" The creation of any one of you is like this that (semen) is collected in the womb of the mother for forty nights," and in the hadith transmitted on the authority of Shu'ba (the words are):" Forty nights and forty days." And in the hadith transmitted on the authority of Jarir and 'Isa (the words are):" Forty days."
The Book of Destiny - Sahih Muslim 2643b
This narration from Sahih Muslim addresses the profound matter of embryonic development and divine decree, revealing the wisdom behind Allah's creative process.
The Stages of Creation
The hadith specifies forty days as the initial period when the semen remains in the womb before transformation begins. This corresponds to the nutfah (sperm drop) stage mentioned in other authentic narrations.
Scholars explain that the varying wordings (forty nights, forty days, or both) indicate the same essential period, with different narrators emphasizing different aspects of the timeframe.
Divine Decree and Human Development
After this forty-day period, the embryo becomes an 'alaqah (clinging clot) for another forty days, then a mudghah (chewed lump) for another forty days - totaling 120 days before the soul is breathed into it.
At this point of ensoulment, four matters are decreed: the person's provision, lifespan, deeds, and whether they will be among the blessed or wretched.
Scholarly Insights
Imam An-Nawawi comments that this hadith demonstrates the perfection of Allah's knowledge and power in creating human beings through precise stages.
Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani notes that the forty-day period represents the completion of the initial formative stage, after which the angel is sent to record the divine decree.
This narration affirms both the physical reality of embryonic development and the metaphysical reality of predestination, harmonizing scientific observation with theological truth.