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الادب المفرد
Adab al-Mufrad
كتابBook of Mutual Love Among People
بَابُ الشُّحِّChapter: Miserliness
Hadith 283
اُردوEn
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو نُعَيْمٍ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا الأَعْمَشُ، عَنْ مَالِكِ بْنِ الْحَارِثِ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ رَبِيعَةَ قَالَ: كُنَّا جُلُوسًا عِنْدَ عَبْدِ اللهِ، فَذَكَرُوا رَجُلاً، فَذَكَرُوا مِنْ خُلُقِهِ، فَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللهِ: أَرَأَيْتُمْ لَوْ قَطَعْتُمْ رَأْسَهُ أَكُنْتُمْ تَسْتَطِيعُونَ أَنْ تُعِيدُوهُ؟ قَالُوا: لاَ، قَالَ: فَيَدُهُ؟ قَالُوا: لاَ، قَالَ: فَرِجْلُهُ؟ قَالُوا: لاَ، قَالَ: فَإِنَّكُمْ لاَ تَسْتَطِيعُونَ أَنْ تُغَيِّرُوا خُلُقَهُ حَتَّى تُغَيِّرُوا خَلْقَهُ، إِنَّ النُّطْفَةَ لَتَسْتَقِرُّ فِي الرَّحِمِ أَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً، ثُمَّ تَنْحَدِرُ دَمًا، ثُمَّ تَكُونُ عَلَقَةً، ثُمَّ تَكُونُ مُضْغَةً، ثُمَّ يَبْعَثُ اللَّهُ مَلَكًا فَيُكْتَبُ رِزْقَهُ وَخُلُقَهُ، وَشَقِيًّا أَوْ سَعِيدًا.
It is narrated from Abdullah bin Rabee’ah (may Allah have mercy on him) that we were present with Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) when he mentioned a man and also spoke about his character. Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Look! If you cut off his head, can you reattach it? They said: No. He said: Then his hand? They said: No. He said: His leg? They said: No! Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When you cannot change his physical form, you cannot change his character either. Indeed, the drop of semen remains in the womb for forty nights, then it becomes a clot of blood, then it becomes a lump of flesh, then Allah Almighty sends an angel who writes down his provision, his character, and whether he will be wretched or blessed.
Explanation & Benefits
Shaykh Maulana Usman Muneeb
Benefits and Issues:
➊ Without doubt, from “the sperm-drop in the womb...” to the end, this apparently is the statement of Ibn Mas’ud radi Allahu anhu, but it is also authentically established as a marfu’ (attributed to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) narration.
➋ Allah Ta’ala is the true Creator of good and evil. However, to use predestination (qadar) as an excuse to follow the path of evil, and to say that Allah Ta’ala has written this in my destiny, is absolutely incorrect. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: You must act, for Allah Ta’ala grants success to each person for that which he was created. Allah Ta’ala has shown both the paths of good and evil, and has commanded to abandon the path of evil.
➌ When the students of Ibn Mas’ud radi Allahu anhu mentioned someone’s bad character, he said that there is no need to comment on it. Your duty is to reform; changing someone is not within your power. The decision regarding good and bad character has already been made. That is, it has already been decreed in Allah’s predestination that he will have bad character. However, no one has knowledge of this decree, so every person should live their life adhering to the commands of Allah.
➍ Regarding predestination (qadar), it should be kept in mind that Allah Ta’ala, based on His eternal knowledge, has written that so-and-so will be such, so-and-so will receive such sustenance, etc., and He has not informed us about it. It is not that it has been written and imposed upon us. What we are doing is what has been written, not that we are bound by what is written. Rather, both the paths of good and evil have been shown to us, and we have been commanded to choose good and avoid evil. Just as we strive for sustenance, engage in good business, and try to avoid loss, similarly, we should act regarding our deeds as well.
➊ Without doubt, from “the sperm-drop in the womb...” to the end, this apparently is the statement of Ibn Mas’ud radi Allahu anhu, but it is also authentically established as a marfu’ (attributed to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) narration.
➋ Allah Ta’ala is the true Creator of good and evil. However, to use predestination (qadar) as an excuse to follow the path of evil, and to say that Allah Ta’ala has written this in my destiny, is absolutely incorrect. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: You must act, for Allah Ta’ala grants success to each person for that which he was created. Allah Ta’ala has shown both the paths of good and evil, and has commanded to abandon the path of evil.
➌ When the students of Ibn Mas’ud radi Allahu anhu mentioned someone’s bad character, he said that there is no need to comment on it. Your duty is to reform; changing someone is not within your power. The decision regarding good and bad character has already been made. That is, it has already been decreed in Allah’s predestination that he will have bad character. However, no one has knowledge of this decree, so every person should live their life adhering to the commands of Allah.
➍ Regarding predestination (qadar), it should be kept in mind that Allah Ta’ala, based on His eternal knowledge, has written that so-and-so will be such, so-and-so will receive such sustenance, etc., and He has not informed us about it. It is not that it has been written and imposed upon us. What we are doing is what has been written, not that we are bound by what is written. Rather, both the paths of good and evil have been shown to us, and we have been commanded to choose good and avoid evil. Just as we strive for sustenance, engage in good business, and try to avoid loss, similarly, we should act regarding our deeds as well.
Source: Fadlullah al-Ahad: Urdu Commentary on al-Adab al-Mufrad, Page: 283
