He Collapsed While Preaching Against the Resurrection… Then Claimed He Met Jesus
On a warm Friday afternoon in Cairo, the mosque was filled with worshipers preparing for the weekly congregational prayer.
The familiar rhythm of the city continued outside—cars pᴀssing through crowded streets, merchants calling to customers, and the distant echo of voices across narrow alleyways.

Inside the mosque, however, the atmosphere was quiet and focused.
Dozens of men sat shoulder to shoulder on the carpets, waiting for the sermon that would begin the midday prayer.
At the front of the mosque stood Sheikh Karim El-Mansour, a respected Egyptian imam known for his deep knowledge of Islamic theology and his strong presence as a speaker.
For years he had studied at Al-Azhar, one of the most prestigious centers of Islamic scholarship in the world.
His academic reputation and powerful sermons had earned him admiration from many followers and students.
Sheikh Karim was known not only for his scholarship but also for his confidence when discussing religious debates.
He often addressed theological questions during his sermons, speaking firmly about Islamic teachings and explaining what he believed were misunderstandings about other religions.
On March 13, 2015, his sermon focused on a topic that had been discussed by religious scholars for centuries: the resurrection of Jesus.
Standing before the congregation, Sheikh Karim spoke pᴀssionately about Islamic views on the subject.
His voice echoed across the mosque as he explained the differences between Islamic teachings and Christian beliefs.
Worshipers listened carefully as he described why many Muslim scholars rejected the idea that Jesus had died and risen from the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ.
For Sheikh Karim, this was not an unusual topic.
He had spoken about similar issues many times before.
But that day something unexpected happened.
About halfway through the sermon, those sitting closest to the front noticed that the sheikh suddenly paused.
His words stopped mid-sentence.
For a moment the room remained silent as people waited for him to continue.
Then Sheikh Karim reached toward the pulpit as if trying to steady himself.
Witnesses later said his face suddenly changed color.
Within seconds he collapsed.
The congregation erupted in confusion.
Men rushed forward as the sheikh lay motionless on the floor.
Someone shouted for help while others tried to lift him gently onto the carpet.
Several members of the congregation attempted to check his pulse.
According to those present, it was difficult to find.
Emergency services were called immediately.
Within minutes paramedics arrived and began performing life-saving procedures inside the mosque.
Worshipers stepped back, forming a wide circle around the scene as medical workers worked urgently.
The atmosphere was tense.
Some people whispered prayers while others watched silently, hoping the respected imam would survive.
Paramedics later reported that Sheikh Karim had suffered a mᴀssive heart attack.
At one point during the emergency response, they were unable to detect signs of life.
Medical reports later indicated that Sheikh Karim was clinically ᴅᴇᴀᴅ for approximately seven minutes.
What happened during those minutes would become the center of a story that spread far beyond the walls of the mosque.
Eventually, the paramedics succeeded in restarting his heart.
Sheikh Karim was transported quickly to a nearby hospital where doctors continued treatment and monitored his condition closely.
For several hours his life remained uncertain.
Doctors worked carefully to stabilize him while family members and close friends gathered at the hospital waiting for updates.
When Sheikh Karim finally regained consciousness, the room around him felt unfamiliar.
Machines hummed quietly.
Medical equipment surrounded his bed.
At first he was disoriented, struggling to understand where he was and what had happened.
Doctors explained that he had suffered a severe heart attack but had been revived after losing signs of life for several minutes.
The news stunned him.
But what shocked the doctors even more was what Sheikh Karim said next.
According to his own testimony, he believed that during those minutes without a heartbeat he had experienced something extraordinary.
He later described the moment as leaving the physical world and entering a place filled with light.
The experience, he said, felt more real than any dream he had ever had.
In his account, Sheikh Karim said he suddenly found himself aware of a presence around him.
The surroundings seemed bright yet peaceful, unlike anything he had seen before.
He described a calm stillness that replaced the pain and confusion he had felt during the heart attack.
Then he noticed a figure approaching.
The person wore white garments and seemed surrounded by a radiant light.
Sheikh Karim later said that although he had never seen such a figure before, he immediately understood who it was.
Jesus.
The moment left him stunned.
As a scholar trained in Islamic theology, Sheikh Karim had spent years studying the life and teachings of Jesus from an Islamic perspective.
But this encounter felt entirely different.
According to his testimony, the figure looked at him with an expression that was both serious and compᴀssionate.
The sheikh said he felt as though the presence could see every detail of his life.
Every sermon.
Every belief.
Every argument he had made.
Yet instead of fear, he felt a strange mixture of humility and awe.
In the experience he later described, the figure spoke to him.
The voice was calm but carried a powerful authority.
The message, according to Sheikh Karim, centered on truth and faith.
He later said the words were direct and personal, challenging him to reconsider the things he had believed and taught throughout his life.
The message, he claimed, was meant not only for him but for others as well.
For a moment that felt timeless, the encounter continued.
Then everything changed.
Sheikh Karim said he suddenly felt himself being pulled away from the bright surroundings.
The peaceful environment faded rapidly.
Moments later he woke up in the hospital bed surrounded by doctors and medical equipment.
The experience left him deeply shaken.
For days after his recovery, Sheikh Karim struggled to process what had happened.
The memory of the encounter remained vivid.
He replayed every detail in his mind.
The light.
The presence.
The voice.
The message.
Eventually he began sharing the story with close family members.
Some listened carefully but struggled to understand.
Others encouraged him to focus on recovering from his heart attack and not dwell too much on the experience.
But Sheikh Karim said he could not ignore it.
The event had affected him too deeply.
Over the following months he spent many hours reflecting on the encounter and studying religious texts again.
He revisited pᴀssages he had read many times before, this time searching for deeper meaning.
The experience had raised questions he had never seriously considered.
For a man who had spent his life teaching theology, the sudden shift in perspective was overwhelming.
Friends who knew him noticed changes in his personality.
He spoke more cautiously about religious debates.
He spent more time in quiet reflection.
According to his own testimony, the message he believed he had received during the near-death experience became central to his thinking.
He began sharing the story more openly.
Some listeners were fascinated by the account.
Others reacted with skepticism.
But the story continued to spread as more people heard about the imam who claimed to have encountered Jesus during the minutes when doctors believed he had died.
Years later, Sheikh Karim would still describe that day as the turning point of his life.
The moment he collapsed during his sermon had begun as an ordinary Friday prayer.
Within minutes it had become a medical emergency that nearly ended his life.
But according to him, those seven minutes without a heartbeat changed everything.
For Sheikh Karim El-Mansour, the experience remains one of the most mysterious and profound moments of his life.
Whether people believe his testimony or not, the story continues to provoke discussion among those who hear it.
Sometimes the most unexpected moments arrive in the middle of ordinary days.
For one Egyptian imam delivering a sermon in Cairo, that moment came suddenly in front of an entire congregation.
And according to him, the message he believes he received during those seven minutes continues to shape the rest of his life.