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”. [رَوَاهُ الْبُخَارِيُّ] ، [وَمُسْلِمٌ]
On the authority of Abdullah ibn Masood (ra), who said:
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and he is the truthful, the believed, narrated to us, “Verily the creation of each one of you is brought together in his mother’s womb for forty days in the form of a nutfah (a drop), then he becomes an alaqah (clot of blood) for a like period, then a mudghah (morsel of flesh) for a like period, then there is sent to him the angel who blows his soul into him and who is commanded with four matters: to write down his rizq (sustenance), his life span, his actions, and whether he will be happy or unhappy (i.e., whether or not he will enter Paradise). By the One, other than Whom there is no deity, verily one of you performs the actions of the people of Paradise until there is but an arm’s length between him and it, and that which has been written overtakes him. So he acts with the actions of the people of Hellfire and thus enters it. Verily, one of you performs the actions of the people of the Hellfire, until there is but an arm’s length between him and it, and that which has been written overtakes him, and so he acts with the actions of the people of Paradise, and thus he enters it.” [Bukhari & Muslim]
This hadith describes how a human being is created, how destiny is written, and how a person’s final state with Allah depends on how they end their life, not how they appear in the middle.
Stages in the womb
The Prophet ﷺ explains that each person passes through three 40‑day stages in the mother’s womb: first as نطفة (nutfah, a drop), then علقة (alaqah, a clinging clot), then مضغة (mudghah, a chewed‑like lump of flesh). After these stages, an angel is sent to breathe the soul into the fetus, marking the beginning of full human life in Islamic theology.
What is written for each person
When the angel comes, four things are written: sustenance, lifespan, deeds, and whether the person will ultimately be “happy” (of the people of Paradise) or “unhappy” (of the people of Hell). This shows that Allah’s knowledge and decree cover all aspects of a person’s life, but it does not force them against their will; rather, it records what they will freely choose and what Allah has willed with His perfect wisdom.
Meaning of “deeds of Paradise/Hell.”
The hadith says someone may do “the deeds of the people of Paradise” or “the deeds of the people of Hell” until only an arm’s length remains between him and his final destination, then what is written overtakes him, and he changes course and dies on the opposite path. Scholars explain that this refers to what appears outwardly to people: the first person’s “good deeds” were not sincere or were only temporary, so his true inner reality catches up with him at the end; the second person’s life was one of sin, but Allah grants him repentance before death, so he finishes on faith and obedience.
Lessons about qadar and responsibility
This hadith is a core text about القدر (divine decree): everything is known, written, willed, and created by Allah, yet humans are still responsible for their choices. The point is not to make a person fatalistic, but to make them humble, fearful of a bad ending, and constantly asking Allah for حسن الخاتمة (a good end) while continuing to act righteously.
Practical guidance for the believer
From this hadith, scholars highlight several practical points: keep doing good consistently, never feel safe from misguidance, and never despair of Allah’s mercy, no matter how sinful the past. A person’s true success is judged by their state at death, so the believer focuses on sincerity, steadfastness, and constant repentance, trusting Allah while still striving with effort and du‘a.
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