Jami' at-Tirmidhi
Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2642
حَدَّثَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ عَرَفَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ عَيَّاشٍ، عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ أَبِي عَمْرٍو السَّيْبَانِيِّ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الدَّيْلَمِيِّ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عَمْرٍو، يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ " إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ خَلَقَ خَلْقَهُ فِي ظُلْمَةٍ فَأَلْقَى عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ نُورِهِ فَمَنْ أَصَابَهُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ النُّورِ اهْتَدَى وَمَنْ أَخْطَأَهُ ضَلَّ فَلِذَلِكَ أَقُولُ جَفَّ الْقَلَمُ عَلَى عِلْمِ اللَّهِ " . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ .
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah say: ‘Allah, Mighty and Majestic, created His creation in darkness, then cast upon them some of His light. Whoever received some of that light was guided, and whoever missed it went astray. For this reason I say: the Pen has dried in accordance with Allah’s knowledge.’ Abu ‘Isa said: ‘This hadith is hasan.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic says ‘whoever received it’ and ‘whoever it missed’; the image is preserved without adding an explanation of the light.