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