What is the minor death and what is the major death?
ما هو الموت الأصغر والموت الأكبر؟
The concept of "minor death" highlights the spiritual link between our daily rest and our ultimate departure. Every time we sleep, our soul undergoes a form of temporary departure, returning only by Allah's permission for a specified term. This daily cycle serves as a constant reminder of our mortality and our reliance on the Creator.
الموت الأصغر هو حالة النوم التي يمر بها الإنسان يومياً، وهي صورة مصغرة للموت الحقيقي (الموت الأكبر). ففي النوم، تخرج الروح جزئياً وتتوقف الحواس، ثم تعود بأمر الله لنستأنف حياتنا. هذا التشبيه القرآني يهدف إلى تنبيه الإنسان لعظمة الخالق وضعف المخلوق، وتذكيره بأن البعث بعد الموت حق كما هو الاستيقاظ بعد النوم.
Quranic Evidence | الدليل من القرآن الكريم
(Allah takes the souls at the time of their death, and those that do not die [He takes] during their sleep. Then He keeps those for which He has decreed death and releases the others for a specified term. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought.)
(اللَّـهُ يَتَوَفَّى الْأَنفُسَ حِينَ مَوْتِهَا وَالَّتِي لَمْ تَمُتْ فِي مَنَامِهَا ۖ فَيُمْسِكُ الَّتِي قَضَىٰ عَلَيْهَا الْمَوْتَ وَيُرْسِلُ الْأُخْرَىٰ إِلَىٰ أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ)
[سورة الزمر: آية ٤٢]
Scholarly Insight: The linguistic use of "Tawaffa" (taking back or receiving in full) for both sleep and death indicates that the soul remains under divine control in both states. Scholars note that this verse is one of the strongest proofs for the existence of the soul and the reality of life after death, as the temporary "death" of sleep is a phenomenon we witness every day.