Stages of growth of the fetus in the womb and establishment of the Divine Destiny

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ, who is truthful and confirmed in truth, told us: “Indeed, each one of you is brought together in his mother’s womb for forty days; then he becomes a clinging clot for a similar period; then he becomes a morsel of flesh for a similar period. Then Allah sends an angel and he is commanded with four matters, and it is said to him: Write his deeds, his provision, his lifespan, and whether he will be wretched or blessed. Then the soul is breathed into him.”

“Indeed, one of you may act until there is only an arm’s length between him and Paradise, then what has been written overtakes him, so he acts with the deeds of the people of the Fire. And one of you may act until there is only an arm’s length between him and the Fire, then what has been written overtakes him, so he acts with the deeds of the people of Paradise.”

حَدَّثَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ، وَهْوَ الصَّادِقُ الْمَصْدُوقُ، قَالَ: «إِنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ يُجْمَعُ خَلْقُهُ فِي بَطْنِ أُمِّهِ أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْمًا، ثُمَّ يَكُونُ عَلَقَةً مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ، ثُمَّ يَكُونُ مُضْغَةً مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ، ثُمَّ يَبْعَثُ اللَّهُ مَلَكًا فَيُؤْمَرُ بِأَرْبَعِ كَلِمَاتٍ، وَيُقَالُ لَهُ: اكْتُبْ عَمَلَهُ، وَرِزْقَهُ، وَأَجَلَهُ، وَشَقِيٌّ أَوْ سَعِيدٌ، ثُمَّ يُنْفَخُ فِيهِ الرُّوحُ».

«فَإِنَّ الرَّجُلَ مِنْكُمْ لَيَعْمَلُ حَتَّى مَا يَكُونُ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ الْجَنَّةِ إِلَّا ذِرَاعٌ، فَيَسْبِقُ عَلَيْهِ كِتَابُهُ، فَيَعْمَلُ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ النَّارِ، وَيَعْمَلُ حَتَّى مَا يَكُونُ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ النَّارِ إِلَّا ذِرَاعٌ، فَيَسْبِقُ عَلَيْهِ الْكِتَابُ، فَيَعْمَلُ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ».

The Prophet ﷺ said, "At every womb Allah appoints an angel who says, 'O Lord! A drop of semen, O Lord! A clot. O Lord! A little lump of flesh." Then if Allah wishes (to complete) its creation, the angel asks, (O Lord!) Will it be a male or female, a wretched or a blessed, and how much will his provision be? And what will his age be?' So all that is written while the child is still in the mother's womb."

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ ﷻ وَكَّلَ بِالرَّحِمِ مَلَكًا يَقُولُ يَا رَبِّ نُطْفَةٌ يَا رَبِّ عَلَقَةٌ يَا رَبِّ مُضْغَةٌ فَإِذَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَقْضِيَ خَلْقَهُ قَالَ أَذَكَرٌ أَمْ أُنْثَى شَقِيٌّ أَمْ سَعِيدٌ فَمَا الرِّزْقُ وَالأَجَلُ فَيُكْتَبُ فِي بَطْنِ أُمِّهِ

" We were accompanying a funeral procession in Baqi-I-Gharqad. The Prophet ﷺ came to us and sat and we sat around him. He had a small stick in his hand then he bent his head and started scraping the ground with it. He then said, "There is none among you, and not a created soul, but has place either in Paradise or in Hell assigned for him and it is also determined for him whether he will be among the blessed or wretched." A man said, "O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! Should we not depend on what has been written for us and leave the deeds as whoever amongst us is blessed will do the deeds of a blessed person and whoever amongst us will be wretched, will do the deeds of a wretched person?" The Prophet said, "The good deeds are made easy for the blessed, and bad deeds are made easy for the wretched." Then he recited the Verses:-- "As for him who gives (in charity) and is Allah-fearing And believes in the Best reward from Allah. " (92.5-6)

كُنَّا فِي جَنَازَةٍ فِي بَقِيعِ الْغَرْقَدِ فَأَتَانَا النَّبِيُّ ﷺ فَقَعَدَ وَقَعَدْنَا حَوْلَهُ وَمَعَهُ مِخْصَرَةٌ فَنَكَّسَ فَجَعَلَ يَنْكُتُ بِمِخْصَرَتِهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ مَا مِنْكُمْ مِنْ أَحَدٍ مَا مِنْ نَفْسٍ مَنْفُوسَةٍ إِلاَّ كُتِبَ مَكَانُهَا مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ وَالنَّارِ وَإِلاَّ قَدْ كُتِبَ شَقِيَّةً أَوْ سَعِيدَةً فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَفَلاَ نَتَّكِلُ عَلَى كِتَابِنَا وَنَدَعُ الْعَمَلَ فَمَنْ كَانَ مِنَّا مِنْ أَهْلِ السَّعَادَةِ فَسَيَصِيرُ إِلَى عَمَلِ أَهْلِ السَّعَادَةِ وَأَمَّا مَنْ كَانَ مِنَّا مِنْ أَهْلِ الشَّقَاوَةِ فَسَيَصِيرُ إِلَى عَمَلِ أَهْلِ الشَّقَاوَةِ قَالَ أَمَّا أَهْلُ السَّعَادَةِ فَيُيَسَّرُونَ لِعَمَلِ السَّعَادَةِ وَأَمَّا أَهْلُ الشَّقَاوَةِ فَيُيَسَّرُونَ لِعَمَلِ الشَّقَاوَةِ ثُمَّ قَرَأَ {فَأَمَّا مَنْ أَعْطَى وَاتَّقَى} الآيَةَ

A man said, "O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! Can the people of Paradise be known (differentiated) from the people of the Fire; The Prophet ﷺ replied, "Yes." The man said, "Why do people (try to) do (good) deeds?" The Prophet said, "Everyone will do the deeds for which he has been created to do or he will do those deeds which will be made easy for him to do." (i.e. everybody will find easy to do such deeds as will lead him to his destined place for which he has been created).

رَجُلٌ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَيُعْرَفُ أَهْلُ الْجَنَّةِ مِنْ أَهْلِ النَّارِ قَالَ نَعَمْ قَالَ فَلِمَ يَعْمَلُ الْعَامِلُونَ قَالَ كُلٌّ يَعْمَلُ لِمَا خُلِقَ لَهُ أَوْ لِمَا يُسِّرَ لَهُ

The Prophet ﷺ said, "Adam and Moses argued with each other. Moses said to Adam. 'O Adam! You are our father who disappointed us and turned us out of Paradise.' Then Adam said to him, 'O Moses! Allah favored you with His talk (talked to you directly) and He wrote (the Torah) for you with His Own Hand. Do you blame me for action which Allah had written in my fate forty years before my creation?' So Adam confuted Moses, Adam confuted Moses," the Prophet ﷺ added, repeating the Statement three times.

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ احْتَجَّ آدَمُ وَمُوسَى فَقَالَ لَهُ مُوسَى يَا آدَمُ أَنْتَ أَبُونَا خَيَّبْتَنَا وَأَخْرَجْتَنَا مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ قَالَ لَهُ آدَمُ يَا مُوسَى اصْطَفَاكَ اللَّهُ بِكَلاَمِهِ وَخَطَّ لَكَ بِيَدِهِ أَتَلُومُنِي عَلَى أَمْرٍ قَدَّرَ اللَّهُ عَلَىَّ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَخْلُقَنِي بِأَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً فَحَجَّ آدَمُ مُوسَى فَحَجَّ آدَمُ مُوسَى ثَلاَثًا قَالَ سُفْيَانُ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الزِّنَادِ عَنِ الأَعْرَجِ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ مِثْلَهُ

I have not seen a thing resembling 'lamam' (minor sins) than what Abu Huraira 'narrated from the Prophet who said "Allah has written for Adam's son his share of adultery which he commits inevitably. The adultery of the eyes is the sight (to gaze at a forbidden thing), the adultery of the tongue is the talk, and the inner self wishes and desires and the private parts testify all this or deny it."

لَمْ أَرَ شَيْئًا أَشْبَهَ بِاللَّمَمِ مِنْ قَوْلِ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ حَدَّثَنِي مَحْمُودٌ أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ أَخْبَرَنَا مَعْمَرٌ عَنِ ابْنِ طَاوُسٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ مَا رَأَيْتُ شَيْئًا أَشْبَهَ بِاللَّمَمِ مِمَّا قَالَ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَتَبَ عَلَى ابْنِ آدَمَ حَظَّهُ مِنَ الزِّنَا أَدْرَكَ ذَلِكَ لاَ مَحَالَةَ فَزِنَا الْعَيْنِ النَّظَرُ وَزِنَا اللِّسَانِ الْمَنْطِقُ وَالنَّفْسُ تَمَنَّى وَتَشْتَهِي وَالْفَرْجُ يُصَدِّقُ ذَلِكَ كُلَّهُ وَيُكَذِّبُهُ

Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Every child is born with a true faith of Islam (i.e. to worship none but Allah Alone) but his parents convert him to Judaism, Christianity or Magainism, as an animal delivers a perfect baby animal. Do you find it mutilated?" Then Abu Huraira recited the holy verses: "The pure Allah's Islamic nature (true faith of Islam) (i.e. worshipping none but Allah) with which He has created human beings. No change let there be in the religion of Allah (i.e. joining none in worship with Allah). That is the straight religion (Islam) but most of men know, not." (30.30)

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ «مَا مِنْ مَوْلُودٍ إِلاَّ يُولَدُ عَلَى الْفِطْرَةِ: فَأَبَوَاهُ يُهَوِّدَانِهِ أَوْ يُنَصِّرَانِهِ أَوْ يُمَجِّسَانِهِ كَمَا تُنْتَجُ الْبَهِيمَةُ بَهِيمَةً جَمْعَاءَ، هَلْ تُحِسُّونَ فِيهَا مِنْ جَدْعَاءَ؟» ثُمَّ يَقُولُ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ ؓ {فِطْرَةَ اللَّهِ الَّتِي فَطَرَ النَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا لاَ تَبْدِيلَ لِخَلْقِ اللَّهِ ذَلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ}

The Prophet ﷺ was asked about the offspring of pagans (Mushrikeen); so he said, "Allah knows what sort of deeds they would have done."

أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ ؓ يَقُولُ سُئِلَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ عَنْ ذَرَارِيِّ الْمُشْرِكِينَ فَقَالَ اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا كَانُوا عَامِلِينَ

Messenger of Allah ﷺ was asked about the children of (Mushrikeen) pagans. The Prophet ﷺ replied, "Since Allah created them, He knows what sort of deeds they would have done."

سُئِلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَنْ أَوْلاَدِ الْمُشْرِكِينَ فَقَالَ اللَّهُ إِذْ خَلَقَهُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا كَانُوا عَامِلِينَ