All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
The revealed texts indicate that a dying person sees the angels when death approaches. The believer is visited by the angels of mercy who give him glad tidings, while the disbeliever is visited by the angels of punishment who inform him of what awaits him. The angels also speak to the dying person when his soul is taken. As for whether he himself speaks to them and responds to them verbally, this may happen to some people, but it is not something that necessarily occurs with every dying person.
Allah Almighty says:
“Indeed, those who say, ‘Our Lord is Allah,’ and then remain steadfast, the angels descend upon them, saying: ‘Do not fear and do not grieve, but receive the glad tidings of Paradise which you were promised.’”
[Fussilat: 30]
Qur’an commentators have mentioned that one of the times when this descent occurs is at the time of death, when the angels come to the believer with glad tidings and reassurance.
In the hadith of al-Bara’ ibn ‘Azib, may Allah be pleased with them both, the Prophet ﷺ said about the believer when he is about to depart this world:
“Angels descend to him from the heaven, with white faces as though their faces were the sun…”
Then the Angel of Death comes and says:
“O good soul, come out to forgiveness from Allah and His pleasure.”
The hadith indicates the presence of the angels, their nearness to the dying person, and their speaking to him.
As for the disbeliever, the angels come to him with what distresses him.
Allah Almighty says:
“If only you could see when the angels take the souls of those who disbelieved, striking their faces and their backs.”
[Al-Anfal: 50]
And He, Glorified be He, says:
“If only you could see when the wrongdoers are in the agonies of death while the angels stretch out their hands, saying: ‘Give up your souls!’”
[Al-An‘am: 93]
In the hadith of al-Bara’, the angels of punishment descend upon the disbeliever, then the Angel of Death says to him:
“O wicked soul, come out to the wrath and anger of Allah.”
Death is the beginning of a person’s transition into the world of the Hereafter, during which he witnesses matters of the unseen that he did not witness before.
According to what these texts and the statements of scholars indicate, the dying person truly sees the angels when death approaches.
Allah Almighty says:
“Then why, when the soul reaches the throat, while you are at that moment looking on, and We are nearer to him than you are, but you do not see.”
[Al-Waqi‘ah: 83–85]
Some scholars have interpreted this nearness as referring to the nearness of Allah’s angels to the dying person. He perceives what those present around him do not perceive.
Therefore, a person at the time of death may see things that his family and those around him do not see.
Yes, the revealed texts indicate this.
The Angel of Death addresses the soul, and the angels give glad tidings to the believer or inform the disbeliever of what awaits him.
Allah Almighty says regarding the believers:
“Do not fear and do not grieve, but receive the glad tidings of Paradise which you were promised.”
[Fussilat: 30]
This is speech addressed to them by the angels.
Allah Almighty says regarding the wrongdoers:
“Give up your souls! Today you will be recompensed with the punishment of humiliation.”
[Al-An‘am: 93]
Thus, the fact that the angels speak to the dying person is clearly established in the revealed texts.
This may happen to some people.
Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, mentioned that the dying person may see the angels and that they may speak in his presence. They may greet him, and he may sometimes respond verbally, by gesture, or in his heart if he is unable to speak.
However, this does not mean that every dying person must audibly speak with the angels in a way that those around him can hear, nor does it mean that every person will display something that the people present can notice.
What occurs at that moment is connected to the unseen world, and the dying person may perceive what others do not perceive.
The general principle indicated by the revealed texts is that the believer is given glad tidings of mercy and goodness at death, while the disbeliever encounters the angels of punishment and warning.
However, we should not go beyond the texts by specifying details that revelation has not mentioned, such as the exact number of angels each person sees or the precise form in which he sees them.
The family of the dying person may be around him looking at him, yet they do not see the angels who have come to take his soul.
This belongs to the unseen world, which Allah conceals from whomever He wills.
The dying person is in the process of transitioning from this world to the Hereafter, and therefore certain matters may be revealed to him that are not revealed to those around him.
The dying person sees the angels when death approaches according to his condition. The angels of mercy descend upon the believer and give him glad tidings of forgiveness and Paradise, while the disbeliever is visited by the angels of punishment and warning.
The fact that the angels speak to the dying person when his soul is taken is established in the revealed texts.
As for whether the dying person speaks with them and responds verbally, this may happen to some people, but it is not an established necessity for every dying person. A person at death may perceive matters from the unseen world that those around him neither see nor hear.
And Allah knows best.