When the Souls of the Living Meet with the Souls of the Deceased
Al-ʿAllāmah Ṣāliḥ ibn Fawzān al-Fawzān
Shaykh Ṣāliḥ al-Fawzān (حفظه الله) was asked the following: “Is it correct that the souls meet after death? And is there a sign that they are in Jannah or the Fire?”1
The Shaykh (حفظه الله) responded by saying:
Yes, the souls meet. That is like in the case when He said:
اللَّـهُ يَتَوَفَّى الْأَنفُسَ حِينَ مَوْتِهَا
‘It is Allāh who takes away the souls at the time of their death…’
[al-Zumar, 39:42]
This is the major death,
وَالَّتِي لَمْ تَمُتْ فِي مَنَامِهَا
‘…and those that die not, during their dreams.’
[al-Zumar, 39:42]
Meaning, He takes away the soul that did not die during their dreams. Meaning, while it sleeps. Hence, sleep is [a type of] death; however, it is the minor death. Allāh said:
وَهُوَ الَّذِي يَتَوَفَّاكُم بِاللَّيْلِ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا جَرَحْتُم بِالنَّهَارِ
‘It is He, Who takes your souls by night [when you are asleep], and has knowledge of all that you have done by day.’
[al-Anʿām, 6:60]
The souls of the living, when they are in a state of slumber, meet with the souls of the deceased who are in their graves, and because of this they see each other, and so the living see the dead.
Furthermore, there occurs between the living and the dead an exchange of some information, and they question each other [about things] between themselves. Then Allāh snatches or holds on to the souls that death was written for, and He releases the others who are not dead. He releases them when they awake from their slumber for an unknown time which is the age that Allāh has written for them.
This is from the strangest of Allāh’s abilities—that the souls of the living meet with the souls of the deceased and because of this, an exchange of information takes place between them. [Furthermore] the deceased request from the living [various] things; either [they request from them] the repaying of debts, or they inform them about things which they [eventually] find to be true as they [correctly] informed them.
Source: الارواح تتلاقى بعد الموت
Translated by Abū Wāʾil Musa Shaleem