Transliteration:( Allaahu yatawaffal anfusa heena mawtihaa wallatee lam tamut fee manaamihaa fa yumsikul latee qadaa 'alaihal mawta wa yursilul ukhraaa ilaaa ajalim musammaa; inna fee zaalika la Aayaatil liqawmai yatafakkarroon )
"Allah takes away the souls (of human beings) at the time (105) of their death and also those who do not die while they are in their sleep (106). Then He withholds those against whom He decrees death (107), but sends back the others till an appointed (108) time. Indeed, in that are signs for those who reflect (109)."
By "souls" is meant the spirit, and by "death" is meant the separation of the soul from the body. At the time of death, Allah Almighty removes the soul, because the body no longer serves as a means for its sustenance.
From this we learn that a type of soul exits the body during sleep, while still maintaining sensory perception. It should be remembered that two souls are found within a human being:
One is the stationary (regal) soul,
The other is the travelling soul.
The first soul maintains life, and the second soul governs sense and understanding. The first soul departs at death, and the second soul departs during sleep.
When Allah does not return the soul, He has decreed death for that person during sleep. Hence, such individuals die in their sleep without waking up.
Those whose souls are returned awaken and continue their lives until their fixed time of death. This means people will keep sleeping and waking, and when their appointed time arrives, they will sleep permanently—i.e., they will die.
Reflect on this: the One who gives you wakefulness after sleep certainly has the power to resurrect you after death. This verse confirms that analogy in religious reasoning is valid and meaningful.
The tafsir of Surah Az-Zumar verse 42 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Zumar ayat 41 which provides the complete commentary from verse 41 through 42.
(39:42) It is Allah Who takes away the souls of people at the hour of their death, and takes away at the time of sleep the souls of those that have not died.[60] Then He retains the souls of those against whom He had decreed death and returns the souls of others till an appointed time. Surely there are Signs in this for a people who reflect.[61]
60. Taking the souls during sleep, implies the suspension of the powers of feeling and consciousness, understanding and will.
61. By this Allah wants every man to realize how life and death are entirely in His own hand. No one has the guarantee that he will certainly get up alive in the morning when he goes to sleep at night. No one knows what disaster could befall him within a moment, and whether the next moment would be a moment of life for him or of death. At any time, while asleep or awake, in the house or outside it, some unforeseen calamity, from inside his body or from outside, can suddenly cause his death. Thus, man who is so helpless in the hands of God, would be foolish if he turned away from the same God or became heedless of Him.
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