1. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and he is the truthful, the believed, narrated to us:
2. “Surely, each of you is brought together in his mother’s abdomen for forty days.
3. “The Angel is then sent to him and he breathes into him the spirit”
4. “He is also commanded to issue four decrees:
5. “I swear by Allah, other than Whom there is no God, certainly, one of you will definitely perform the deeds of the people of Paradise untill..
6. “And, certainly, one of you will definitely perform the acts of the people of Hell untill..
7. Other Points Related to this Hadith
8. Summary of the Hadith

Creation in the Mother’s Womb

On the authority of Abu Abdul Rahmaan Abdullah ibn Masood (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and he is the truthful, the believed, narrated to us: Verily, each of you is brought together in his mother’s abdomen for forty days in the form of a drop of fluid. Then it is a clinging object for a similar [period]. Thereafter, it is a lump looking like it has been chewed for a similar [period].

The angel is then sent to him and he breathes into him the spirit. He is also commanded to issue four decrees: to record his sustenance, his life span, his deeds and [whether he will be] unhappy [by entering Hell] or happy [by entering Paradise]. I swear by Allah, other than Whom there is no God, certainly, one of you will definitely perform the deeds of the people of Paradise until there is not between him and Paradise except an arm’s length and then what has been recorded will overtake him and he shall perform the deeds of the people of Hell and enter it. And, certainly, one of you will definitely perform the acts of the people of Hell until there is not between him and Hell except an arm’s length and then what has been recorded will overtake him and he shall perform the deeds of the people of Paradise and enter it.” [Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim.]

A Mistake in the Text of the 40 Hadith: One will note that the above text states, “Surely, each of you is brought together in his mother’s abdomen for forty days in the form of a drop of fluid (nutfah).” This last word, nutfah, is a mistake and is not part of the hadith. AlQadhaah wrote, The word nutfah has been [incorrectly] added to the text. It is not mentioned in any of the existing sources of the sunnah. However, it is found in some of the books of the later writers, such as hadith number 4 of al-Nawawi’s 40 Hadith.

It seems that it was mentioned to make the sentence clearer and, then, afterwards the people thought it was part of the hadith and included it as such. In reality, the existence of that word in the hadith changes in some way the meaning of the hadith. While the original text of the hadith makes it clear that the fetus goes through all three stages (nutfah, alaqah and mudhghah) in the first forty days. The added word gives a different meaning. According to the wrong narration, the stages take place in the first four months. It is clear from modem day science that such is not correct. This hadith also demonstrates one of the many scientific “miracles” that one finds in the hadith with authentic narrations.

General Comments On This Hadith: This hadith is an important and meaningful hadith that describes the creation of human beings. As shall be pointed out in the commentary, there are many lessons to be learned from the birth of human beings. Secondly, this hadith also points to the belief in Qadar and that Allah has foreknowledge of what everyone will do in this world.

1. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and he is the truthful, the believed, narrated to us:

Al-Saadiq is the one who is truthful in everything he says. This characteristic of the Prophet (peace be upon him) was something well-known before he received his first revelation. Indeed, the disbelievers of Quraish continued to refuse to believe in him although they could not explain how a person who would not lie to or about mankind would lie about Allah or lie about receiving revelations from Allah. Al-Masdooq means that he is the person to be believed in. In fact, what he says and what is revealed to him is to be believed in as Allah fulfills what he has received as revelation. lbn Masood has mentioned both of them as a kind of emphasis as, obviously, the first characteristic should lead directly to the second characteristic.

The question arises as to why Abdullah ibn Masood began this hadith with such a description of the Prophet (peace be upon him). One of the reasons given is that this hadith contains some information and startling facts that those who claimed knowledge of medicine at that time may try to refute or reject. It deals with something concerning which they did not have full knowledge. Indeed, all they could follow was conjecture. So, in essence, ibn Masood is saying, “Regardless of whether such people may accept what the Prophet (peace be upon him) has said, he is the truthful and he is the one who must be believed. ” In particular, this hadith is describing the formation of the fetus in stages. From the time of Aristotle it was thought that the baby was already fully formed at the earliest moment and simply grows in the womb.

The idea of stages is a fairly new concept. Albar wrote, The concept of the human embryo being formed in stages from the simple to the more complex is a completely new development in human knowledge, which was first put down by Wolff in 1839.

Therefore, this kind of opening statement is very pertinent to this hadith. This attitude, as a whole, is also something very important. The Prophet (peace be upon him) received revelation from and was guided by Allah. There is no room to doubt anything that he said, regardless of the topic. Allah would not leave him to make mistakes and misguide people. This is an insult to Allah Himself. Unfortunately, due to modem-day advancements in science, people have a tendency to forget that there is a great difference between scientific theory and established fact. Much of what people believe in and accept today is nothing more than theory and hypothesis that cannot be established with certainty. Indeed, in one hundred years or so, these theories may be discarded in favor of stronger theories. In fact, this process occurs everyday today in the realm of science.

If the Prophet (peace be upon him) has said something or if a verse in the Quran states something, then that must be true. If it does not seem to mix with one’s perception of reality and “scientific fact”, then either one has misunderstood the hadith or verse or one’s perception of reality is incorrect. In any case, there is no room to doubt the Prophet (peace be upon him) for he is, as ibn Masood stated, the truthful, the one to be believed. Otherwise, there cannot be anything that exists in this world that contradicts what has been revealed from Allah. This is because this creation and the revelation the Prophet (peace be upon him) received both come from the same source: Allah. Allah is All-Knowledgeable and is most Truthful in His Speech. Hence, there will never be any contradiction between something that is a reality in the physical world and what Allah has revealed to any of His prophets.

2. “Surely, each of you is brought together in his mother’s abdomen for forty days. It is then therein a clinging object during this period. Thereafter it is therein a lump looking like it has been chewed during this period.”

The Stages of Human Development: This hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him) describes some of the different stages of human development. As shall be noted later, many lessons may be derived from these different stages. This is, Allah knows best, why Allah has mentioned them at different places in the Quran and the Prophet (peace be upon him) also mentioned them in different hadith. In fact, in one place in the Quran, al-Hajj verse 5, Allah mentions the first three stages of development of the fetus that this hadith is referring to:

“O mankind! If you are in doubt concerning the Resurrection, then, verily, We have created you from dust [that is, Adam], then from a nutfah, then from an alaqah, then from a mudhghah, some formed and some unformed (miscarriage), that We make it clear for you [that Allah has the ability to create and resurrect]” (al-Hajj 5).

At another place in the Quran, Allah has mentioned the seven different levels of creation and development that mankind has gone through: “And indeed We created man (Adam) out of an extract of clay (water and earth). Then We made him [the offspring of Adam] as a nutfah (mixture of male and female sexual fluid) in a safe lodging [womb of the woman]. Then We made the nutfah into an object that clings. Then We made the clinging object into a chewed-up looking lump. Then We made out of that chewed-up lump bones. Then We clothed the bones with flesh. Then We brought it forth as another creation. So blessed be Allah, the best of Creators” (al-Muminoon 12-14).

“Brought together”: After the male sperm enters the woman’s body, it then joins with the egg in the womb of the mother. Al-Qurtubi states that this might be referring to the sperm which enters the body of the woman with force and drive and then must travel sometime before it reaches the place where the egg is. Hence, the two are brought together at that place and time.

The commentators on this hadith state that this expression implies both being brought together and guarded or preserved.1 This is also a significant implication of the hadith. Albar has described the entire process after the male sperm enters the female body. One will note how the two, the one egg and the one sperm, are brought together by the will of Allah and how Allah has made them such that they are protected and guarded. Albar wrote,

The sperm and ovum are both capacitated in the Fallopian tube, i.e., they acquire the ability for fertilization. About 400 sperms each reach the ovum, but only one of them is chosen by God to fertilize it. Once the sperm unites with the ovum and discharges its genetic material stored in its head, the ovum builds a thick wall that will not allow further sperms to penetrate. It is clear that one sperm out of millions and probably billions is chosen for the fertilization of the ovum. Similarly, one egg is chosen to mature out of thousands that will eventually die monthly in every cycle.

“In his mother’s abdomen”: The word that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used in this hadith is batn. This means stomach or abdominal region. Of course, it is known that the place wherein the fetus lies is not what would be called the stomach. In Arabic, it is known as the rahim or womb. But the womb is part of the overall area that may be referred to as “the stomach”. Hence, in this case, it is an example of stating something while meaning only part of it. That is, the abdomen is mentioned but it is actually the womb that is meant. This. is common in Arabic. Furthermore, in other narrations of this hadith, the word rahim is explicitly used.

The origin of man and ties of kinship are very important and every human has responsibilities toward those people to whom he is related. The word for womb, rahim, itself is related to the word rahmah, meaning mercy. This is because people have mercy towards one another due to their relationships through the womb or blood relations. It is also related to Allah’s name al-Rahman (the All-Merciful). In fact, a hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him) states,

“Verily, the womb (al-rahim) has taken its name from al-Rahman (the All Merciful). Allah has said, ‘Whoever keeps your ties, I shall keep his ties. Whoever cuts you off, I shall cut him off.'” (Recorded by al-Bukhari.)

“For Forty Days”: The first stage of the development of a human being, as is clear from the Quran, is the stage of being a nutfah. Literally, this word means “a drop of fluid.” However, as Albar points out, it has been used in different senses in the Quran and hadith. These different connotations are three:
First, there is the male nutfah or male gamete. This is referred to in the following verse of the Quran “Does man think that he will be left neglected? Was he not a nutfah (drop of fluid, male sperm) poured forth? Then he became an alaqa, then (Allah) shaped and fashioned him in due proportion. And [We] made from [the semen] both the sexes, male and female. Is He [who does that] able to give life to the dead? [Yes, indeed)” (al-Qiyaamah 36-40). Another verse states, “And He creates the pairs- male and female- from nutfah [male sperm] when it is emitted” (al-Najm 45-46). Again, Allah says, “Then tell Me about the human semen that you emit. Is it you who creates it or are We the Creator?” (al-Waaqiah 58-59).

Commenting on these verses, Albar wrote, The sex of the new born is determined by the male. It is definitely stated that the male and the female are fashioned from a drop of fluid from the semen that has been ejaculated. We know now that the sex of the new born is determined by the sperm which will fertilize the ovum. If the sperm carrying the X chromosome, fertilizes an ovum (which always contains an X chromosome), the offspring will be a girl, while if the fertilizing sperm contains a Y chromosome, the offspring will be a boy … The second important point, which is clearly stated in the Holy Quran is that only a small portion of the seminal fluid participates in forming the embryo … [For example, Allah says above], “Was he not a mere ‘drop of fluid’ out of semen that has been ejaculated?”… We know now that the sperms constitute only 0.5 percent of the total semen ejaculated … The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “Not from the whole fluid (ejaculated) man is made, but only from a small portion of it.” (Narrated by Muslim.)

Second comes the female nutfah. In surah al-Insaan, verse 2, it mentions nutfat amshaaj or mixed sexual fluid. This implies the existence of a female source of nutfah. In fact, this has been interpreted by ibn Abbaas to mean both the male and female nutfah. Albar states that this is not explicitly mentioned in the Quran but it is stated in a hadith in Musnad Ahmad, wherein the Prophet (peace be upon him) tells a Jew that man is created from both male and female nutfah. Albar then states, “This is a very astonishing revelation, as it is only recently that we [in the medical field] came to know that both male and female participate equally to the formation of the human (or animal) zygote.”

Third usage for the word nutfah that is of interest here, where the male and female nutfah are intermixed in the womb of the mother. This is what scientists are now calling the “performational” stage. According to ibn Atheer, this portion of the hadith can be understood in one of two ways: Either the nutfah remains as it is in the womb for forty days or the nutfah is growing and developing during that period until it becomes ready for the next period. The latter interpretation is more consistent with what appears to be scientific fact.

“Then it is a clinging object ( alaqah ) during that same period.” : The next stage of human development mentioned by the Prophet (peace be upon him) is the alaqah. Albar defines alaqah (or alakah as he writes it) in the following manner, The Arabic word Alakah6 literally means something that clings or attaches to something else. The word also means a leech. The medical leech has been notorious for its clinging property to the skin whereby it sucks blood, a phenomenon that was often used in medicine as a remedy (blood letting). It also has a meaning seldom used in Arabic and that is a clot or congealed blood.

Albar then describes the different types of clinging that takes place after the period of nutfah. He sums up his lengthy discussion by saying, To sum up- we find from the 7th to 21st day three consecutive processes in which clinging is the most dominant feature

1. From day 7, implantation of the blastocyst1 occurs. It becomes completely embedded by the 10th day.
2. The chorionic villi2 appear for the first time by day 13 and 14, and soon cover the whole blastocyst attaching the ball like structure to the uterus (womb) by the anchoring villi.
3. The connecting stalk connects the embryo proper (the embryonic disc) with its true coverings, the amniotic sac and yolk sac to the outer ball, the chorion.

Thus we find 3 different ways of clinging and attachment of the developing fertilized ovum to the womb of the mother. There is no better word for this stage, which describes it eloquently, than the Quranic word Alakah.

“Then it is a lump looking like it has been chewed during that similar period.”: The next stage is that of the mudhghah. It has been mentioned in both the Quran and this hadith. About this stage, Albar wrote, The Modgha in Arabic means a chewed lump, something that has been masticated. Yusuf Ali in his translation of the Quran chose the word morsel of flesh which does not exactly translate the word Modgha. Mohammed Assad [sic], Maurice Bucaille and others have chosen the correct translation, i.e., a chewed like lump.

Once again, Albar goes on to discuss this development of the fetus in some detail, complete with illustrations. During this period, there develops what are known as somites. It is from these that much of the axial skeleton and musculature will develop. Hence, they look like a large number of fairly equally distributed indentations or bumps. In other words, they look exactly like a piece of flesh that has been bitten into and has the teeth marks remaining in them. All of this process takes place and is finished by the sixth week or 42 days after conception.

Different hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him) stress the first forty-odd days of conception. This includes this particular hadith when understood without the additional word found in the text of al-Nawawi’s Forty Hadith. Ebrahim points out the importance of this period of the first 40-odd days that is referred to in this hadith. He stated, The stage of the embryo begins two weeks after conception. At this time there is organ differentiation. All the internal organs one will ever have are present in rudimentary form by the end of six weeks [42 days]. The precreated being is termed a fetus in the period from eight weeks to birth, during which stage there is continuous growth or development but nothing “new is
added”. This is the period of bringing to readiness for birth what has already begun.

3. “The Angel is then sent to him and he breathes into him the spirit”

Here, the Prophet (peace be upon him) used the word, “the angel,” rather than “an angel”. This implies that this role of looking after or taking care of the fetus is that of a specific angel. It is certain some angels have specific roles, such as the task of delivering Allah’s decree to the fetus. The angel is sent after the embryo has gone through the stages described above. This point shall be discussed in more detail shortly.

“and he breathes into him the spirit.”: Surrounding this part of the hadith there are many important questions that need to be addressed. The first question is: When exactly does this occur? That is, when is the angel sent to the womb to breathe the spirit into the creation and to record the matters stated in this hadith? The second question is: What exactly is the spirit or rooh? The second question shall be dealt with first.

What exactly is the spirit or rooh? The rooh or “spirit” is the “life” of the individual. Allah says in the Quran, “And they ask you [O Muhammad] concerning the rooh (the spirit). Say, ‘As for the rooh, its knowledge is with my Lord. ‘ And of knowledge, you [mankind] have been given but only a little” ( al-Israa 85). This is truly an amazing aspect that mankind has to admit. Even with all of its advancements in science, mankind still has very little knowledge. Even concerning its own self and what makes it tick, mankind is in a total loss. Very little is known of the workings of the soul itself. It is recognized that a person is alive when his rooh is connected with his physical body and he dies when his rooh leaves his physical body.

In his classic work on the correct Islamic beliefs, ibn Abu al-Izz has a lengthy discussion on the concept of rooh (“spirit”, life-source) and nafs (soul). The following is an abridged presentation of his discussion:

The Ahl al-Sunnah wa I-Jama ‘ ah are all agreed that the spirit is created. Their consensus on this point has been reported by Muhammad ibn Nasr al-Marwazi, ibn Qutaybah and others. Of the proofs that the spirit is created, one is the verse, “Allah is the Creator of all things” (al-Raad 16). This is an unqualified general statement that is not particularized in any fashion. It applies to, among other things, the spirit. One cannot counter it by saying that it should then apply to the Divine attributes also. For, the attributes of Allah are part of His Being. Allah is Allah qualified with all the attributes of perfection. His knowledge, His power, His life, His hearing, His seeing, and all His attributes are part of His Being. His Essence qualified with His attributes is the Creator; all else is created. It is known with certainty that the spirit is neither Allah nor one of His attributes; it is only one of His created things …

As to the question whether the spirit (al-rooh) is mortal or not, people have different views. Some say that it is mortal, for it is a soul (nafs) and every soul is to die. Allah has said, “All that is on earth will perish, but the Face of your Lord will abide (forever), Full of Majesty, Bounty and Honor” (al-Rahman 26- 27), and “Everything (that exists) will perish except His own Face” (al-Qasas 88). These people say that when even angels will perish, the souls of men will certainly also perish. Others say that the spirits do not perish, because they have been created to abide forever; only the bodies perish. In support, they cite those hadith which talk of the pleasure and pain which spirits will suffer after they leave their bodies till Allah gives them new bodies.

The correct view on the issue may be stated like this: One may understand the death of the soul to mean its departure from the body, not its destruction. In this sense, the soul is mortal. But if one means that it perishes and disappears completely, then it is not mortal in that sense. It continues to live after death, and has pleasure or pain …

Allah states about the inhabitants of Paradise, “They taste not death therein, save the first death” (al-Dukhaan 56). That death is in reference to the spirit leaving the body. As for the inhabitants of Hell, Allah says, “They say: Our Lord, twice have you made us die and twice have you made us live” (Ghaafir 11), and Allah also says, “How do you disbelieve in Allah when you were dead and He gave life to you! Then He will give you death, then life again” (al-Baqara 28). These verses are referring to the first death, when the humans were a sperm in the loins of their fathers and in the wombs of their mothers. Allah then gave them life after that and then caused them to die. He then will give them life again on the Day of Resurrection. That it is not in reference to death of their spirits before the Day of Resurrection, as in that case there would be three deaths.

When is the spirit (rooh) breathed into the embryo? Concerning the other stages of embryonic development discussed above, it is possible with modem-day equipment to actually witness the development of the human in the womb. However, as ibn al-Qayyim pointed out, when exactly is the spirit breathed into the human can only be known through revelation from the Creator. There is no way to tell simply by witnessing what goes on in the
womb to know when the spirit has been breathed into the embryo.

A common answer to this question is that the rooh is breathed into the new human after 120 days in the womb. Some commentators state that there is agreement on this point. However, for most scholars, this answer is directly determined by the understanding of this hadith of ibn Masood that the period of the nutfah is forty days, followed by a forty-day period of the alaqah which is also followed by a forty-day period of the mudhghah. But this interpretation seems to be incorrect. Therefore, in order to answer this question correctly one must study closely the related texts of the Quran and hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him). In particular, in Sahih Muslim, there are a number of hadith that are relevant. In the Book of Qadar, Imam Muslim has recorded the following hadith:

“[Narrated Hudhaifah ibn Usaid:] After the nutfah is in the womb for forty or forty five nights, the angel comes to it and says, ‘O Lord, will it be unfortunate or fortunate?’ And these matters shall be written. Then he says, ‘O Lord, will it be a male or female?’ And such shall be recorded. His actions, deeds, life span and provisions will then be recorded. Then the pages shall be folded up and there is no addition or subtraction from them.”

“When the nutfah passes forty-two nights in the womb, Allah sends to it an angel who shapes it and creates its hearing, seeing, skin, flesh and bones. Then he says, ‘O Lord, is it a male or female?’ Then your Lord decrees whatever He wills and the angel records it. Then he says, ‘O Lord, what is its life span?’ Then your Lord says whatever He wills and it is recorded by the angel. Then he says, ‘ O Lord, what will be its provisions?’ Then your Lord decrees what He wills and it is recorded by the angel. Then the angel leaves with the scroll in his hand. Nothing shall be added to what he was ordered nor shall anything be decreased.”

“The nutfah remains in the womb for forty nights. Then the angel appears to it. [Zuhair said, ‘I think that he said, “The one who creates it.”] The angel says, ‘O Lord, is it a male or female?’ Then Allah shall make it a male or female. Then he says, ‘Shall he be complete or incomplete [physically speaking]?’ Then Allah shall decree him complete or incomplete. Then the angel says, ‘O Lord, what shall be his provisions, his life span, his character?’ Then Allah decrees if he shall be fortunate or unfortunate.”

None of these hadith explicitly mention the rooh or human spirit and when it is breathed into the embryo. However, they are all explicit that the angel coming to the womb occurs at around forty, forty-two or forty-five days or nights. This further supports the interpretation of this hadith that all of these stages are completed within the first forty days and then the angel is sent to the womb to record these aspects of the human being. A relevant verse of the Quran which states,

“And indeed We created man (Adam) out of an extract of clay (water and earth). Then We made him [the offspring of Adam] as a nutfah (mixture of male and female sexual fluid) in a safe lodging [womb of the woman]. Then We made the nutfah into an object that clings. Then We made the clinging object into a chewed-up looking lump. Then We made out of that chewed-up lump bones. Then We clothed the bones with flesh. Then We brought it forth as another creation. So blessed be Allah, the best of Creators” (al Muminoon 12-14). According to a number of commentators on the Quran, such as alTabari, ibn Katheer and al-Raazi, the words, “Then We brought it forth as another creation,” implies the breathing of the soul into the physical body. In this verse, it is clear that this action of breathing the soul into the womb takes place after the nutfah turns into an alaqah and then a mudhghah and even after the bones have been covered with flesh. Hence, the question of exactly when the rooh is breathed into the womb can still not be determined. However, it is definitely clear that it takes place after the first forty some-odd days.

Ibn Hajr, though, mentions a hadith of ibn Abbaas in which states, “After the nutfah is in the womb for four months and ten days, the rooh is breathed into it.” If this hadith is authentic, then it is a clear and definitive answer to this question. It was the view of Saeed ibn al-Musayyab, Imam Ahmad and other early scholars that the rooh is breathed into the fetus after four months and ten days (a total of 130 days). In fact, this is how they explained why the waiting period for the widowed wife is four months and ten days. However, ibn Hajr does not make it clear whether that is a hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him) or a statement of ibn Abbaas. Ibn Rajab makes reference to that narration but he presents it in a way that implies, first, that it is a statement of ibn Abbaas and, secondly, that it is not a strong narration. Furthermore, this author personally searched for this hadith to the best of his ability and was not able to locate it in any of the known books of hadith.4 In addition to that, almost all of the scholars who discuss this issue do not refer to that hadith whatsoever. Allah knows best.

Does the breathing in of the rooh imply the beginning of human life?: There is nothing explicit in either the Quran or sunnah that states that the breathing in of the rooh implies the creation of life as such. In fact, one could argue that life already began, as the fetus is growing from one stage to the next in its developmental process, before the angel comes and breathes the rooh into fetus. However, it seems to be the opinion of the majority of the scholars– if not a consensus– that the breathing in of the rooh implies the creation of a new human being. Muhammad Naeem Yaseen has supported this conclusion through a number of arguments. One important case that he points to is the case of the father of humans, Adam (peace be upon him). Adam was created from clay but the turning point in his creation was when the rooh was breathed into him. For example, Allah says,

“[Remember] when your Lord said to the angels, ‘Truly, I am going to create man from clay. So when I fashioned him and breathed into him [his] soul created by Me, then you fall down prostrate to him”‘ (Saad 71-72). Yaseen also states, in support of the idea that it is the breathing in of the soul that constitutes actual life, that there is an agreement that death, the opposite of life, occurs when the soul is completely detached from the body. In conclusion, although there is nothing specific that the breathing in of the rooh constitutes the beginning of a new human life, it does seem to be the consensus view and it has weighty arguments to support it.

4. “He is also commanded to issue four decrees: to record his Sustenance, his Life span, his Deeds and [whether he will be] unhappy [by entering Hell] or happy [by entering Paradise].”

The angels records all of these matters for the human being while it is still a fetus. This is a reference to Allah’s pre-knowledge of everything that will occur in this universe. This knowledge and recording was referred to under the discussion related to belief in al-Qadar, in hadith #2. This hadith states that the amount of a person’s provisions and sustenance is recorded. It is also recorded whether or not that sustenance comes through legal or illegal means & exactly how long the person will live is already known and recorded while he is still in his mother’s womb. The person’s individual deeds will be recorded at that time.

Then the angel records whether he will be among the fortunate or the miserable. According to ibn Hajr, the angel simply records the one word or the other. This status is based on how the person ends his life, as is clear from the remainder of the hadith. Of course, this determination is based on Allah’s knowledge and justice. He will destine for Heaven those who deserve Heaven because they are going, after birth, to accept the truth and apply it in their lives. He will destine for Hell those who will refuse the truth and do not follow the Straight Path.

Obviously, Allah could have sent the humans to Heaven and Hell without putting them through this life. However, this life is so that they will not have any argument against Allah. They will not be able to claim, for example, when thrown into Hell, that they would have believed and followed the truth. Now, their deeds will be right in front of them on the Day of Judgment and they will not be able to make any false claims on their own behalf. Who exactly is the happy and the miserable? Allah has further described them in a moving passage of the Quran,

“As for those who are miserable, they will be in the Fire, sighing in a high and low tone. They will dwell therein for all the time that the heavens and the earth endure, except as your Lord will. Verily, your Lord is the doer of what He will. And those who are fortunate and happy, they will be in Paradise, abiding therein for all the time that the heavens and the earth endure, except as your Lord will, a gift without end” (Hood 106-108).

Other narrations of the hadith mention the angel asking Allah, “Is it a male or a female?” A narration from Abdullah ibn Amr even includes the questions: “Shall it be aborted or not?” “Shall it be just one or twins?” A narration in Sahih Muslim states that this recording is in the scrolls of the angels. After the angel finishes recording the information, the scroll is rolled up and nothing shall be added or deleted from it.

It is possible that there are two separate recordings of this information. One is on the scrolls of the angels and the other is written onto the forehead of the fetus itself or between its two eyes. (The latter has been stated in a hadith recorded by ibn Hibban and elsewhere.) Someone may therefore ask: How could all of this information be written upon the forehead of the fetus?

Ibn Uthaimeen replies to this question by saying that this is from the matters of the Unseen and one is not supposed to ask about such matters. Instead, one should simply say that he believes in Allah and His Messenger and not ask, “How?” Then he further states that in modem times there are computer chips that contain a great deal of information even though they are very, very tiny in size. If human beings can accomplish something of that nature, what does this say about Allah’s ability to accomplish something much greater? The important aspect is that this is something that the Prophet (peace be upon him) has stated and a human has no knowledge of it because it is something that he does not experience or witness. Hence, he must accept and submit to what the Prophet (peace be upon him) has said about such a matter. That is the way of the true believer who knows that the Prophet (peace be upon him) spoke the truth.

Actually, modem scientists have discovered that by the third month the fetus begins to have a pattern on his forehead, which is called the lanugo. Like fingerprints, these scientists claim, this pattern is unique and distinct for every human being. However, obviously, one cannot claim for certain that this is the writing that is referred to in these hadith.

Finally, according to ibn al-Arabi, the wisdom behind the angel recording this information is because, in that case, it is open to change, deletion or addition. This is different from what Allah has recorded, which is not open to any change at all. Some of the early scholars were of the view that this recording could be changed- but, obviously, not what Allah had recorded in the Preserved Tablet. Hence, they would pray, “O Allah, if I am recorded among the miserable, erase it and record me among the fortunate.” This supplication is in reference to the recording of the angel while the fetus is in the womb and not the recording in the Preserved Tablet. Allah knows best.

5. “I swear by Allah, other than Whom there is no God, certainly, one of you will definitely perform the deeds of the people of Paradise until there is not between him and Paradise except an arm’s length and then what has been
recorded will overtake him and he shall perform the deeds of the people of Hell and enter it. .. “

The Controversy Over This Portion of the Hadith: There is some controversy concerning this portion of the hadith. The controversy stems from the fact that some narrators narrated this portion as a statement of Abdullah ibn Masood instead of a statement of the Prophet (peace be upon him). According to al-Tahaawi, regardless of whether this is a statement of the Prophet (peace be upon him) or of ibn Masood, it is a correct and truthful statement. He says that because ibn Masood would not make such a statement from his own judgment. It must be based on something he learned from the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself. Hence, the dispute, in al Tahaawi’s opinion, is moot. In either case, the statement is correct and must be believed in.

Actually, there is no need to make such an argument. There are plenty of authentic narrations from ibn Masood that state that this portion of the hadith was a statement of the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself. It is possible that Abdullah may have mentioned it as his own statement on occasion. This was not uncommon for the Companions, especially if they feared that they may be mistaken in any of the wording of the hadith. Ibn Hajr points out that it is possible that the swearing by Allah was from Abdullah ibn Masood while the remainder of the words were from the Prophet (peace be upon him).

“I swear by Allah, other than Whom there is no God”: The following passage has a number of aspects that emphasize its truthfulness. The first is swearing by Allah. The next is the presence of the word inna. The third is the presence of the letter lam in the word layamal or “definitely perform”. All of these stress the certainty and truthfulness of what is about to be said. Obviously, one would not speak in this manner unless there was some need to do so. The need to do so in this case is that someone could reject or think quite odd what the rest of the hadith states. The rest of the hadith states that a person could be doing the acts of one apparently destined for Paradise for years and then end up in the Hell-fire. Conversely, a person could be doing acts that could land one in the Hell-fire for years and then end up in Paradise. This is indeed something remarkable and unexpected. Hence, the Prophet (peace be upon him) began with these words and expressions in order to stress that this happens to some people.

“certainly, one of you will definitely perform the deeds of the people of Paradise..”: In this hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) is describing someone who has performed the deeds that will lead to Paradise for almost his entire life. A narration in Musnad Ahmad from Abu Huraira mentions that he does such deeds for seventy years. Then, just before his time of death as has been recorded for him while he was in the fetus, he changes his acts. He stops doing the deeds of the people of Paradise and, instead, he starts performing the deeds of the people of the Hell-fire. He was very close to entering Paradise, as if the only thing between him and Paradise would have been his death. But he did not persist in that way. He did not continue to strive and patiently do the acts of the People of Paradise. He changed before his death and due to that reason he will be from the people of Hell.

This hadith points out a very important aspect of judgment. A person will be judged according to his belief and actions at the time of his death. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “A person does the deeds of the People of Hell while he is from the People of Paradise. And a person does the deeds of the People of Paradise and he is from the People of Hell. And verily the deeds are based on their final [deeds].” (Recorded by al-Bukhari.)

In reality, this is a very scary thought. It means that every Muslim must be on guard at all times to make sure that he does not stray from the straight path. He cannot look to his present deeds and feel assured because it could be that he changes his ways and starts performing the deeds of the people of the Hell-fire. Hence, he must always be on his toes. He must always pursue those avenues that strengthen his faith, revive it or keep it strong. And he must always stay away from those avenues that weaken and damage his faith, as he does not know what they may lead him to and he may end up dying in a wretched state.

It is a simple thing for a person’s heart to change. The Arabic word for heart, qalb, comes from the fact that it can change completely from one direction to another. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “It is only called the qalb (heart) because of how it can change. The similitude of the heart is like a leaf hanging by the trunk of a tree that is being blown upside down by the wind.” Another hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him) states how the hearts can be turned easily. Hence, the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself used to pray to Allah to make his heart firm. Al-Tirmidhi recorded the following hadith:

The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to say often, “O changer of the hearts, make my heart firm upon Your religion.” The Companion said, “O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), we have believed in you and what you have brought. Do you fear for us?” He answered, “Yes. Verily, the hearts are between two of Allah’s fingers and he turns them any way He wills.”

Note that in this hadith concerning the creation in the womb, the Prophet (peace be upon him) only described two cases, where one changes from good to evil and vice-versa. The Prophet (peace be upon him) did not mention the most common cases of one doing good his whole life or one doing evil his entire life. The Prophet (peace be upon him) was not intending to describe everyone in this hadith. He was simply making a point about what has been recorded about a person. No matter what the person’s deeds may be, before he dies, he will do the acts that correspond to what has been recorded for him, that is, whether he was from the fortunate or the miserable.

Note also that the good deeds that he performed may have been recorded on his behalf. However, such deeds will only be accepted and rewarded by Allah if a person does not follow them up with a deed that may negate them completely. There are many acts that wipe away one’s good deeds. The greatest or worst of them is committing apostasy. This act wipes away all of one’s good deeds.

Apparently, some commentators believe that this portion of the hadith is only in reference to the one who practices Islam for some time and then turns apostate. According to ibn Hajr, there is no need for such an assumption. The entering into the Hell-fire described does not necessarily mean that he will be in the Hell-fire forever. In other words, the hadith could be referring to a Muslim who practiced his faith well for many years and then changed his ways and committed many sins. But he stayed within the fold of Islam. Therefore, he will be one of the inhabitants of Hell but he will not remain therein forever by the grace of Allah. Hence, the hadith is a warning concerning committing sins as well as leaving Islam completely.

An Incorrect Understanding of This Portion of the Hadith: According to ibn Uthaimeen, the meaning of this hadith is that a person does the acts of Paradise “as it is viewed by the people”. That is, he is saying that the person is performing those deeds and the people think he is pious while in fact there is evil in his heart and he is from the People of Hell. He bases this understanding on a different hadith found in Sahih al-Bukhari in which a person was fighting valiantly on the side of the Muslims and the Prophet (peace be upon him) stated that he was from the people of Hell. A person followed that man and found him committing suicide afterwards. So the Prophet, on that particular occasion, stated, “A man may perform the acts of
the People of Paradise as it appears to the people.”

However, that hadith is completely irrelevant to the hadith being discussed here. This particular hadith is concerned with the topic of al-Qadar and the fact that what has been written for a person will come about. There are people who have been written to be among the miserable. They spend almost all of their lives doing good deeds- truly good deeds, not for show or out of hypocrisy. But Allah knows that they will be from the miserable. Hence, they change their ways and begin to do the deeds of the People of Hell. Therefore, this hadith is not talking about people who are outwardly showing good deeds while in their heart there is some wicked intention. It is talking about those who change their behavior before their life is over.

Furthermore, the Prophet (peace be upon him) also spoke about the opposite case in this hadith. (He did not do so in the hadith that ibn Uthaimeen referred to.) Obviously, there is no such thing as a person doing the deeds of the People of Hell in the sight of the people while in his heart he is some kind of pious person who is from the People of Paradise. It is important to understand this hadith correctly as the ramifications of ibn Uthaimeen’s misunderstanding are very different.

6. “And, certainly, one of you will definitely perform the acts of the people of Hell until there is not between him and Hell except an arm’s length and then what has been recorded will overtake him and he shall perform the deeds of the people of Paradise and enter it.”

This is the opposite of the first case described above. Ibo Daqeeq alEid points out that it is part of Allah’s great mercy that the first case mentioned above is very rare while the second case mentioned here is not uncommon. That is, by Allah’s mercy, He guides those who turn to Him. If someone does good deeds, Allah continues to guide him, help him and overlook his faults. Only if the person has a complete change in heart does Allah take him all the way to disbelief or the Hell-fire. On the other hand, there are many cases where Allah saves a person from the Hell-fire by guiding him to Islam. He was doing the acts of the people of the Hell-fire and, by Allah’s mercy, he is now doing the acts of the people of Paradise. In fact, all of the Companions who embraced Islam some time after the message reached them were of this nature.

This portion of the hadith should also give hope to those who are currently committing sins, realizing that they are wrong but somehow still not being able to pull themselves from them. If such a person continues to strive and correct himself, Allah willing, he will finally some day change his ways. When he does, he will start performing the deeds of the People of Paradise and die in that state. This is, once again, a great bounty, blessing and opportunity from Allah. Those who are committing sins now should realize this fact and change their ways before death comes to them while they are still performing the deeds of the People of Hell.

7. Other Points Related to this Hadith

• The process of the creation of humans and birth should lead a thinking person to believe in resurrection and the Hereafter. The one who is able to create humans from a tiny portion of a small amount of fluid certainly is able to recreate such a human after his death. Indeed, the re-creation should be considered much easier a task than the first creation.

• Allah certainly has the ability to create a human without going through the stages that it goes through in the fetus. According to ibn Hajr, Allah creates humans in such a way as a mercy for the mothers. This makes it much easier upon them and much less of a hardship. Allah prepares the womb and takes the fetus slowly, step by step, into its birth.

• A person should consider how he was created, stage by stage, in a beautiful form. He was created in a beautiful fashion and, on top of that, he was given the blessing of the mind and rational thought. This differentiates him from other animals who have not been blessed with that characteristic. The one who realizes this fact should truly be thankful to the One who created him, blessed him and gave him life. He should thank Him in a proper manner by obeying Him and not disobeying Him

• Furthermore, this hadith also should make a person reflect on how he was and is in need of his Lord. When he was a drop of fluid in his mother’s womb, he did not bring himself about. Instead, it was Allah. The human, in fact, alive today has no conscious remembrance of what occurred to him in those stages. He should think about how Allah cared for him and shaped him in the most beautiful of manners. Once again, this should make the person very thankful to his Creator and Lord

• This hadith is evidence that a person enters Paradise or Hell because of his deeds. This is not in contradiction with another hadith that states, “The actions of any one of you will not enter him into Paradise.” (Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim.) The meaning of that hadith is that it is only by Allah’s grace and mercy that one enters Paradise. His actions alone are not deserving of what Paradise entails

• Whatever Allah has decreed and determined will occur, because of His foreknowledge of all events. His decree that a person will be from Heaven or Hell will occur as He has decreed it. This is part of the overall belief in al-Qadar. However, no one knows what has been decreed for him. Therefore, he must continue to work for that goal that he is seeking. If he is from the People of Paradise, the proper deeds will be made easy for him and he will be performing them at the time of his death.

• This hadith is also evidence that repentance and good deeds may wipe away the effects of evil deeds that were previously performed.

• Al-Qaari states that this hadith shows that human beings should do things or undertake things gradually, step by step, each step at its appropriate time, without haste. He says that Allah has the most ability to create anything in one moment but such is not the path that Allah has followed. Humans should understand the wisdom behind this and realize that to accomplish things correctly and properly they must be done in the proper manner and stages.

• A Muslim must not be fooled or deceived by his good deeds. His good acts should not lead him to becoming arrogant and proud. Such behavior and characteristics would never be found in a true believer who understands the reality of this world. Instead, the true believer must always be in a position between hope and fear. He must always be hoping that Allah accepts his deeds and continues to guide him. He must always be fearful that Allah may not accept his deeds or that he may stray from the Straight Path and render all of his works vain

• No matter what kinds of evil deeds and kufr a person may exhibit in this world, no one can be so arrogant to look at him while he is still alive and say, “This person is going to Hell.” Allah may guide him to the straight path and change his ways completely and he may be from the people of Heaven. This also implies that one must never despair and give up when it comes to hoping that others will embrace Islam. For example, a person’s father or mother may be a non-Muslim and may continue for a long time to be so. But the person may continue to pray for their guidance and need not despair. It may well be that Allah guides them to the truth just prior to their deaths.

• Every Muslim should seek refuge in Allah from having an evil end, wherein his deeds before his death are those of the people of Hell.

• Provisions are predetermined even before one’s birth by Allah. Allah is the sole Provider. Hence, one must turn to Him to seek provisions. One’s provisions have already been recorded and decreed. They will come to him. There is, then, no need and no reason for a person to sell his religion for the sake of getting provisions in this world

• According to al-Nawawi, the hadith shows that it is recommended perhaps it would be better to say permissible- to swear by Allah in order to stress a matter and make the people really pay attention to it

• It is clear from this hadith that the soul is not breathed into the womb at the time of conception. This means that the Islamic position on this question is different from the Catholic perception.

8. Summary of the Hadith

The word nutfah does not occur in this hadith as recorded by al-Bukhari, Muslim and numerous others. It is only found in a narration recorded by Abu A waana. This narration contradicts what all other trustworthy narrators have narrated. Hence, it must be considered a case of idraaj, where a word has incorrectly been inserted into the text of a hadith.

The majority of the scholars have understood this hadith to mean that the fetus passes through three stages of nutfah, alaqah and mudhghah. Each stage takes forty days, for a total of one hundred and twenty days. This author was forced to adopt an opinion that is different from the majority opinion on this question, although it is not unprecedented. It is never an easy proposition to go against what the great scholars of Islam have stated. The author asks Allah to forgive him if he is mistaken and to guide him to what is correct.

The alternate explanation of this hadith, which is more supported by other narrations from the Prophet (peace be upon him) and what seems to be “medical fact,” is that the entire three stages occur during the first forty some-odd days after conception.

There is nothing explicit about when the rooh is breathed into the fetus. It definitely takes place at least forty days after conception. The majority of the scholars, some say a consensus, state that it takes place after 120 days. Others say that it takes place after 130 days. This author has not ventured to make any conclusion on this point.

While a human is still a fetus, an angel records its provisions, life span, deeds and whether he will be happy or miserable. This is all part of the foreknowledge that Allah possesses about this creation. The deeds a person is performing at the time of his death are the deeds that will determine whether he is from the people of Paradise or the people of Hell.

One cannot rest on his past deeds and think he is going to Paradise. Instead, one must continue to struggle and toil for his most important behavior is his behavior at the time of his death. A person may be performing the deeds of the people of Hell and, then, by Allah’s mercy, he is guided to perform the deeds of the people of Paradise. Therefore, he will be from the people of Paradise. Unfortunately, the opposite can also be true. Such has already been recorded for each human while he was in the womb of his mother.