As soon as you put petrol, its mechanisms will be able to perform.

As soon as you put petrol, its mechanisms will be able to perform. Just imagine the petrol is its ruh (soul). Now the car is complete. It has petrol in it, but it still cannot be started until there is a driver to turn its ignition. Just imagine the driver is its nafs. The same way the body cannot perform its necessary functions until the soul is inside of it. However, both are worthless unless there is something that can use them. The nafs is the one who rules over the body.

You see when you violate the traffic laws; they do not question the car or the petrol. They punish the driver. Therefore, the same way the nafs is responsible and will be questioned for its actions because he is the one that used the body through his will and command. There are two ways in which to create a separation between nafs and body. One is sleep. The other is death.

In Sura Zumar ayah 42 Allah says, “Allah takes the souls at the time of their death, and those that die not during their sleep; then He withholds those on whom He has passed the decree of death and sends the others back til an appointed term;” Now that we have proven Allah takes the nafs out of the body in both sleep and death, it becomes necessary for us to know what is the difference between sleep and death. You have noticed when man is sleeping then his body parts become motionless.

The reason is the one that uses the parts is not present at that time. Despite of this, another noticeable thing is whenever a mosquito or fly sits on the body, then those powers suddenly return to the body. This is a proof in sleep the soul remains present. However the nafs is taken out temporarily. The relationship between the nafs and body remains. Even in sleep, nafs is still the ruler of the body. In the condition of death, nafs and soul both are taken out.

When the soul leaves the body, it is no longer able to function. The nafs cannot use these parts anymore. The nafs walks around the dead body. It becomes astonished at why its body is not obeying it any longer. He does this until he reaches the grave with the body. There he will face the questioning of the grave. Therefore, the best explanation of death is that time when the nafs loses its command and rule over the body. Which door does death close?

You must know that death does not close the door related to actions. Good deeds are a way to increase your reward and bad deeds are a way to increase your punishment.