The Truth About Death
The concept of death can be derived from these verses of the Quran – “He is the One who puts you to death during the night, and knows even the smallest of your actions during the day. He resurrects you every morning, until your life span is fulfilled, then to Him is your ultimate return. He will then inform you of everything you had done. He is Supreme over His creatures, and He appoints guards to protect you. When the appointed time of death comes to any of you, our messengers put him to death without delay. Then everyone is returned to God, their rightful Lord, and Master. Absolutely, He is the ultimate judge; He is the most accurate reckoner.” (Quran 6:60-62)
The time of death is predetermined – “No one dies except by God’s leave, at a predetermined time. Whoever seeks the vanities of this world, we give him therefrom, and whoever seeks the rewards of the Hereafter, we bless him therein. We reward those who are appreciative.” (Quran 3:145)
No one knows the time or place of one’s death – ” With God is the knowledge regarding the Hour. He is the One who sends down the rain, and He knows the contents of the womb. No soul knows what will happen to it tomorrow, and no one knows in which land he or she will die. God is Omniscient, Cognizant.” (Quran 31:34)
Every soul will experience death – “Every soul will taste death, after we put you to the test through adversity and prosperity, then to us you ultimately return.” (Quran 21:35)
We already experienced our first death until we were born into this world – “Most exalted is the One in whose hands is all kingship, and He is Omnipotent. The One who created death and life for the purpose of distinguishing those among you who would do better. He is the Almighty, the Forgiving.” (Quran 67:1-2)
The second death concludes our life in this world – “How can you disbelieve in God when you were dead and He gave you life, then He puts you to death, then He brings you back to life, then to Him you ultimately return?” (Quran 2:28)
The righteous do not experience the second death – ” The righteous will be in a secure position. Enjoying gardens and springs. Wearing velvet and satin; close to each other. We grant them wonderful spouses. They enjoy in it all kinds of fruits, in perfect peace. They do not taste death therein – beyond the first death – and He has spared them the retribution of Hell.” (Quran 44:51-56)
“The angels terminate their lives in a state of righteousness, saying, “Peace be upon you. Enter paradise as a reward for your works.” (Quran 16:32)
The Quran gives an example of the death of a righteous person – “And for claiming that they killed the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, the messenger of God. In fact, they never killed him, they never crucified him – they were made to think that they did. All factions who are disputing in this matter are full of doubt concerning this issue. They possess no knowledge; they only conjecture. For certain, they never killed him. Instead, God raised him to Him; God is Almighty, Most Wise.” (Quran 4:157-158)
“They plotted and schemed, but so did God, and God is the best schemer. Thus, God said, “O Jesus, I am terminating your life, raising you to Me, and ridding you of the disbelievers. I will exalt those who follow you above those who disbelieve, till the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is the ultimate destiny of all of you, then I will judge among you regarding your dispute.” (Quran 3:54 – 55)
The unrighteous experiences the second death – “Those who disbelieve will be told, “God’s abhorrence towards you is even worse than your abhorrence towards yourselves. For you were invited to believe, but you chose to disbelieve. They will say, “Our Lord, you have put us to death twice, and you gave us two lives; now we have confessed our sins. Is there any way out ?” This is because when God Alone was advocated, you disbelieved, but when others were mentioned beside Him, you believed. Therefore, God’s judgment has been issued; He is the Highest, the Great.” (Quran 40:10-12)
The nature of second death can be derived from these verses – “If you could only see those who disbelieved when the angels put them to death! They will beat them on their faces and their rear ends; “Taste the retribution of Hell. This is a consequence of what your hands have sent forth. God is never unjust towards the creatures.” (Quran 8:50-51)
The Quran gives an example of the death of unrighteous people – “Whenever a plague afflicted them, they said, “O Moses, implore your Lord – you are close to Him. If you relieve this plague, we will believe with you and will send the children of Israel with you. Yet, when we relieved the plague for any length of time, they violated their pledge. Consequently, we avenged their actions and drowned them in the sea. That is because they rejected our signs, and were totally heedless thereof.” (Quran 7:134-136)
The death of the righteous and unrighteous can be compared to these verses – “The (angels who) snatch (the souls of the disbelievers) forcibly. And those who gently take (the souls of the believers) joyfully.” (Quran 79:1-2)
This is the crucial reminder of the Quran – Those who disbelieve and die as disbelievers, the earth full of gold will not be accepted from any of them, even if such a ransom were possible. They have incurred painful retribution; they will have no helpers.” (Quran 3:91)