The Agonies of Death and Whether the Disbeliever and the Believer Are Equal in Them

Question:
Honorable Shaykh, it is narrated from some of the Salaf (the earliest generations) that he said: The extraction of the soul is more severe than being struck with swords, cut with saws, and bored with drills. So, are the disbeliever and the believer equal in this?

Answer:
The agonies of death and their severity occur for the disbeliever, for others, and for the believer. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) experienced some of the agonies of death, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, and he said: He endured them. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), in the context of his death, would place a cloak over his face; if it distressed him, he would remove it, and he would sprinkle water on his face and say: So, the dying person endures these. However, the extraction of the soul from the body differs between the disbeliever and the believer. The soul of the believer exits easily and is called out gently. As for the soul of the disbeliever, may Allah protect us from that, it is extracted with severity: “And the [angels] who extract [souls] gently” — this is the extraction of the soul of the believer with speed. And his soul exits from his mouth like a drop from the mouth of a water skin. So, the extraction of the soul differs between the disbeliever and the believer. As for the measurements of the agonies of death, all of creation shares in them. Yes.