ibn Shu‘ayb narrated to us: Mūsā ibn Ayman narrated to us, from Mutarrif, from Ja‘far ibn Abī al-Mughīrah, from Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr, from Ibn ‘Abbās, may Allah be pleased with them both, concerning the interpretation of this verse:

‘Allah takes souls at the time of their death, and, during sleep, those that have not died.’

He said: ‘The souls of the living meet the souls of the dead during sleep, and they question one another. Allah then retains the souls of the dead and returns the souls of the living to their bodies.’”

The hadith scholar Abū Muhammad ibn Abī Hātim also narrated in his Tafsīr: “‘Abd Allāh ibn Sulaymān narrated to us: al-Hasan narrated to us: ‘Āmir narrated to us, from al-Furāt: Asbāt narrated to us, from al-Suddī, concerning the words:

‘And, during sleep, those that have not died.’

He said: ‘He takes them during their sleep.’ He said: ‘The soul of the living person and the soul of the dead person meet, converse, and recognize one another.’ He said: ‘The living person’s soul then returns to his body in this world for the remainder of his appointed lifespan.’ He said: ‘The dead person’s soul wishes to return to his body, but is held back.’”

This is one of the two interpretations: that His words,

“He then retains those for whom He has decreed death,”

refer to those who had already died and met the soul of a living person. The second interpretation—which is held by the majority—is that both souls, the one retained and the one released, have been taken in sleep. As for the soul taken in death, that constitutes a third category, mentioned first in His words:

“Allah takes souls at the time of their death.”

This is what the Book and the Sunnah indicate, for Allah said:

“Allah takes souls at the time of their death, and, during sleep, those that have not died. He then retains those for whom He has decreed death and releases the others until an appointed term.”

Thus, He mentioned retaining those for whom He has decreed death from among these souls that He took during sleep. As for those that