Sahih Muslim, Book of Destiny

Abdullah (b. Mas'ud) reported that Messenger of Allah ﷺ who is the most truthful (of the human beings) and his being truthful (is a fact) said: Verily your creation is on this wise. The constituents of one of you are collected for forty days in his mother's womb in the form of blood, after which it becomes a clot of blood in another period of forty days. Then it becomes a lump of flesh and forty days later Allah sends His angel to it with instructions concerning four things, so the angel writes down his livelihood, his death, his deeds, his fortune and misfortune. By Him, besides Whom there is no god, that one amongst you acts like the people deserving Paradise until between him and Paradise there remains but the distance of a cubit, when suddenly the writing of destiny overcomes him and he begins to act like the denizens of Hell and thus enters Hell, and another one acts in the way of the denizens of Hell, until there remains between him and Hell a distance of a cubit that the writing of destiny overcomes him and then he begins to act like the people of Paradise and enters Paradise.

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ، وَوَكِيعٌ، ح وَحَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ،
اللَّهِ بْنِ نُمَيْرٍ الْهَمْدَانِيُّ - وَاللَّفْظُ لَهُ - حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي وَأَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ وَوَكِيعٌ قَالُوا حَدَّثَنَا الأَعْمَشُ،
عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ وَهْبٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَهُوَ الصَّادِقُ
الْمَصْدُوقُ
" إِنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ يُجْمَعُ خَلْقُهُ فِي بَطْنِ أُمِّهِ أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْمًا ثُمَّ يَكُونُ فِي ذَلِكَ عَلَقَةً مِثْلَ
ذَلِكَ ثُمَّ يَكُونُ فِي ذَلِكَ مُضْغَةً مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ ثُمَّ يُرْسَلُ الْمَلَكُ فَيَنْفُخُ فِيهِ الرُّوحَ وَيُؤْمَرُ بِأَرْبَعِ كَلِمَاتٍ
بِكَتْبِ رِزْقِهِ وَأَجَلِهِ وَعَمَلِهِ وَشَقِيٌّ أَوْ سَعِيدٌ فَوَالَّذِي لاَ إِلَهَ غَيْرُهُ إِنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ لَيَعْمَلُ بِعَمَلِ
أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ حَتَّى مَا يَكُونَ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَهَا إِلاَّ ذِرَاعٌ فَيَسْبِقُ عَلَيْهِ الْكِتَابُ فَيَعْمَلُ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ
النَّارِ فَيَدْخُلُهَا وَإِنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ لَيَعْمَلُ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ النَّارِ حَتَّى مَا يَكُونَ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَهَا إِلاَّ ذِرَاعٌ
فَيَسْبِقُ عَلَيْهِ الْكِتَابُ فَيَعْمَلُ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ فَيَدْخُلُهَا " .

This hadith has been reported on the authority of A'mash with the same chain of transmitters and in the hadith transmitted on the authority of Waki' (the words are):" The creation of any one of you is like this that (semen) is collected in the womb of the mother for forty nights," and in the hadith transmitted on the authority of Shu'ba (the words are):" Forty nights and forty days." And in the hadith transmitted on the authority of Jarir and 'Isa (the words are):" Forty days."

حَدَّثَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، وَإِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، كِلاَهُمَا عَنْ جَرِيرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ،
الْحَمِيدِ ح وَحَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، أَخْبَرَنَا عِيسَى بْنُ يُونُسَ، ح وَحَدَّثَنِي أَبُو سَعِيدٍ،
الأَشَجُّ حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ، ح وَحَدَّثَنَاهُ عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُعَاذٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ بْنُ الْحَجَّاجِ،
كُلُّهُمْ عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، بِهَذَا الإِسْنَادِ . قَالَ فِي حَدِيثِ وَكِيعٍ " إِنَّ خَلْقَ أَحَدِكُمْ يُجْمَعُ فِي بَطْنِ
أُمِّهِ أَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً " . وَقَالَ فِي حَدِيثِ مُعَاذٍ عَنْ شُعْبَةَ " أَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْمًا " .
وَأَمَّا فِي حَدِيثِ جَرِيرٍ وَعِيسَى " أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْمًا " .

Hudhaifa b. Usaid reported directly from Messenger of Allah ﷺ that lie said: When the drop of (semen) remains in the womb for forty or fifty (days) or forty nights, the angel comes and says: My Lord, will he be good or evil? And both these things would be written. Then the angel says: My Lord, would he be male or female? And both these things are written. And his deeds and actions, his death, his livelihood;
these are also recorded. Then his document of destiny is rolled and there is no, addition to and subtraction from it.

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ نُمَيْرٍ، وَزُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، - وَاللَّفْظُ لاِبْنِ نُمَيْرٍ - قَالاَ
حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ بْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ، عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ دِينَارٍ، عَنْ أَبِي الطُّفَيْلِ، عَنْ حُذَيْفَةَ بْنِ أَسِيدٍ، يَبْلُغُ
بِهِ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَالَ
" يَدْخُلُ الْمَلَكُ عَلَى النُّطْفَةِ بَعْدَ مَا تَسْتَقِرُّ فِي الرَّحِمِ
بِأَرْبَعِينَ أَوْ خَمْسَةٍ وَأَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً فَيَقُولُ يَا رَبِّ أَشَقِيٌّ أَوْ سَعِيدٌ فَيُكْتَبَانِ فَيَقُولُ أَىْ رَبِّ
أَذَكَرٌ أَوْ أُنْثَى فَيُكْتَبَانِ وَيُكْتَبُ عَمَلُهُ وَأَثَرُهُ وَأَجَلُهُ وَرِزْقُهُ ثُمَّ تُطْوَى الصُّحُفُ فَلاَ يُزَادُ فِيهَا
وَلاَ يُنْقَصُ " .

'Abdullah b. Mas'ud reported: Evil one is he who is evil in the womb of his mother and the good one is he who takes lesson from the (fate of) others. The narrator came to a person from amongst the Companion of Allah's Messenger ﷺ who was called Hudhaifa b. Usaid Ghifari and said: How can a person be an evil one without (committilng an evil) deed? Thereupon the person said to him: You are surprised at this, whereas I have heard Messenger of Allah ﷺ as saving: When forty nights pass after the semen gets into the womb, Allah sends the angel and gives him the shape. Then he creates his sense of hearing, sense of sight, his skin, his flesh, his bones, and then says: My Lord, would he be male or female? And your Lord decides as He desires and the angel then puts down that also and then says: My Lord, what about his age? And your Lord decides as He likes it and the angel puts it down. Then he says: My Lord, what about his livelihood? And then the Lord decides as He likes and the angel writes it down, and then the angel gets out with his scroll of destiny in his hand and nothing is added to it and nothing is subtracted from it.

حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو الطَّاهِرِ، أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَمْرِو بْنِ سَرْحٍ أَخْبَرَنَا ابْنُ وَهْبٍ، أَخْبَرَنِي عَمْرُو،
بْنُ الْحَارِثِ عَنْ أَبِي الزُّبَيْرِ الْمَكِّيِّ، أَنَّ عَامِرَ بْنَ وَاثِلَةَ، حَدَّثَهُ أَنَّهُ، سَمِعَ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ مَسْعُودٍ،
يَقُولُ الشَّقِيُّ مَنْ شَقِيَ فِي بَطْنِ أُمِّهِ وَالسَّعِيدُ مَنْ وُعِظَ بِغَيْرِهِ . فَأَتَى رَجُلاً مِنْ أَصْحَابِ
رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ يُقَالُ لَهُ حُذَيْفَةُ بْنُ أَسِيدٍ الْغِفَارِيُّ فَحَدَّثَهُ بِذَلِكَ مِنْ قَوْلِ
ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ فَقَالَ وَكَيْفَ يَشْقَى رَجُلٌ بِغَيْرِ عَمَلٍ فَقَالَ لَهُ الرَّجُلُ أَتَعْجَبُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ فَإِنِّي سَمِعْتُ
رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ
" إِذَا مَرَّ بِالنُّطْفَةِ ثِنْتَانِ وَأَرْبَعُونَ لَيْلَةً بَعَثَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْهَا
مَلَكًا فَصَوَّرَهَا وَخَلَقَ سَمْعَهَا وَبَصَرَهَا وَجِلْدَهَا وَلَحْمَهَا وَعِظَامَهَا ثُمَّ . قَالَ يَا رَبِّ أَذَكَرٌ
أَمْ أُنْثَى فَيَقْضِي رَبُّكَ مَا شَاءَ وَيَكْتُبُ الْمَلَكُ ثُمَّ يَقُولُ يَا رَبِّ أَجَلُهُ . فَيَقُولُ رَبُّكَ مَا شَاءَ
وَيَكْتُبُ الْمَلَكُ ثُمَّ يَقُولُ يَا رَبِّ رِزْقُهُ . فَيَقْضِي رَبُّكَ مَا شَاءَ وَيَكْتُبُ الْمَلَكُ ثُمَّ يَخْرُجُ الْمَلَكُ
بِالصَّحِيفَةِ فِي يَدِهِ فَلاَ يَزِيدُ عَلَى مَا أُمِرَ وَلاَ يَنْقُصُ " .

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of 'Abdullah b. Mas'ud through another chain of transmitters.

حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عُثْمَانَ النَّوْفَلِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو عَاصِمٍ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ جُرَيْجٍ، أَخْبَرَنِي
أَبُو الزُّبَيْرِ، أَنَّ أَبَا الطُّفَيْلِ، أَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّهُ، سَمِعَ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ مَسْعُودٍ، يَقُولُ . وَسَاقَ الْحَدِيثَ بِمِثْلِ
حَدِيثِ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْحَارِثِ .

Abu Tufail reported: I visited Abu Sariha Hudhaifa b. Usaid al-Ghifari who said: I listened with these two ears of mine Allahs Messenger ﷺ as saying: The semen stays in the womb for forty nights, then the angel, gives it a shape. Zubair said: I think that he said: One who fashions that and decides whether he would be male or female. Then he (the angel) says: Would his limbs be full or imperfect? And then the Lord makes thein full and perfect or otherwise as He desires. Then he says: My Lord, what about his livelihood, and his death and what about his disposition? And then the Lord decides about his misfortune and fortune.

حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ أَبِي خَلَفٍ، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ أَبِي بُكَيْرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا زُهَيْرٌ أَبُو
خَيْثَمَةَ حَدَّثَنِي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عَطَاءٍ، أَنَّ عِكْرِمَةَ بْنَ خَالِدٍ، حَدَّثَهُ أَنَّ أَبَا الطُّفَيْلِ حَدَّثَهُ قَالَ دَخَلْتُ
عَلَى أَبِي سَرِيحَةَ حُذَيْفَةَ بْنِ أَسِيدٍ الْغِفَارِيِّ فَقَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ
بِأُذُنَىَّ هَاتَيْنِ يَقُولُ " إِنَّ النُّطْفَةَ تَقَعُ فِي الرَّحِمِ أَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً ثُمَّ يَتَصَوَّرُ عَلَيْهَا الْمَلَكُ " .
قَالَ زُهَيْرٌ حَسِبْتُهُ قَالَ الَّذِي يَخْلُقُهَا " فَيَقُولُ يَا رَبِّ أَذَكَرٌ أَوْ أُنْثَى فَيَجْعَلُهُ اللَّهُ ذَكَرًا أَوْ
أُنْثَى ثُمَّ يَقُولُ يَا رَبِّ أَسَوِيٌّ أَوْ غَيْرُ سَوِيٍّ فَيَجْعَلُهُ اللَّهُ سَوِيًّا أَوْ غَيْرَ سَوِيٍّ ثُمَّ يَقُولُ
يَا رَبِّ مَا رِزْقُهُ مَا أَجَلُهُ مَا خُلُقُهُ ثُمَّ يَجْعَلُهُ اللَّهُ شَقِيًّا أَوْ سَعِيدًا " .

Hadhaifa b. Usaid Ghifari, a Companion of Messenger of Allah ﷺ, reported it directly from Allah's Messenger (may peace upon him). as he said: There is an angel who looks after the womb when Allah decides to create any- thing after more than forty nights are over;
the rest of the hadith is the same.

حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَارِثِ بْنُ عَبْدِ الصَّمَدِ، حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي، حَدَّثَنَا رَبِيعَةُ بْنُ كُلْثُومٍ، حَدَّثَنِي
أَبِي كُلْثُومٌ، عَنْ أَبِي الطُّفَيْلِ، عَنْ حُذَيْفَةَ بْنِ أَسِيدٍ الْغِفَارِيِّ، صَاحِبِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه
وسلم رَفَعَ الْحَدِيثَ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ
" أَنَّ مَلَكًا مُوَكَّلاً بِالرَّحِمِ إِذَا أَرَادَ
اللَّهُ أَنْ يَخْلُقَ شَيْئًا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ لِبِضْعٍ وَأَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً " . ثُمَّ ذَكَرَ نَحْوَ حَدِيثِهِمْ .

Anas b. Malik reported directly from Messenger of Allah ﷺ that he said: Allah, the Exlated and Glorious, has appointed an angel as the caretaker of the womb, and he would say: My Lord, it is now a drop of semen;
my Lord, It is now a clot of blood;
my Lord, it has now become a lump of flesh, and when Allah decides to give it a final shape, the angel says: My Lord, would it be male or female or would he be an evil or a good person? What about his livelihood and his age? And it is all written as he is in the womb of his mother.

حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو كَامِلٍ، فُضَيْلُ بْنُ حُسَيْنٍ الْجَحْدَرِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ زَيْدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عُبَيْدُ،
اللَّهِ بْنُ أَبِي بَكْرٍ عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، وَرَفَعَ الْحَدِيثَ، أَنَّهُ قَالَ
" إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ قَدْ وَكَّلَ
بِالرَّحِمِ مَلَكًا فَيَقُولُ أَىْ رَبِّ نُطْفَةٌ أَىْ رَبِّ عَلَقَةٌ أَىْ رَبِّ مُضْغَةٌ . فَإِذَا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ أَنْ يَقْضِيَ
خَلْقًا - قَالَ - قَالَ الْمَلَكُ أَىْ رَبِّ ذَكَرٌ أَوْ أُنْثَى شَقِيٌّ أَوْ سَعِيدٌ فَمَا الرِّزْقُ فَمَا الأَجَلُ
فَيُكْتَبُ كَذَلِكَ فِي بَطْنِ أُمِّهِ " .

All reported: We were in a funeral in the graveyard of Gharqad that Messenger of Allah ﷺ came to us and we sat around him. He had a stick with him. He lowered his head and began to scratch the earth with his stick, and then raid: There is not one amongst you whom a scat in Paradise or Hell has not been allotted and about whom it has not been written down whether he would be an evil person or a blessed person. A person said: Allah's Messenger, should we not then depend npon our destiny and abandon our deeds? Thereupon he said: Acts of everyone will be facilitated in, that which has been created for him so that whoever belongs to the com. pany of the blessed will have good works made easier for himand whoever belongs to the unfortunate ones will have evil acts made easier for him. He then recited this verse (from the Qur'an):" Then, who gives to the needy and guardsagainst evil and accepts the excellent (the truth of Islam and the path of righteousness it prescribes), We shall make easy for him the easy end and who is miserly and considers himself above need, We shall make easy for him the dificult end". (XCii. 5-10).

حَدَّثَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، وَزُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، وَإِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، - وَاللَّفْظُ
لِزُهَيْرٍ - قَالَ إِسْحَاقُ أَخْبَرَنَا وَقَالَ الآخَرَانِ، حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ، عَنْ مَنْصُورٍ، عَنْ سَعْدِ بْنِ عُبَيْدَةَ،
عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، عَنْ عَلِيٍّ، قَالَ كُنَّا فِي جَنَازَةٍ فِي بَقِيعِ الْغَرْقَدِ فَأَتَانَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ
ﷺ فَقَعَدَ وَقَعَدْنَا حَوْلَهُ وَمَعَهُ مِخْصَرَةٌ فَنَكَّسَ فَجَعَلَ يَنْكُتُ بِمِخْصَرَتِهِ
ثُمَّ قَالَ " مَا مِنْكُمْ مِنْ أَحَدٍ مَا مِنْ نَفْسٍ مَنْفُوسَةٍ إِلاَّ وَقَدْ كَتَبَ اللَّهُ مَكَانَهَا مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ وَالنَّارِ
وَإِلاَّ وَقَدْ كُتِبَتْ شَقِيَّةً أَوْ سَعِيدَةً " . قَالَ فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَفَلاَ نَمْكُثُ عَلَى كِتَابِنَا
وَنَدَعُ الْعَمَلَ فَقَالَ " مَنْ كَانَ مِنْ أَهْلِ السَّعَادَةِ فَسَيَصِيرُ إِلَى عَمَلِ أَهْلِ السَّعَادَةِ وَمَنْ كَانَ
مِنْ أَهْلِ الشَّقَاوَةِ فَسَيَصِيرُ إِلَى عَمَلِ أَهْلِ الشَّقَاوَةِ " . فَقَالَ " اعْمَلُوا فَكُلٌّ مُيَسَّرٌ أَمَّا
أَهْلُ السَّعَادَةِ فَيُيَسَّرُونَ لِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ السَّعَادَةِ وَأَمَّا أَهْلُ الشَّقَاوَةِ فَيُيَسَّرُونَ لِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ الشَّقَاوَةِ
" . ثُمَّ قَرَأَ { فَأَمَّا مَنْ أَعْطَى وَاتَّقَى * وَصَدَّقَ بِالْحُسْنَى * فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُ لِلْيُسْرَى * وَأَمَّا مَنْ
بَخِلَ وَاسْتَغْنَى * وَكَذَّبَ بِالْحُسْنَى * فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُ لِلْعُسْرَى}

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Mansur with the same chain of transmitters but with a slight variation of wording.

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، وَهَنَّادُ بْنُ السَّرِيِّ، قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الأَحْوَصِ، عَنْ
مَنْصُورٍ، بِهَذَا الإِسْنَادِ فِي مَعْنَاهُ وَقَالَ فَأَخَذَ عُودًا . وَلَمْ يَقُلْ مِخْصَرَةً . وَقَالَ ابْنُ أَبِي
شَيْبَةَ فِي حَدِيثِهِ عَنْ أَبِي الأَحْوَصِ ثُمَّ قَرَأَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ .