The Book of Destiny

Hudhayfa ibn Usayd reported that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: ‘When the drop of semen has remained in the womb for forty or forty-five nights, an angel comes to it and asks Allah whether the child will be wretched or blessed; both are written. The angel then asks whether the child will be male or female; this too is written. The child’s deeds, traces, lifespan, and provision are also recorded. Then the record is rolled up, with nothing added or subtracted.’

Anas ibn Malik reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has appointed an angel over the womb. The angel says: My Lord, a drop of semen; my Lord, a clinging clot; my Lord, a lump of flesh. When Allah wills to complete its creation, the angel asks whether it will be male or female, wretched or blessed, and what its provision and lifespan will be. All of this is written while it is in its mother’s womb.’

Abu al-Aswad reported: Imran ibn Husayn asked me whether what people do and strive for today is something already decreed for them and settled by destiny, or whether their fate will be determined by what their Prophet brought them and the proof established against them. I said it had already been decreed and settled for them. He asked whether that would not be injustice. I was greatly alarmed and replied that everything is Allah’s creation and in His power; He is not questioned about what He does, but they will be questioned. He said, ‘May Allah have mercy on you. I only asked to test your understanding. Two men from Muzayna came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and asked the same question. Are people’s deeds already decreed, or will their fate be determined by the teachings their Prophet brought and the proof established against them? He replied that it is already decreed for them and settled by destiny. This is confirmed by the Book of Allah, Mighty and Majestic: By the soul and He who fashioned it, then inspired it with its wickedness and its mindfulness of Allah.’

Abu Huraira reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘A man may perform the deeds of the people of Paradise for a long time, then his deeds end with the deeds of the people of the Fire. And a man may perform the deeds of the people of the Fire for a long time, then his deeds end with the deeds of the people of Paradise.’