has not yet completed its appointed term; He sends it back to its body so that it may finish its span.

The second view holds that the “withheld” soul is the one first taken in the death-seizure, whereas the “released” soul is the one taken in the sleep-seizure. According to this interpretation, Allah takes the soul of the deceased, keeps it in His hold and does not return it until the Day of Resurrection; and He takes the soul of the sleeper, then returns it to his body for the remainder of its term, after which He causes it to undergo the other—final—death.

The Exalted says, “It is He who takes you in death by night.”⦗1⦘