Tareek Alhedaya – Episode 1 – Soul 1

The First Episode

Life is a Prison for the believer, but a Paradise for the non-Believer

“What are Life and Death? Are they among the creations of Allah?”

Just like everything else, death is one of Allah’s creations. If we consider the verses in the Holy Qur’an, some words have profound meanings, and would definitely make us think. For example, the following verse: “Blessed be He in Whose Hand is the dominion; and He is Able to do all things. Who has created death and life that He may test you which of you is best in deed. And He is the All-Mighty, the Oft-Forgiving” (67:1-2).

Allah wants to say ‘blessed be He’ who created ‘death and life’. The difference between a Muslim and a non-Muslim is that the former abides by the Qur’an, which Allah named ‘a spirit’, with which the Muslim should lead a life different from others. For example, ‘death’ in the Qur’an is the beginning of life for the Muslim; hence, such a description of death in the Qur’an makes the Muslim interact with it as if it were the beginning of a new life: the afterlife. Allah predestined death to all souls. He described worldly life as ‘the inferiority’ (the less significant) and described the afterlife as ‘the eternity’, which indicates that it is perpetual, eternal and contains no death thereafter. In other words, it can be described as the REAL life. The (faa’lan) style of the language indicates a satisfied life that is like no other. The adjective ‘Rahman’ (gracious), is restricted to Allah, unlike ‘Rahim’ (merciful), which can describe a human. Allah has called Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) by this term in the Qur’an, “For the believers (he Muhammad is) full of pity, kind, and merciful.” (9:128) There is only one eternity, and that is the afterlife.

The Day of Resurrection, after which ensues permanent eternity, does not include Death. Allah will personify ‘Death’ on Al-Siraat (The Straight Path) and will ask the inhabitants of Heaven if they know it, to which they will answer yes. Allah will then ask the inhabitants of Hell if they know it, to which they will also answer yes. Death is then slain on Al-Siraat, and henceforth there is no more death; there is either eternal paradise (Al-Jannah) or eternal Hell. Death transfers the human being from the short-lasting, perishable life, to the everlasting eternal existence, and from the small, restricted world to the vast and everlasting one. The true Muslim should neither panic nor collapse for the death of an intimate relative, because if he has been reading and grasping the Qur’an he would have known that beyond this Muslim’s death there lies a happy comfortable life with eternal existence, as Allah promised those who are patient (As-sabireen). This promise is made in a narration of Hadith Qudsi. In the Hadith, Allah asks his angles, ‘Did you put my subject’s (i.e. a worshipper of Allah) son to death?’, to which they answer, ‘Yes’. He then resumes, ‘What did my subject say?’, to which they answer, ‘He praised You and recovered’, so He says, ‘Build my subject a house in Heaven and call it the “House of Praise”. In this Hadith it occurs that if the life of someone very close to the subject is taken and he is patient, he will have no reward but Heaven. The first shock of death is an affliction from Allah to the Muslim, where He tests if that person will be patient. If he has understood Allah’s sayings, he will thank Allah, and say, ‘We are all to Allah and to him we shall return’ (‘Inna Lilahi wa ‘inna ilayhi ragi’oon). Patience is the basis of all the pillars of Islam. We all know the pillars (praying, fasting, hajj (pilgrimage) etc); however we must understand that they all need patience as their support.

It is worth mentioning here that the Muslim often worries about the torture of the grave when in fact he/she should be more concerned about the judgment. This is suggesting that the Muslim is assuming the worst by fearing the torture of the grave. The Muslim who believes in the mercy, the justice and the kindness of Allah is very powerful. He is the one who is certain about what is mentioned in the Qur’an and Sunnah, and knows that in the grave there is judgment that is followed either by comfort or torture. It is regrettable to see that many religious preachers are terrifying people with the torture of the grave, often reciting weak Prophetic narrations to show how terrible it will be. They make it seem as if Allah will inflict this torture upon all his subjects, even though Allah has forbidden this from happening. He is the compassion, grace and mercy of the world and the afterlife. Thus the Muslim is bound to ask about the judgment of the grave.

Let us start with the stages of creation. The first thing Allah created was the pen, and He ordered it to write, hence it wrote the fates of creatures, fifty thousand years before the creation of the heavens and the earth. It is Allah’s fate that life is succeeded by death, something that is expected by every creature of Allah. Philosophers have argued about many issues but they have all agreed on one thing: the only certainty in life is death. Moreover, since the creation of Adam, all creatures have been fated with death. He imposed eternal existence to His majestic and magnificent self. This is shown in the following verses:  “Whatsoever is on it (the earth) will perish. And the Face of your Lord full of Majesty and Honour will remain forever.” (55:26-27)

Allah is the only Living that does not die. Even death itself will perish. All creatures pass away, die or perish in some way. The core essence of mankind’s life is his spirit. Animals also have a spirit, and even solids (buildings, planets etc) have a finite lifetime. Thus, everything from humans to inanimate objects will perish. If we mix some cement with water, with which we build a wall, and then this wall were to fall down, we would not be able to rebuild it again as it was, because it has died.

Let us move now to another subject and its connotations in the Holy Qur’an so as to understand the meanings of spirit and death clearly. When we talk about death, we are explaining the antonym of life. Lexicologists have agreed that death is the opposite of life. Hence, if we analyse the process of life it looks as follows:

Water + Dust à Firm Mud à Whetted Sludge Clay à Earthenware à Allah infused Spirit

If we look at the process of death we find it opposite to that of life:

Spirit + Earthenware àWhetted Sludge Clay à Firm Mud à Water + Dust

The spirit is the last thing entering the body in the stage of creation and life, and it is the first thing that comes out of it in the stage of death or anti-life.

The spirit occurred in the Holy Qur’an in six interpretations. They are:

1-     The spirit as the core essence of life; it is the only spirit that was associated with that of Allah, as in His sayings: “So, when I have fashioned him completely and breathed into him (Adam) the soul which I created for him, then fall (you) down prostrating yourselves unto him.” (15:29) and “Then He fashioned him in due proportion, and breathed into him the soul (created by Allâh for that person)” (32:9).

2-     The spirit meaning that of Isa (Jesus), as in Allah’s saying: “The Messiah ‘Îsâ (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), was (no more than) a Messenger of Allâh and His Word, (“Be!” – and he was) which He bestowed on Maryam (Mary) and a spirit (Rûh )[1] created by Him” (4:171).

3-     The spirit meaning Jibril (Gabriel), as in Allah’s saying: “Which the trustworthy Rûh [Jibrîl (Gabriel)] has brought down” (26:193).

4-     The spirit with the meaning of tranquillity, victory and support, as in His majesty’s saying, “and strengthened them with Rûh (proofs, light and true guidance) from Himself” (58:22).

5-     The spirit with the meaning of revelation, as in His saying: “He sends the revelation by His Command to any of His slaves He wills” (40:15). This is the revelation Allah grants to his chosen prophets, which could be by any means. Thus the spirit here is meant for revelation.

6-     The spirit meaning the Qur’an, especially that the Qur’an is named ‘spirit’, as in His saying in the following verse:  “And thus We have sent to you (O Muhammad) Ruh (a Revelation, and a Mercy) of Our Command. You knew not what is the Book, nor what is Faith? But We have made it (this Qur’ân) a light wherewith We guide whosoever of Our slaves We will. And verily, you (O Muhammad) are indeed guiding (mankind) to the Straight Path (i.e. Allâh’s Religion of Islâmic Monotheism)” (42:52).

This verse has settled the argument between interpreters concerning the verse in Surat Al-‘Israa: “And they ask you (O Muhammad PBUH) concerning the Rûh (the Spirit); Say: “The Rûh (the Spirit) is one of the things, the knowledge of which is only with my Lord” (17:85)  ; because some of them explained the ‘spirit’ here as the Qur’an, but in fact, here it is the essence of life. The spirit that is fated by Allah is either the inspiration (He sends the revelation by His Command), or the Qur’an (And thus We have sent to you (O Muhammad) Ruh (a Revelation, and a Mercy) of Our Command). He named the ‘inspiration’ as a ‘spirit’, as well as the Qur’an, because they grant the Muslim, or the follower in general, a new life, as in His saying: “O you who believe! Answer Allâh (by obeying Him) and (His) Messenger when he calls you to that which will give you life” (8:24), meaning that people are rejuvenated (given their lives) by Qur’an. Also in Allah’s saying (Which the trustworthy Rûh [Jibrîl (Gabriel)] has brought down), the pronoun here refers to the Qur’an.

It is the pride of every Arab that The Holy Qur’an has been revealed in clear Arabic. So, from it, we must find the spirit that transfers us to a new life. The Muslim has two lives: the first one, which is fed by the spirit and is this life, and the second is the one sustained by the Qur’an. The greatness of the Qur’an is indicated in the idea that all revelation is called spirit, whereas the Qur’an by itself is called spirit. As for the spirit … the essence of life … it is a mystery from Allah, and as said before, it is the only spirit associated with His almighty in the Holy Qur’an.

The Difference between Death and Decay:

Now we shall clarify the different definitions of death in the Qur’an. The Qur’an contains examples of death, through which Allah explains its essence in addition to the reality of decay. In order to understand death, we have to review the Holy Qur’an. So is ‘taking’ the spirit, the beginning of death? His majesty says:  “It is Allâh Who takes away the souls at the time of their death, and those that die not during their sleep. He keeps those (souls) for which He has ordained death and sends the rest for a term appointed” (39:42).  Death is one thing, however decay is something else. Decay may or may not involve death. In addition, in His verses (at the time of their death) and (those that die not during their sleep), two conditions of decay are exposed; one of them is the actual death, the other is the one during sleep. Therefore sleep is a decay and not death, although it is nicknamed in Arabic as ‘the little death’, because of its connotations of a partial death. The Angel of death takes the spirit, which is hence considered a death of the spirit itself, meaning, its deviation from the body. At the time of death and spirit deviation, the Angel of death takes the spirit and Allah decays the soul, (here “spirit” was used to denote “soul” figuratively)ً. Thus, the spirit is deviated by death, and the sleeper’s spirit is considered in a temporary state of decay by Allah. The Prophet Muhammad called it the ‘little death’ because the sleeping person’s spirit is in the hands of Allah: “In the Name of You, Allah, I rest my body, if You should take my spirit then, please have mercy on it and if You should send it to me, then protect as You would protect your good slaves”. 

This is very well indicated in the waking up Dua’a (thanks be to Allah who sent me back my spirit). That is why it is indicated in the Hadith that the Muslim should make Wudu’ (ablutions) before going to bed. Again, every death is decay and not every decay is a death.   Therefore, sleep is a decay, (often) without death, while decay, at the time of death, happens right after the Angel has taken the spirit.

The Soul:

The ‘soul’ appears in the Qur’an in three descriptions: The blaming soul, the vicious soul and the tranquil soul. The first two types are related to life and not death (a person while alive will either have a blaming soul or a vicious soul). As for the third type, that is the tranquil soul, it cannot be until after death, since the soul can never be tranquil until the hour of death is due, because, had it put itself into tranquillity during life, it would have been lost by this hour, as explained in the verse, “And the stupor of death will come in truth: “This is what you have been avoiding!” (50:19). This is ratified by His saying in Surat Al Fajr:  (It will be said to the pious believers of Islamic Monotheism): “O (you) the one in (complete) rest and satisfaction! Come back to your Lord well-pleased (yourself) and well-pleasing (unto Him)! Enter you then among My (honoured) slaves, “And enter you My Paradise!” (89:27-30).

This is the soul that has decayed at the time of death and at demission, because decay can be for the soul and not for the spirit. This has been indicated by His Majesty when saying “come back”, which is evidence that the tranquil soul is that same one after death.

Transmission date: 22/02/2004