Nawawī’s Arbaýīn

A Collection of Forty Traditions of the Prophet ﷺ

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Destiny - Hadith 4

عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه و سلم -وَهُوَ الصَّادِقُ الْمَصْدُوقُ إنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ يُجْمَعُ خَلْقُهُ فِي بَطْنِ أُمِّهِ أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْمًا نُطْفَةً، ثُمَّ يَكُونُ عَلَقَةً مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ، ثُمَّ يَكُونُ مُضْغَةً مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ، ثُمَّ يُرْسَلُ إلَيْهِ الْمَلَكُ فَيَنْفُخُ فِيهِ الرُّوحَ، وَيُؤْمَرُ بِأَرْبَعِ كَلِمَاتٍ: بِكَتْبِ رِزْقِهِ، وَأَجَلِهِ، وَعَمَلِهِ، وَشَقِيٍّ أَمْ سَعِيدٍ؛ فَوَاَللَّهِ الَّذِي لَا إلَهَ غَيْرُهُ إنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ لَيَعْمَلُ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ حَتَّى مَا يَكُونُ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَهَا إلَّا ذِرَاعٌ فَيَسْبِقُ عَلَيْهِ الْكِتَابُ فَيَعْمَلُ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ النَّارِ فَيَدْخُلُهَا. وَإِنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ لَيَعْمَلُ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ النَّارِ حَتَّى مَا يَكُونُ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَهَا إلَّا ذِرَاعٌ فَيَسْبِقُ عَلَيْهِ الْكِتَابُ فَيَعْمَلُ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ فَيَدْخُلُهَا. رَوَاهُ الْبُخَارِيُّ ، وَمُسْلِمٌ

Narrated by Abū Ábd al-Raĥmān Ábdullāh ibn Masúūd radiyAllāhu Anhu and he said:

Narrated to us RasūlAllāh ﷺ, and he is the Truthful, the Veritable: Verily, [every] one of you is created in the womb of his mother and remains as an embryo for forty days; then as a spot of blood for a similar time, and a piece of flesh for a similar period [of forty days].

And then, an Angel is sent towards [the fetus] who will breathe in it the soul and [the Angel] is commanded [by Allāh] to write four things: his sustenance, his death, his deeds and whether he is wretched or blessed.

By Allāh, and there is no God other than Him – verily, one of you does deeds of the people of Paradise until the distance between the person and Paradise is no more than an arm’s length [cubit], but that which was written overtakes him and he does deeds of the dwellers of fire and will thus enter it.

And indeed, one of you keeps doing deeds of the people of Hell until there is no more than an arm’s length between him and Hell, but that which was written will outstrip him and he will do deeds of the people of Paradise and will thus enter it.”

Reported by Bukhārī and Muslim. [1]

Notes:

[1] Bukhārī 3208; Muslim 2643.

References:

1. Nawawī’s Arbaýīn, Collection of Forty Traditions of the Prophet ﷺ, Hadith 4

[ English Translation ]

Mawlana Abu Hasan Ridawi,

Ridawi Press.