Can a person die without a cause?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
Yes, a person's appointed time of death (ajal) is fixed; it neither advances nor delays. No one can die before their appointed time, as confirmed by Allah's words: ﴿So when their appointed time comes, they cannot remain behind an hour, nor can they precede [it].﴾ and His saying: ﴿And never will Allah delay a soul when its appointed time has come.﴾
So, when a servant's death is due, Allah causes them to die according to what He has decreed for them. They might die without an illness, or in a car accident, or by murder, or illness, or something else. Sudden death is when death occurs without a cause like illness or otherwise.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/180335
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 180335
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy