What happens to the soul of a believer when he dies?

Those who do good, based on righteous deeds whether male or female, will be given a good life both in this life and the next, in accordance with what they have done. This is a promise of Allah.

It is said that the righteous, may appear to be in very difficult circumstances, poverty stricken, with deaths and diseases, however on the inside, Allah gives them a certain state of contentment, which allows them to handle all the circumstances of this life. The Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam spoke of it as ‘sweetness of faith’ and whoever tastes it will never go astray. That is why when we hear that people go astray from Islam to go to another religion, it shows that they never understood Islam. Why would anyone deliberately go into the fire? One wouldn’t! It’s only done because they never felt faith.

We should commit ourselves to Allah so we feel contentment inside, a sense of reality and a sense of knowing what this life is about, enabling us to handle whatever we are faced with in this life.

Allah says in Surah Baqarah Verse Number 286:

لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا “Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity.”

We realize the promise of Allah, that He doesn’t burden any soul with more than it can handle. Difficulty only improves us. When one has faith, everything faced will only serve to increase it, that which is good and evil. When such a person dies, they are given glad tidings from the time of death. Allah says:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا تَتَنَزَّلُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ أَلَّا تَخَافُوا وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا وَأَبْشِرُوا بِالْجَنَّةِ الَّتِي كُنْتُمْ تُوعَدُونَ “Indeed, those who have said, "Our Lord is Allah" and then remained on a right course - the angels will descend upon them, [saying], "Do not fear and do not grieve but receive good tidings of Paradise, which you were promised.” [Fussilat 42:30]

They are so relieved and their souls are like water dripping from the tap. Their soul will be wrapped in perfume from Paradise, taken up and the smell will be so beautiful that the angels who will be seen during the journey will ask, ‘What is this beautiful smell?’ The angels taking the soul up will say, ‘This is so and so.’ And at the first heaven door, it will open and the angels will welcome it in. Through all the heavens up to the seventh, Allah will command that the soul’s deeds be recorded in what is known as ‘illiyyeen’ (record of righteous) which will be in Paradise.

Then the soul will be taken gently back to the body, and there the angles will come and will ask as they did with the disbeliever, ‘Who is your Lord?’ ‘What is your religion?’ ‘Who is your prophet?’ And the soul will have all the right answers, and so it will be given further glad tidings and the command will be given that bedding from paradise be brought forth. It will be dressed from the clothing of Paradise. Then, a window from Paradise and a window from Hell will open, and it will be shown what would have been for them had they not taken a righteous path. This isn’t a form of punishment, rather it is to increase their happiness, and they can see that will never happen to them. Calm, cool wind will pass over the soul from Paradise until the time of resurrection. At the time of resurrection, that soul will be greeted by angels and will come without fear. The judgment will be easy; some won’t even be judged depending on what they did in this life. Allah will promise that soul that it will be protected from all evil on that day.