The Forty Hadiths of al-Nawawi
On the authority of Abu 'Abd al-Rahman 'Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, narrated to us,
and he is the truthful, the believed:
"Indeed, the creation of each one of you is brought together in his mother's womb for forty days as a drop,
then he becomes a clinging clot for a like period,
then he becomes a lump of flesh for a like period,
then an angel is sent to him,
and he breathes the soul into him,
and he is commanded with four words:
to record his provision, his lifespan, his deeds,
and whether he will be wretched or happy.
By Allah, other than Whom there is no deity,
indeed, one of you may perform the deeds of the people of Paradise,
until there is but a cubit between him and it,
then the decree overtakes him,
so he performs the deeds of the people of the Fire and enters it.
And indeed, one of you may perform the deeds of the people of the Fire,
until there is but a cubit between him and it,
then the decree overtakes him,
so he performs the deeds of the people of Paradise and enters it."
Narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim.
This hadith demonstrates
the greatness of the power of Allah the Exalted in the creation of man,
and that human life is ordained by the knowledge of Allah before birth,
which establishes faith in the divine decree and destiny.
Likewise, the Muslim learns that the final outcomes are in the hand of Allah,
therefore, he should remain steadfast in obedience and sincere in his deeds,
and not be deceived by outward actions,
but rather always ask Allah for a good ending.