Every fifteen seconds one person is born on Earth. Every eighteen, one person dies. Around the world, nearly fifty-five million people die every year. Of these, seven hundred and fifty thousand people die a violent death. One hundred and thirty thousand commit suicide. The rest become victims of various diseases. There are no immortal people. Death is a completely natural end to the earthly path. A person knows that he will die and more than anything else in the world he is afraid of this knowledge. He is so afraid that he stops rejoicing, loving, building personal relationships, and stops living.
A very important problem is the human reaction to the fear of death and the management of this horror, which... Death is the most terrible and mysterious topic for humanity. Throughout life, people ask questions: what is death? Is it possible to deceive her? Is a person capable of achieving immortality? But it is unlikely that while he is alive, it is possible to get answers to these questions.
Death as it is from a medical point of view
From the very beginning of his existence, man has been faced with the phenomenon of death. In modern medicine, its parameters are extremely specific. Death comes when one dies. When the heart stops, the pump stops. But life still continues in the body. Irreversible brain decay does not begin immediately. Real death is the cessation of brain function. Before death, a person falls into a terminal state: agony or clinical death. The death of the body can last from several minutes to several hours and even days. Doctors have a maximum of six minutes. During this time, a person can still be brought back to life. But if resuscitation does not produce results, irreversible changes occur in the body. Biological death occurs. And this is the final stop of life.
What is lethargic sleep
Official medicine considers this a serious disease, but is unable to fully explain this phenomenon. It is quite difficult to distinguish an imaginary death from a real one. The heart of a person who has fallen asleep, instead of the usual seventy or eighty beats per minute, makes only two or three barely perceptible beats. Breathing is reduced to one or two breaths per minute. In a normal state, a person takes sixteen, eighteen breaths. All body functions slow down approximately twenty, thirty times.
There are many examples in history when a doctor, having found no signs of life in a patient who had fallen asleep in a lethargic sleep, diagnosed death. Then the person was buried alive. For example, the famous Italian poet Francesca Petrarca woke up from a lethargic sleep at his own funeral. Some scientists claim that of all the people buried in ten years, twenty-five percent simply fell asleep in a lethargic sleep.
Another phenomenon on the verge of life and death is meditation. This practice of spiritual liberation has become widespread in Indian yoga and Buddhism. Deep meditation can slow down metabolic processes within the body, lower blood pressure and even weaken the heartbeat. The trance into which a person who is in a deep state falls is, in all physical signs, similar to a lethargic sleep.
Unlike Buddhist monks, most people have always feared death. There is a whole direction in psychotherapy that studies this fear - thanatotherapy. At the mere thought of death, a person begins something like a panic attack, after which he withdraws and subconsciously begins to ask himself questions: why start something if it will end anyway? Why live if I'm going to die anyway?
In the minds of most of the world, death comes for a person in the form of an angel. People believed that death always comes hand in hand with fate. This is probably why a person feels the inevitable approach of his end.
Modern man is afraid and does not want to know the day. Ignorance gives him hope that he will not die. Therefore, there is no need to be afraid of her, at least not yet. But some people still strive to find out about the day of their death. Someone wants to prepare for it in advance, confess, take communion; others to have time to put their affairs in order. However, there is also another side to the coin. Knowing about the day of his death, a person involuntarily begins to experience the feeling of being sentenced to execution. Here I am one more day closer to her.
Attitudes to death among different peoples
Our ancestors also treated death differently. The Europeans were afraid of her. In society, even talking about death was considered unacceptable. But in the east they lived longer and were less afraid. Dying was perceived as an inevitable part of life. It was calmer and more comfortable not to be afraid of death than to be afraid of it.
In Japan, for samurai, death was the meaning of life. This is what the warrior code ordered. And the ritual of suicide “sepuku” was not only not considered a sin, but was the privilege of the samurai. Such a death required great courage and endurance from the warrior, since the abdominal cavity is one of the most sensitive places in the human body. Most of the nerve endings are located there. That is why the samurai, who considered themselves the most courageous, cold-blooded and strong-willed people in Japan, preferred this painful form of death. The samurai was seen off on his last journey in national clothes and always with a sword, with which he committed ritual suicide.
Eastern culture is most tolerant of suicide. It is for them that voluntary departure from life is considered not a feat, but a feat. The concept of kamikaze, or divine wind, appeared in Japan back in the thirteenth century. These were military units that were ready to voluntarily give their lives for the sake of state interests and the emperor.
Funeral rites
Despite all the dissimilarity of funeral rites in the world, there are only four ways of burying the dead. The body is given one of the four elements. They are buried in the ground, cremated or burned at the stake, left in caves or immersed in water. In the rocky mountainous terrain of Tibet it is simply physically impossible to dig a grave and the body was disposed of using a fire. In Orthodox culture, it was customary to place the body of the deceased on the ground.
In modern society, death exists only in a clearly limited space. She is isolated within the walls of hospitals and morgues. The new cemetery is being moved away from cities. We determine clear days for visiting the departed. And with surprise and some apprehension we look at people who voluntarily see someone else’s death every day.
What happens underground is always a mystery to humans. Some believe that dungeons bring death - others seek salvation there. In ancient times, the elders built entire cities with many kilometers of underground passages. Many miracles are still associated with underground temples. According to legend, on the island where the Valaam Monastery is located, at night a dull bell ringing is heard from underground.
So what is death? Are we born only to die or is the end of life just the beginning of something unknown? A person may find answers to these questions only after death. So should we be afraid of what will certainly happen to each of us? Maybe he’ll just learn to live without fear?
Death is the inevitable and irreversible cessation of the interaction of protein structures, expressed in the complete cessation of all vital functions of the body. In multicellular organisms, the interaction of protein structures is expressed in the form of a function of cells and tissues.
The concept of death in humans and warm-blooded animals refers to the body as a whole and is associated, first of all, with the cessation of breathing and blood circulation with subsequent disruption of the activity of the central nervous system, primarily the cerebral cortex. The consequence of this is the death of the individual as a separate living system.
Death- this is the cessation, stopping of the vital activity of the body. In medicine, thanatology deals with the study of death. The process of an organism's transition from life to death is called thanatogenesis.
Death is a process that can be divided into stages (stages of dying, stages of death). The onset of death is always preceded by terminal states (preagonal state, terminal pause, agony).
Stages of death
Clinical death
Clinical death is a reversible stage of dying, a transition period between life and death. Clinical death continues from the moment the cardiac activity, breathing and functioning of the central nervous system ceases and until irreversible pathological changes develop in the brain. In a state of clinical death, anaerobic metabolism in tissues continues due to the reserves accumulated in the cells. As soon as these reserves in the nervous tissue run out, it dies. In the complete absence of oxygen in the tissues, the death of cells in the cerebral cortex and cerebellum (the most sensitive parts of the brain to oxygen starvation) begins within 2-2.5 minutes. After the death of the cortex, restoration of the vital functions of the body becomes impossible, that is, clinical death turns into biological death.
Signs of clinical death
Signs of clinical death include: coma, apnea, asystole.
- Coma is diagnosed based on a lack of consciousness and dilated pupils that do not respond to light.
- Apnea is recorded visually by the absence of respiratory movements of the chest.
- Asystole is recorded by the absence of pulse in 2 carotid arteries.
Biological death
Biological death (or true death) is the irreversible cessation of physiological processes in cells and tissues.
Signs of biological death
- Lack of eye response to pressure.
- Clouding of the cornea (Louis sign), formation of desiccation triangles (Larchet spots).
- The appearance of the “cat's eye” symptom: with lateral compression of the eyeball, the pupil transforms into a vertical fusiform slit, similar to a cat's pupil (see Beloglazov's sign).
Absolute signs of the onset of biological death are cadaveric phenomena.
Subsequently, cadaveric spots are found localized in sloping areas of the body, then rigor mortis occurs, then cadaveric relaxation, cadaveric decomposition. Rigor mortis and cadaveric decomposition usually begin in the muscles of the face and upper extremities. The time of appearance and duration of these signs depend on the initial background, temperature and humidity of the environment, and the reasons for the development of irreversible changes in the body.
Final Death
Life safety tests
Samples: Bouchu, Vergne, Winslov, Desgrange, Lavasseur, Magnus,
The third qualifying feature is the type of death. Establishing the type of death is associated with determining the group of factors that caused death, united by their origin or effect on the human body. Types of murder: intentional under aggravating circumstances, intentional in a state of strong emotional excitement, when exceeding the limits of necessary defense, murder through negligence.
Birth and death are the boundaries of life for every creature on the planet. These are two sisters that complement each other, two halves of a whole that constantly touch and interact. Each is the start of something new, and at the same time both symbolize the completion of another cycle of existence. And if we associate only pleasant and joyful moments with birth, then the end of life, approaching every day, frightens and frightens us with the unknown. What is human death? What will happen next? Let's figure it out together.
What is death?
The world is structured in such a way that all creatures living in it go through several stages: birth (appearance, emergence), growth and development, flourishing (maturity), extinction (aging), death. Even representatives of inanimate nature go through similar cycles: stars and galaxies, for example, as well as various social objects - organizations and powers. In a word, nothing in the physical world can exist forever: everything has a logical beginning and an equally appropriate end. What can we say about living creatures: insects, birds, animals and humans. They are designed in such a way that the body, after working for a certain amount of time, begins to wear out and ceases its vital functions.
Death is the final stage of life, which becomes the consequence of a deep, strong, irreversible dysfunction of vital organs. If it occurs due to the natural wear and tear of tissues, cell aging, then it is called physiological, or natural. A person, having lived a long and happy life, one day falls asleep and never opens his eyes again. Such a death is even considered desirable; it does not bring pain or suffering to the dying person. When the end of life was the result of unfavorable circumstances and factors, then we can talk about pathological death. It occurs due to injury, asphyxia or blood loss, and is caused by infections and diseases. Sometimes death occurs on a massive scale. For example, in the 14th century, a pandemic covered all of Europe and Asia. What is the Black Death? This is exactly that terrible pestilence, a pandemic that has taken the lives of 60 million people over two decades.
Different points of view
Atheists believe that the end of a person’s existence, his transition into complete non-existence - this is how death can be characterized. This, in their opinion, is the death of not only the physical body, but also the consciousness of the individual. They do not believe in the soul, considering it a unique form of brain activity. Afterwards, the gray matter is no longer supplied with oxygen, so it dies along with other organs. Accordingly, atheists completely exclude eternal life and
As for science, from its point of view, death is the natural mechanism that protects the planet from overpopulation. It also ensures a change of generations, each subsequent one achieving greater development than the previous one, which becomes the starting point for the introduction of innovations and progressive technologies in different spheres of life.
Instead, religion explains in its own way what human death is. All known world religions emphasize that the death of the physical body is not the end. After all, it is just a shell for the eternal - the inner world, the soul. Everyone comes into this world to fulfill their destiny, after which they return to the Creator in heaven. Death is only the destruction of the bodily shell, after which the soul does not cease to exist, but continues it outside the body. Each religion has its own ideas about the afterlife, and they all differ significantly from each other.
Death in Christianity
Let's start with this religion, since it is closer and more familiar to the Slavic people. Even in ancient times, having learned what the black death was, and being frightened by its irresistible power, people started talking about the rebirth of the soul. Rather, out of fear of death, trying to give themselves hope, some Christians admitted that a person was prescribed not one, but several lives. If he made serious mistakes, sinned, but managed to repent, then the Lord will definitely give him a chance to correct what he did - he will give him another rebirth, but in a different body. In fact, true Christianity denies the mythical doctrine of the pre-existence of the soul. Even the second Council of Constantinople, registered in the 6th century, threatened with anathema to anyone who would spread such ridiculous and absurd judgments.
According to Christianity, there is no death as such. Our existence on earth is just a preparation, a rehearsal for eternal life next to the Lord. After the immediate death of the bodily shell, the soul remains next to it for several days. Then on the third day, usually after burial, it flies to heaven or goes to the lair of devils and demons.
What is the death of a person and what awaits him next? Christianity claims that this is just the completion of a minor stage in the existence of the soul, after which it continues to develop in paradise. But before she gets there, she must go through the Last Judgment: unrepentant sinners are sent to purgatory. The length of stay in it depends on what the atrocities of the deceased were, how fiercely his relatives on earth pray for him.
Opinions of other religions
They interpret the concept of death in their own way. First, let's find out what death is from the point of view of Muslim philosophy. Firstly, Islam and Christianity have a lot in common. In the religion of Asian countries, earthly life is also considered a transitional stage. After its completion, the soul goes to trial, which is headed by Nakir and Munkar. They are the ones who will tell you where to go: to heaven or hell. Then comes the highest and fair judgment of Allah himself. It will only come after the Universe collapses and completely disappears. Secondly, death itself, the sensations during it, strongly depend on the presence of sins and faith. It will be invisible and painless for true Muslims, long-lasting and painful for atheists and infidels.
As for Buddhism, for representatives of this religion the issues of death and life are secondary. In religion there is not even the concept of a soul as such, there are only its basic functions: knowledge, desire, sensation and imagination. The body plus bodily needs are characterized by the same aspects. True, Buddhists believe in reincarnation and believe that one is always reborn - into a person or another living creature.
But Judaism does not pay any attention to explaining what death is. This, according to its adherents, is not such an important issue. Having borrowed various concepts from other religions, Judaism has absorbed a kaleidoscope of mixed and adapted beliefs. Therefore, it provides for reincarnation, as well as the presence of heaven, hell and purgatory.
Reasonings of philosophers
In addition to representatives of religious denominations, thinkers also liked to raise the issue of the end of earthly life. What is death from a philosophical point of view? For example, the representative of Antiquity Plato believed that it is the result of the separation of the soul from the mortal physical shell. The thinker believed that the body is a prison for the spirit. In it, he forgets about his spiritual origin and strives to satisfy his base instincts.
The Roman Seneca assured that he was not afraid of death. In his opinion, it is either the end, when you no longer care, or resettlement, which means continuation. Seneca was sure that nowhere would man be as cramped as on earth. Epicurus, meanwhile, believed that we get everything bad from our sensations. Death is the end of feelings and emotions. Therefore, there is nothing to be afraid of.
What is death from the point of view of medieval philosophy? Early theologians - God-Bearer, Ignatius and Tatian - contrasted it with life, and not in favor of the latter. The desire to die for faith and the Lord again becomes a cult. In the 19th century, the attitude towards the death of the body changed: some tried not to think about it, others, on the contrary, preached about death, erecting it on the altar. Schopenhauer wrote: only an animal fully enjoys life and its benefits, because it does not think about death. In his opinion, only the mind is to blame for the fact that the end of earthly life seems so terrifying to us. “The greatest fear is the fear of death,” the thinker asserted.
Main stages
The spiritual component of a person’s death is clear. Now let's try to find out what it is. Doctors distinguish several stages of the dying process:
- Pregonal state. Lasts from ten minutes to several hours. The person is inhibited, his consciousness is unclear. There may be no pulse in the peripheral arteries, while it can only be felt in the femoral and carotid arteries. There is pallor of the skin and shortness of breath. The pregonal state ends with a terminal pause.
- Agonal stage. Breathing may stop (from 30 seconds to one and a half minutes), blood pressure drops to zero, and reflexes, including eye reflexes, fade away. Inhibition occurs in the cerebral cortex, and the functions of the gray matter are gradually turned off. Life activity becomes chaotic, the body ceases to exist as a single whole.
- Agony. Lasts only a few minutes. Precedes clinical death. This is the last stage of a person’s struggle for life. All body functions are disrupted, and parts of the central nervous system located above the brain stem begin to slow down. Sometimes deep but rare breathing appears, and a distinct but short-term increase in pressure occurs. Consciousness and reflexes are absent, although they may briefly return. From the outside it seems that a person is getting better, but such a state is deceptive - this is the last flash of life.
Then follows clinical death. Although this is the last stage of dying, it is reversible. A person can be brought out of this state or he independently returns to life. What is clinical death? A detailed description of the process is outlined below.
Clinical death and its signs
This period is quite short. What is clinical death? And what are its signs? Doctors give a clear definition: this is the stage that occurs immediately after the cessation of breathing and active blood circulation. Changes in cells are observed in the central nervous system and other organs. If doctors competently support the functioning of the heart and lungs with the help of devices, then restoration of the body’s vital functions is quite possible.
The main signs of clinical death:
- Reflexes and consciousness are absent.
- Cyanosis of the epidermis is observed, with hemorrhagic shock and large blood loss - severe pallor.
- The pupils are greatly dilated.
- Heartbeats stop, the person does not breathe.
Cardiac arrest is diagnosed when there is no pulsation in the carotid arteries for 5 seconds and contraction of the organ is not audible. If a patient is given an electrocardiogram, ventricular fibrillation can be seen, that is, contractions of individual myocardial bundles, bradyarrhythmia will be expressed, or a straight line will be recorded, which indicates a complete cessation of muscle function.
Lack of breathing is also determined quite simply. It is diagnosed if, after 15 seconds of observation, doctors cannot recognize obvious movements of the chest and do not hear the sound of exhaled air. At the same time, irregular convulsive breaths cannot provide ventilation to the lungs, so it is difficult to call them full breathing. Although doctors, knowing what it is, are trying to save the patient at this stage. Since this condition is not yet a guarantee that a person will definitely die.
What to do?
We found out that clinical death is the very last stage before the final death of the physical body. Its duration directly depends on the nature of the disease or injury that led to this condition, as well as on the course and complexity of the stages that precede it. So, if the preagonal and agonal periods were accompanied by complications, for example, severe circulatory disorders, then the duration of clinical death does not exceed 2 minutes.
It is not always possible to record the exact moment of its occurrence. Only in 15% of cases, experienced doctors know when it began and can name the time of transition from clinical death to biological death. Therefore, if the patient does not have signs of the latter, for example, cadaveric spots, then we can talk about the absence of actual death of the physical body. In this case, you need to immediately begin artificial respiration and chest compressions. Doctors say that if you find a person who has no signs of life, then the sequence of your actions should be as follows:
- State the absence of reactions to stimuli.
- Call an ambulance.
- Lay the person down on a flat, hard surface and check the airway.
- If the patient does not breathe on his own, perform mouth-to-mouth artificial respiration: two slow full breaths.
- Check for a pulse.
- If there is no pulse, perform cardiac massage, alternating it with ventilation of the lungs.
Continue in this spirit until the resuscitation team arrives. Qualified doctors will carry out all necessary rescue measures. Knowing in practice what human death is, they diagnose it only when all methods fail and the patient does not breathe for a certain number of minutes. After their expiration, it is believed that the brain cells began to die. And since this organ is actually the only irreplaceable one in the body, doctors record the time of death.
Death in the eyes of a child
The topic of death has always been interesting to children. Children begin to fear this phenomenon at the age of 4-5, when they gradually realize what it is. The baby is worried that his parents and other close people will not die. If a tragedy occurred, then how to explain to a child what death is? Firstly, do not under any circumstances hide this fact. There is no need to lie that the person went on a long business trip or went to the hospital for treatment. The kid feels that the answers are not true, and his feeling of fear intensifies even more. In the future, when the lie comes to light, the baby may be very offended, hate you, and receive serious psychological trauma.
Secondly, you can take your baby to church for the funeral service. But for now it’s better for him not to attend the funeral itself. Psychologists say that the procedure will be difficult for the fragile child’s psyche and will lead to stress. If one of the relatives very close to the baby has died, he must do something for the deceased: light a candle, write a farewell note.
How to explain to a child what the death of a loved one is? Say that he has now gone to God in heaven, where he has turned into an angel, and from now on will protect the baby. Alternatively, there is a possible story about the transformation of the soul of the deceased into a butterfly, a dog or a newborn baby. Should I take the baby to the cemetery after the funeral? Protect him from such visits for a while: this place is very gloomy, and visiting it will negatively affect the child’s psyche. If he wants to “talk” with the dead man, take him to church. Say that this is exactly the place where you can mentally or out loud communicate with someone who is no longer with us.
How to stop being afraid of death?
Not only children, but also adults are often interested in what death is and how not to be afraid of it. Psychologists give many useful recommendations that will help reduce unnecessary fears and make you more courageous in the face of the inevitable:
- Do what you love. You simply won't have time for bad thoughts. It has been proven that those who have enjoyable activities are much happier. After all, 99% of diseases are caused by stressful situations, neuroses and negative thoughts.
- Remember: no one is death. Where does the idea that she is scary come from then? Perhaps everything happens painlessly: the body is most likely in a state of shock, so it automatically deprives itself of sensitivity.
- Pay attention to the dream. After all, it is called the little death. The person is unconscious, nothing hurts. When you die, you will fall asleep just as serenely and sweetly. So, there is no need to be afraid.
And just live and enjoy this wonderful feeling. Are you still concerned about what death is and how to relate to it? Philosophically. It is inevitable, but you shouldn’t dwell on thoughts about it. We need to appreciate every moment that fate has given us, to be able to see happiness and joy even in the most negative moments of life. Think about how good it is that the morning of a new day has come: make sure that there is not even a shadow of sorrow in it. Remember: we were born to live, not to die.
- death - About the time of death; about its inevitability. Timeless, merciless, close, fleeting, faithful, sudden, formidable, coming (obsolete poet. Dictionary of Russian language epithets
- death - noun, number of synonyms... Dictionary of Russian synonyms
- death - DEATH, and, many. and, she, w. 1. Termination of the body’s vital functions. Clinical p. (a short period after the cessation of breathing and cardiac activity, during which tissue viability is still preserved). Biological... Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary
- death - DEATH - IMMORTALITY Mortal - immortal (see) We have harsh freedom: Dooming our mother to tears, Buying the immortality of our people with our death. K. Simonov. Glory. Young men listen to verses about death, but in their hearts they hear: immortality. Mayakovsky. Dictionary of antonyms of the Russian language
- death - -and, genus. pl. -hey, w. 1. biol. Termination of the vital activity of the organism and its death. Physiological death. Cell death. Death of the plant. 2. Cessation of the existence of humans and animals. Sudden death. Early death. Small academic dictionary
- death - DEATH w. (die), smertushka, Moscow. Thumb. smeryotka, smeryotochka, smeryotushka, smeredushka, novg. olon. arch. the end of earthly life, death, separation of the soul from the body, dying, the state of the obsolete. Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary
- DEATH - DEATH is the cessation of life, the natural end of a single living being or the violent killing of not only individuals, but also entire species of animals and plants due to environmental disasters and man’s predatory attitude towards nature. New Philosophical Encyclopedia
- death - Termination of the vital activity of an organism, which is irreversible. In unicellular organisms (for example, protozoa), death manifests itself in the form of division, leading to the cessation of the existence of a given individual and the appearance of two new ones in its place. Biology. Modern encyclopedia
- death - J., b. p. -i, ukr. death, blr. death, other Russian death, old glory die θάνατος (Ostrom., Klots., Supr.), Bulgarian. smart, Serbohorv. death, birth n. death, Slovenian. smr̀t, gen. n. smȓti, Czech. smrt, slvts. smrt᾽, Polish śmierć, v.-luzh. smjerć, n.-luzh. Etymological Dictionary of Max Vasmer
- death - death I f. 1. Termination of life, death and disintegration of the organism. 2. transfer Complete cessation of any activity; end. II adv. vernacular Very strongly, to the highest degree (about something unpleasant, bad for someone). III predic. vernacular Explanatory Dictionary by Efremova
- death - ***** Ryleev. “You can’t have two deaths, but you can’t avoid one.” (last) “Even death is red in the world.” (last). | trans. Death, cessation, destruction (book). Socialism brings death to the capitalist world. 2. in meaning adv., singular only Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary
- DEATH - DEATH - in science - a natural and irreversible cessation of the life of a biological system. In philosophy, human mortality is viewed not so much as a natural phenomenon, but rather as a social phenomenon that requires rational perception and comprehension. The latest philosophical dictionary
- death - One of the central concepts of forensic medicine; is a stepwise process extending from life to biological life. (irreversible cessation of the body's vital functions). Medicine now recognizes... Large legal dictionary
- DEATH - Myths about the origin of S. are found among almost all nations. These myths are very diverse, but almost everywhere they are subject to the general laws of mythological thinking. Mythological encyclopedia
- death - Termination of the vital activity of an organism, its death as a separate integral system. In multicellular organisms, the death of an individual is accompanied by the formation of a dead body (in animals, a corpse). Biological encyclopedic dictionary
- DEATH - DEATH - cessation of the vital activity of an organism, its death. In unicellular organisms (for example, protozoa), the death of an individual manifests itself in the form of division, leading to the cessation of the existence of this individual and the emergence of two new ones in its place. Large encyclopedic dictionary
- DEATH - DEATH - English. death; German Tod. Irreversible cessation of an organism's vital functions, the inevitable final stage of its existence. Sociological Dictionary
- death - spelling death, -and, pl. -and, -ey Lopatin's spelling dictionary
- Death - The cessation of the vital activity of an organism and, as a result, the death of the individual as a separate living system, accompanied by the decomposition of proteins (See Proteins) and other biopolymers (See Biopolymers), which are the main material substrate of life (See Great Soviet Encyclopedia
- death - Eyeless (Golen.-Kutuzov, Sologub). Merciless (Danilin). Blissfully terrible (Bryusov). White (Balmont, Oliger). Greedy (Golen.-Kutuzov). Evil (Burenin). Kostlyavaya (Krachkovsky). Fierce (Polezhaev). Slow and deceptive (Balmont). Dictionary of literary epithets
- DEATH - DEATH, cessation of life. Traditionally, in medicine, death occurs when the heart stops beating. However, modern methods of resuscitation and life support sometimes make it possible to bring even people back to life... Scientific and technical dictionary
- death - DEATH -and; pl. genus. -tey, dat. -tyam; and. 1. Biol. Termination of the vital activity of the organism and its death. State with. Physiological s. C. cells. C. plants. Biological... Kuznetsov's Explanatory Dictionary
- death - Formed by means of the prefix съ from мрть – “death”. Since the meaning of the prefix s is “good,” the literal meaning of the word death is “natural, one’s own death.” Krylov's etymological dictionary
- death - Death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death, death Zaliznyak's Grammar Dictionary
In human nature itself lies the desire for Eternity. Being a hostage of this fleeting material world, man always strives for Eternity. Whoever listens to the inner voice will hear how it speaks about Eternity again and again.
Even if man were given the Universe, this would not quench his thirst for Eternal Life, for which he was created. People's natural desire for permanent happiness is due to objective reality and the fact that eternal life does exist.
What is death?
The body is an instrument of the spirit that manages and controls all its organs down to the smallest particles that make up the cells. At the hour predetermined by the Lord, a person suffers from illness, and his body ceases its functions, which marks the arrival of the Angel of Death.
Although death comes to man by the will of the Lord God, He places the responsibility of taking human souls on the angel Azrael, who is a symbolic curtain separating death in the eyes of people from the One who sends it. Diseases or various disasters also symbolize a kind of veil, but directly between death and Azrael.
Appearance of the Angel of Death to the Dying
Since the angel Azrael, like all angels, is created from light, he can appear and be present in several places at the same time. The fact that he is busy at a certain moment does not mean that at the same time he cannot participate in performing any other tasks.
Just as the sun gives warmth and light to the entire world at the same time and, by being reflected, is present in countless transparent objects of this world, the angel Azrael can take millions of souls at the same time without creating confusion.
Each of the angels is given subordination to angels similar to him. When a good, righteous person dies, several angels with smiling, glowing faces first come to him.
They are followed by the angel Azrael, who may be accompanied by one or more angels subordinate to him - they are tasked with taking the souls of the righteous.
The angels who take the souls of the righteous are different from the angels who take the souls of sinners. The souls of sinners who meet death with an embittered, frightened face are “mercilessly torn out” from the body.
How does a person feel at his death hour?
The doors of Paradise are open to those who believed in the Lord and led a righteous lifestyle. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said that the souls of the righteous are taken away as softly and smoothly as water flows out of a jug.
Moreover, martyrs (martyrs who died on the path of the Lord) do not feel the agony of death and do not know that they have died. Instead, they feel that they have been transported to a better world and enjoy Eternal Happiness.
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said to Jabir, the son of Abd Allah ibn Amr (may Allah be pleased with him), who was martyred in the Battle of Uhud: “Do you know how God met your father? He met him in such a way that neither eyes saw, nor ears heard, nor minds comprehended it. Your father said:
“Oh Almighty! Bring me back to the world of the living so that I can tell those whom I left there how wonderful what is expected after death is!” The Lord replied: “There is no return. Life is given only once. However, I will tell them about your stay here.”
And after that the following verse was revealed:
وَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ قُتِلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أَمْوَاتًا بَلْ أَحْيَاءٌ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ يُرْزَقُونَ فَرِحِينَ بِمَا آتَاهُمُ اللَّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ
“Do not count as dead those who died in the path of Allah for the sake of His religion. Verily, they are alive with their Lord, and their souls travel in the crops of green birds through Paradise and receive their lot, eating the fruits of Paradise and rejoicing in everything that Allah has given them by His mercy.” (Surah Alu ‘Imran, verses 169-170; “Tafsir al-Jalalayn”)
A man dies the way he lives. One who has led a righteous life dies a dignified death, while the death of a sinner is painful and terrible. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, who praised the Lord God most of all, advised reading special prayers in his dying hour.
It is known that the closest companions of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, for example, ‘Uthman, ‘Ali, Hamza and Mus’ab ibn ‘Umar and others (may Allah be pleased with them all), who devoted themselves to the service of Islam, died the death of martyrs.
Should you be afraid of death?
For those who believe and do righteous deeds, death should not be terrible. Although it seems that death is the extinction of the light of life and its delights, in fact it is liberation from the heavy responsibilities of worldly life. This is a change of place of stay, a transition to a different state, but at the same time an invitation to Eternal life. According to the predestination of the Lord, the world is constantly renewed, and mortal life is replaced by Eternal life.
When a fruit seed falls into the soil, it appears to die. In fact, it undergoes a biological process, goes through certain stages of development, and eventually a new tree grows from it. Thus, the “death” of a seed is the beginning of the life of a new tree, a new, more advanced stage of development.
If the death of plants, which represent the simplest level of life, is beautiful and of great significance, then the death of a person, who represents a higher level of life, should be even more beautiful and have an even more serious meaning: a person, going underground, will certainly gain Eternal life!
Death frees a person from the hardships of worldly life, which becomes more difficult with age and misfortunes that befall a person. Death takes him into the circle of Eternity and Love, where a person can enjoy the company of loved ones and find solace in a happy Eternal life.
Soul in the in-between world
After death, the soul appears before the Lord God. If a person lived a righteous, chaste life and achieved perfection, the angels accompanying his soul to the Lord transfer it to God.
The angels greet the soul wherever it flies and ask: “Whose soul is this? How beautiful this soul is!” The angels accompanying the soul call it the most beautiful words and answer: “This is the soul of the one who prayed, fasted, gave alms and endured all the difficulties of life in the name of the Lord!”
Finally, Almighty Allah greets the soul and commands the angels: “Take the soul back to the grave where its body is buried, for it must answer the questions of the angels Munkir and Nakir.”
The sinner's soul is everywhere treated with disdain and literally thrown back into the grave.
Any troubles that happen to a person in our mortal world arise because of his sins. If a person sincerely believes, but sometimes cannot refrain from sinful acts, God, out of mercy to him, sends troubles to him in order to cleanse him of sins.
The Lord may also subject him to severe mortal agony in order to forgive his sins or elevate him to a higher spiritual level, but at the same time the Lord takes his soul very gently and gently.
If, despite all the misfortunes a person has suffered in the world, and despite the suffering of mortal agony, a person still has unforgiven sins, he is subject to punishment in the grave, but is freed from punishment in Hell.
In addition to all that has been said, each person, while still in the grave, has a conversation with two angels about his worldly actions, for the grave is the first stage of the soul’s transition to Eternal Life, where everyone will be rewarded for their actions in this world.
As recorded in the books, the uncle of the Prophet ﷺ ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) really wanted to see the second righteous caliph ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) in a dream after his (‘Umar’s) death.
However, he managed to see ‘Umar in a dream only six months later, and then he asked: “ Where have you been so far? " To which ‘Umar replied: “ Don't ask me about this! I just managed to sum up my life ».
The grave carries a certain punishment and serves as a purgatory for sins. This is a very bitter medicine, but it is followed by a heavenly recovery.
As has already been said, in the grave every deceased person talks with two angels called Munkir And Nakir. They ask: “Who is your God? Who is your Prophet? What religion did you profess?
If a person during his lifetime believed in God and the mission of the prophet during which he lived, and if he chose the true faith, he will be able to answer the questions of the angels.
The relationship between soul and body is different depending on what world they are in. In worldly life, the soul is imprisoned in the body. If a sinful personality and carnal desires dominate spirituality, this will certainly worsen the state of the soul and affect the final verdict passed on a person.
If, on the contrary, the soul can control the personality through faith, worship and right behavior and is able to free itself from the captivity of carnal desires, then it becomes purified, acquires purity and is endowed with good qualities. This brings happiness to the soul in both worlds.
After the funeral, the soul goes to a waiting place - ( Barzakh). Although the body decomposes and goes into the ground, its integral parts do not decompose.
It is unknown whether these particles are related to the human gene, but no matter what part of the body this particle belongs to, the soul interacts with the body through it. This part of the body also serves as the basis from which Allah recreates a person on the Day of Judgment.
Perhaps this part, formed from constituent particles or atoms of the body, including those already mixed with the earth, will become a conductor to Eternal Life during the final destruction and creation of a new Universe. The Lord uses these particles for the rebirth of man on the Day of Resurrection.
What does the soul do in the intermediate world?
The afterlife (Barzakh) is a kingdom where the soul feels the “breath” of Paradise with its blessing or Hell with its punishment. If a person lived a righteous life, his righteous deeds are prayers, good deeds, etc. - will appear before him in the intermediate world in the form of friendly comrades.
Windows will also open for him overlooking the Gardens of Eden, and, as the hadith says, the grave will become like the Garden of Eden for him. However, as already mentioned, if a person still has sins, then no matter how righteous a life he leads, he will be punished in the intermediate world to cleanse the soul of sins so that it can go to Paradise immediately after the Resurrection.
If a person led a sinful lifestyle, his disbelief in Allah Almighty and bad deeds will appear before him in the form of unfaithful friends and creatures such as scorpions and snakes. He will see scenes of Hell, and his grave will become hell.
Do body parts or cells live after death?
Everyone knows that while a person is alive, it is his soul that feels pain and joy. Although the soul feels pain through the nervous system and uses this system to interact with every part of the body, down to every cell, the following still remains a mystery to science: how does the interaction between the soul and the body, including the human brain, occur?
Any malfunction in the functioning of any part of the body or its internal organs, leading to death, can lead to the cessation of the nervous system. However, as science has proven, some brain cells continue to live for some time after death.
Scientists are conducting research based on the signals received from such brain cells after death. If the work goes well and they are able to decipher these signals, this will be very important, especially in the field of criminology, as it will shed light on crimes whose “authors” are unknown.
The Holy Quran tells how, during the time of the Prophet Musa (peace be upon him), Allah resurrected a murdered man, and he spoke about his murderer.
Torment experienced in the grave and Hell
Since the soul suffers and rejoices, continues to interact with the body in the intermediate world through those particles that cannot be decomposed, there is no point in discussing the question: the soul or just the body, or will they endure the torments of the grave together?
However, as stated earlier, Allah will recreate people on the Day of Resurrection from those very particles of their bodies, and these bodies will be resurrected at the dawn of Eternal Life.
Since the soul lives in this world together with the body, sharing its joys and sorrows with it, the Lord will recreate people both physically and spiritually. Sunni Muslims agree that the soul and body will go to Hell or Heaven together.
The Lord will recreate the bodies in a form corresponding to the other world, where everything will be alive:
وَمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَآ إِلاَّ لَعِبٌ وَلَهْوٌ وَلَلدَّارُ الآخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ لِّلَّذِينَ يَتَّقُونَ أَفَلاَ تَعْقِلُونَ
(meaning): “Earthly life is nothing more than just play and fun, and the Abode of Eternity (Akhirat) is better for the pious. Don’t you understand this obvious truth and don’t you understand what is good for you and what is evil for you?” (Surah Al-Anam: 32)
What gifts can we send to the soul after death?
Souls in the intermediate world will see and hear us, the Lord allows them to do this. The Lord, by His will, can allow some people to see dead souls in a dream, and sometimes in reality, to hear them or talk with them.
After the death of a person, the book of his deeds is closed, except for those deeds that were committed by him during life and continue to be beneficial after death. If a person left behind good, righteous children, books and other heritage from which people can subsequently benefit, if he raised people useful to society, contributed to their upbringing, he will be rewarded again and again.
If, nevertheless, a person became the cause of some kind of evil or committed a sinful act, which others began to imitate, then his sins will accumulate as long as this evil lives among people.
Thus, in order to be useful to loved ones who have passed on to the Other World, we must be their worthy heirs. By helping the poor, living a righteous life, and especially by using funds from the inheritance left by the dead to promote Islam, we can increase the reward of Allah.