Death

Death is the permanent cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include aging, predation, malnutrition, disease, suicide, homicide, starvation, dehydration, and accidents or major trauma resulting in terminal injury. In most cases, bodies of living organisms begin to decompose shortly after death.

113485

Fate . Hereafter . Sunni . Muslims . Death

What is the fate in the hereafter of those who die as Sunni Muslims?

Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi, Sayyed Mohammad al-Musawi is originally from Iraq and heads up the World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League in London. Other than being involved in various humanitarian projects, he frequently responds to... Answered 3 weeks ago

Allah (SWT) knows the fate of everyone after death. We are responsible to seek true knowledge about the message of Islam and follow it. Everyone will be asked in the Day of Judgement about his faith and practice. Muslims will be questioned whether they obeyed the Prophetic orders or not. Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) ordered all Muslims to keep following Quran and Ahlul Bayt (AS). This is in the authentic known as Hadeeth al-Thaqalain which is narrated in main Sunni and Shia books of Hadeeth e.g. (Saheeh Muslim, Hadeeth number 4425, Tirmithi; 3718, Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal ; 10681, Al-Mustadrak by Al-Nisabouri; 4576, Al-Sunan al-Khubra by Al-Nasaa'ee; 6921 and many other Sunni books.

Those who did not care to search for the truth will be questioned and those who knew but did not follow will face the result of their ignoring the orders of the Prophet (SAWA).

We believe that all Muslims who sincerely believe in Allah and the Messenger will ultimately go to Paradise even after they had to face results of their mistakes.This applies on followers of all Muslim sects except the enemies of Ahlul Bayt (AS).

Wassalam.

113629

Death . Ruqayya bt. al-Husayn

I understand that there are two dates for the death of Ruqayya bint Al-Hussain, 10th Safar and 13th Safar. Which date is more reliable?

Amina Inloes, Amina Inloes is originally from the US and has a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Exeter on Shi'a hadith. She is the program leader for the MA Islamic Studies program at the... Answer updated 3 weeks ago

Neither.

There is no solid historical evidence that she even existed, let alone when she might have died.

There is no harm in commemorating the story about her as a customary matter or as something which may have occurred, or out of hope that there might be some blessings attached to it.

However if one is asking about bare facts and historical reliability, this is the answer.

91780

Death . Prophet Muhammad

Did the Prophet Mohammad (s) die a natural death?

The authentic evidence proves that Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him and his Holy Progeny) did not die a natural death but he was killed by poison. The evidence is in Sunni and Shia books. In the Sunni books there is an authentic narration from Abdullah ibn Mas'ood.

This narration is mentioned in the Musnad of Ahmad bin Hanbal in which Abdullah ibn Mas'ood said that I don't mind or in fact I am ready to take oath and repeat it nine times that the prophet was killed rather than taking oath one time that he was not killed.
Musnad Ahmad bin Hanbal volume 1 page 408

Our prominent Ulamah have mentioned many authentic hadith that the Prophet was poisoned. Among them is:
· Sheikh Al Mufid in his book Al-Muqni'ah page 456
· Sheikh Al Toosi in his book Al Tahdhib vol 2 page 6
· Al Fattal Al Nisaburi in his book Al Rawdat page 71
· Al Allamah Al Hilli in his book Al Tahrir vol 2 page 118
· Al Shahid Al Awal in his book Al-Durus vol 2 page 6
· Allamah Al Majlisi in his book Mir'at Al Uqol vol 5 page 174

Ibne-Abil Hadeed Al Moathazalee a well known non-Shia scholar mentioned in his book Sharh Nahj Al-Balagha that the Prophet was poisoned and that he passed away as a Shahid (martyr) vol 10 page 221.

There is a narration from Imam Jaffer as Sadiq (as) that Imam Hassan (as) told his family members "I will die by poison as the Prophet Mohammad (saw) was poisoned."
Al-Khara'ij wal-Jara'ih vol 1 page 241

Among the Sunni scholars Al Hakim Al Nishapuri is very well known who compiled the famous book Al-Mustadrak alaa al-Sahihain he narrated from Al Sha'bi "by Allah the Prophet was poisoned."

It is not the death but it is the martyrdom of the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him and his Holy Progeny).
Wassalam.

110726

Death . Azrael

Is Azrael the correct name of the angel of death? And is there any source for it?

The name 'Azra'il is used for the Angel of Death in a number of hadith, such as in Bihar al-Anwar, but not in the Qur'an.

A du'a transmitted from Imam al-Sadiq in which one prays for blessings on the angels includes praying for blessings on 'Azrail, the Angel of Death (allahumma salli 'ala Azra'il, malak al-mawt).

Interestingly, there is a variant of this du'a which calls him "malak al-rahmah" - the Angel of Mercy, although still describing him as taking people's souls. Perhaps this is because, for the believer, it is said that he will be kindly.

In any case, he is doing his job tirelessly and deserves blessings! :)

110104

Death . Injustice

Can I pray for someone’s death as they have been unjust, unfair, and emotionally abusive?

If you feel justified in invoking divine wrath against someone, prayer number 14 in al-Sahifah al-Sajjadiyah ("His supplication when suffering acts of wrongdoing") may suffice, especially when recited regularly until the situation is resolved, and sometimes these du'as also help as a coping mechanism to gain wisdom from difficulty.

Ziyarat Ashura and Dua Alqamah do not hurt in this regard either.

Allah knows best whether death itself is the best manifestation of His justice, as sometimes justice is better served by keeping someone alive for some time. Frequently, Allah delivers justice in a manner which we could not have expected or asked for.

Of course, sometimes someone may wish to pray for someone to die to be free of their tyranny.

It is generally considered bad form to pray for the death of one's biological parents or children, perhaps due to the intimate link, but of course one could pray for other things such as relocation.

Death is guaranteed for all people anyway.

110170

Soul . Nafs . Death . Eternity

Is the concept of soul identical to that of Nafs? If so, how can it be interpreted that every Nafs is to taste death? Aren't souls eternal?

In the Qur'an, when used alone, the word "nafs" is not really used as a synonym for soul (in the sense of the soul as a non-corporeal entity distinct from the body). Rather, it is usually used to refer to the complete self; for instance, in phrases like "bring yourselves" or "they deceive themselves".

(Of course, this distinction can be blurry based on how one perceives the nature of the soul and the relationship between the soul and the body.)

This is different from the use of the word "nafs" outside the Qur'an, in that "nafs" in other texts or discussions is often used to mean specifically the immaterial part of the human.

Therefore, when the Qur'an says "kullu nafsin dha'iqat al-mawt", it means that all people will taste death in a holistic sense, not specifically that all souls will.

However, since the soul and body experience things simultaneously, the soul will also taste the experience of death, just as it experiences other things occurring via the body.

If one understands death to mean "transfer from realm to realm", rather than "annihilation", then definitely the soul will experience transfer from realm to realm upon death.

Some say that we will have a different type of body as a vehicle for the soul in the barzakh and in the Hereafter. Therefore, if death is also understood to mean "transfer from one type of body to another", the soul will also taste death in that way.

So it is not incorrect to say that all souls will taste death; the usage of the word in the Qur'an is simply more expansive than that.

Note that compound phrases in the Qur'an such as nafs al-'ammarah (the bestial soul), nafs al-lawwamah (the blaming soul), and nafs al-mutma'innah (the content soul which God calls to Paradise) refer more to immaterial aspects of the human being.

110153

Life . Death . Starvation . Pork . Food

If in a life or death situation where starvation will be the cause of death and you are forced to have pork, is it permissible not to eat it and allow yourself to die?

Usually we deal with questions related to practical issues which people experience in their day to day life. Your question looks like very far from day to day life, nevertheless if you want the answer for knowledge, it is obligatory to save our life. Deliberate failure in saving life and causing death is a sinful act. It is not permissible to cause death to yourself even if the only food available to remain alive is pork, but no more than what make you survive.

'Wassalam.

104812

Death . Coronaviruses . Martyrdom

Nowadays people are quoting a hadith according to which one who dies during a plague is considered to be a martyr. Is this hadith authentic?

This narration المطعون شهيد is found in Sunni books of Hadeeth ( Riyadh al-Saliheen 1:1353 from Abu Huraira) but I did not find it in our authentic books of Hadeeth. It has been mentioned in few of our books of Fiqh but the meaning of مطعون is not a victim of plague but a stabbed person. مطعون can be from طاعون plague and can be from طعن which means stabbing. The meaning of the narration if it was authentic can be a victim of plague or a stabbed to death.

If it is an authentic, it does not mean a real martyr who should not be given Ghusl, but it means the reward which he gets because he was a victim.

Wassalam.

108753

Autism . Death

My older brother has low-functioning autism and has become extremely violent and is in a care home. I find myself wanting Allah to take him from this world to end the suffering. Is it allowed to wish him to die if it isn't with hateful or evil intentions?

I don't have anything to add, but I just wanted to say that I am sorry about your and his suffering and I pray that Allah makes it easier.

Autism . Death

It is wrong to wish death to your brother even if he is very ill, rather you should pray to Allah (SWT) to grant him cure and recovery. The great mercy of Allah is able to cure your brother and relief him from illness. We must trust in the Mercy of Allah (SWT) in every matter even if we think it very difficult.

Wassalam.

108629

Islam . Qur'an . Surah . Death

Is it allowed in Islam to complete reading one Quran by multiple people? Is it permissible to divide the Quran into chapters among people in order to complete reading it for the benefit of a deceased person?

Zaid Alsalami, Shaykh Dr Zaid Alsalami is an Iraqi born scholar, raised in Australia. He obtained a BA from Al-Mustafa University, Qom, and an MA from the Islamic College in London. He also obtained a PhD from... Answered 3 months ago

Bismihi ta'ala

Yes, it is allowed, and indeed a desirable act, where a circle of people agree on reciting specific parts of the holy Quran, for the reward of the whole khatm to be gifted to someone who has passed.

It is very much encouraged to do this, and hopefully others around you learn to do it as well.
With prayers for your success.

105437

Husband . Wife . Death . Paradise

If a husband dies and the wife remarries, which husband will she be with in Jannah?

She will be in Paradise with the best of them if both of them were in Paradise.

Wassalam.