Death would be brought on the Day of Resurrection. in the form of a white-coloured ram. Abu Kuraib made this addition: Then it would be made to stand between the Paradise and the Hell. So far as the rest of the hadith is concerned there is perfect agreement (between the two narrators) and it would be said to the inmates of Paradise: Do you recognise this? They would raise up their necks and look towards it and say: Yes, ' it is death. Then it would be said to the inmates of Hell-Fire.. Do you recognise this? And they would raise up their necks and look and say: Yes, it is death. Then command would be given for slaughtering that and then it would be said: 0 inmates of Paradise,, there is an everlasting life for you and no death. And then (addressing) to the inmates of the Hell-Fire, it would be said: 0 inmates of Hell-Fire, there is an everlasting living for you and no death. Allah's Messenger (may peace be u@on him) then recited this verse pointing with his hand to this (material) world:" Warn them, this Day of dismay, and when their affairs would be decided and they would be un- mindful and they believe not" (xix. 39).
The Book of Paradise, its Description, its Bounties and its Inhabitants - Sahih Muslim 2849 a
This profound narration from Sahih Muslim describes the symbolic slaughter of death on Judgment Day, marking the eternal separation between Paradise's bliss and Hell's torment.
Scholarly Commentary on the Ram of Death
The representation of death as a white ram signifies purity in divine judgment and the tangible reality of abstract concepts in the Hereafter. White symbolizes clarity and truth manifest before all creation.
Positioning between Paradise and Hell demonstrates death's role as the final barrier between eternal destinations. The mutual recognition by both groups confirms death's universal experience and its ultimate termination.
Eternal Consequences of the Slaughter
The slaughter signifies absolute finality - Paradise dwellers receive everlasting life without death's shadow, while Hell's inhabitants face perpetual existence in torment, where death becomes an impossible mercy.
The Prophet's recitation of Surah Maryam verse 39 connects this scene to worldly heedlessness, emphasizing how disbelief leads to this eternal separation where death's cessation brings either endless joy or endless despair.