The Soul According To The Teachings Of Islam
Allaah is the Creator of all things, and the soul is something that
has been
created just like everything else. The knowledge about its true
essence is something that belongs exclusively to Allaah, may He be
glorified and exalted. Allaah has kept this knowledge exclusively to
Himself, as is stated in the hadeeth of Abd-Allaah ibn Masood (may
Allaah be pleased with him), who said: Whilst I was with the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) on a farm, and he was
resting on a palm branch stripped of its leaves, the Jews passed by,
and some of them said to others, Ask him about the soul. Some of them
said, What urges you to ask him about it? Others of them said, Dont
ask him in case he says something you dislike. But they said, Ask him,
so they asked him about the soul. The Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) kept quiet and did not respond to them, and I knew
that he was receiving Revelation, so I stayed where I was. When the
Revelation of the aayah was complete, he said (interpretation of the
meaning): And they ask you [O Muhammad] concerning the rooh [the
spirit]. Say: The rooh: it is one of the things, the knowledge of
which is only with my Lord. And of knowledge, you (mankind) have been
given only a little. [al-Isra 17:85] (Reported by al-Bukhaari). The
rooh (soul or spirit) has been described by Allaah in His Book and by
the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in his
Sunnah, and various verbs and adjectives have been used in conjunction
with the word rooh, such as seizing or grasping, taking (as in death),
it may be fettered or shrouded, it comes and goes, it goes up and
comes down, it may be pulled out like a hair being pulled out of dough
It is obligatory (in Islam) to believe in these attributes which are
narrated in the two Revelations (i.e., the Quraan and Sunnah), and
also to realize that the soul is not like the body.
Allaah created Adam and breathed the soul into him, as is stated in
the Quraan and in the hadeeth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him): When Allaah created Adam and breathed the soul
into him, he sneezed and said Al-hamdu-Lillah (Praise be to Allaah).
He praised Allaah by His permission. Then his Lord said to him, May
Allaah have mercy on you, O Adam. Go to those angels, to a group of
them who are sitting, and say, As-salaamu alaykum (peace be upon you).
They said, Wa alayka al-salaam wa rahmat-Allaah (and upon you be peace
and the Mercy of Allaah). Then he went back to his Lord, who said,
This is your greeting and the greeting of your descendants amongst
themselves. (Reported and classed as hasan by al-Tirmidhi. Sunan al-
Tirmidhi, 3290).
Allaah sends the angel to breathe the soul into the foetus as was
reported by Abd-Allaah ibn Masood, who said: The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), who is the most truthful
(of human beings) and his being truthful (is a fact) told us: The
constituents of one of you is gathered in his mothers womb for forty
days, then it becomes a clot of blood within another period of forty
days. Then it becomes a lump of flesh, and forty days later, Allaah
sends His angel to it to breathe into it the soul. The angel comes
with instructions concerning four things, so the angel writes down his
livelihood, his death, his deeds and whether he will doomed or
blessed. (Reported by Muslim, 1528).
The soul of the deceased is taken from the ends of the toes towards
the top of the body, and when it reaches the throat, the death rattle
sounds in the throat of the person who is about to die, and his eyes
glaze over and roll upwards. Um Salamah said: The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) entered upon Abu Salamah
(after he had died) and his eyes were open, so he closed them then
said, When the soul is taken, the eyes follow it. (Reported by Muslim,
1528).
The soul is met by the angels. The Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: The angels met the soul of a man from among
the people who came before you, and said, Did you do anything good? He
said, 'I used to tell my employees to postpone collection of payment
or to let off anyone who was in difficulty. So it was said, Let him
off. (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 1935).
The soul is taken up to heaven by two angels after it is taken (i.e.,
after a person dies), as was reported in the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah
who said: When the soul of the believer is taken, it is met by two
angels who take it up (The narrator said: then he mentioned its good
fragrance and scent of musk). The people of heaven say, A good soul
that has come from earth, may Allaah bless you and the body in which
you used to dwell. Then they take it up to its Lord, may He be
glorified and exalted, then He says, Roam with it until the end of the
world. When the disbelievers soul comes out (the narrator mentioned
its putrid smell and curses). The people of heaven say, An evil soul
that has come from earth, then it is said, Roam with it until the end
of the world. Abu Hurayrah said: then the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) put a piece of cloth over his
nose, like this. (Reported by Muslim, 5119).
More information about how the soul comes out (at death) was reported
in the hadeeth of Imaam Ahmad (may Allaah have mercy on him) from al-
Bara ibn Aazib who said: We went out with the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) for the funeral of a man from among
the Ansaar, and we reached the grave whilst it was still being dug.
The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
sat down and we sat down around him, and it was as if we had birds on
our heads. In his hand was a stick with which he was scratching in the
earth. He raised his head and said, Seek refuge with Allaah from the
punishment of the grave, two or three times. Then he said, Verily,
when the believing slave is about to depart this world and enter the
Hereafter, there come down to him angels from heaven with white faces,
as if their faces are the sun. They bring with them one of the shrouds
of Paradise and some of the perfume of Paradise. They sit with him as
far as the eye can see. Then the Angel of Death (peace be upon him)
comes to him and sits by his head and says, O pure soul, come out to
the forgiveness and pleasure of Allaah. Then his soul comes flowing
out like a drop of water flowing from a cup. Then he takes the soul,
and no sooner does he seize it but they take it and place it in that
shroud and perfume. Then out of it comes the most excellent fragrance
of musk to be found on the face of the earth. Then they ascend with it
and they do not pass by any group of angels but the angels ask, Who is
this pure soul? and they reply, It is So and so the son of So and so
using the best names by which he was known on earth. Then they bring
it to the lowest heaven, and ask for it to be opened, and it is opened
for him. Those who are of high rank in each heaven accompany it until
they approach the next heaven, and so it goes until it reaches the
seventh heaven. Then Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, says:
Record the book of My slave in Illiyoon (the highest heaven) and take
him back to the earth, for I created them from it, and I shall return
them to it, then I shall take them out from it again. Then his soul is
returned to his body and two angels come and make him sit up, and ask
him, Who is your Lord. He says, Allaah. They ask, What is your
religion? He says, My religion is Islam. They ask, Who is this man
that was sent amongst you? He says, He is the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him. They ask him, What
knowledge do you have? He says, 'I read the Book of Allaah and I
believed in it. Then a voice will call out from heaven, My slave has
spoken the truth. Prepare for him a bed from Paradise and give him
clothes from Paradise, and open for him a door to Paradise. And he
will feel its breeze and smell its fragrance, and his grave will be
widened for him as far as his eye can see. Then a man with a handsome
face, beautiful clothes and a pleasant fragrance will come to him and
say, Good news! This is the day that you were promised. He will say,
Who are you? You face looks as if it brings good news. He will say, 'I
am your good deeds. (The deceased) will say, O Lord, let the Hour come
so that I may see my family and my wealth again.
When the disbelieving slave is about to depart this world and enter
the Hereafter, there come down to him angels from heaven with black
faces, bringing with them sackcloth. They sit with him as far as the
eye can see. Then the Angel of Death comes to him and sits by his head
and says, O evil soul, come out to the wrath and anger of Allaah. Then
his soul disperses in his body and is dragged out like a skewer being
pulled out of wet wool. Then he takes the soul, and no sooner does he
seize it but they take it and place it in that sackcloth. Then out of
it comes the most putrid stench of rotten flesh to be found on the
face of the earth. Then they ascend with it and they do not pass by
any group of angels but the angels ask, Who is this evil soul? and
they reply, It is So and so the son of So and so using the worst names
by which he was known on earth. Then they bring it to the lowest
heaven, and ask for it to be opened, and it is not opened for him.
Then the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) recited (interpretation of the meaning): For them the gates of
heaven will not be opened, and they will not enter Paradise until the
camel goes through the eye of the needle [al-Araaf 7:40]. Then he
said, Then Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, says: Record the
book of My slave in Sijjeen (the lowest Hell) in the lowest earth.
Then his soul is cast down. Then he recited (interpretation of the
meaning): and whoever assigns partners to Allaah, it is as if he had
fallen from the sky, and the birds had snatched him, or the wind had
thrown him to a far off place. [al-Hajj 22:31]. He said, Then his soul
is returned to his body and two angels come and make him sit up, and
ask him, Who is your Lord. He says, Oh, oh, I dont know. They ask,
What is your religion? He says, Oh, oh, I dont know. They ask, Who is
this man that was sent amongst you? He says, Oh, oh, I dont know. Then
a voice will call out from heaven, He is lying. Prepare for him a bed
from Hell and open for him a door to Hell. And he will feel its hot
winds and smell its stench, and his grave will be constricted for him
until his ribs interlock. Then a man with an ugly face, ugly clothes
and a horrible stench will come to him and say, Bad news! This is the
day that you were warned about. He will say, Who are you? You face
looks as if it brings bad news. He will say, 'I am your evil deeds.
(The deceased) will say, O Lord, do not let the Hour come! (Musnad al-
Imaam Ahmad, 17803; this is a saheeh hadeeth).
At the end of time, Allaah will send a wind which will take the soul
of every believer, as was reported in the hadeeth of al-Nawwaas ibn
Samaan, who said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) mentioned (the coming of the Dajjaal [Antichrist]
and the descent of Eesa [Jesus], peace be upon him, and the good life
and happiness of mankind at the time of Jesus and afterwards). He
said, And whilst the people are living like that, Allaah will send a
good wind which will seize them under the armpits and will take the
soul of every believer and every Muslim. The evil people will remain
and they will behave like donkeys, then the Hour will come upon them.
(Reported by Muslim, 5228).
When people sleep (and sleep is the lesser death), the soul is taken,
but not completely, so the sleeper is still alive. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): It is Allaah 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. Verily, in this are signs for a people who
think deeply. [al-Zumar 39:42]
The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
advised the Muslim, when he lies down to sleep, to say: Bismika Rabbee
wadatu janbi wa bika arfauhu wa in amsakta nafsi farhamhaa wa in
arsaltahaa fahfazhaa bimaa tuhfaz bihi ibaadika al-saaliheen ( In Your
name, my Lord, I lie down, and in Your name I rise. If You should take
my soul then have mercy on it, and if You should return my soul then
protect it as You protect Your righteous slaves). When the Muslim
wakes up, he should say, Al-hamdu Lillaah alladhi aafaani fi jasadi wa
radda alayya roohi wa adhina li bi dhikrihi (Praise be to Allaah Who
has restored to me my health and returned my soul and has allowed me
to remember Him ). (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 3323 He said, a hasan
hadeeth).
Allaah is the Creator of all things, and the soul is something that
has been
created just like everything else. The knowledge about its true
essence is something that belongs exclusively to Allaah, may He be
glorified and exalted. Allaah has kept this knowledge exclusively to
Himself, as is stated in the hadeeth of Abd-Allaah ibn Masood (may
Allaah be pleased with him), who said: Whilst I was with the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) on a farm, and he was
resting on a palm branch stripped of its leaves, the Jews passed by,
and some of them said to others, Ask him about the soul. Some of them
said, What urges you to ask him about it? Others of them said, Dont
ask him in case he says something you dislike. But they said, Ask him,
so they asked him about the soul. The Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) kept quiet and did not respond to them, and I knew
that he was receiving Revelation, so I stayed where I was. When the
Revelation of the aayah was complete, he said (interpretation of the
meaning): And they ask you [O Muhammad] concerning the rooh [the
spirit]. Say: The rooh: it is one of the things, the knowledge of
which is only with my Lord. And of knowledge, you (mankind) have been
given only a little. [al-Isra 17:85] (Reported by al-Bukhaari). The
rooh (soul or spirit) has been described by Allaah in His Book and by
the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in his
Sunnah, and various verbs and adjectives have been used in conjunction
with the word rooh, such as seizing or grasping, taking (as in death),
it may be fettered or shrouded, it comes and goes, it goes up and
comes down, it may be pulled out like a hair being pulled out of dough
It is obligatory (in Islam) to believe in these attributes which are
narrated in the two Revelations (i.e., the Quraan and Sunnah), and
also to realize that the soul is not like the body.
Allaah created Adam and breathed the soul into him, as is stated in
the Quraan and in the hadeeth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him): When Allaah created Adam and breathed the soul
into him, he sneezed and said Al-hamdu-Lillah (Praise be to Allaah).
He praised Allaah by His permission. Then his Lord said to him, May
Allaah have mercy on you, O Adam. Go to those angels, to a group of
them who are sitting, and say, As-salaamu alaykum (peace be upon you).
They said, Wa alayka al-salaam wa rahmat-Allaah (and upon you be peace
and the Mercy of Allaah). Then he went back to his Lord, who said,
This is your greeting and the greeting of your descendants amongst
themselves. (Reported and classed as hasan by al-Tirmidhi. Sunan al-
Tirmidhi, 3290).
Allaah sends the angel to breathe the soul into the foetus as was
reported by Abd-Allaah ibn Masood, who said: The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), who is the most truthful
(of human beings) and his being truthful (is a fact) told us: The
constituents of one of you is gathered in his mothers womb for forty
days, then it becomes a clot of blood within another period of forty
days. Then it becomes a lump of flesh, and forty days later, Allaah
sends His angel to it to breathe into it the soul. The angel comes
with instructions concerning four things, so the angel writes down his
livelihood, his death, his deeds and whether he will doomed or
blessed. (Reported by Muslim, 1528).
The soul of the deceased is taken from the ends of the toes towards
the top of the body, and when it reaches the throat, the death rattle
sounds in the throat of the person who is about to die, and his eyes
glaze over and roll upwards. Um Salamah said: The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) entered upon Abu Salamah
(after he had died) and his eyes were open, so he closed them then
said, When the soul is taken, the eyes follow it. (Reported by Muslim,
1528).
The soul is met by the angels. The Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: The angels met the soul of a man from among
the people who came before you, and said, Did you do anything good? He
said, 'I used to tell my employees to postpone collection of payment
or to let off anyone who was in difficulty. So it was said, Let him
off. (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 1935).
The soul is taken up to heaven by two angels after it is taken (i.e.,
after a person dies), as was reported in the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah
who said: When the soul of the believer is taken, it is met by two
angels who take it up (The narrator said: then he mentioned its good
fragrance and scent of musk). The people of heaven say, A good soul
that has come from earth, may Allaah bless you and the body in which
you used to dwell. Then they take it up to its Lord, may He be
glorified and exalted, then He says, Roam with it until the end of the
world. When the disbelievers soul comes out (the narrator mentioned
its putrid smell and curses). The people of heaven say, An evil soul
that has come from earth, then it is said, Roam with it until the end
of the world. Abu Hurayrah said: then the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) put a piece of cloth over his
nose, like this. (Reported by Muslim, 5119).
More information about how the soul comes out (at death) was reported
in the hadeeth of Imaam Ahmad (may Allaah have mercy on him) from al-
Bara ibn Aazib who said: We went out with the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) for the funeral of a man from among
the Ansaar, and we reached the grave whilst it was still being dug.
The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
sat down and we sat down around him, and it was as if we had birds on
our heads. In his hand was a stick with which he was scratching in the
earth. He raised his head and said, Seek refuge with Allaah from the
punishment of the grave, two or three times. Then he said, Verily,
when the believing slave is about to depart this world and enter the
Hereafter, there come down to him angels from heaven with white faces,
as if their faces are the sun. They bring with them one of the shrouds
of Paradise and some of the perfume of Paradise. They sit with him as
far as the eye can see. Then the Angel of Death (peace be upon him)
comes to him and sits by his head and says, O pure soul, come out to
the forgiveness and pleasure of Allaah. Then his soul comes flowing
out like a drop of water flowing from a cup. Then he takes the soul,
and no sooner does he seize it but they take it and place it in that
shroud and perfume. Then out of it comes the most excellent fragrance
of musk to be found on the face of the earth. Then they ascend with it
and they do not pass by any group of angels but the angels ask, Who is
this pure soul? and they reply, It is So and so the son of So and so
using the best names by which he was known on earth. Then they bring
it to the lowest heaven, and ask for it to be opened, and it is opened
for him. Those who are of high rank in each heaven accompany it until
they approach the next heaven, and so it goes until it reaches the
seventh heaven. Then Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, says:
Record the book of My slave in Illiyoon (the highest heaven) and take
him back to the earth, for I created them from it, and I shall return
them to it, then I shall take them out from it again. Then his soul is
returned to his body and two angels come and make him sit up, and ask
him, Who is your Lord. He says, Allaah. They ask, What is your
religion? He says, My religion is Islam. They ask, Who is this man
that was sent amongst you? He says, He is the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him. They ask him, What
knowledge do you have? He says, 'I read the Book of Allaah and I
believed in it. Then a voice will call out from heaven, My slave has
spoken the truth. Prepare for him a bed from Paradise and give him
clothes from Paradise, and open for him a door to Paradise. And he
will feel its breeze and smell its fragrance, and his grave will be
widened for him as far as his eye can see. Then a man with a handsome
face, beautiful clothes and a pleasant fragrance will come to him and
say, Good news! This is the day that you were promised. He will say,
Who are you? You face looks as if it brings good news. He will say, 'I
am your good deeds. (The deceased) will say, O Lord, let the Hour come
so that I may see my family and my wealth again.
When the disbelieving slave is about to depart this world and enter
the Hereafter, there come down to him angels from heaven with black
faces, bringing with them sackcloth. They sit with him as far as the
eye can see. Then the Angel of Death comes to him and sits by his head
and says, O evil soul, come out to the wrath and anger of Allaah. Then
his soul disperses in his body and is dragged out like a skewer being
pulled out of wet wool. Then he takes the soul, and no sooner does he
seize it but they take it and place it in that sackcloth. Then out of
it comes the most putrid stench of rotten flesh to be found on the
face of the earth. Then they ascend with it and they do not pass by
any group of angels but the angels ask, Who is this evil soul? and
they reply, It is So and so the son of So and so using the worst names
by which he was known on earth. Then they bring it to the lowest
heaven, and ask for it to be opened, and it is not opened for him.
Then the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) recited (interpretation of the meaning): For them the gates of
heaven will not be opened, and they will not enter Paradise until the
camel goes through the eye of the needle [al-Araaf 7:40]. Then he
said, Then Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, says: Record the
book of My slave in Sijjeen (the lowest Hell) in the lowest earth.
Then his soul is cast down. Then he recited (interpretation of the
meaning): and whoever assigns partners to Allaah, it is as if he had
fallen from the sky, and the birds had snatched him, or the wind had
thrown him to a far off place. [al-Hajj 22:31]. He said, Then his soul
is returned to his body and two angels come and make him sit up, and
ask him, Who is your Lord. He says, Oh, oh, I dont know. They ask,
What is your religion? He says, Oh, oh, I dont know. They ask, Who is
this man that was sent amongst you? He says, Oh, oh, I dont know. Then
a voice will call out from heaven, He is lying. Prepare for him a bed
from Hell and open for him a door to Hell. And he will feel its hot
winds and smell its stench, and his grave will be constricted for him
until his ribs interlock. Then a man with an ugly face, ugly clothes
and a horrible stench will come to him and say, Bad news! This is the
day that you were warned about. He will say, Who are you? You face
looks as if it brings bad news. He will say, 'I am your evil deeds.
(The deceased) will say, O Lord, do not let the Hour come! (Musnad al-
Imaam Ahmad, 17803; this is a saheeh hadeeth).
At the end of time, Allaah will send a wind which will take the soul
of every believer, as was reported in the hadeeth of al-Nawwaas ibn
Samaan, who said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) mentioned (the coming of the Dajjaal [Antichrist]
and the descent of Eesa [Jesus], peace be upon him, and the good life
and happiness of mankind at the time of Jesus and afterwards). He
said, And whilst the people are living like that, Allaah will send a
good wind which will seize them under the armpits and will take the
soul of every believer and every Muslim. The evil people will remain
and they will behave like donkeys, then the Hour will come upon them.
(Reported by Muslim, 5228).
When people sleep (and sleep is the lesser death), the soul is taken,
but not completely, so the sleeper is still alive. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): It is Allaah 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. Verily, in this are signs for a people who
think deeply. [al-Zumar 39:42]
The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
advised the Muslim, when he lies down to sleep, to say: Bismika Rabbee
wadatu janbi wa bika arfauhu wa in amsakta nafsi farhamhaa wa in
arsaltahaa fahfazhaa bimaa tuhfaz bihi ibaadika al-saaliheen ( In Your
name, my Lord, I lie down, and in Your name I rise. If You should take
my soul then have mercy on it, and if You should return my soul then
protect it as You protect Your righteous slaves). When the Muslim
wakes up, he should say, Al-hamdu Lillaah alladhi aafaani fi jasadi wa
radda alayya roohi wa adhina li bi dhikrihi (Praise be to Allaah Who
has restored to me my health and returned my soul and has allowed me
to remember Him ). (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 3323 He said, a hasan
hadeeth).
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