Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) drew a square (a rectangular diagram) and drew a line in the middle of it, and drew lines around it, and drew a line that extended outside the square. He said: “This middle line is man,” and regarding the lines in the shape of the square, he said: “This is his appointed term (death),” and regarding the small lines, he said: “These are incidents (the illnesses and calamities that befall a person). If one incident misses him, another seizes him, and the man dies. And the line that extends outside is hope and desire.”
Hadith Referenceسنن دارمي / من كتاب الرقاق / 2764
Hadith Gradingتحقیق (حسین سلیم أسد الدارانی):إسناده صحيح وأبو يعلى هو: المنذر بن يعلى، [مكتبه الشامله نمبر: 2771]