اللَّهُ يَتَوَفَّى الأَنفُسَ حينَ مَوتِها وَالَّتي لَم تَمُت في مَنامِها ۖ فَيُمسِكُ الَّتي قَضىٰ عَلَيهَا المَوتَ وَيُرسِلُ الأُخرىٰ إِلىٰ أَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى ۚ إِنَّ في ذٰلِكَ لَآياتٍ لِقَومٍ يَتَفَكَّرونَ
Allah takes the souls at the time of their death, and those who have not died in their sleep. Then He retains those for whom He has ordained death and releases the others until a specified time. There are indeed signs in that for a people who reflect.
EXEGESIS
Yatawaffā: the Quran has used the verb tawaffā in many verses when talking about death (2:234, 2:240, 3:193, 4:15, 4:97, 6:61, 7:37, 7:126, 8:50, 10:46, 10:104, 12:101, 13:40, 16:29, 16:32, 16:70, 22:5, 32:11, 40:67, 40:77, 47:27). Tawaffā means to take something in full. According to the Quran, death means to be fully captured or received, and not to perish (4:15, 32:11); and it is our soul, not our body, that is captured and received. The existence of the realm of barzakh (the intermediate realm between one’s death and the resurrection) can be inferred from the usage of this term.
There are also other verses that identify God as the one who takes the souls upon death (10:104, 16:70) and at night (6:60).
Yumsiku: see mumsikāt under verse 38.
Ajal musammā: see verse 5.
What literally dies or sleeps is the body, not the soul, but death and sleep are attributed to the soul due to its connection with the body.
EXPOSITION
This verse will be interpreted first in the context of this surah, and then from a broader Quranic view of the topic.
Continuing from the previous verses, this verse identifies God, and not the Prophet or anyone else, as the guardian and watcher over every soul. His full control over His servants is clearly seen in how He takes the souls at the time of their death, and those who have not died in their sleep. The following points can be inferred from this verse: 1. The soul is different from the body, because the verse talks about taking the souls (from the body) and releasing them back to the body. 2. Sleep, and especially death, illustrate God’s power over His creatures: Say: ‘Then keep death off from yourselves, should you be truthful’ (3:168); So when it reaches the throat [of the dying person], and at that moment you are looking on [at his bedside] … then why do you not restore it, if you are not subject [to the divine dispensation], should you be truthful? (56:83-87). 3. There is some similarity between death and sleep which makes sleep one of the signs of the afterlife, because as sleep resembles death, waking up resembles resurrection. As the soul does not vanish in sleep, it does not vanish upon death. It is only the body that dies, but the soul is retained by He who seizes it. 4. Just as the souls are not lost in sleep but return to their own bodies and continue their course of life, the souls of the dead are also not lost: He [Pharaoh] said: ‘What about the former generations?’ He [Moses] said: ‘Their knowledge is with my Lord, in a book. My Lord neither makes any error nor forgets’ (20:51-52).
You liberate the souls from the bodies’ snare,
At nights they’re released from wherever they were.
On that Day the souls shall return to their flesh,
Just like the morning when they wake up fresh.
5. The verse implicitly proves barzakh as well (the intermediate realm between one’s death and the resurrection). As we see, experience, and do things while we are asleep (in our dreams), so do the dead have an intermediate life before the resurrection. 6. We see some realities in our dreams from which we are veiled when we are awake. Likewise, we are heedless of many realities in this life which will be disclosed to us after we die (50:22). 7. As sleep is a lighter version of death, this life is a lighter version of the afterlife. In other words, this life is a sleep relative to the real life that is to follow (29:64). The Prophet said: ‘People are asleep; they wake up when they die.’ 8. People experience the lesser death every night, but then they are given a second chance the next day to repent for their sins, correct their misdeeds, and do righteous acts. That is why when they beg upon death to be returned to life their request will not be granted (23:99-100, 63:10-11). See Insights from Hadith for more lessons drawn from the similarities between death and sleep.
In a more general context of the whole Quran, this verse proves to be one of the key verses of the Holy Quran, for it provides subtle and profound insight into how God is the only agent behind any event that takes place in the universe, a concept that is called unicity in actions (al-tawḥīd al-afʿālī). This fundamental Quranic principle helps one understand how to reconcile between the multiplicities observed in the universe and God’s absolute existence, which leaves no room for any second.
This Quranic principle is derived from combining between the different verses that talk about the process of death. These verses identify different agents that take away the souls at the time of death. They can be classified as follows: 1. There are some verses that implicitly or explicitly identify God as the one who seizes the souls upon death (3:55, 3:193, 5:117, 7:126, 10:104, 12:101, 16:70, and this verse). 2. Elsewhere, the Angel of Death (ʿIzrāʾīl) is deemed responsible for this (32:11). 3. Other verses attribute this more generally to God’s angels as opposed to one specific angel (4:97, 6:61, 6:93, 7:37, 8:50, 16:28, 16:32, 47:27). So, the question is: why so many seemingly contradictory verses? Who is it that takes the souls away? Here is Tabatabai’s answer to this question, and his clear explanation of this Quranic principle: ‘It is deduced from these verses that at one stage, God directly seizes the spirit. At another stage, the act has been attributed to the Angel of Death (malak al-mawt), and at a lower stage it has been attributed to the angels and emissaries appointed to seize the spirits. God – exalted is He – the Angel of Death and the angels that seize the spirits, are all involved in each of these three stages. The only difference is that in some cases, since the dying individual is inattentive of all but God, the supreme high truth seizes the spirit Himself, without any intermediary. That is, the dying individual does not see ʿIzrāʾīl (the Angel of Death) or any other angels, even though they may be involved in the process. And in some cases, the dying person is not at such a rank to be able to totally immerse himself in the divine lights of the High One. Nevertheless, he retains certain degrees of sincerity. Therefore, the process of expiration is carried out directly by ʿIzrāʾīl. And in some cases it is done by ʿIzrāʾīl’s agents and subordinate angels. In the second stage, the person does not observe God; and in the third stage, he observes neither God nor ʿIzrāʾīl. So the difference between these stages hinges on the degrees and stations at which the dying individuals are. And, apparently, the different stages at which the Quran was revealed had a similar story: the three stages were due to the different states, stations, and circumstances at which the verses were sent down.’
Two more categories should be added to the above list: 4. One verse identifies death itself as what takes one away (4:15). This could be interpreted as natural forces that result in one’s death, or could be taken as a verse that talks about death without specifying the agent behind it. The latter is seen in several other verses that talk about being taken away in passive voice (2:234, 2:240, 22:5, 40:67). 5. There are other verses that talk about We – referring to God and His angels, or referring to God alone with grandiosity – as the agent (10:46, 13:40, 40:77, 43:41). Incidentally, this last set of verses are all particularly addressed to the Prophet alone. Tabatabai’s explanation equally applies to these verses.
In short, God is the effective cause behind any action, and the other things involved are only His means and instruments, based on the limited capacity of certain receivers. A very helpful example that is often used in this regard is the act of writing: one can say that the pen is writing, the fingers that are holding the pen are writing, or the brain is writing. Ultimately, one can say that the soul is writing, for its will and power are present in all of these stages. Of course, this is just an example to make the concept more tangible, otherwise: the loftiest description belongs to Allah, and He is the all-mighty, the all-wise (16:60, 30:27).
Thou art beyond
What I imagine or say;
My analogy and myself
Are worthy of clay.
This unity between God’s action and that of His agents is seen clearly in the following verses that also talk about taking the souls at night and at death: It is He who takes your souls by night, and He knows what you do by day, then He reanimates you therein so that a specified term may be completed. Then to Him will be your return, whereat He will inform you concerning what you used to do. He is the all-dominant over His servants, and He sends guards to [protect] you. When death approaches anyone of you, Our messengers take him away and they do not neglect [their duty] (6:60-61).
… until a specified time: God keeps sending back the souls of which He has not ordained their death until their specified lifetime has elapsed. There are indeed signs in that for a people who reflect.
The aforementioned points and discussions are only a few of these signs. Everyone goes through sleep and death, but not everyone takes admonition from this. Since we undergo sleep and death anyway, let us also benefit from these phenomena by being among those who reflect.
INSIGHTS FROM HADITH
- One of the first things that the Prophet said early on in his mission was: ‘By God, you shall die as you sleep, and you shall rise up as you wake.’
- The Prophet also said: ‘Sleep is the brother of death.’ Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) elaborated on this idea as follows: ‘Sleep like the heedful, not like the heedless. Indeed, the intelligent and heedful individuals sleep to get some rest, while the heedless sleep for pleasure … Make your intention when you sleep to reduce your burden on the angels [that record your deeds], and to restrain your soul from its lusts. Learn about yourself by means of sleep. Realise that you are a weak and helpless being whose actions and rest are only by God’s will and decree. Indeed, sleep is the brother of death. So use it to reason about death, and to correct your shortcomings, for you will not wake up from death [as you wake up from sleep].’
Note: Sleep is a temporary partial death and a lighter version of it. Based on these narrations, one who is alert and intelligent would take the idea of the afterlife and resurrection more seriously because he realises its rapport with waking up from sleep. Our daily sleep is the best reminder of death, and thus no one is excused for being heedless of death or remaining unprepared for the big awakening afterwards. God has set our passing out every night as a practice to prepare for death. This should be sufficient admonition and lesson for anyone who is awake and vigilant: There is indeed an admonition in that for one who has a heart, or gives ear, being attentive (50:37). Thus, one who spends his life going from place to place and from one source to another looking for spiritual advice and instruction, is really neglecting such an effective advice and instruction that he already has. Indeed, if one acts according to what he knows, God’s agents will reach out to him and help him to complete the rest of his spiritual journey.
- Imam al-Bāqir (a) said: ‘When a person sleeps, his soul ascends to the heaven while his spirit [of life] remains in his body, and the two are connected as a beam of light is connected to the sun. If God decrees the spirit to be taken, then it will join the soul; and if God decrees the soul to be returned, then it will join the spirit. This is what He, glorified is He, said: Allah takes the souls at the time of their death, and those who have not died in their sleep.’
Notes: 1. As the soul is not material, its ascension and the heaven to which it ascends should not be interpreted in a material or physical sense. 2. The beam of sunlight is a physical description intended to make a non-physical connection more tangible for us. 3. A similar interpretation is narrated from Ibn Abbas. 4. In light of these narrations, some exegetes have provided a simple and tangible analogy: soul and body are like a driver and a car. Sometimes the car is on and the driver is in it: that is wakefulness. Sometimes the car is on but the driver has stepped out: that is sleep. Sometimes the car is off and the driver has left it: that is death.
- Concerning this verse, Imam al-Kāẓim (a) said: ‘What soars toward God [in sleep] is the spirit of intellection, but the spirit of life remains in the body and does not exit the body before one’s death. When God decrees one’s death, the spirit of intellection is also taken. If the spirit of life were to leave the body, then the body would lie there without any motion. God has given an example for this in His book in the story of the People of the Cave, where He says: We turn them to the right and to the left [18:18]. As you see, their movement indicates that their spirits [of life] were in them.’
Notes: 1. It is clearly seen in this hadith – and the ones that follow – that rūḥ (spirit) and nafs (soul) are often used interchangeably and synonymously in hadith. This, however, is not always true, as seen in the previous narration. 2. In this narration, the Imam distinguishes between two spirits, which should be interpreted as two levels and aspects of the human soul. The same is true in Islamic philosophy, where it talks about vegetative spirit, animalistic spirit, and human spirit. This point also applies to the previous hadith.
- There is a long narration about the journey of the archbishop (Jāthlīq) of the Roman Empire along with a hundred scholars to Medina in order to investigate Islam and debate with the Muslims. The envoy is directed to Imam Ali (a), and there Jāthlīq asked the Imam: ‘Inform me of paradise: is it in this world or in the hereafter? And where is the hereafter relative to this world?’ The Imam replied: ‘This world is inside the hereafter; the hereafter encompasses this world. There is only an apparent transition from life to death, otherwise the abode of the hereafter is indeed life, had they known [29:64]. This world is only a transition, but the hereafter is [true] life and permanent. It is like a sleeping person: the body is asleep but the spirit does not sleep. Likewise, the body dies, but the spirit does not die.’
Note: A subsequent part of this narration is presented under verse 67 (hadith 8).
- This verse has become the basis for some supplications. For example, it is recommended that when one goes to bed one should say: ‘I lie down in Thy name, my Lord, and get up by Thee. O God, if Thou shalt retain it [my soul], then show mercy to it; and if Thou shalt release it, then protect it as Thou protectest Thy righteous servants.’
- ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb said: ‘It is strange how sometimes one has a dream that one had no idea of, but it turns out to be exactly true; while sometimes one has a dream that is completely void.’ Ali ibn Abī Ṭālib (a) told him: ‘Should I not inform you of why that is? God, exalted is He, says: Allah takes the souls at the time of their death, and those who have not died in their sleep. Then He retains those for whom He has ordained death and releases the others until a specified time. So God takes every soul. True dreams are things that the soul beholds when it is with God in heaven. False dreams are things that it sees when it is released to return to its body, when the devils get a hold of it in the way and inform it of void news.’ ʿUmar was amazed by this answer.
- After ʿĀshūrāʾ, when Ibn Ziyād saw Ali ibn al-Husayn al-Sajjād (a) in Kufa, he asked him: ‘Who are you?’ ‘I am Ali ibn al-Husayn,’ the Imam answered. Ibn Ziyād said: ‘Did not God kill Ali ibn al-Husayn?’ He answered: ‘I had a brother named Ali, whom people killed.’ Ibn Ziyād insisted: ‘Rather, God killed him.’ He replied: ‘Allah takes the souls at the time of their death.’ These witty answers of the Imam enraged Ibn Ziyād.
Note: The Quranic principle of unicity in actions discussed in the Exposition is clearly seen in this narration. The Imam first attributed the event to the people, and then he attributed the same event to God. Thereat the faithless one was dumbfounded (2:258).
There were several occasions where the Imams were asked about why the Quran attributes the taking of the souls upon death to God, to the Angel of Death, and to the angels, in different places. The explanations of the Imams provide much insight into how the Quran should be interpreted, and into the concept of unicity in actions. Here are three such narrations:
- Once, a heretic raised a series of questions to Imam Ali (a), among which was a question about this apparent contradiction: ‘I see that God says: Say: ‘You will be taken away by the Angel of Death, who has been charged with you’ [32:11]. But then elsewhere He says: Allah takes the souls at the time of their death. Elsewhere He says: Those whom the angels take away while they are pure [16:32], and other similar verses. So He attributes the same act once to Himself, once to the Angel of Death, and once to the angels.’ The Imam answered him as follows: ‘God, the bounteous and exalted, is greater and higher than doing this directly Himself. But the act of His emissaries and angels are His acts, because they act by His command. So He, sublime is His name, has chosen messengers and envoys from among the angels to go between Him and His creatures. It is they whom God has described as: Allah chooses messengers from angels and from mankind [22:75]. If a person is among the people of obedience, then the angels of mercy take his spirit; but if a person is among the people of disobedience, then the angels of vengeance take his spirit. The Angel of Death has assistant angels of mercy and vengeance who dispatch by his command. Their acts are his act, and whatever they do is attributable to him. Hence, their acts are the acts of the Angel of Death, and the acts of the Angel of Death are God’s acts, for indeed He takes the souls at the hand of whomever He wills. He gives, restrains, rewards, and punishes at the hand of whomever He wills. Indeed, the acts of His trustees are His acts, for they do not will unless it is willed by Allah [76:30].’
- In another narration, Imam Ali (a) answered a similar question as follows: ‘Indeed God, the bounteous and exalted, conducts the affairs [of creation] however He wills. He entrusts and charges whomever He wills among His creatures by whatever He wills. As with the Angel of Death, indeed God gives him control and charge over some of His creatures whom He wills. Then He charges His messenger angels with another group of His creatures that He wills. Then He charges the other angels – whom He has mentioned, glorious is His name – with another group of His creatures that He wills. Indeed He, the bounteous and exalted, conducts the affairs [of creation] however He wills. Meanwhile, not every knowledge can be revealed to all people by one who knows it, because among people are those who are strong and those who are weak. There is some knowledge that can be borne [by everyone], and there is some knowledge that cannot be borne except by God’s chosen friends, for whom God has made this easy and whom God has helped to bear it. It suffices for you to know that indeed God is the one who gives life and death, and that indeed He takes the souls at the hand of whoever He wills among His creatures, including angels and others.’
- Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) reconciled between these sets of verses as follows: ‘Indeed God, the bounteous and exalted, has set assistant angels for the Angel of Death who seize the spirits. They are like the officers of a sheriff whom he dispatches to carry out his plans. So the angels take them, the Angel of Death takes them from the angels, and God, the mighty and majestic, takes them from the Angel of Death.’
Notes: 1. These three narrations confirm and complement what was discussed in Exposition. 2. These narrations involve some subtle hints at more advanced topics without further detail. They provide a principle that is not limited to the angels, but to ‘whomever God wills among His creatures – including angels and others’. This is seen in the last part of the first two traditions. The Imams did not expound on these points exactly because ‘not every knowledge can be revealed to all people’, as seen in the second narration. Hence, we will also leave it to the reader to contemplate upon these points to achieve their sublime realities. Here are only a few notes in this regard: what is subtly touched on here is more explicitly explained in the famous and unanimously reported sacred tradition: ‘My servant seeks proximity with Me through that which is supererogatory until I become his ear, his eye, and his hand …’ These points are directly related to several Shia beliefs concerning the Infallibles, and explain how these beliefs do not contradict monotheism. Furthermore, contemplation upon these points also provides more insight into God’s special servant (Prophet Khiḍr (a)) who was commanded by God to slay a child (18:74).
[1] Jawādī Āmulī, Tasnīm, 20/212, 215.
[2] Mizan, 17/269.
[3] Mizan, 17/269.
[4] Rūmī, Mathnawī, v. 1, line 390, and v. 5, line 1776.
[5] Tanbih, 1/150; Ibn Abī Jumhūr al-Aḥsāʾī, ʿAwālī al-Laʾālī, 4/73, h. 48.
[6] Furqan, 25/350.
[7] Ḥusaynī Tehrānī, Shining Sun, pp. 256-257.
[8] Rūmī, Mathnawī, v. 5, line 3320.
[9] Razi, 26/456; Mizan, 17/269.
[10] Qaraati, 8/178.
[11] Rawḍat al-Wāʿiẓīn, 1/53; Bihar, 17/47 and 18/197; Qurtubi, 15/261.
[12] Thalabi, 3/81; Ibn Abī Jumhūr al-Aḥsāʾī, ʿAwālī al-Laʾālī, 4/73, h. 47; Ibn Kathir, 4/158; Kanz, 14/475, h. 39321; Suyuti, 6/34; Burhan, 3/347.
[13] Misbah, bāb 44; Bihar, 73/189, h. 18.
[14] Jawādī Āmulī, Tasnīm, 20/227.
[15] Tabrisi, 8/781.
[16] Zamakhshari, 4/131; Suyuti, 5/329.
[17] Qaraati, 8/177.
[18] Jāmiʿ al-Akhbār, p. 171.
[19] Daylami, 2/309-310.
[20] Ahmad, 2/432; Nasai.K, 6/198, h. 10628; see also Kafi, 2/536, h. 2; Ṭūsī, Miṣbāḥ al-Mutahajjid, p. 90; Kanz, 11/308-309.
[21] Ibn Abi Hatim, 10/3252; Suyuti, 5/329; Alusi, 12/263-264.
[22] Mufīd, al-Irshād, 2/116; Ṭabarsī, Iʿlām al-Warāʾ bi-Aʿlām al-Hudā, p. 252; al-Irbilī, Kashf al-Ghummah, 2/66.
[23] Rawḍat al-Wāʿiẓīn, 1/53; Bihar, 17/47, 18/197.
[24] Ihtijaj, 1/244-247.
[25] Tawhid, pp. 268-269.
[26] Faqih, 1/136-137.
[27] See Kafi, 2/352, h. 7-8; Bukhari, 7/190; Kanz, 1/229.