Creation in the Womb and the Four Things Written: Hadith 4

Before you took your first breath, four things about your life were already written: your deeds, your provision, your lifespan, and whether you will be among the happy or the wretched in the Hereafter. The hadith about creation in the womb tells us this, and then ends with one of the most sobering lines in the Sunnah, about people who are only an arm’s length from Paradise or the Fire.

The hadith of creation in the womb

‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, “the true and truly inspired”, told them:

Imam Muslim narrates it too (Sahih Muslim 2643a), and Imam an-Nawawi included it as Hadith 4 of an-Nawawi’s 40 Hadith.

The stages of creation in the womb

The hadith describes three stages of forty days each: the gathering of a person’s creation, then a clot (‘alaqah), then a lump of flesh (mudghah). The Quran describes the same journey:

The verse ends with “So blessed is Allah, the best of creators”. The point of these stages is not to turn the hadith into a science lesson, but to remind us how carefully each of us was made, and by Whom.

The four things written for every person

Then an angel is sent and told to write four things. Each one carries a lesson for how we live:

• His deeds: what he will do in his life. Allah knows it before it happens, yet we are the ones who choose and act.
• His provision (rizq): what will reach him of wealth, food and blessings. It is already decreed, so there is no need to chase it through what is forbidden.
• His lifespan (ajal): the moment of death, which no one can bring forward or delay.
• Wretched or blessed: where he will end up in the Hereafter.

Belief in this Divine Decree is one of the six pillars of iman the Prophet ﷺ taught in the Hadith of Jibril.

“An arm’s length from Paradise”: what does it mean?

This is the part of the hadith that frightens people. How can someone do good deeds for years and still end up in the Fire? The Prophet ﷺ explained it himself. During a battle, a man fought so bravely that the companions praised him, yet the Prophet ﷺ said he was from the people of the Fire. A companion followed him and saw him, after being wounded, take his own life. The Prophet ﷺ then said:

The key words are “seem to the people”. What people saw from outside was not what was in the heart. So the hadith is not about a sincere believer whose good deeds are suddenly cancelled; it is about the gap between how deeds look and what lies behind them. The same story is in Sahih al-Bukhari 6607.

The other half is full of hope: someone whose life looked far from Allah may turn back at the end and be among the people of Paradise. No one should give up on themselves, or look down on anyone else.

If it is written, why do good deeds?

The companions asked this exact question. ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said each person’s place in Paradise or the Fire is already written. They asked whether they should rely on that and give up deeds. He ﷺ replied:

We do not know what is written, but we do know what we are asked to do. Allah’s knowledge is not a reason to stop; finding good deeds easy is itself a sign of where we are heading.

Reflection: the hadith moves from the womb to the very last deed of a life. Between those two points is everything we control: our choices today. The ending is unknown to us, so the safest place to be is in the middle of doing good.

Duas for a good ending

Because the heart can change, the Prophet ﷺ asked Allah to keep hearts firm. He said that the hearts of the children of Adam are between two of the fingers of the Most Merciful, and then made this dua:

I often recite this dua, Allahumma inni as’alukal-‘afwa wal-‘afiyah fid-dunya wal-akhirah, with the hope that Allah forgives me and showers me with ‘afiyah in this world and in the hereafter. The Prophet ﷺ never left these supplications, morning and evening, and this is how they begin:

How to put it into practice

• Keep doing good, especially the deeds that feel easy for you; do not wait to feel certain of your ending.
• Look after your heart, not only your outward deeds: check your intention and keep some deeds private.
• Never write anyone off, including yourself; endings can surprise us.
• Make the two duas above part of your mornings and evenings.
• Trust Allah with your provision and seek it in halal ways.

Key lessons

• An angel writes four things for every person: deeds, provision, lifespan, and happiness or misery.
• Deeds are judged by their endings, and by what is in the heart, not only how they look.
• What is written is no excuse to stop; the Prophet ﷺ said: carry on doing good deeds.
• Ask Allah often to keep your heart firm and to grant you a good ending.

Questions people ask

May Allah keep our hearts firm on His religion, forgive us, grant us ‘afiyah in this world and the next, and give each of us a good ending.

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