Sunan Abi Dawud 4703

‘Abd Allah al-Qa‘nabi narrated to us, from Malik, from Zayd ibn Abi Unaysah, that ‘Abd al-Hamid ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Zayd ibn al-Khattab informed him, from Muslim ibn Yasar al-Juhani, that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab was asked about this verse: ‘When your Lord took from the Children of Adam, from their loins…’ Al-Qa‘nabi recited the verse. ‘Umar said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) being asked about it, and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Allah, Mighty and Majestic, created Adam, then passed His right hand over his back and drew forth from him his offspring. He said, “I created these for Paradise, and they will do the deeds of the people of Paradise.” Then He passed His hand over his back and drew forth from him offspring, and said, “I created these for the Fire, and they will do the deeds of the people of the Fire.”’ A man asked, ‘Messenger of Allah, what then is the point of action?’ The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) replied: ‘When Allah, Mighty and Majestic, creates a servant for Paradise, He puts him to work in the deeds of the people of Paradise until he dies doing one of the deeds of the people of Paradise, and by it He admits him to Paradise. And when He creates a servant for the Fire, He puts him to work in the deeds of the people of the Fire until he dies doing one of the deeds of the people of the Fire, and by it He admits him to the Fire.’