If the vision concerning Imam Malik is authentic, then how can one reconcile Ibn Sirin's interpretation that inquiring about one's age is among the five matters known only to Allah, with the saying of scholars that the Angel of Death knows who will die in the coming year on Laylat al-Qadr? Or is the vision concerning Imam Malik not authentic?

This story has not been substantiated after research, and even if it were true, rulings are not built upon dreams. There is no contradiction between the two noble verses, for knowledge of someone's death in a specific year transitions from absolute unseen to relative unseen on Laylat al-Qadr (the Night of Decree), when every matter is determined. In it, everything that will occur in the year is inscribed, including the taking of souls. Ibn Abbas mentioned that a man might be walking in the markets while his name has already been recorded among the deceased on Laylat al-Qadr, for in it, the affairs of the world are determined until the like of it in the coming year. Al-Qurtubi explains this by stating that Allah decrees the affairs of the world until the next year on Laylat al-Qadr, whether it be life, death, or sustenance, and that Allah commands the angels concerning what will happen in the year, and what is from the Umm al-Kitab (Mother of the Book) is inscribed concerning death, life, sustenance, and rain for the year.