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Questions & Answers

Soul

Faith Q&A › Metropolitan Youssef › Spiritual Life › Soul

The question

Is the soul still conscious during the moment of death? What about afterward? If death is solely the separation of the soul from the body, what does the person feel at the moment of death? Is there any pain?

The answer

The separation of the spirit from the body is not in itself a painful experience. The physical body experiences pain while clinging to life because it is under the physical rule of life with all its pains and discomfort. However, the spirit does not die in the same corruptible manner as the body. The spirit, then proceeds to either the Paradise of Joy or Hades, according to the person's faith and works. After physical death, the spirit functions according to the rules of the spirit and is not reactive to the needs of the body and mind in the physical world.

Answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab)

Related questions

Questions answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab) of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. Question 2198 on the Diocese’s Q&A site. Questions and answers © Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. All rights reserved.