If it is said: The merit is the same between the two scenes, for in case of death, many a time it is observed that the man is dying, just as midwives witness the birth of a child. However, not everyone witnesses the death of another man, just as not everyone witnesses the birth of a child. The best a man may know about the death of another person whom he has not seen die is to be his neighbor, to know of his malady, visit him during his sickness, then learn of his worsening condition, and then hear wailing from his house, while there has been no other sick person there. Then he sees the family of the sick neighbor sit in mourning and observes marks of grief and loss on their faces. Then his inheritance is distributed and a long time passes while no reason can be thought of that his family would proclaim his death while he is alive. The same is true with respect to birth, since women witness pregnancy and talk about it. Especially, if she is the honor of a nobleman, people will discuss the condition of such a person. If he courts a concubine, his visits to her will not remain a secret; and when the child is born, people of the house will exude gaiety and jubilation. People will congratulate them if the family is prominent and news will spread; and according to the prominence of the family, people will know that such and such has sired a baby, especially when it is known that there is no objective in expressing that a baby has been born to him or not. So when we consider this, the ordinary behavior is same in both cases; and if Allah should desire to supercede the ordinary behavior, He can do it in either of the two. It is possible that He may disallow through certain encumbrances, the pregnant woman to be seen and her delivery not to be attended, but by a few who are as trustworthy as themselves in safeguarding their secret. It is equally possible that a man should become sick and visitors visit him and when his malady worsens, his death is expected and hope is lost in his life, Allah transfers him to a mountain top and places in his stead a dead person who looks like him. Then through encumbrances He disallows him to be viewed, except by trusted individuals. Then the corpse is buried and his funeral is attended by all those who expected his death and had lost hope in his life, all thinking that the one, who is buried is the one who was sick. Many a time, it is possible that a man’s pulse and breathing ceases, and then Allah breaks the ordinary norms and takes him away from the people, while he is alive, because a living individual needs pulse and breathing in order to exhale burning gases from around the heart through inhaling cool clean air, to cleanse the heart. It is possible that Allah creates coolness in the air surrounding the heart so it may act instead of the cool air that enters through respiration and it is possible that He arranges that none of it may burn, for the heat that is produced therein is killed by that coolness.
