With regard to Islam, what is the soul?
For instance, who created the soul, and what limitations does it have?
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14-12-2008
In the Name of Allah, most Compassionate, most Merciful
The Soul
Question: With regard to Islam, what is the soul? For instance, who
created the soul, and what limitations does it have?
Answer: Praise be to Allaah.
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 Mas'ood (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,
'Don't 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 Qur'aan 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 Qur'aan
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 Mas'ood, 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 mother's
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 disbeliever's 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-A'raaf 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 don't
know.' They ask, 'What is your religion?' He says, 'Oh, oh, I don't know.' They
ask, 'Who is this man that was sent amongst you?' He says, 'Oh, oh, I don't
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 Sam'aan, 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 wada'tu janbi wa bika arfa'uhu 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).
These are a few of the aayaat and saheeh ahaadeeth which describe the soul.
Maybe you will find in them information that will guide you to the way of truth,
the Religion of Islam. Thank you for your question.
Submitted by a Mujahida