عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ
حَدَّثَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه و سلم -وَهُوَ الصَّادِقُ الْمَصْدُوقُ-: إنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ يُجْمَعُ خَلْقُهُ فِي بَطْنِ أُمِّهِ أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْمًا نُطْفَةً، ثُمَّ يَكُونُ عَلَقَةً مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ، ثُمَّ يَكُونُ مُضْغَةً مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ، ثُمَّ يُرْسَلُ إلَيْهِ الْمَلَكُ فَيَنْفُخُ فِيهِ الرُّوحَ، وَيُؤْمَرُ بِأَرْبَعِ كَلِمَاتٍ: بِكَتْبِ رِزْقِهِ، وَأَجَلِهِ، وَعَمَلِهِ، وَشَقِيٍّ أَمْ سَعِيدٍ؛ فَوَاَللَّهِ الَّذِي لَا إلَهَ غَيْرُهُ إنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ لَيَعْمَلُ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ حَتَّى مَا يَكُونُ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَهَا إلَّا ذِرَاعٌ فَيَسْبِقُ عَلَيْهِ الْكِتَابُ فَيَعْمَلُ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ النَّارِ فَيَدْخُلُهَا. وَإِنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ لَيَعْمَلُ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ النَّارِ حَتَّى مَا يَكُونُ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَهَا إلَّا ذِرَاعٌ فَيَسْبِقُ عَلَيْهِ الْكِتَابُ فَيَعْمَلُ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ فَيَدْخُلُهَا
On the authority of Abdullah ibn Masud (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and he is the truthful and the believed, narrated to us:
Verily, the creation of each one of you is brought together in his mother’s womb for forty days as a drop, then he is a clot for a similar period, then a morsel for a similar period, then there is sent to him the angel who blows the spirit into him and he is commanded regarding four matters: to write down his provision, his life span, his deeds, and whether he is blessed or damned. By Allah, other than whom there is no God, one of you acts like the people of Paradise until he is but an arm’s length from it, and what is written overtakes him so he acts like the people of Hellfire and he enters it. Verily, one of you acts like the people of Hellfire until he is but an arm’s length from it, and what is written overtakes him so he acts like the people of Paradise and he enters it.
[Source: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 7454, Grade: Muttafaqun Alayhi]
This is a universal hadith in nature. It’s connected to the concept of will & decree, Divine Destiny, predestination. It is also connected to other aspects of the Unseen, such as, the gestation that happens in the womb of a mother as a result of a husband and wife engaging in marital relations, the sperm entering the female reproductive organ, the meeting of the sperm with the egg and what Allah does with it.
Let’s remind ourselves at time this narration was included in the book (Forty Hadith an-Nawawi), we didn't have science as the phenomenon at the level that we have it today, with its technology, with its equipment, with the idea of ultrasound and all the wonderful equipment that we have at our disposal today. Today, we have technology to scan the internal elements of a human being, to scan the womb of a mother, to scan the internal organisms of a human being and so on and so forth. This is why, Sheikh Sajid was highlighting that this hadith is universal, in nature.
Nowadays, we might not be able to appreciate the science in the hadith, but at times when Rasulullah SAW shared this hadith more than 1400 years ago, it was (and still is) insightful. Having a peek into what's happening in the womb of a mother, what happens to the egg of a female at the point of gestation, the days, weeks and months thereafter and as such. It’s just mesmerising.
This hadith has been studied in contemporary times, and has been used as a base to confirm the miraculous nature of the Quran because what we see here Allah mentions it in the Quran and also the miraculous nature of the teachings of the Prophet SAW. Indeed, what he SAW has shared with us hasn't come from him but rather he was taught by the Lord of the Worlds, the one who is the Ultimate Creator, the one who has access to the Unseen and the one who teaches the knowledge of the Unseen to whom He Wills.
Narrator of the Hadith #4: Abdullah ibn Mas’ud RA
Abdullah ibn Mas’ud RA is one of the famous companions of the Prophet SAW who is also a Muhajirun, those who accepted Islam early, migrated from Makkah to Medina and observed the Hijra.
Ibn Mas’ud took 70 chapters directly from Rasulullah SAW and still remains humble. Rasulullah SAW endorsed ibn Mas’ud as reference to Al-Quran,
'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud said RA: “Allah’s Messenger SAW told me: ‘Recite the Qur’an to me,’ so I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, shall I recite the Qur’an to you when it was to you that it was revealed?’ He said: ‘I like to hear it from someone other than myself,’ so I recited the Sura of the Women [ [An-Nisa’ 4:41] فَكَيۡفَ إِذَا جِئۡنَا مِن كُلِّ أُمَّةِۭ بِشَهِيدٖ وَجِئۡنَا بِكَ عَلَىٰ هَٰٓؤُلَآءِ شَهِيدٗا : How will it be when We bring a witness from every community, and bring you [O Prophet] as a witness against these [people]] until the place that reads: And We bring you as a witness against these (وَجِئۡنَا بِكَ عَلَىٰ هَٰٓؤُلَآءِ شَهِيدٗ). Then I saw the eyes of Allah’s Messenger bathed in tears.”He once decided to read the Quran (surah ar-Rahman) in public, in front of the Kaabah (where the Sahabah opposed him for he has no tribe), and the Quraysh got angry, and he was beaten badly. Yet, he told the Sahabah that he bet the Quraysh were more uncomfortable than him after listening and knowing the Quran, of what the Prophet SAW is teaching.
Abdullah ibn Mas’ud RA was known to be short and it is said that if a tall person sat and he stood next to the person, they would be sort of similar in height. That's how short he was.
Once the Messenger SAW asked for Abdullah RA to get something for him from a tree, so he climbed the tree for it and when he climbed that his shins were exposed, and he had thin legs and the companions innocently laughed, making fun of him and Rasulullah SAW said, “Indeed the leg of Abdullah is heavier than Mount Uhud on the scales on the day of qiyamah” .
Abdullah ibn Mas’ud passed away during the reign of Uthman al-’Affan RA , 32 years after Hijrah.
In this hadith, Imam an-Nawawi mentioned the kuniya of Abdullah ibn Mas’ud, أَبِي عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ , at the beginning of this hadith.
Authenticity of the Hadith
In the field of Usul al-Hadith, the term "tahammul" refers to the process of critically examining the Hadith literature, assessing its authenticity, and understanding its implications.The phrases such as حَدَّثَنَا, سَمِعْنَا, عَنْ, قَالَ, أَخْبَرَنَا, and few others are phrases used to provide information about the transmission of the Hadith from one narrator to another.
In this narration, the phrase حَدَّثَنَا used, shows that without doubt that the narration was said by the narrator to the person. So, this means that Abdullah ibn Mas’ud was present with other sahaba when the Prophet SAW mentioned this particular narration.
Furthermore, this narration also mentioned Abdullah ibn Mas’ud as الصَّادِقُ الْمَصْدُوقُ , although this is not something popular but it is not uncommon. Furthermore, as this narration shares something that goes beyond one’s mind, the scene of the unseen matter, to the untrained, misguided mind it can be difficult to accept, hence the description الصَّادِقُ الْمَصْدُوقُ strengthened the narration. الصَّادِقُ means the truth, and الْمَصْدُوقُ means the one who people have testified to his truthfulness and what he says is not open to scrutinization because he has a prolonged track record of being truthful.
Objective of The Hadith
The hadith talks about a synopsis of what is to come, about a person's life's measure and also how the end of our lives connected to our beginnings. The core of this iteration is on Divine will and predestination. The idea of actions being judged by its endings, and endings has its connectivity to its beginning.
The fact that Allah SWT, indeed judges us based on our endings, وَإِنَّمَا الأَعْمَالُ بِالْخَوَاتِيمِ (“Verily, deeds are only judged by how they were at the end of life.”[M]), and the fact that those خَوَاتِيمِ have a connection to our beginning.
Imam Baihaqi mentioned that:
قلب البرار معلقة بِالْخَوَاتِيمِ وقلب المقربون معلقة بِالْثوابئ
The hearts of the righteous are connected to the (strong) end, and the hearts of those closer to Allah are connected at the beginning.
Hence, those closer to Allah asked themselves, what have they done, what have they read to present to Allah when they meet Allah.
There’s a difference between the righteous,الابرار, and those closer to Allah,المقربون. Although both are praiseworthy groups and will receive great gifts from Allah, they have different levels with Allah. Even Allah’s Jannah has different levels. The مقربون recognize the effect of their beginnings, and not just their endings.
There are two key objectives from this narration:
Everyone has a life’s measure
Do know that everyone has a life's measure. Relating to the angels, when Allah teaches them when is their time to know and that the knowledge of Allah and the knowledge of the al-Lawh al-Mahfuz is with Allah SWT. Also, those who Allah chooses to provide access to that knowledge so He would teach the prophets and give him access to the unseen, as we’ve seen in what has been revealed in this particular narration.
Strengthening one’s Iman
Allah, The Creator & The Perpetual Creator
إنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ يُجْمَعُ خَلْقُهُ فِي بَطْنِ أُمِّهِ أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْمًا نُطْفَةً، ثُمَّ يَكُونُ عَلَقَةً مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ، ثُمَّ يَكُونُ مُضْغَةً مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ، ثُمَّ يُرْسَلُ إلَيْهِ الْمَلَكُ فَيَنْفُخُ فِيهِ الرُّوحَ
Verily, the creation of each one of you is brought together in his mother’s womb for forty days as a drop, then he is a clot for a similar period, then a morsel for a similar period, then there is sent to him the angel who blows the spirit into him
What is being described in the first part of the hadith is the incubation period. Allah SWT has created us upon this incubation period.
Firstly, the phase is يُجْمَعُ and this word entails a gathering of pieces. You are brought together by Allah SWT, the male sperm meeting the female's egg; the two pieces coming together formulates the core base of human beings.
Then the next phase نُطْفَةً where the sperm mates with the egg and exists as a droplet for 40 days and this is known as the first phase of the incubation period.
The second incubation stage is the ‘hanging’ stage, عَلَقَةً where the droplet attaches itself to a safe space on the womb of a mother.This is all by the will of Allah SWT.
The third incubation stage, مُضْغَةً, where it resembles a piece of flesh which today is being termed as fetus.
Then, Allah sends and teaches the angel and gives the angel the ability to know the destiny of the human being, وَيُؤْمَرُ بِأَرْبَعِ كَلِمَاتٍ: بِكَتْبِ رِزْقِهِ، وَأَجَلِهِ، وَعَمَلِهِ، وَشَقِيٍّ أَمْ سَعِيدٍ. In this phase, the destiny is recorded, from hidden becomes manifest to the angels. It has been in the Preserved Tablet and being made known to the angel.
One key takeaway that we can take away from this is how perfect Allah is as a Creator, Al-Kholiq, ٱلْخَالِقُ, and no doubt Allah is the Perpetual Creator and there’s no argument that creating perpetually is more difficult than just creating at the beginning or as a one-off creation.
Allah SWT can create something instantly and He can create it in a delayed form. He SWT has total iradah, total control of what He does, when He does and how He does. Nothing can overcome Allah SWT and He SWT chose human beings to be created through a process over a period of time.
In this hadith stated that the total of incubation period being 120 days, and four matters are being recorded (i.e. his provision, his life span, his deeds, and whether he is blessed or damned.).
Duration of The Creation of Human
In another narration, Hudhaifa b. Usaid reported directly from Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) that
He SAW said “When the drop of (semen) remains in the womb for forty or forty five nights, the angel comes and says: My Lord, will he be good or evil? And both these things would be written. Then the angel says: My Lord, would he be male or female? And both these things are written. And his deeds and actions, his death, his livelihood; these are also recorded. Then his document of destiny is rolled and there is no addition to nor subtraction from it”.
At face value, in the hadith of Abdullah ibn Mas’ud tells us that the destiny matches are written at post-120 days and in the hadith of Hudhaifa, we learn that the destiny is written post-40 or 45 days.
Both narrations are correct and Rasulullah SAW didn’t make any mistake narrating them.
There are differences between the hadiths in terms of the timing i.e. 40 days vs 40-45 nights vs 42 nights. How do we explain this apparent conflict?
There shouldn’t be any contradiction. What seems clear is that the Hadith of Ibn Mas’ud is telling us the stages of creation and when the soul arrives, while the Hadith of Hudhaifa is telling us which the Hadith of Ibn Mas’ud does not deny (what he Hadith of Hudhaifa is affirming). The Hadith of ibn Mas’ud lists things for us and the Hadith of Hudhaifa tells us things.
So, there’s no denial taking place between the narrations if there’s any contradiction. The Hadith of Hudhaifa affirms the presence of a shared process across the last 80 days, and the process starts after 42 days.
Allah SWT talks about this process in the Quran:
ٱلَّذِي خَلَقَكَ فَسَوَّىٰكَ فَعَدَلَكَ (7) فِيٓ أَيِّ صُورَةٖ مَّا شَآءَ رَكَّبَكَ (8)
Who created you, then shaped and proportioned you, and assembled you in whatever form He willed? [QS 82:7-8]
Also, in the Quran:
هُوَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلۡخَٰلِقُ ٱلۡبَارِئُ ٱلۡمُصَوِّرُۖ
He is Allah, the Creator, the Maker (the One who perfects), the Fashioner (the Shaper). [QS 59:24]
Allah also says in His Book:
ٱللَّهُ يَعۡلَمُ مَا تَحۡمِلُ كُلُّ أُنثَىٰ وَمَا تَغِيضُ ٱلۡأَرۡحَامُ
Allah knows what every female bears (in the womb) [QS 13:8]
The scientist will also tell you that they know, from the ultrasound. Allah SWT knowledge is far beyond the ultrasound. Allah SWT knows everything before ultrasound can predict a thing. Allah SWT knows every grain of rice that the baby took and will take, Allah SWT knows the baby’s life details etc… and definitely beyond the technology.
After describing the incubation period, the hadith goes on saying that Allah sends the angel with the soul and the soul is blown into the body. As for the Hadith of Hudhaifa, the angel is asking Allah for details and this is happening before the 120 day period.
Is there any contradiction between the narrations? Majority of the scholars agree that the soul is blown into the body after 120 days. Imam Ahmad stated that if a miscarriage happens at four months a complete janaza is done.
As for the hadith of Hudhaifa, it's plausible that there're two angels or it's plausible that the angel came at two different times (to deal with matters of the Qadr and the other time to deal with the blowing in of the soul).
There’s also a view that the Qadr is staged across these periods (42, 45 up to 120 and even after 120). The narrations of Hudhaifa are highlighting things that the narration of Abdullah ibn Mas’ud doesn’t deny.
There’s a second opinion, it is acceptable from the perspective of the Arabic Language, to deduce that matters pertaining to Destiny take place within the periods after 42 days, but the Hadith of ibn Mas’ud delayed mentioning it to keep things meaningfully consistent and clear.
In the hadith of ibn Mas’ud, he mentions the stage of the creations, then the soul which connected to the body, and then the destiny that connected to the body and the soul.
Linguistically, the use of the words ثُمَّ and وَ, is plausible to deduce that the Qadr being delayed without the intent to give an impression that it happens later. Rather it was delayed because it was suitable linguistically. It is delayed in mentioning it, so people's train of thought follows the idea that the Hadith is pitching and keeping things that are related connected to each other. Then, the Hadith mention the Qadr that's connected to everything. Linguistically, to keep the meaning meaningful the body is mentioned, then the soul and then he mentions the Qadr which is connected to both the body and the soul.
In the Quran, the used of ثُمَّ and وَ are reflected in As-Sajdah:
وَبَدَأَ خَلۡقَ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنِ مِن طِينٖ (7) ثُمَّ جَعَلَ نَسۡلَهُۥ مِن سُلَٰلَةٖ مِّن مَّآءٖ مَّهِينٖ (8) ثُمَّ سَوَّىٰهُ وَنَفَخَ فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِهِۦۖ وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلسَّمۡعَ وَٱلۡأَبۡصَٰرَ وَٱلۡأَفۡـِٔدَةَۚ قَلِيلٗا مَّا تَشۡكُرُونَ(9) رُ
and initiated the creation of man from clay. Then He made his progeny from the extract of a worthless fluid. Then He fashioned him and breathed into him of His spirit. He granted you hearing, sight and intellect; yet little it is that you give thanks. [QS 32:7-9]
Pondering from the Quran, the word being used ثُمَّ to describe the creation of man from clay to extract of fluid, and He fashioned, until when Allah mentions the soul entering the fetus, the word used is وَ.
In the verse above, Allah mentions that the sperm that He gives you to have a progeny before He mentions the soul being blown but in real life, we know the soul comes before the progeny. So, how do we explain this? It is appropriate due to linguistic eloquence and keeping the meaning meaningful, and the intent of the verses thoughtful, because water or semen is connected to the clay mentioned in earlier verse. The conclusion is that matters of destiny happened earlier.
Abortion in Islam
We've established that destiny happens before 120 days. So, are matters pertaining to the soul connected to destiny? And, if it is connected, it is occurring before 120 days?
The questions raised are very important as it has fiqh implications especially when it comes to abortion. When can we abort the pregnancy?
Ultimately, in some considerations it's plausible, imaginable, understandable, perceivable and conceivable that it would be connected to when the child is considered to be living. When the foetus has reached the stage of gestation, whereby it's considered to be living, aborting it is killing a living being.
Today, technology has evolved and ultrasound has shown the fluttering of the foetus at 50 days of gestation or even less, and some mothers have felt strange movements in their wombs before the 120 day period.
So, how do we interact with the authentic Hadith in discussion? Is science and the hadith contradicting each other? Who can certainly say that that heartbeat happening there is due to the soul of the baby not the soul of the mother? Wallahu’alam. We can’t be certain of that, nor can we can’t rule out that the Hadits are incorrect .
Is the heartbeat of the foetus in womb of the mother connected to intrinsic life i.e. that the foetus is having its own soul or is it connected to extrinsic life i.e.the soul of the mother is obviously aiding that development with the rule of Allah and that's causing that heart to beat? Subhanallah. We recognize that the life of the womb of the mother is different to the life of the foetus.
In fiqh standpoint, in a precise science (as we spoke about blood money), if a baby dies due to the actions of the mother, when is she considered liable? If she stops feeling the baby moving in her womb, or let's say some specialists say that the baby passed away because of her action, is she liable? The answer is no.
In terms of blood money, the scholars discuss and agree that the child has to be born alive and then pass away (even if it's for a few seconds) due to the mother’s actions then she's liable. The fuqaha, in terms of the Islamic implications, clearly highlight that the world of the womb is different to the life of this world.
Some orientalists used the Hadith of Abdullah ibn Mas’ud to discredit Islam, that contradicts science and Muhammad is mistaken and so forth. We should not rush into conclusion and we need to investigate further.
When a scientist gets stuck on the theory they believe is true, they don’t just abandon the rulings, but they investigate and verify further on the findings. This is how a Muslim should behave accordingly, in terms of the Islamic rulings, especially with those of which are authentic. Just like how the scientist doesn't doubt science, the believer should not doubt the Prophet’s sayings.
Something to ponder upon (a view from a non-medical standpoint), a heart beating doesn't necessitate a soul being present and vice versa. Even in real life, when the heart stops beating, through medical intervention, a person is resuscitated. Does that mean the soul is there?
Based on the hadith of Hudhaifa, the destiny is written after 40 to 45 days, while the hadith of Abdullah ‘ibn Mas’ud said after 120 days. However the Arabic language used i.e. ثُمَّ against وَ is the justification why both sahih hadith did not contradict each other as per the accusation of the enemies of Islam.
Furthermore, in the hadith of ibn Mas’ud, Rasulullah SAW delayed in talking about destiny, not because of the timeline, but the eloquence of the Arabic language itself, to suit the whole context.
So, the scholars have agreed that the soul is blown in from 120 days (and this is the norm) and there is another view that states that it is possible for the soul to arrive before 120 days. And both Islamic point of view and even the technology cannot confirm that the beating heart that happened before 50 days is the soul of the foetus itself or the mother’s. This has no scientific evidence till to-date, so we cannot cancel out the authority of the Hadith sahih.
The Messenger of Allah cannot lie and he SAW was taught by Allah and he SAW knew the Unseen before the Unseen became seen with ultrasound and all these other forms of technology.
Talking about abortion, all the scholars agree that abortion is not permissible after 120 days of gestation. There’s an exception, where some scholars agree with, that abortion is permissible (if deem necessary) when teams of doctors confirm that this pregnancy is a zero-sum pregnancy which means that it is a pregnancy in which if the child survives the mother will die and if the mother survives the child will die.
The scholars also recommend that even before the arrival of the soul meaning before 120 days and even before the shaping of the foetus which is before the soul arrives, if there is no abnormal difficulty that is anticipated, the term of the pregnancy must be completed. The Messenger SAW encouraged the Muslim to have children as he desired a larger Ummah.
Allah says in the Quran:
ثُمَّ جَعَلۡنَٰهُ نُطۡفَةٗ فِي قَرَارٖ مَّكِينٖ
then We placed him as a sperm-drop in a safe place [Al-Mu’minuun 23:13]
In this verse, the safe place refers to the womb. Allah the Lord of the Worlds preserves the sperm, which means we shouldn't take it lightly and destroy it. We must strive to keep it, maintain the term of the pregnancy.
The rulings of abortion in Islam are as follows:
We have groups of scholars from the Hanafis, Hambalis, and Shafiis who are in the opinion that it is permissible as long as the soul has not arrived.
The Maliki and some of Hanafis, Hanbalis and Shafi'is scholars it’s not allowed to abort after 40 days.
The third view is saying it is makruh, disliked, to abort before the soul arrives, for no valid reason. If necessary, the reason by the way cannot include fear of supporting the child because Allah doesn't commit that kind of demeanour amongst the people of Iman.
In Islam, you can’t abort a child, without valid reason. The Shari'ah is merciful, when it holds us back, it is merciful. When you abort a child at five months (or more), at the back of your mind you will have the thought that you have killed a living soul but if Allah causes the child to pass away in your womb by itself you don't have that psychological stress.
Yes, your life comes to a halt but all that patience Allah is going to reward you for it and then that child passes away that child will wait for you in Jannah. So, the plus side from a psychological, emotional, world and hereafter-based perspective, all positive support letting the pregnancy run its course. Imagine if it was permitted for them to abort at five months and that child had a beating heart based on a living soul, so it had its own self. How will that affect the parents, psychologically?
The Soul
What is the soul? We know that the soul, of course, the hidden matters. We know it's Allah's creation, it's from The Unseen where we don't see it but we feel the effects of the soul.
The soul has been described as the electricity of the body. When the soul is there, the heart beats, the eyes see, the nose smells and the ear hears. When a person passes away, you see their body, eyes, ears and they have a heart, blood,lungs but nothing's functional. The electricity has been switched off. They can't hear you, nor see or open their eyes. You can look at them but they can't see you.
Why? The electricity has been switched off.
In the Quran, Allah says
وَيَسۡـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلرُّوحِۖ قُلِ ٱلرُّوحُ مِنۡ أَمۡرِ رَبِّي وَمَآ أُوتِيتُم مِّنَ ٱلۡعِلۡمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلٗا
They ask you [O Prophet] about the soul. Say, “The soul is only known to my Lord, and you have not been given knowledge except a little.” [Al-Israa’ 17:85]
Little that we know about the soul, for Allah has His soul with it. In the Quran Allah says
ثُمَّ سَوَّىٰهُ وَنَفَخَ فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِهِۦۖ
Then He fashioned him and breathed into him of His spirit [ As-Sajdah 32:9]
The soul is attributed to Allah, not to say that it is Allah rather its the creation of Allah and Allah has on it. In Arabic language, this is known as idhofah,إضافة possessiveness, linguistically. As for رُّوحِهِ as possession of Allah.
This shows that the soul is honoured, and soul is removed at the time of death fully.
Soul is partially removed at the time of sleep.
Allah says in the Quran
ٱللَّهُ يَتَوَفَّى ٱلۡأَنفُسَ حِينَ مَوۡتِهَا وَٱلَّتِي لَمۡ تَمُتۡ فِي مَنَامِهَاۖ فَيُمۡسِكُ ٱلَّتِي قَضَىٰ عَلَيۡهَا ٱلۡمَوۡتَ وَيُرۡسِلُ ٱلۡأُخۡرَىٰٓ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٖ مُّسَمًّىۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَأٓيَٰتٖ لِّقَوۡمٖ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ
Allah takes away the souls at the time of their death and of those who do not die during their sleep. He withholds the souls of those on whom He has decreed death, and releases others until an appointed term. Indeed, there are signs in this for people who reflect.
[Az-Zumar 39:42]
The scholars say that the time of soul leave is during sleep. The soul is partially removed from the body when we sleep, and will reenter when we wake up in the morning.
Why does Allah take away the soul at time of sleep? To help us rest as it leaves partially when we sleep.
The Prophet SAW teaches us the prayer before we go to sleep:
بِاسْمِكَ أَمُوتُ وَأَحْيَا اللَّهُمَّ
O Allah, with Your name, I die and I live.
And when you wake up in the morning you say,
الحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذي أَحْيَانَا بَعْدَ مَا أَمَاتَنَا وَإِلَيْهِ النُّشُورُ
All praise is for Allah who gave us life after having taken it from us and unto Him is the resurrection.
Ask Allah to preserve us in His obedience and keep us alive in His obedience.
Ibn Qayyim and Ibn Abi al-Izz (in his commentary of Aqidah Tahawiyyah), mentioned four relationships between the soul and the body.
i. The first relationship is the partial relationship where the soul and the body are in the womb of the mother after 120 days. There's a connection but it's not a complete connection as the connection will be after the child is born.
ii. The second relationship is the exact relationship with the body having greater precedence than the soul . It is where in the life of this world whereby body before soul because the body that feels pain first and then the soul feels it. So what the soul feels is connected to the body.
iii. The third relationship is the disconnected relationship. This is when you pass away and the soul is in the Barzakh, the waiting space, and the body is in the ground physically while the soul is in the waiting space. Here the focus is the soul before the body because the soul will feel first and then the body will feel what the soul feels.
iv. The fourth relationship is called the exact complete relationship. It is called a complete exact relationship as the body and the soul will feel together. The body and soul will have a complete experience at the same time. One is not dependent on each other. This is on the Day of Qiyamah, after the Resurrection. This is why, if you enter Jannah, you will have absolute na’im, absolute pleasure, and if you enter the Hellfire, it is absolute doom and gloom. Subhanallah
v. Some scholars have said there's a fifth relationship and that is the relationship when we sleep you are alive but Allah partially disconnects the soul from the body.
The Destiny
The second portion of Hadith talked about the Destiny, qadr.
وَيُؤْمَرُ بِأَرْبَعِ كَلِمَاتٍ: بِكَتْبِ رِزْقِهِ، وَأَجَلِهِ، وَعَمَلِهِ، وَشَقِيٍّ أَمْ سَعِيدٍ؛ فَوَاَللَّهِ الَّذِي لَا إلَهَ غَيْرُهُ إنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ لَيَعْمَلُ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ حَتَّى مَا يَكُونُ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَهَا إلَّا ذِرَاعٌ فَيَسْبِقُ عَلَيْهِ الْكِتَابُ فَيَعْمَلُ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ النَّارِ فَيَدْخُلُهَا. وَإِنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ لَيَعْمَلُ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ النَّارِ حَتَّى مَا يَكُونُ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَهَا إلَّا ذِرَاعٌ فَيَسْبِقُ عَلَيْهِ الْكِتَابُ فَيَعْمَلُ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ فَيَدْخُلُهَا
and he is commanded regarding four matters: to write down his provision, his life span, his deeds, and whether he is blessed or damned. By Allah, other than whom there is no God, one of you acts like the people of Paradise until he is but an arm’s length from it, and what is written overtakes him so he acts like the people of Hellfire and he enters it. Verily, one of you acts like the people of Hellfire until he is but an arm’s length from it, and what is written overtakes him so he acts like the people of Paradise and he enters it.
There are four types of destiny which are:
Daily Destiny, taqdeer al-yaumi تقدير اليوم , the daily destiny.
Yearly Destiny, taqdeer al-thanawi, تقدير الثانوي, the yearly destiny. As in the Quran, Allah SWT says,
فِيهَا يُفۡرَقُ كُلُّ أَمۡرٍ حَكِيمٍ
On that night, every matter of wisdom is determined [Ad-Dukhan 44:4]
Lifetime Destiny, taqdeer al-umuri تقدير الأمور, which means one's life destiny.
Master Destiny, taqdeer as-saabiq تقدير السابق, where سابق means the past, therefore this types are all the destiny stem from taqdeer al-lawh al-mahfoodz تقدير اللوح المحفوظ, The Preserved Tablet that was created 50000 years before the earth and heaven were created.
Our sitting right now, discussing qadr, was recorded in the Master Qadr, fifty thousand years before the creation of the heavens and the earth. Allahu Akbar.
In the Quran, Allah says:
أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلْأَرْضِۗ إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ فِى كِتَٰبٍۚ إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ يَسِيرٌ
Do you not know that Allāh knows what is in the heaven and the earth? Indeed, that is in a Record. Indeed that, for Allāh, is easy. [Al-Hajj - 22:70]
From ibn Kathir states that not even the weight of a speck of dust, or less than that or greater, escapes His knowledge in the heavens or in the earth. He knows all things even before they happen, and He has written that in His Book, Al-Lawh Al-Mahfuz.
Allah has surely created everything in a determined measure. In the Quran, Allah says:
إِنَّا كُلَّ شَىْءٍ خَلَقْنَٰهُ بِقَدَرٍ
Indeed, all things We created with predestination [Al-Qamar 54:49]
There are two categories of destiny which are the general type of destiny and the specific type. What was stated on The Preserved Tablet includes both general & specific destiny.
The qadr the angel received i.e. the food that the person will eat, the life that they will live to experience, whether the person will die a believer or a disbeliever are examples of specific qadr. This is the qadr that has been discussed in this hadith, a specific qadr.
We understand that what is on The Preserved Tablet is fixed, immovable and unchangeable. However, what the angel is taught and writes is a specific, open to change qadr.
Allah SWT says in the Quran,
يَمۡحُواْ ٱللَّهُ مَا يَشَآءُ وَيُثۡبِتُۖ وَعِندَهُۥٓ أُمُّ ٱلۡكِتَٰبِ
Allah eliminates what He wills or affirms it, and with Him is the Master Book [Ar-Ra'd 13:39]
Ibn Abbas RA says Allah eliminates what He wills and confirms in the records of the angels, and with Him is the Mother of The Book, meaning The Preserved Tablet that is unchangeable. Ibn Jawzi, in Zad al-Masir, mentioned eight views of the scholars regarding the tafseer of this verse.
As the Hadith is discussing about the angel receiving the specific qadr and from it whether the person will die a believer or a disbeliever, where their end will be, so on and so forth, does this mean that people are forced? Yes or No?
The answer is No, as this has been discussed in Hadith #2 the Hadith Jibreel. The focus of that discussion was on the fact that the qadr is written based on the timeless knowledge of Allah. He knows our life before we live it, and us living it, is a manifestation for the angels and for us of what was in the knowledge of Allah.
What we live in today, is a learning opportunity for us, to now know what was already in the knowledge of Allah. Allah already saw us, but we had to live it out, so on the day of qiyamah we can read the book that lists the actions that we actually did, as opposed to Allah putting us in our ends and then we will claim that we were cheated and oppressed. By living out the life and doing our actions based on our intents accordingly, everything is recorded and we read our records on the day of qiyamah but all of this was in the knowledge of Allah already because Allah's knowledge is not confined to past tense present tense and future tense.
So, how does the Qadr that the angel received change?
Allah releases portions from the Lawh to the angel. The Lawh will have the entire knowledge of Allah, regarding this person. Information is given for that day, that year, to the angel as it has been released accordingly. As the next year comes, the Lawh has information that wasn't known to that angel before, so Allah calibrates the knowledge of that angel by releasing the information.
Allah SWT releases what He chooses to release from the Lawh al-Mahfudz, in stages to the angels. So, whilst the angel is holding the qadr which is what is in The Preserved Tablet, it's only holding a portion of it not the next portion.
This is what it means when the scholars are saying that the qadr in the Lawh are not changeable, but the other qadr is changeable.
Some of the scholars of aqidah in the opinion that the qadr that changes are related to sustenance and date of death. There are narrations about sustenance and data of death changing, but the final destination doesn't change, whether they will end up in Jannah or Jahannam will not change.
Some scholars said that, even the end is open to change. They have said that the angel learns of the end of the person ibtida’, meaning at the beginning of that soul's journey to the Hereafter before all the interventions take place.
For a person used to giving sadaqah, helping the poor and so forth as an example of the intervention taking place, the effects of those actions are manifested on the person's journey in the Hereafter. What the angel writes at 120 days or before 120 days, based on the view of the qadr, and when the qadr happens, that is ibtida’ i.e. at the beginning of that soul's journey, when the soul is blown in. This is the destination of the soul the soul is heading to that end. Then, in the next year, something happens and the end changes.
This is a very plausible view, for a person may attain freedom from the Hellfire as a result of layl qadr and making du’a. A person having attained this freedom necessitates that the records of the angels are updated. But the record of the angel or the knowledge of the angel when the angel wrote down that this person is heading for Jannah or Jahannam, was specific knowledge to that time and that is the way things were, the way this person's life is going to take off, this person's end. As the interventions come into their life, the records of the angel are updated as well, so according to this view that says that the records change not just for sustenance and date of death but even the final end. The evidence is the same evidence used for life and death and sustenance being open to Jannah.
Umar al-Khattab RA understood the matters of qadr. Therefore, it wasn't a point of confusion for him, and as such with this knowledge, from the intensity of his Dua.
عَنْ أَبِي عُثْمَانَ النَّهْدِيِّ أَنَّ عُمَرَ بْنَ الْخَطَّابِ رضي الله عنه قَالَ وَهُوَ يَطُوفُ بِالْبَيْتِ وَيَبْكِي اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ كُنْتَ كَتَبْتَنِي فِي أَهْلِ السَّعَادَةِ فَأَثْبِتْنِي فِيهَا وَإِنْ كُنْتَ كَتَبْتَ عَلَيَّ الذَّنْبَ وَالشِّقْوَةَ فَامْحُنِي وَأَثْبِتْنِي فِي أَهْلِ السَّعَادَةِ فَإِنَّكَ تَمْحُو مَا تَشَاءُ وَتُثْبِتُ وَعِنْدَكَ أُمُّ الْكِتَابِ
Abu Uthman al-Hindi reported: Umar ibn al-Khattab RA was circling the House and he was weeping, saying, “O Allah, if you have written me among the blessed, affirm it therein. And if you have written me among the sinful and the damned, wipe it away and affirm me among the blessed. Verily, you wipe away and affirm whatever you will, and with you is the mother of the Book.”
Taking a closer look at a revert is a very good example as we discussed the topic of qadr. The angel had no knowledge of the revert, before being a revert, and then the person became a revert and Allah updated the records of the angel.
Eventually or all the time the qadr known to the angel has to match what is Lawh al-Mahfudz, that has everything, all the days, all the months, all theirs and this angel is receiving certain knowledge on the qadr on a daily basis, on a weekly basis,on a monthly basis and so on and so forth.
There are views of a group of scholars, in terms of the qadr and the qadr changing, of which there are two qadr in Lawh al-Mahfudz. One is related to a person doing certain acts, and a qadr related to a person doing other acts and as such at the beginning the angel receives the default qadr and then that person does those certain acts, then the other qadr written for them. If they did, those acts are now made known to the angel.
For example, a person will live for x amount of years and if they do a certain act, they will live for another x amount of years. So the angel knows the default of the person living, and when he or she does certain acts, meaning the interventions, then the angel receives the update.
Qadarallah
The last part of the Hadith is extremely scary, may Allah protect us, ameen. The hadith is saying
فَوَاَللَّهِ الَّذِي لَا إلَهَ غَيْرُهُ
By Allah, other than whom there is no God
Scholars are of the opinion that this is from the statement of ibn Mas’ud, not from the Prophet SAW. This is an example of precision of the science of hadith. It is known as idraaj, which means an insertion, where in a narration and within the narration, you have the views of the narrator.
At the beginning of this Hadith, we said that the salaf, the pious before us, used to say that the endings that we have in our lives are the inheritance of the beginnings. They are connected, from the beginning to the end.
As the part of the Hadith is saying
إنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ لَيَعْمَلُ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ حَتَّى مَا يَكُونُ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَهَا إلَّا ذِرَاعٌ فَيَسْبِقُ عَلَيْهِ الْكِتَابُ فَيَعْمَلُ بِعَمَلِ أَهْلِ النَّارِ فَيَدْخُلُهَا
Indeed, one of you acts like the people of Paradise until he is but an arm’s length from it, and what is written overtakes him so he acts like the people of Hellfire and he enters it.
Is this a fair deal? We understand in the Hadith of Jibril that there’s no jabbar, no force, and we have a choice, so, how do we relate to this hadith?
There are many hadith related to this. Some of the examples are the hadith about a pious man who killed himself during the war, hadith of a prostitute giving a dog some drink, and a woman abused a cat. These hadith really should flare the fear of Allah in our hearts. We shouldn't guarantee ourselves anything.
A person will enter the hellfire, doesn’t mean it will be there forever, but for sure it will enter the hellfire. We need to make Dua to Allah for us to be steadfast in worshipping Allah. Rasulullah SAW teaches us the prayers to seek Allah’s assistance for steadfastness.
'Anas narrated: "The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) would often say:
يَا مُقَلِّبَ الْقُلُوبِ ثَبِّتْ قَلْبِي عَلَى دِينِكَ
“Ya Muqallibal-qulub, thabbit qalbi 'ala dinik ('O Changer of the Hearts! Strengthen my heart upon Your Religion.)'
So I said: 'O Prophet of Allah! We believe in you and what you have come with, but do you fear for us?' He said: 'Yes. Indeed the hearts are between two Fingers of Allah's Fingers, He changes them as He wills.'"
May Allah guide us towards seeking forgiveness from Allah constantly. May Allah guide us towards not belittling any transgression, no matter how small we think it is. People of true iman will never feel comfortable with their deeds.
'Aishah RA, the wife of the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "I asked about the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) about this Ayah: And those who give that which they give with their hearts full of fear ~" 'Aishah asked "Are they those who drink khamr and steal?" He SAW said: "No, O daughter of As-Siddiq. They are those who fast, perform Salat, give charity while they fear that their Lord will not accept it from them: It is these who hasten to do good deeds, and they are the foremost of them.”
We should never ever become comfortable with where and who we are, and never ever look down on people. There could be people, who apparently look like they're doing the work of the people of Jahannam, but they have something in their past that they did that Allah has forgiven them. Then, we have those who may be comfortable because of their deeds but only Allah knows how things will be before the angel of death arrives when there's nothing but a forearm length between us and Jannah.
We should internalise these narrations. Make this narration a means of our transformation. It's very important that these are not just pieces of knowledge that we learn, just because we are knowledge junkies. Don’t just listen and read about it because we like to learn new things or to finish a book and to feel like students of knowledge. No, Subhanallah.
All this knowledge is evidence for us or against us Allah. May it be a constant reminder to us.