Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.
tabarani:3040ʿAlī b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz > Ḥajjāj b. al-Minhāl > Rabīʿah b. Kulthūm > Abū Kulthūm b. Jubayr > Abū al-Ṭufayl ʿĀmir b. Wāthilah

[Machine] Unlucky is the one who is born unlucky and happy is the one who is born happy. He said, "So I went to Hudhayfah ibn Asid from the companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and I said, 'I am amazed at the status given to the son of the mother of 'Abd, whether he is born unlucky or lucky.' Hudhayfah said to me, 'What surprises you about that, O Abu al-Tufayl? Shall I inform you about something related to this misfortune? The narration goes that there is an angel assigned to the womb for forty-five nights when Allah wills to create whatever He wants with His permission. The angel says, 'O Lord, is it a male or a female?' Your Lord decrees and the angel writes. Then the angel says, 'O Lord, will he be unlucky or lucky?' Your Lord decrees and the angel writes. Then the angel says, 'O Lord, how long will his life be?' Your Lord decrees and the angel writes. Then everything is added or subtracted."  

الطبراني:٣٠٤٠حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ ثنا حَجَّاجُ بْنُ الْمِنْهَالِ ثنا رَبِيعَةُ بْنُ كُلْثُومٍ حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي كُلْثُومُ بْنُ جُبَيْرٍ عَنْ أَبِي الطُّفَيْلِ عَامِرِ بْنِ وَاثِلَةَ قَالَ كَانَ ابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ إِذَا خَطَبَنَا بِالْكُوفَةِ قَالَ

الشَّقِيُّ مَنْ شَقِيَ فِي بَطْنِ أُمِّهِ وَالسَّعِيدُ مَنْ سَعِدَ فِي بَطْنِ أُمِّهِ قَالَ فَأَتَيْتُ حُذَيْفَةَ بْنَ أَسِيدٍ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فَقُلْتُ عَجَبًا لِرَفْعِ ابْنِ أُمِّ عَبْدٍ الشَّقِيُّ مَنْ شَقِيَ فِي بَطْنِ أُمِّهِ قَالَ فَقَالَ لِي حُذَيْفَةُ وَمَا يُعْجِبُكُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ يَا أَبَا الطُّفَيْلِ؟ أَفَلَا أُخْبِرُكَ مِنْ هَذَا بِالشَّقَاءِ؟ وَرَفَعَ الْحَدِيثَ إِنَّ مَلَكًا مُوَكَّلٌ بِالرَّحِمِ بِضْعًا وَأَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً إِذَا أَرَادَ اللهُ أَنْ يَخْلُقَ مَا شَاءَ بِإِذْنِ اللهِ فَيَقُولُ أَيْ رَبِّ أَذَكَرٌ أَمْ أُنْثَى؟ فَيَقْضِي رَبُّكَ وَيَكْتُبُ الْمَلَكُ ثُمَّ يَقُولُ أَيْ رَبِّ أَشَقِيٌّ أَمْ سَعِيدٌ؟ فَيَقْضِي رَبُّكَ وَيَكْتُبُ الْمَلَكُ ثُمَّ يَقُولُ أَيْ رَبِّ أَجَلُهُ؟ فَيَقْضِي رَبُّكَ وَيَكْتُبُ الْمَلَكُ ثُمَّ يُطْوَى مَا زَادَ وَلَا نَقَصَ  


See similar narrations below:

Collected by Muslim, Bayhaqī
muslim:2645aAbū al-Ṭāhir Aḥmad b. ʿAmr b. Sarḥ > Ibn Wahb > ʿAmr b. al-Ḥārith > Abū al-Zubayr al-Makkī > ʿĀmir b. Wāthilah > ʿAbdullāh b. Masʿūd

Evil one is he who is evil in the womb of his mother and the good one is he who takes a lesson from the (fate of) others. The narrator came to a person from amongst the Companions of Messenger of Allah ﷺ who was called Hudhaifa b. Usaid Ghifari and said: How can a person be an evil one without (committing an evil) deed? Thereupon the person said to him: You are surprised at this, whereas I have heard Messenger of Allah ﷺ as saying: When forty-two nights pass after the semen gets into the womb, Allah sends the angel and gives him 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.  

مسلم:٢٦٤٥aحَدَّثَنِي 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  

bayhaqi:15424Abū ʿAbdullāh al-Ḥāfiẓ > Abū ʿAbdullāh Muḥammad b. Yaʿqūb al-Ḥāfiẓ > Muḥammad b. Ismāʿīl b. Mihrān > Abū Ṭāhir > Ibn Wahb > ʿAmr b. al-Ḥārith > Abū al-Zubayr al-Makkī > ʿĀmir b. Wāthilah > ʿAbdullāh b. Masʿūd

Evil one is he who is evil in the womb of his mother and the good one is he who takes a lesson from the (fate of) others. The narrator came to a person from amongst the Companions of Messenger of Allah ﷺ who was called Hudhaifa b. Usaid Ghifari and said: How can a person be an evil one without (committing an evil) deed? Thereupon the person said to him: You are surprised at this, whereas I have heard Messenger of Allah ﷺ as saying: When forty-two nights pass after the semen gets into the womb, Allah sends the angel and gives him 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. (Using translation from Muslim 2645a)   

البيهقي:١٥٤٢٤أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو عَبْدِ اللهِ الْحَافِظُ أنا أَبُو عَبْدِ اللهِ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَعْقُوبَ الْحَافِظُ نا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ مِهْرَانَ نا أَبُو طَاهِرٍ نا ابْنُ وَهْبٍ أَخْبَرَنِي عَمْرُو بْنُ الْحَارِثِ عَنْ أَبِي الزُّبَيْرِ الْمَكِّيِّ أَنَّ عَامِرِ بْنِ وَاثِلَةَ حَدَّثَهُ

أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ عَبْدَ اللهِ بْنَ مَسْعُودٍ يَقُولُ الشَّقِيُّ مَنْ شَقِيَ فِي بَطْنِ أُمِّهِ وَالسَّعِيدُ مَنْ وُعِظَ بِغَيْرِهِ فَأَتَى رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ يُقَالُ لَهُ حُذَيْفَةُ بْنُ أَسِيدٍ الْغِفَارِيُّ فَحَدَّثَهُ بِذَلِكَ مِنْ قَوْلِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ وَقَالَ كَيْفَ يَشْقَى رَجُلٌ يُغَيَّرُ عَمَلُهُ فَقَالَ لَهُ الرَّجُلُ أَتَعْجَبُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ فَإِنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ إِذَا مَرَّ بِالنُّطْفَةِ ثِنْتَانِ وَأَرْبَعُونَ لَيْلَةً بَعَثَ اللهُ إِلَيْهَا مَلَكًا فَصَوَّرَهَا وَخَلَقَ سَمْعَهَا وَبَصَرَهَا وَجِلْدَهَا وَلَحْمَهَا وَعَظْمَهَا ثُمَّ قَالَ يَا رَبِّ أَذَكَرٌ أَمْ أُنْثَى فَيَقْضِي رَبُّكَ مَا شَاءَ اللهُ وَيَكْتُبُ الْمَلَكُ فَيَقُولُ أَيْ رَبِّ أَجَلُهُ فَيَقُولُ رَبُّكَ مَا شَاءَ وَيَكْتُبُ الْمَلَكُ فَيَقُولُ أَيْ رَبِّ رِزْقُهُ فَيَقْضِي رَبُّكَ مَا شَاءَ وَيَكْتُبُ ثُمَّ يَخْرُجُ بِالصَّحِيفَةِ فِي يَدِهِ فَلَا يَزِيدُ عَلَى أَمْرِهِ وَلَا يَنْقُصُ  

رَوَاهُ مُسْلِمٌ فِي الصَّحِيحِ عَنْ أَبِي الطَّاهِرِ