of the Worlds:

{ كُلُّ شَيْءٍ هَالِكٌ إِلَّا وَجْهَهُ لَهُ الْحُكْمُ وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ }
“Everything will be destroyed except His Face. His is the judgement, and to Him you will be returned.” [Al Qasas: 88]

It is not possible that anyone dies except after the permission and knowledge of Allah. The Almighty said:

{ وَمَا كَانَ لِنَفْسٍ أَنْ تَمُوتَ إِلاَّ بِإِذْنِ الله كِتَاباً مُّؤَجَّلاً }
“And it is not [possible] for one to die except by permission of Allah at a decree determined.” [Aal-e-Imran: 145]

If Allah Almighty wants death for a human than he is not able to prevent that, even if he protects himself and surrounds himself with everything he owns, he would not be able to prevent the reality. The Almighty said:

{ أَيْنَمَا تَكُونُواْ يُدْرِككُّمُ الْمَوْتُ وَلَوْ كُنتُمْ فِي بُرُوجٍ مُّشَيَّدَةٍ }
“Wherever you may be, death will overtake you, even if you should be within towers of lofty construction.” [Al Nisa: 78]

The Almighty said:

{ قُلْ إِنَّ الْمَوْتَ الَّذِي تَفِرُّونَ مِنْهُ فَإِنَّهُ مُلَاقِيكُمْ ثُمَّ تُرَدُّونَ إِلَى عَالِمِ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ }
“O you who have believed, when [the adhan] is called for the prayer on the day of Jumu'ah [Friday], then proceed to the remembrance of Allah and leave trade. That is better for you, if you only knew.” [Al Jumuah: 8]
We ask Allah Almighty for a good ending and good deeds. He is the Most Generous and Most Kind.

[ابوالوليد المسلم]

Death, and the exit of the soul (2)

‘Abdullah bin Hamoud al-Furaih


Death, and the exit of the soul

The agonies of death are very difficult.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) suffered the agonies of death like other Muslims. During his dying illness, there was a container between his hands in which there was water, so he would put his hand in water and wash his face saying: “None has the right to be worshipped except Allah. Death has its agonies”[1] The most honorable soul (the soul of the Prophet) said so, how about other Muslims; may my parents be ransomed for him! How terrible moments you suffer in these agonies!


Some of reasonable people described the agonies of death when they experienced it and among them was the great Companion, `Amr ibn Al `Aas (may Allah be pleased with him). When death came to him, his son said to him: O my father! You say: I wish I could come across a reasonable person to describe death for me, could you describe it for us? He said: O my son! By Allah, it is as if my side is in agony, as if I am breathing from a needle eye, and as if a thorny branch is pulled out from my feet to my head. Then he started reciting poetry:
Before what I have known, I wish I had been
in hills herding mountain goats.[2]

Question 4/20: When the time of death comes, a person wishes to return to the world.

If the deceased is a disbeliever, he wishes to return so that he might believe, but if he is disobedient he wishes to return so that he might repent. The Almighty said:

{ حَتَّى إِذَا جَاء أَحَدَهُمُ الْمَوْتُ قَالَ رَبِّ ارْجِعُونِ * لَعَلِّي أَعْمَلُ صَالِحاً فِيمَا تَرَكْتُ كَلَّا إِنَّهَا كَلِمَةٌ هُوَ قَائِلُهَا وَمِن وَرَائِهِم بَرْزَخٌ إِلَى يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ }
“[For such is the state of the disbelievers], until, when death comes to one of them, he says, "My Lord, send me back¹ That I might do righteousness in that which I left behind." No! It is only a word he is saying; and behind them is a barrier until the Day they are resurrected.” [Al Mumenoon: 99-100]
But this belief and repentance will not benefit him when death comes and a person rattles. The Almighty said:

{ وَلَيْسَتِ التَّوْبَةُ لِلَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ السَّيِّئَاتِ حَتَّى إِذَا حَضَرَ أَحَدَهُمُ الْمَوْتُ قَالَ إِنِّي تُبْتُ الآنَ وَلاَ الَّذِينَ يَمُوتُونَ وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ أُوْلَـئِكَ أَعْتَدْنَا لَهُمْ عَذَاباً أَلِيمًا}
“But repentance is not [accepted] of those who [continue to] do evil deeds up until, when death comes to one of them, he says, "Indeed, I have repented now," or of those who die while they are disbelievers. For them We have prepared a painful punishment.” [Al Nisa: 18]
In the Sunan of At-Tirmidhy and Ibn Majah, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Indeed Allah accepts the repentance of a person as long as (his soul does not reach his throat).”[3]
It is incumbent on an individual to prepare himself and repent to the Lord Almighty before death comes:

before death (comes) and
Prepare for yourself a
tongues are shut;
desired repentance…
save and loot
Initiate it by closing
for good repentant
the souls because…

[1] Narrated by Al Bukhari number (4449) from the Hadith of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with he).

[2] Look at: At-Tadhkirah by Al Qurtubi (page 19).

[3] Narrated by At-Tirmidhy number (3537). Narrated by Ibn Majah number (4253)

[ابوالوليد المسلم]

Death, and the exit of the soul (3)

‘Abdullah bin Hamoud al-Furaih


Death, and the exit of the soul

A believing soul yearns for its lord when death comes, whereas a believing soul hates that

The proof to that: The Hadith of `Ubadah ibn As-Samit (may Allah be pleased with him) who narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever loves to meet Allah, Allah loves to meet him too and whoever hates to meet Allah, Allah hates to meet him also". `A'ishah, or some of the wives of the Prophet said, "But we dislike death." He said: It is not like this, but it means that when the time of the death of a believer approaches, he receives the good news of Allah's Pleasure with him and His Blessings upon him, and so at that time nothing is dearer to him than what is in front of him. He, therefore, loves the meeting of Allah; also Allah loves to meet him. But when the time of the death of a disbeliever approaches, he receives the evil news of Allah's Torment and His Requital, whereupon nothing is more hateful to him than what is before him. Therefore, he hates the meeting of Allah, and Allah also hates his meeting.”[1]


O Lord! We ask You for satisfaction and kindness to make us yearn to meet You, and we seek refuge in You against disappointment and loss.
Therefore, the righteous person demands the carriers of his coffin to rush to the grave, looking forward to the blessings, whereas evil people will call woefully. It was reported in Sahih Al Bukhari from the Hadith of Abu Sa`id Al Khudry (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “When the funeral is ready and the men carry it on their shoulders, if the deceased was righteous it will say, 'Advance me (hurriedly),' and if he was not righteous, it will say, 'Woe to it (me)! Where are they taking it (me)?' Its voice is heard by everything except man and if he had heard it, he would have fallen unconscious.”[2]


• Question 4/22: If the soul comes out of the body, then it goes to heavens

It was reported in Sahih Muslim on the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: “When the soul of a believer leaves the body, it would be received by two angels who would take it to the sky. Hammad (one of the narrators in the chain of transmittion) mentioned the sweetness of its odor, (and further said) that the dwellers of the sky say: Here comes the pious soul from the side of the earth. Let there be blessings of Allah upon the body in which it resides. And it is carried (by the angels) to its Lord, the Exalted and Glorious. He would say: Take it to its destined end. He added, when the soul of a disbelievers leaves the body (Hammad said) after he had mentioned its bad odor and curses, the dwellers of heavens would say: A wicked soul that came from the earth. He said: It will be said to him: take him to the last moment of his life.”[3]

[1] Narrated by Al Bukhari number (6507).

[2] Narrated by Al Bukhari number (1314).

[3] Narrated by Muslim number (2872).

[ابوالوليد المسلم]

Death, and the exit of the soul (4)

‘Abdullah bin Hamoud al-Furaih

Death, and the exit of the soul

Question 4/23: Is there a Hadith details the exit and ascention of the soul to the heavens?

Answer:Yes, may Allah extend your age in His Obedience without a misleading temptation. It is the origin Hadith which speaks about the exit of the soul and the punishment of the grave. It is the Hadith of Al Bara' ibn `Azib (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: "We went out with the Prophet (saws) to the funeral of a man of the Ansar and came to the grave. It had not yet been dug, so Allah’s Messenger (saws) sat down and we sat down around him quietly. He had in his hand a stick with which he was making marks on the round. Then he raised his head and said, "Seek refuge in Allah from the punishment of the grave; saying it twice or thrice. He then said, "When a believer is about to leave the world and go forward to the next world, angels with faces white as the sun come down to him from heaven with one of the shrouds of paradise and some of the perfume of paradise and sit away from him as far as the eye can see. Then the angel of death comes and sits at his head and says, ‘Good soul, come out to forgiveness and acceptance from Allah.’ It then comes out as a drop flows from a water-skin and he seizes it; and when he does so they do not leave it in his hand for an instant, but take it and place it in that shroud and that perfume, and from it there comes forth a fragrance like that of the sweetest musk found on the face of the earth. They then take it up and do not bring it past a company of angels without their asking, "Who is this good soul?’ to which they reply, ‘So and so, the son of so and so’, using the best names by which people called him on the earth. They then bring him to the lowest heaven and ask that the gate should be opened for him. This is done, and from every heaven its archangels escort him to the next heaven until it is brought to the seventh heaven, and Allah who is great and glorious says, ‘Record the book of my servant in Illiyyun and take him back to earth, for I created mankind from it, I shall return them into it, and from it I shall bring them forth another time.’ His soul is then restored to his body, two angels come to him, and making him sit up say to him, ‘ Who is our Lord’ He replies, ‘My Lord is Allah.’ They ask, ‘What is your religion?’ and he replies, ‘My religion is Islam.’ They ask, ‘Who is this man who was sent among you?’ and he replies, ‘He is Allah’s Messenger.’ They ask, ‘What is your [source of] knowledge?’ and he replies, ‘I have read Allah’s Book, believed in it and declared it to be true.’ Then one cries from heaven, ‘My servant has spoken the truth, so spread out carpets for him from paradise, and open a gate for him into paradise.’ Then some of its joy and its fragrance comes to him, his grave is made spacious for him as far as the eye can see, and a man with a beautiful face, beautiful garments and a sweet odor comes to him and says, ‘Rejoice in what pleases you for this is your day which you have been promised.’ He asks, ‘Who are you, for your face is perfectly beautiful and brings good?" He replies, ‘I am your good deeds.’ He then says, ‘My Lord, bring the last hour; my Lord, bring the last hour, so that I may return to my people and my property.’ But when an infidel is about to leave the world and proceed to the next world, angels with black faces come down to him from heaven with hair-cloth and sit away from him as far as the eye can see. Then the angel of death comes and sits at his head and says, ‘Wicked soul, come out to displeasure from Allah.’ Then it becomes dissipated in his body, and he draws it out as a spit is drawn out from moistened wool. He then seizes it, and when he does so they do not leave it in his hand for an instant, but put it in that hair-cloth and from it comes forth a stench like the most offensive corpse found on the face of the earth. They then take it up and do not bring it past a company of angels without their saying, ‘Who is this wicked soul?’ to which they reply, ‘So and so, the son of so and so’, using the worst names that he was called in the world. When he is brought to the lowest heaven request is made that the gate be opened for him, but it is not opened for him. (Allah’s Messenger (saws) then recited, ‘The gates of heaven will not be opened for them and they will not enter paradise until a camel can pass through the eye of a needle.’ Allah who is most Great and Glorious then says, ‘Record his book in Sijjin in the lowest earth,’ and his soul is thrown down. (He (saws) then recited, ‘He who assigns partners to Allah is as if he had fallen down from heaven and been snatched up by the birds, or made to fall by the wind in a place far distant.’ His soul is then restored to his body, two angels come to him, and making him sit up say to him, ‘Who is your Lord?’ He replies, ‘Alas, alas, I do not know.’ They ask, ‘What is your religion?’ He replies, ‘Alas, alas, I do not know.’ They ask ‘Who is this man who was sent among you?’ He replies, Alas, alas, I do not know.’ Then one cries out from heaven, ‘He has lied, so spread out carpets from hell for him, and open a gate for him into hell.’ Then some of its heat and hot air comes to him, his grave is made narrow for him so that his ribs are pressed together in it and a man with an ugly face, ugly garments and an offensive odor come to him and says, Be grieved with what displeases you, for this is your day which you have been promised.’ He asks ‘Who are you, for your face is most ugly and brings evil?’ He replies, ‘l am your wicked deeds.’ He then says, My Lord, do not bring the last hour.’"
Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) read:
{ لَا تُفَتَّحُ لَهُمْ أَبْوَابُ السَّمَاءِ وَلَا يَدْخُلُونَ الْجَنَّةَ حَتَّى يَلِجَ الْجَمَلُ فِي سَـمِّ الْخِيَاطِ }
“The doors of the heavens do not open for them and they do not enter Paradise until the camel passes through the eye of the needle.”
Allah Almighty says: Record the book of My Servant in Sijjin in the lowest earth, and return him to the earth, from which I created him, to it I shall return him and from which I will bring him forth once again.’ So his soul is cast down.
Then he read:
{ وَمَنْ يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَكَأَنَّمَا خَرَّ مِنْ السَّمَاءِ فَتَخْطَفُهُ الطَّيْرُ أَوْ تَهْوِي بِهِ الرِّيحُ فِي مَكَانٍ سَحِيقٍ }
“And whoever associates (others) with Allah, it is as though he had fallen from on high, then the birds snatch him away or the wind carries him off to a far distant place.”
So his soul is returned to his body and two angels come, they seat him and say: Who is your Lord? The Hadith…” There are three questions in the grave: Who is your Lord? What is your religion? Who is your Prophet? The following will be the Hadith of the grave and the questions of the two angels.[1]

[1] The Hadith compilation was by Sheikh Al Albany. It was authenticated in his valuable book: Ahkam Al Jana'iz (page 59). Related to Abu Dawud, Al Hakim, At-Tayalisy, Ahmad and those connected to it. Al Hakim said: correct on the condition of the two sheikhs. Adh-Dhahaby established it and Ibn Al Qayyim authenticated it in I`lam Al Muwaqi`in (1/214).