nawawiDay.arabicText
nawawiDay.englishTranslation
— Ibn Mas‘ūd (RA) (Bukhari & Muslim)
nawawiDay.commentary
A foundational text on qadr. Allah knew, wrote, willed, and creates everything — including the actions of His servants. Despite this, deeds matter; the man whose deeds outwardly resemble those of the people of Hell may end with a deed of the people of Paradise, and vice versa.
nawawiDay.extendedExplanation
This is the principal hadith on qadr, narrated by Ibn Mas‘ūd in his characteristic precise style. The four matters written for every person — provision, lifespan, deeds, and final state — are written before the soul is even breathed in.
The most striking part comes after: ‘By Him besides whom there is no god, one of you may do the deeds of the people of Paradise until there is between him and it a hand's span — then what was written overtakes him, and he does the deeds of the people of the Fire and enters it. And one of you may do the deeds of the people of the Fire until there is between him and it a hand's span — then what was written overtakes him, and he does the deeds of the people of Paradise and enters it.’
This is why the Salaf wept at the mention of khawātim — endings. The Prophet ﷺ taught us the du‘ā': ‘O Turner of hearts, keep my heart firm upon Your religion.’
nawawiDay.fromScholars
"Some of the Salaf would weep upon hearing this hadith, saying: ‘How many a one began with good and was sealed with evil — and how many with evil and was sealed with good.’"
"Qadr does not contradict effort — Allah's writing of your deeds is based on His prior knowledge of what you would choose, not as a force compelling you against your will."
nawawiDay.fiqhRulings
- •Belief in qadr has four levels: Allah's eternal knowledge, His writing in al-Lawḥ al-Maḥfūẓ, His will, and His creation of all things.
- •Abortion after 120 days (when the soul is breathed in) is unanimously ḥarām except to save the mother's life.
- •Asking Allah for ḥusn al-khātimah (a good ending) is from the most important du‘ās.
- •Despair at past sin contradicts belief in Allah's mercy; arrogance from past obedience contradicts knowledge of qadr.
nawawiDay.quranCrossRefs
nawawiDay.keyVocab
a sperm-drop
a clinging clot
a chewed lump
the soul
wretched or blessed
nawawiDay.todaysReflection
Don't rely on your past good — keep working. Don't despair over your past sins — keep returning.
nawawiDay.keyBenefits
- 1Endings matter — pray for husn al-khātimah (a good ending).
- 2Qadr does not negate effort; effort is part of qadr.
nawawiDay.warnings
- ⚠Using qadr as an excuse for sin is the way of Iblīs and the mushrikīn — Allah explicitly rebuked this in the Qur'ān (6:148).
- ⚠Despairing of mercy because of past sin is itself a major sin (39:53).
nawawiDay.relatedHadiths
nawawiDay.memorisation