Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2155

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

Yahya ibn Musa narrated to us: Abu Dawud al-Tayalisi narrated to us: ‘Abd al-Wahid ibn Sulaym said: I came to Makkah and met ‘Ata ibn Abi Rabah. I said to him, ‘Abu Muhammad, the people of Basra are speaking about divine decree.’ He said, ‘My son, do you recite the Qur’an?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘Then recite Surat al-Zukhruf.’ I recited: ‘Ha Mim. By the clear Book, We have made it an Arabic Qur’an so that you may reason. And indeed it is in the Mother of the Book with Us, exalted and wise’ (43:1–4). He said, ‘Do you know what the Mother of the Book is?’ I said, ‘Allah and His Messenger know best.’ He said, ‘It is a book Allah wrote before creating the heavens and before creating the earth. In it is [written] that Pharaoh is among the inhabitants of the Fire, and in it is: “Perish the hands of Abu Lahab, and perish he!”’ ‘Ata said: I met al-Walid ibn ‘Ubadah ibn al-Samit, a Companion of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and asked him, ‘What was your father’s final admonition to you when he was dying?’ He said, ‘My father called me and said, “My son, fear Allah, and know that you will not truly fear Allah until you believe in Allah and believe in the whole of divine decree, its good and its bad. If you die upon anything other than this, you will enter the Fire. I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: ‘The first thing Allah created was the Pen. He said to it, “Write.” It said, “What shall I write?” He said, “Write the decree: what has been and what will be, forever.”’” Abu ‘Isa said: This is a gharīb hadith through this route.’