Is it true that if death is delayed and the dying process is prolonged, it serves as expiation for sins?

The questioner : ... regarding death with patience; meaning something that is expected.

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner : Regarding the dying process; is it true that if a person is delayed in his dying, meaning his dying process is prolonged for a long period, does it become expiation for his sins in this worldly life? That is one aspect. The second aspect of the same question is that it was said that after his death, his voice and his moaning were heard repeatedly by more than one person in the same room or in the same house, and they consulted one of the scholars at that time, and he told them: "The companion (qareen)."

The Shaykh : As for the answer to the first question; the truth is that ... the passing of death is like any illness among the illnesses, and a trial that befalls any person; it may be any trial whatsoever.
...
We, O fellow prophets, are the most severely tested, the best of the best, and the believer ... the believer is strong and firm in his religion ... and if he is a wrongdoer, then that is retribution in this world, and as He - the Exalted - said: .

The questioner : Meaning it could be expiation even for ...?

The Shaykh : Yes.

The questioner : Expiation for his deeds, you mean?

The Shaykh : It could be like that and it could be like that; we cannot be definitive about it, and in reality, its knowledge is with my Lord. As for the second question, that this voice which is heard is from the companion (qareen), the truth is that this is a metaphysical matter, and it is not permissible to be definitive about anything without evidence from the Book of Allah or from the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him); because here is a discussion raised by the jurists and scholars, but they did not reach a conclusion. It is known in the Sunnah that every Muslim has a companion (qareen). They said to the Messenger: "And you?" He said: , and in a narration: , became a Muslim, from his evil. The discussion that took place, and this is delving into what should not be delved into; do you see? Does the Muslim, when he dies, or the human, when he dies, does his companion die with him or does he remain alive? Do you see? By Allah, I say: I do not know, and half of knowledge is "I do not know"; but whoever wants to say that this voice is from his companion, that means he is definitive that his companion did not die, so we tell him: .

The questioner : My master, the answer was, Professor ... the matter is that the deceased was not righteous, so the companion refused to leave the ...?

The Shaykh : This is more cunning and more severe [The Shaykh : He laughs!], where do we get these details from? Then it is possible to say without certainty, why not say that this is the voice of a devil from the devils of the jinn. Let us not use the precise word "companion (qareen)," do you see? A devil from the devils of the jinn, those whom we do not see, and it is possible that this is one of the ways of misguidance of the devils of the jinn toward humans; they make them hear a voice first that resembles his voice so that they become accustomed to it, perhaps after a few days he will inspire them with something that is contrary to the Shari'ah, yes, by Allah, this is our father, for example, or our father, our mother, or so on, so he lures them into evil in this way in which he pretends.
And I know about Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him), this man is rare in his example among the scholars; because he combined qualities that are rarely found together in one scholar, from the Book and the Sunnah, courage beyond the courage of the brave, asceticism in this world and indifference to kings, strange things that we do not have now. A person came to him one day after Hajj and said to him: "I saw you in Hajj circumambulating with the circumambulators." He said to him: "You lied, I did not perform Hajj and I did not leave my country." Yes, I saw you as you are. He said to him: "This is a devil who resembled my image in order to mislead you in my name; do you see how the scholar is? Ibn Taymiyyah knows his state that he did not perform Hajj, and he does not know his state as the Sufis say, meaning he divides into two persons at the same time; these people have very strange ecstatic states.
One of them mentions in a printed and published book today, with dozens of editions, that in one of the villages, the preacher of the mosque did not attend, so it was said to one of these dervishes: "Preach to us." He ascended the pulpit with the sword in his hand. And this is one of the innovations existing among us in Syria here, I have not seen it, praise be to Allah, we have the Umayyad Mosque, the preacher on Friday does not come out except with the sword in his hand, it remains with us the sword and we do not have a sword, but wood is more useful than it. The important thing is that this ecstatic preacher came out on the pulpit, and he said in his sermon: "And I bear witness that there is no god for you except Iblis (peace be upon him)!!" What did the people below say? DisbeliefThe Shaykh : DisbeliefThe Shaykh : . He stood up, drew the sword and attacked them, and the mosque was emptied, and they did not pray any prayer.
What is the point, what do they say? They saw this man on that day at the same time in the same manner in forty mosques, bring me a mind that believes in these superstitions, written and printed!!
So Ibn Taymiyyah does not believe that he could be in Syria and could be what? In the House of Allah the Sacred; therefore he immediately said to him: "This whom you saw is not me, this is the devil, he wanted to mislead you on the right path." So it is possible that this is the voice of a devil from the devils, you must not forget that this deceased brother no longer has movement; stone, wood, he and the grave around him and enclosing him, there is absolutely no difference except that he is alive in spirit.