Islamic view of death

Death in Islam is the termination of worldly life and the beginning of afterlife. Death is seen as the separation of the soul from the human body, and its transfer from this world to the afterlife.[1][2]

Islamic tradition discusses what happens before, during, and after death, although what exactly happens is not clear and different schools of thought draw different conclusions. However, a continuity between all these ideas derived from the basic sources from the Qur'an and Hadith. One canonical idea is, that an angel of death (Arabic: Malak al-Maut) appears to the dying to take out their souls. The sinners' souls are extracted in the most painful way while the righteous are treated easily.[3]

Another common belief[4] adds that, after the burial, two angels – Munkar and Nakir – come to question the dead in order to test their faith. The righteous believers answer correctly and live in peace and comfort while the sinners and disbelievers fail and punishments ensue. The time period or stage between death and the end of the world[5] is called the life of Barzakh. Suicide, euthanasia, and unjust murder as means of death are all prohibited in Islam, and are considered major sins.[6][7]

Believing in an afterlife is one of the six articles of faith in Islam. The deceased are held to be in an intermediary state, until the Day of Resurrection.

  1. ^ Buturovic, Amila (2016). Carved in Stone, Etched in Memory. Routledge. p. 34. ISBN 978-1-317-16957-4. Retrieved 7 Nov 2016.
  2. ^ Maariful Quran by Muhammad Shafi Usmani. English translation by Maulana Ahmed Khalil Aziz. Vol 8; p. 534. (Sura 67, verse 2). Karachi.
  3. ^ [Quran 79:1–2]
  4. ^ Stephen Burge Angels in Islam: Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti's al-Haba'ik fi akhbar al-mala'ik Routledge 2015 ISBN 978-1-136-50473-0 p. 89
  5. ^ Arshad Khan. Islam, Muslims, and America: Understanding the Basis of Their Conflict. Algora Publishing, 2003. ISBN 978-0-875-86243-9. p. 151.
  6. ^ Lester, D (2006). "Suicide and Islam". Archives of Suicide Research. 10 (1): 77–97. doi:10.1080/13811110500318489. PMID 16287698. S2CID 35754641.
  7. ^ Oliver Leaman, ed. (2006). "Death". The Qur'an: An Encyclopedia. Routledge. pp. 177–8. ISBN 978-0-415-32639-1.