Six deaths, six returns, and still many questions……CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
They had come to bury him. Mourners stood still, eyes wet, lips whispering prayers. The coffin lay open. Then, just before the ceremony began, the man inside moved.
“I saw it with my own eyes,” a neighbour recalled. “We had come to bury him, but just before the ceremony started he came out of the coffin. This wasn’t the only time…”
This isn’t a scene from a supernatural movie. It is the real-life story of Ismail Azizi, a 40-year-old man from Tanzania, a man said to have died six times and returned to life.
Who Is Ismail Azizi?
Ismail Azizi [TheNewsInternational]
“My name is Ismail Azizi. I am 40 years old and live in Ukelewe, Tanzania, where I was born. I was born with siblings, but now I am alone and have no wife or children because of the hardships I’ve faced,” he said in an interview.
Azizi grew up in poverty. He never had the chance to further his education or achieve the dreams he once had. Instead, his life became a string of strange events that earned him a reputation no one would wish for.
The six deaths
1. The workplace accident
Azizi’s first reported death happened at work. Details are sparse, but it is said he suffered a serious injury, was declared dead, and taken to the morgue. Hours later, he “woke up” cold, surrounded by sheets meant for the dead.
2. Severe malaria
The second incident came when Azizi was struck down by what doctors believed was severe malaria.
I had been very sick for days at home, and no one cared for me. When my condition worsened, they finally took me to the doctor. The illness had advanced, and I was in a bad state. The doctors declared me dead. My family immediately prepared a coffin for me. However, as soon as they placed me in the coffin, I woke up and realised I was alive. They couldn’t believe it because this was the second time it had happened.
As soon as they placed him in a coffin, he woke up
3. The car crash
Not long after, he was involved in a serious car crash. Azizi later recounted,The third time we were on a trip when our car collided with another vehicle carrying fuel, and I went into a coma. This happened at different hospitals and even the doctors started to get scared because I had been in front of them so many times. They began treating me as if I were a witch. I returned home and life continued.
4. The snakebite
While working on a farm, Azizi was bitten by a snake, and there was no one nearby to help. By the time he made it to a doctor, the venom had spread through his body, and he was declared dead.
His family, already weary from his previous episodes, refused to claim his body at first. He remained in the morgue for three days, and only when they came to finally bury him did he stir back to life, shocking everyone once again.
5. The pit latrine fall
Perhaps the most tragic-sounding of his deaths was when he fell into a pit latrine. Neighbours pulled out what they believed was his lifeless body, and word spread quickly that this time it was over.
Yet, even after being laid aside as dead, he revived once more, leaving everyone shaken and confused. Again. Some ran when they saw him, whispering that he was a sorcerer, while others thought perhaps God was shielding him.
6. The house burning
In the most recent, and perhaps most chilling chapter of his tale, neighbours, spooked by his repeated returns from the dead, came to his house and set it ablaze one evening while he was trapped inside.
The smoke made it impossible to breathe, and though some people tried to help, they found him lifeless. He was taken to the hospital morgue, believed to be gone for good. Yet, once again, Azizi woke up.
Ismail Azizi died many times and came back to life
Life after six deaths
Each time Azizi came back, the whispers grew louder. People started looking at him differently. Some called him cursed, others murmured about witchcraft. Over time, his pockets got emptier, his family kept their distance, and even the idea of marriage slipped away.
These days, he mostly keeps to himself, carrying a heavy reputation that makes ordinary life feel far out of reach.
Could someone be declared dead and come back?
Azizi’s story may sound weird, even unbelievable, but cases like his make people wonder: can someone really be declared dead and then return? Possibly. There are rare medical scenarios where a person can appear lifeless, only to revive later.
Lazarus phenomenon (autoresuscitation): In rare cases, patients have shown a return of heartbeat after CPR was stopped.
Severe hypothermia: There’s a saying in emergency care: “You’re not dead until you’re warm and dead.” Extreme cold can slow metabolism enough to make a person appear lifeless.
Catalepsy/akinetic states: Certain neurological conditions can make a person appear lifeless.
Toxin- or illness-induced coma: Conditions like cerebral malaria can mimic death.
Diagnostic errors in low-resource settings: In places with limited medical tools, a very weak pulse or shallow breathing can be mistaken for death because proper checks like heart sounds, pulse, respirations, pupils, ECGs, might not be done correctly.
The human side of the mystery
Ismail Azizi’s story is both a curiosity and a tragedy. A man caught between myth and medicine, feared by some, pitied by others, and left to live a life on the margins.
He says he has no wife or children, no wealth, and no companionship. The same story that made him known across Tanzania has also made him feared and untouchable. He has become a living mystery.
