Tafsir al-Sadi - Abd al-Rahman al-Sadi’ - (725)

Tafsir al-SadiAbd al-Rahman al-Sadi’

(42) “Allah takes souls at the time of their death, and those that have not died, during their sleep. He then retains those upon whom He has decreed death and releases the others until an appointed term. Surely in this are signs for people who reflect.”

Allah Most High states that He alone governs His servants in wakefulness and sleep, and in life and death. He says, “Allah takes souls at the time of their death.” This is the greater taking of the soul—the taking that occurs at death.

His statement that He takes souls, attributing the act to Himself, does not conflict with His having entrusted this task to the Angel of Death and his assistants. Allah Most High says, “Say, ‘The Angel of Death, who has been entrusted with you, will take your souls,’” and, “Until, when death comes to one of you, Our messengers take his soul, and they never neglect their duty.” Allah Most High attributes things to Himself because He is their Creator and Governor, and He attributes them to their causes because it is part of His established way and wisdom to assign a cause to every matter.

His words, “and those that have not died, during their sleep,” refer to the lesser death. That is, He takes hold of the soul that has not died during its sleep. “He then retains”—from these two kinds of souls—the soul “upon whom He has decreed death.” This is the soul ⦗726⦘ of one who has died, or who has been decreed to die during sleep.

“And He releases the other until an appointed term”—that is, until it has received its provision in full and completed its allotted lifespan. “Surely in this are signs for people who reflect” upon His perfect power and His resurrection of the dead after their death.

This verse also proves that the spirit, or soul, is a self-subsisting entity whose substance differs from that of the physical body; that it is created and governed; and that Allah controls it by taking, retaining, and releasing it. It also shows that the spirits of the living and the dead meet in the barzakh (intermediate realm), where they gather and converse. Allah then releases the spirits of the living and retains the spirits of the dead.

﴿٤٢﴾ ﴿اللَّهُ يَتَوَفَّى الأنْفُسَ حِينَ مَوْتِهَا وَالَّتِي لَمْ تَمُتْ فِي مَنَامِهَا فَيُمْسِكُ الَّتِي قَضَى عَلَيْهَا الْمَوْتَ وَيُرْسِلُ الأخْرَى إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لآيَاتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ﴾ . يخبر تعالى أنه المتفرد بالتصرف بالعباد، في حال يقظتهم ونومهم، وفي حال حياتهم وموتهم، فقال: ﴿اللَّهُ يَتَوَفَّى الأنْفُسَ حِينَ مَوْتِهَا﴾ وهذه الوفاة الكبرى، وفاة الموت. وإخباره أنه يتوفى الأنفس وإضافة الفعل إلى نفسه، لا ينافي أنه قد وكل بذلك ملك الموت وأعوانه، كما قال تعالى: ﴿قُلْ يَتَوَفَّاكُمْ مَلَكُ الْمَوْتِ الَّذِي وُكِّلَ بِكُمْ﴾ ﴿حَتَّى إِذَا جَاءَ أَحَدَكُمُ الْمَوْتُ تَوَفَّتْهُ رُسُلُنَا وَهُمْ لا يُفَرِّطُونَ﴾ لأنه تعالى يضيف الأشياء إلى نفسه، باعتبار أنه الخالق المدبر، ويضيفها إلى أسبابها، باعتبار أن من سننه تعالى وحكمته أن جعل لكل أمر من الأمور سببا. وقوله: ﴿وَالَّتِي لَمْ تَمُتْ فِي مَنَامِهَا﴾ وهذه الموتة الصغرى، أي: ويمسك النفس التي لم تمت في منامها، ﴿فَيُمْسِكُ﴾ من هاتين النفسين النفس ﴿الَّتِي قَضَى عَلَيْهَا الْمَوْتَ﴾ وهي نفس ⦗٧٢٦⦘ من كان مات، أو قضي أن يموت في منامه. ﴿وَيُرْسِلُ﴾ النفس ﴿الأخْرَى إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى﴾ أي: إلى استكمال رزقها وأجلها. ﴿إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لآيَاتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ﴾ على كمال اقتداره، وإحيائه الموتى بعد موتهم. وفي هذه الآية دليل على أن الروح والنفس جسم قائم بنفسه، مخالف جوهره جوهر البدن، وأنها مخلوقة مدبرة، يتصرف الله فيها في الوفاة والإمساك والإرسال، وأن أرواح الأحياء والأموات تتلاقى في البرزخ، فتجتمع، فتتحادث، فيرسل الله أرواح الأحياء، ويمسك أرواح الأموات.