Fath al-Rabbani

Benefits: … Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah radi Allahu anhu narrates that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: “Indeed, when death descends upon the believer and he witnesses what he witnesses, he wishes that (his soul) would depart. That is, his soul. And Allah loves to meet him. And indeed, the soul of the believer is raised up to the heaven, and the souls of the (deceased) believers come to him and inquire from him about their acquaintances among the people of the earth. If he says: ‘I left so-and-so in the world,’ they are pleased by that. And if he says: ‘Indeed, so-and-so has died,’ they say: ‘He has not yet been brought to us.’ …” (Musnad al-Bazzar: p. 92—Zawaiduhu, al-Sahihah: 2628)

That is: “When the throes of death overcome the believer, he witnesses various realities and then desires that his soul should now depart (so that he may meet Allah Ta’ala), and Allah Ta’ala also loves to meet him. The soul of the believer is raised towards the heaven and reaches the souls of the (deceased) believers. They ask him about those whom they knew and recognized.”