Does Death Have an Actual Existence?
Source: Fatawa Ameenpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Ameenpuri
❖ Question
Does death have an actual existence?
❖ Answer
Yes, death has an actual existence. Death is a creation of Allah ﷻ, and every creation has existence.
The philosophers and their followers say that death is merely the absence or cessation of life. This is incorrect, because Allah ﷻ has created both life and death.
❀ ʿAllamah Ibn Abi al-ʿIzz al-Hanafi (رحمه الله, 792H) said:
الموت أمر وجودي، قال تعالى: ﴿الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَاةَ﴾ ، والعدم لا يكون مخلوقا، وإنما يقول: إن الموت زوال الحياة الفلاسفة ومن وافقهم، وقولهم باطل.
“Death is something that has existence. Allah ﷻ said: ﴿الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَاةَ﴾ ‘He who created death and life.’ Non-existence cannot be created. It is the philosophers and their followers who say that death is merely the cessation of life. Their statement is false.”
(Al-Tanbih ʿala Mushkilat al-Hidayah, 1/346)
