Book 14, Hadith 283

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Abu Nu‘aym narrated to us: al-A‘mash narrated to us, from Malik ibn al-Harith, from ‘Abd Allah ibn Rabi‘a, who said: ‘We were sitting with ‘Abd Allah when they mentioned a man and spoke about his character. ‘Abd Allah said, “Tell me: if you cut off his head, could you put it back?” They said, “No.” He asked, “And his hand?” They said, “No.” He asked, “And his leg?” They said, “No.” He said, “Then you cannot change his character until you change his physical constitution. The drop of fluid remains settled in the womb for forty nights, then descends as blood, then becomes a clinging clot, then a morsel of flesh. Then Allah sends an angel, and his provision and character are recorded, along with whether he will be wretched or happy.”’