Many people across the world, regardless of religion or belief, have reported profound experiences at the edge of death — visions of light, peaceful sensations, or encounters with spiritual beings. What’s fascinating is that these experiences often reflect the person’s own religious or cultural background, even if the person claims to be an atheist or non-believer.
This raises an important question: Why do even atheists sometimes experience religious-like visions near death?
The Subconscious and Spiritual Memory
I believe that deep within every human being is a spiritual memory — an imprint from our soul’s original covenant with Allah. The Quran mentions:
“And [mention] when your Lord took from the children of Adam… their descendants and made them testify of themselves, [saying to them], ‘Am I not your Lord?’ They said, ‘Yes, we have testified.'”
[Surah Al-A’raf 7:172]
Even if a person consciously forgets Allah in daily life, the fitrah (natural inclination to believe in the One Creator) remains buried within them. In extreme moments — like near death — the distractions of the world fall away, and the soul may begin to remember what it once knew.
Hadith Qudsi: Allah is as You Believe Him to Be
There is a Hadith Qudsi that deeply resonates with this topic:
“I am as My servant thinks of Me.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim)
This hadith shows the incredible importance of our inner beliefs — our gumaan about Allah. Whether a person expects mercy or punishment, hope or despair — their experience may reflect those beliefs. Near-death experiences might simply reveal what the person truly carries in their heart, even if it is hidden from their conscious mind.
Divine Mercy and Final Moments
As a Muslim, I believe that Allah’s mercy is greater than His wrath. The Prophet ﷺ told us that a person can live a life of disbelief, but due to a sincere act or moment of recognition at the end, they may still be saved. This further supports the idea that what we carry deep inside — even subconsciously — matters greatly.
Final Thoughts
Near-death experiences are not just neurological events or hallucinations — they may be windows into the unseen, reflecting our inner beliefs and the divine truths planted within every soul.
For me, these stories are not proof of one religion over another, but rather proof of the Creator’s constant call to every soul, no matter how lost they may appear.
Let us strive to purify our thoughts about Allah, to hold good assumptions (husn-az-zann), and to return to our fitrah before our own final moment arrives.
“Whoever loves to meet Allah, Allah loves to meet him.”
