Can Feelings About Someone’s Death Be an Insight from Allah?
Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Question
Can strong feelings about someone’s death be from Allah as an insight?
Answer
I pray you are well.
Yes, it is possible. Sometimes Allah Most High grants certain people in the Umma a form of inspiration. There are examples of this in the Quran. Allah inspired the mother of Musa to nurse him and to know what to do next. Allah says:
“We inspired the mother of Moses: ‘Nurse him, but when you fear for him, put him then into the river, and do not fear or grieve. We will certainly return him to you, and make him one of the messengers.’” [Quran, 28:7]
She was not a prophet, but she was a righteous woman, and Allah had planned significant events around that moment, namely the birth of Sayyiduna Musa and the danger he faced from the people of Fir‘awn. Because of this, Allah inspired her with what to do.
There are also examples among the significant figures of the Umma, such as Sayyiduna ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (Allah be pleased with him) and others. These are from the elite of the Umma.
Forms This Insight May Take
At times, an angel may inspire a person. At other times, Allah may simply create a feeling in a person’s heart. This can be a strong sense or certainty that their death is near. People have come across stories like this, where someone gives a particular kind of farewell to their loved ones shortly before passing away.
While there is no specific verse or hadith that clearly states that Allah does this in every case, it has been observed that such experiences do occur. If so, it may be a mercy from Allah, giving a person the opportunity to put their affairs in order, repent, and turn back to Him. What a gift that would be.
The Practical Lesson
What we should take from this is the importance of turning back to Allah regularly. We should ask Allah for the ability to repent daily, and not just daily, but multiple times a day. A person who is able to do this has been given great divine facilitation.
As expressed in the words attributed to Shaykh Abu al-Hasan al-Shadhili (Allah be pleased with him):
“O Allah, we ask You for repentance and its continuance, and we seek refuge in You from sins and their causes.”
Whoever is granted this has a strong preparedness for death, because they are constantly turning back to Allah.
Allah knows best.
[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim
Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began studying Arabic Grammar and Morphology whilst studying for a degree in English and History. After graduating, He traveled to Damascus and studied Arabic, Hanafi Fiqh, Usul al-Fiqh, Theology, and Logic with Shaykh Adnan Darwish, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahman Arjan al-Binsawi, Shaykh Husayn Darwish, Shaykh Muhammad Darwish, the late Shaykh Rashad Shams, and others. He then moved to Amman to continue his studies in those fields, as well as in Tafsir, Quranic Sciences, Hadith Methodology and Commentary, Prophetic Biography, Prophetic Perfections and Traits, Rhetoric, Arabic Literature, and Tajwid. His teachers include Shaykh Ali Hani, Dr. Hamza al-Bakri, Dr Salah Abu al-Hajj, Dr Mansur Abu Zina, Shaykh Ahmad Hasanat, Shaykh Ahmad Jammal, and others.
