Thrice at heaven's Door

A Muslim army officer'sbrush with Near Death Experiences changed his outlook towards life as well as the afterlife

- Roshan Fazal

My name is Roshan Fazal and am a serving officer in the Indian Army. In 2022 I accidentally came across Life Positive magazine in our library while looking for a particular book. As luck would have it the magazine’s content struck a chord with me and ever since I have become its avid reader. Other than being a soldier, I am also an alternative healer. I felt inspired to share my story after reading the article The Art of Dying by editor Shivi Verma in the Oct 2023 issue of Life Positive which dealt with the subject of near death experience.

After contemplating for more than three months I decided to narrate and share my personal, out of body as well as near death experiences that I have gone through over the years.

The first tryst

The first time it happened, I was just eight years old and suffering from typhoid. I was lying in the bed covered with several layers of blankets and shivering with high fever. At that time I was watching the fan above my head and intently looking at the reference number MESG/1979 written on it. Suddenly I felt that I was floating in air and looking at myself lying on the bed from the other side of the fan. I got terrified as I could not comprehend what had happened. The episode only lasted few seconds and I was quickly back in my body. After few days when I had recovered from illness, I shared the incident with my mother. She told me that it might be the work of Satan and I must read a particular verse from the Quran so that it won’t happen again. This reply left me more feeling perplexed and bewildered. However, I learned that I must not share it with others or else I will be laughed upon.

The second experience