Evil one is he who is evil in the womb of his mother and the good one is he who takes a lesson from the (fate of) others. The narrator came to a person from amongst the Companions of Messenger of Allah ﷺ who was called Hudhaifa b. Usaid Ghifari and said: How can a person be an evil one without (committing an evil) deed? Thereupon the person said to him: You are surprised at this, whereas I have heard Messenger of Allah ﷺ as saying: When forty-two nights pass after the semen gets into the womb, Allah sends the angel and gives him shape. Then he creates his sense of hearing, sense of sight, his skin, his flesh, his bones, and then says: My Lord, would he be male or female? And your Lord decides as He desires and the angel then puts down that also and then says: My Lord, what about his age? And your Lord decides as He likes it and the angel puts it down. Then he says: My Lord, what about his livelihood? And then the Lord decides as He likes and the angel writes it down, and then the angel gets out with his scroll of destiny in his hand and nothing is added to it and nothing is subtracted from it.

أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ مَسْعُودٍ يَقُولُ الشَّقِيُّ مَنْ شَقِيَ فِي بَطْنِ أُمِّهِ وَالسَّعِيدُ مَنْ وُعِظَ بِغَيْرِهِ فَأَتَى رَجُلاً مِنْ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ يُقَالُ لَهُ حُذَيْفَةُ بْنُ أَسِيدٍ الْغِفَارِيُّ فَحَدَّثَهُ بِذَلِكَ مِنْ قَوْلِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ فَقَالَ وَكَيْفَ يَشْقَى رَجُلٌ بِغَيْرِ عَمَلٍ فَقَالَ لَهُ الرَّجُلُ أَتَعْجَبُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ فَإِنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ إِذَا مَرَّ بِالنُّطْفَةِ ثِنْتَانِ وَأَرْبَعُونَ لَيْلَةً بَعَثَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْهَا مَلَكًا فَصَوَّرَهَا وَخَلَقَ سَمْعَهَا وَبَصَرَهَا وَجِلْدَهَا وَلَحْمَهَا وَعِظَامَهَا ثُمَّ قَالَ يَا رَبِّ أَذَكَرٌ أَمْ أُنْثَى فَيَقْضِي رَبُّكَ مَا شَاءَ وَيَكْتُبُ الْمَلَكُ ثُمَّ يَقُولُ يَا رَبِّ أَجَلُهُ فَيَقُولُ رَبُّكَ مَا شَاءَ وَيَكْتُبُ الْمَلَكُ ثُمَّ يَقُولُ يَا رَبِّ رِزْقُهُ فَيَقْضِي رَبُّكَ مَا شَاءَ وَيَكْتُبُ الْمَلَكُ ثُمَّ يَخْرُجُ الْمَلَكُ بِالصَّحِيفَةِ فِي يَدِهِ فَلاَ يَزِيدُ عَلَى مَا أُمِرَ وَلاَ يَنْقُصُ

[AI] Al-Qa'niyy narrated, and Yahya ibn 'Uthman ibn Salih narrated, and 'Abdullah ibn Yusuf narrated from Muhammad ibn Muslim al-Ta'ifi, from 'Amr ibn Dinar, from Abu al-Tufayl 'Amir ibn Wathilah who said: I heard Abdullah ibn Mas'ud say, "Indeed, the wretched is one who is wretched in his mother's womb, and indeed the fortunate is one who is admonished by others." So I came to Hudhayfah ibn Asid and said to him, "Are you not surprised by the statement of Ibn Mas'ud?" He said, "And what did he say?" I said, "Indeed, the wretched is one who is wretched in his mother's womb, and indeed the fortunate is one who is admonished by others." Hudhayfah said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, 'When forty-five nights have passed upon the drop [of semen], the angel says, 'Is it a male or a female?' Then Allah decrees and the angel writes. Then the angel says, 'Wretched or fortunate?' Then Allah decrees and the angel writes. Then the angel says, 'His provision, his lifespan, and his deeds?' Then Allah decrees and the angel writes." Hudhayfah said, "Then the record is closed, and nothing is added or subtracted from it."

ثنا الْقَعْنَبِيُّ ح وَحَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ عُثْمَانَ بْنِ صَالِحٍ ثنا عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ يُوسُفَ قَالَا ثنا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مُسْلِمٍ الطَّائِفِيُّ عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ دِينَارٍ عَنْ أَبِي الطُّفَيْلِ عَامِرِ بْنِ وَاثِلَةَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عَبْدَ اللهِ بْنَ مَسْعُودٍ ؓ يَقُولُ إِنَّ الشَّقِيَّ مَنْ شَقِيَ فِي بَطْنِ أُمِّهِ وَإِنَّ السَّعِيدَ مَنْ وُعِظَ بِغَيْرِهِ فَأَتَيْتُ حُذَيْفَةَ بْنَ أَسِيدٍ فَقُلْتُ أَلَا تَعْجَبُ مِنْ قَوْلِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ؟ قَالَ وَمَا قَالَ؟ قَالَ إِنَّ الشَّقِيَّ مَنْ شَقِيَ فِي بَطْنِ أُمِّهِ وَإِنَّ السَّعِيدَ مَنْ وُعِظَ بِغَيْرِهِ قَالَ حُذَيْفَةُ أَنَا سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ إِذَا مَضَتْ عَلَى النُّطْفَةِ خَمْسٌ وَأَرْبَعُونَ لَيْلَةً قَالَ الْمَلَكُ أَذَكَرٌ أَمْ أُنْثَى؟ فَيَقْضِي اللهُ ﷻ وَيَكْتُبُ الْمَلَكُ فَيَقُولُ الْمَلَكُ أَشَقِيٌّ أَمْ سَعِيدٌ؟ فَيَقْضِي اللهُ وَيَكْتُبُ الْمَلَكُ قَالَ فَيَقُولُ رِزْقُهُ وَأَجَلُهُ وَعَمَلُهُ؟ قَالَ فَيَقْضِي اللهُ وَيَكْتُبُ الْمَلَكُ قَالَ ثُمَّ تُطْوَى الصَّحِيفَةُ فَلَا يُزَادُ فِيهَا وَلَا يُنْقَصُ مِنْهَا

Evil one is he who is evil in the womb of his mother and the good one is he who takes a lesson from the (fate of) others. The narrator came to a person from amongst the Companions of Messenger of Allah ﷺ who was called Hudhaifa b. Usaid Ghifari and said: How can a person be an evil one without (committing an evil) deed? Thereupon the person said to him: You are surprised at this, whereas I have heard Messenger of Allah ﷺ as saying: When forty-two nights pass after the semen gets into the womb, Allah sends the angel and gives him shape. Then he creates his sense of hearing, sense of sight, his skin, his flesh, his bones, and then says: My Lord, would he be male or female? And your Lord decides as He desires and the angel then puts down that also and then says: My Lord, what about his age? And your Lord decides as He likes it and the angel puts it down. Then he says: My Lord, what about his livelihood? And then the Lord decides as He likes and the angel writes it down, and then the angel gets out with his scroll of destiny in his hand and nothing is added to it and nothing is subtracted from it. (Using translation from Muslim 2645a)

أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ عَبْدَ اللهِ بْنَ مَسْعُودٍ يَقُولُ الشَّقِيُّ مَنْ شَقِيَ فِي بَطْنِ أُمِّهِ وَالسَّعِيدُ مَنْ وُعِظَ بِغَيْرِهِ فَأَتَى رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ يُقَالُ لَهُ حُذَيْفَةُ بْنُ أَسِيدٍ الْغِفَارِيُّ فَحَدَّثَهُ بِذَلِكَ مِنْ قَوْلِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ وَقَالَ كَيْفَ يَشْقَى رَجُلٌ يُغَيَّرُ عَمَلُهُ فَقَالَ لَهُ الرَّجُلُ أَتَعْجَبُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ فَإِنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ إِذَا مَرَّ بِالنُّطْفَةِ ثِنْتَانِ وَأَرْبَعُونَ لَيْلَةً بَعَثَ اللهُ إِلَيْهَا مَلَكًا فَصَوَّرَهَا وَخَلَقَ سَمْعَهَا وَبَصَرَهَا وَجِلْدَهَا وَلَحْمَهَا وَعَظْمَهَا ثُمَّ قَالَ يَا رَبِّ أَذَكَرٌ أَمْ أُنْثَى فَيَقْضِي رَبُّكَ مَا شَاءَ اللهُ وَيَكْتُبُ الْمَلَكُ فَيَقُولُ أَيْ رَبِّ أَجَلُهُ فَيَقُولُ رَبُّكَ مَا شَاءَ وَيَكْتُبُ الْمَلَكُ فَيَقُولُ أَيْ رَبِّ رِزْقُهُ فَيَقْضِي رَبُّكَ مَا شَاءَ وَيَكْتُبُ ثُمَّ يَخْرُجُ بِالصَّحِيفَةِ فِي يَدِهِ فَلَا يَزِيدُ عَلَى أَمْرِهِ وَلَا يَنْقُصُ