The Holy Quran and Near-Death Experiences
A Quranic Perspective on Returning from the Edge of Death
What happens at the edge of life — when the body stops but the soul has not yet crossed the final barrier?
Across cultures and centuries, thousands have described vivid Near-Death Experiences (NDEs): tunnels of light, overwhelming love, and encounters beyond anything in earthly life. Science struggles to explain them — but could the Holy Quran already hold the key?
Quranic verses reveal a profound truth: it is possible to return when “death” is not yet final (39:42), but once the barrier of true death is crossed (23:99–100), there is no coming back. And according to the Quran (6:27–28), those who are allowed to return are not random — they are the ones Allah considers righteous.
This makes NDEs not just curious medical phenomena, but potentially divine blessings reserved for the fortunate few.
1. Returning from the State of Death: The Quranic Principle (39:42)
Sūrat az-Zumar (39:42):
ٱللَّهُ يَتَوَفَّى ٱلۡأَنفُسَ حِينَ مَوۡتِهَا وَٱلَّتِى لَمۡ تَمُتۡ فِى مَنَامِهَاۖ فَيُمۡسِكُ ٱلَّتِى قَضَىٰ عَلَيۡہَا ٱلۡمَوۡتَ وَيُرۡسِلُ ٱلۡأُخۡرَىٰٓ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍ۬ مُّسَمًّىۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٲلِكَ لَأَيَـٰتٍ۬ لِّقَوۡمٍ۬ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ
Sahih International: 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.
This verse draws a clear distinction between permanent death and a reversible state of unconsciousness — likened here to deep sleep (نَوْم). If the soul is returned, the person was not truly dead; their consciousness had not reached the irreversible stage. This opens the Quranic possibility that some people can come back if their “death” was not final.
(نَوْم) means sleep but not necessarily always, hier it mean state of consciousness like
نَامَتِ الرِّيْحُ “ ” (naamatir reeh): the wind became motionless.
ناَمَتِ النَّارُ “ ” (naamatin naar): heat of the fire and its intensity decreased.
الَ نوَِّيْمُ “ ” (an-naweem): the man who is unmindful of his things. It also means “anonymous” .
Ibn Faris says it basically means “static” and “for movement to stop”.
2. The Finality of Real Death: No Return (23:99–100)
Sūrat al-Mu’minūn (23:99–100):
حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءَ أَحَدَهُمُ ٱلۡمَوۡتُ قَالَ رَبِّ ٱرۡجِعُونِ (٩٩) لَعَلِّىٓ أَعۡمَلُ صَـٰلِحً۬ا فِيمَا تَرَكۡتُۚ كَلَّآۚ إِنَّهَا كَلِمَةٌ هُوَ قَآٮِٕلُهَاۖ وَمِن وَرَآٮِٕهِم بَرۡزَخٌ إِلَىٰ يَوۡمِ يُبۡعَثُونَ
Sahih International: [For such is the state of the disbelievers], until, when death comes to one of them, he says, “My Lord, send me back That I might do righteousness in that which I left behind.” No! It is only a word he is saying; and behind them is a barrier until the Day they are resurrected.
Here, “real death” means entering the Barzakh — a barrier that lasts until the Day of Resurrection. Once this barrier is crossed, no return to worldly life is possible. This confirms that NDEs are not cases of crossing into the irreversible stage, but rather of being brought back before the barrier is reached.
3. Who Is Allowed to Return? The Case of the Righteous (6:27–28)
Sūrat al-Anʿām (6:27–28):
وَلَوۡ تَرَىٰٓ إِذۡ وُقِفُواْ عَلَى ٱلنَّارِ فَقَالُواْ يَـٰلَيۡتَنَا نُرَدُّ وَلَا نُكَذِّبَ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ رَبِّنَا وَنَكُونَ مِنَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ (٢٧) بَلۡ بَدَا لَهُم مَّا كَانُواْ يُخۡفُونَ مِن قَبۡلُۖ وَلَوۡ رُدُّواْ لَعَادُواْ لِمَا نُہُواْ عَنۡهُ وَإِنَّہُمۡ لَكَـٰذِبُونَ
Sahih International: If you could but see when they are made to stand before the Fire and will say, “Oh, would that we could be returned [to life on earth] and not deny the signs of our Lord and be among the believers.” But what they concealed before has [now] appeared to them. And even if they were returned, they would return to that which they were forbidden; and indeed, they are liars.
This passage tells us that those who were wicked in life will not be allowed to return, because they would repeat their past actions. In light of this, it follows that those who do return after a near-death state are the ones Allah considers good or worthy of another chance.
This may explain why so many NDE accounts after their death experience report a positive experience and turn toward a more moral, compassionate, and spiritually aware life. Their visions of peace, love, and warmth could be experiences reserved for the blessed — a divine gift and a sign of favor.
4. A Phenomenon Worth Reflection
From a Quranic perspective, NDEs may represent genuine spiritual encounters for some individuals — not hallucinations. Hallucinations require active brain neurons, but in many NDE cases, the brain was measured as clinically inactive. Yet these people recall vivid, coherent, and transformative experiences that cannot be easily explained by conventional neuroscience.
There are thousands, perhaps even millions, of reported cases of hallucinations. Yet, medically, there is not a single documented case where a hallucination has led to such a profound and lasting moral transformation in a person’s life. If hallucinations were capable of producing such dramatic behavioral changes, then why are they not used as a therapeutic method to treat psychopaths, criminals, or other serious moral disorders—especially since hallucinations can be easily induced with medication?
If these experiences lead to lasting moral transformation, as they often do, they may be a mercy from Allah — a brief unveiling of the next stage of existence, granted only to those whom He chooses to bless. For this reason, most people who have near-death experiences report a positive experience after death. Because they are good in the eyes of Allah. He gives them a more chance to achieve their remaining goals in this world.