Concept of Life and Death in Quran

                  

Quran describes concept of ‘life and death’ which is different from what is commonly understood. In Quranic terminology, life is not merely biological functioning of human body, nor is ‘death’  merely end of biological functioning of human body; life and death are more than merely relating to biological functioning of human body. Quran  describes also life as a capability of human being to obey Allah and His Messenger (saw), and death as lack of such capability in human being.

Quran says:

“O you who have believed, respond to Allah and to the Messenger (saw) when he calls you to that which gives you life/ ‘yuhyeekum” And know that Allah intervenes between a man and his heart/brain and that to Him you will be gathered. (al-anfal-24).

This verse, while addressing the Muslims, states that Muslims should act accordingly when Allah and His Messenger (saw) calls them to what gives them life. In other words, Muslims should act upon the injunctions contained in Quran and Sunnah, as such obedience on the part of Muslims gives them life. Now obviously this command is being given to Muslims who are already alive in terms of biological functioning; it means in this verse ‘life’ does not mean ‘alive body’  rather it means capability to obey Allah and His Messenger (saw). In other words, when a Muslim acts upon directions of Allah and His Messenger (saw), he shows his capability to obey Allah and His Messenger (saw); and such capability is called ‘life’. The more a person acts upon the directions of Allah and His Messenger (saw), the greater ‘life’ he owns. Similarly more a person violates directions of Allah and His Messenger (saw), the lesser ‘life’ he owns. If a person continues violating directions of Allah and His Messenger (saw), ultimately he becomes totally devoid of capability of obeying Allah and His Messenger (saw) and ultimately he becomes ‘dead’ (not physically dead).

This concept of ‘life and death’ has been mentioned at many places in Quran. Sura al-anaam-122 states: “: And is one who was dead and We gave him life and made for him light by which to walk among the people like one who is in darkness, never to emerge there from? Thus it has been made pleasing to the disbelievers that which they were doing”. Sura al-rum-52 states: “So indeed, you will not make the dead hear, nor will you make the deaf hear the call when they turn their backs, retreating”. At all such places life and death has been described as capability or lack of capability respectively to obey Allah and His Messenger (saw).

This Quranic concept of ‘life and death’ holds equally good for Muslims as well as non-Muslims. I mean non-Muslims are also bestowed upon the capability of obeying Allah and His Messenger (saw). If a non-Muslim continues violating directions of Allah and His Messenger (saw), ultimately he becomes dead. Quran says about Israelis:

“Indeed, you will not make the dead hear, nor will you make the deaf hear the call when they have turned their backs retreating” (al-naml-80). In this verse Israelis who did not listen to Allah’s Messenger (saw) have been called ‘dead’; who have become devoid of capability of obeying Allah and His Messenger (saw) have been declared as ‘dead’.

This Quranic concept of ‘life and death’ also holds good for non-living things. Quran says: “And [in] the alternation of night and day and [in] what Allah sends down from the sky of provision and gives life thereby to the earth after its lifelessness and [in His] directing of the winds are signs for a people who reason” (al-jathiyah-5).  In this verse mention has been made about rainfall which brings ‘life’ to earth after its death. When earth is devoid of capability to bring forth vegetation according to Allah’s direction, earth is called ‘dead’; and when earth regains its such capability, it is called ‘alive’. It does not mean that earth can disobey Allah’s command; it only means that earth is first given capability to act upon Allah’s direction, and after that earth obeys Allah’s direction by bringing forth vegetation. This concept of life and death relating to earth has been described at many places in Quran e.g. al-rum-19, 50; fatir-9. 

It may be noted that many times Quran says Allah brings the living out of the dead, and vice versa (al-imran-27; al-anaam-95; yunus-31;al-rum-19).  From the present tense used in these verses, one may infer that Allah is still doing it (sometimes past events are described in present tense; we have to look into the context with which a tense is used). At all such places the living and the dead should not be taken as biologically living and biologically dead respectively. Quran clearly mentions all living things have been made out of water (al-anbiyah-30); it means origin of all biologically living things is water. Once first biologically living thing was created out of water, afterwards every biologically living thing was/is created out of previous biologically living thing. In other  words Allah is not still creating biologically the living from the dead and vice versa. At all such places the meaning of the living and the dead is having capability and lacking  in capability respectively to obey Allah and His Messenger (saw). 

This Quranic concept of ‘life and death’ holds good not only in apparent earthly life but also in life after this apparent earthly life. Some People remain alive even after physical death. Quran says: “And do not say about those who are killed in the way of Allah , "They are dead." Rather, they are alive, but you perceive [it] not (al-baqra-154).  It does not mean physical death does not occur to ‘shuhuda’; it does occur to them, but despite physical death they are blessed with capability of obeying Allah and His Messenger (saw); that is why they are called ‘alive’. In the ranking of blessed people ‘shuhuda’ come after ‘siddique’, ‘Nabis’, and ‘rusul’ (al-nisa-69); it means all of them are alive even after passing through this apparent earthly life. Quran says about such people: " It is Allah that takes the souls  at death; and those that die not (He takes) during their sleep. Those on whom He has passed the decree of death, He keeps back (from returning to life), but the rest He sends (forward for second life) for a term appointed verily in this are Signs for those who reflect (al-zumar-42).

  This verse describes that Allah takes souls of all persons who die. He also takes souls of those who do not die during their sleep. He withholds (from second life) souls of those who have been decreed as dead; and those who have not been decreed as dead are sent (forward for second life).   It may be noted that after earthly life, human soul is moved into 'uqba' (for details plz see my article ' Journey of Human Soul'); all souls in 'uqba'  live according to natural laws existing in the world of 'uqba'. Some souls in 'uqba' are declared alive and others are declared as dead. The souls which have compensable pious deeds in uqba are declared 'alive' in uqba; the souls which do not have compensable deeds in 'uqba' are declared dead in 'uqba' (for details plz see my article 'Non-Muslims' Paradise'). Out of such souls which are declared alive, some souls are allowed to interact with this earthly world. But all alive souls in 'uqba' are not allowed to interact with this earthly life/world.  Such alive souls out of 'uqba world' which are allowed to interact with this apparent earthly life/world are called 'Aulia Allah'; these are souls of 'saleheen', 'shuhuda', 'siddiqueen' 'Nabis' and 'Rusul'.  (for details plz see my article ' Aulia Allah').