الْقَدَرُ وَالْبِدْعَةُ

Hadith 4: creation and destiny From 'Abd Allah ibn Mas'uud (may Allah be pleased with him): the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, the truthful, the one confirmed as truthful, told us: إِنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ يُجْمَعُ خَلْقُهُ فِي بَطْنِ أُمِّهِ أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْمًا "The creation of each of you is gathered in his mother's womb for forty days, then he becomes a clinging thing ('alaqa) for the same period, then a lump of flesh (muḍgha) for the same period; then the angel is sent to him, he breathes the soul into him, and he is ordered to write four things: his provision, his lifespan, his deeds, and whether he will be wretched or happy. By Allah, besides whom there is no god, one of you does the deeds of the people of Paradise until there is only an arm's length between him and it, then the writing overtakes him, he does the deeds of the people of the Fire and enters it…" and the reverse. (Continuation [À VÉRIFIER : texte arabe complet].) Source: Bukhari 3208 and Muslim 2643.

The commentary • The stages: the word "nuṭfa" (drop) appears in An-Nawawi's version; Ibn Rajab discusses how to understand the three periods of forty days and the moment the soul is breathed in [À VÉRIFIER : présentation des étapes]. Jurists drew rulings from it about the respect owed to the embryo; this is a question to ask the imam for any concrete case. • Destiny (al-qadar): Allah knows and has written what will be. This does not remove responsibility: the human being chooses, and is judged on his choices. When the companions asked whether they should then rely on what is written, the Prophet ﷺ answered: "Act, for each is made easy for what he was created for" (Bukhari 4949, Muslim 2647) [À VÉRIFIER : numéros]. • The ending counts: Ibn Rajab explains, from another version ("according to what appears to people"), that the one who ends badly often had a hidden flaw, and the one who ends well had a hidden good. So the hadith does not teach anxiety, but sincerity and steadfastness. • An-Nawawi draws from it that no one is judged with certainty on his present state, neither for Paradise nor for the Fire.

In daily life • Often ask for a good ending: "O Turner of hearts, make my heart firm upon Your religion" (a frequent supplication of the Prophet ﷺ, reported by At-Tirmidhi [À VÉRIFIER : numéro]). • Provision and lifespan are written: seek your livelihood seriously, but without anxiety or unlawful means.

Hadith 5: every addition to the religion is rejected From the mother of the believers 'Aa'isha (may Allah be pleased with her): the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: مَنْ أَحْدَثَ فِي أَمْرِنَا هَذَا مَا لَيْسَ مِنْهُ فَهُوَ رَدٌّ "Whoever introduces into this affair of ours something that is not part of it, it is rejected." In a version of Muslim: "Whoever does a deed that is not in accordance with our affair, it is rejected." Source: Bukhari 2697 and Muslim 1718.

The commentary • "Our affair" means the religion. An-Nawawi says that this hadith is one of the great rules of Islam and that it should be memorised and spread, because it refutes every innovation. • The mirror of hadith 1: Ibn Rajab writes that hadith 1 is the scale of deeds from the inside, and this one the scale from the outside. An act of worship must have a basis in the Qur'an or the Sunna. • Muslim's version is broader: it also covers whoever practises an innovation created by others, even if he did not invent it. • What the hadith does not cover: new means serving something established (writing the Qur'an as a book, building schools, using a microphone or an app). Scholars distinguish acts of worship, where one follows the text, from worldly matters, where the rule is permission. The precise definitions of bid'a (innovation) are discussed among scholars; this point is to be reviewed with the imam [À VÉRIFIER : présentation]. • Ibn Daqiiq al-'Iid also draws from it that a contract contrary to the law is void.

In daily life • Before adopting a religious practice seen online, ask: "What is its source?" • Prefer a small deed in line with the Sunna to a large deed without basis. • Correct gently: most people who follow an innovation do so with a good intention.

The text: Surah Al-Ḥadiid (57), verses 22 to 23 مَا أَصَابَ مِنْ مُصِيبَةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا فِي أَنْفُسِكُمْ إِلَّا فِي كِتَابٍ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ نَبْرَأَهَا ۚ إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرٌ ﴿٢٢﴾ لِكَيْلَا تَأْسَوْا عَلَىٰ مَا فَاتَكُمْ وَلَا تَفْرَحُوا بِمَا آتَاكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ كُلَّ مُخْتَالٍ فَخُورٍ ﴿٢٣﴾

Meaning: "No misfortune strikes the earth or yourselves without it being in a Book before We bring it into being; that is easy for Allah, so that you do not grieve over what has escaped you, nor exult over what He has given you. And Allah does not love any arrogant boaster." The verse gives the fruit of faith in destiny, which hadith 4 teaches: peace of heart before loss as before gain.

Arabic text: Tanzil Quran Text (Simple, version 1.0.2), © 2008-2010 Tanzil.net, Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence, reproduced without any change (http://tanzil.net). Each verse is on its own line, followed by its number; the basmala, which the Tanzil file places at the start of the first verse, is written on its own line.

Understanding the lesson

Explanation Hadith 4 reminds us where we come from (a few days in a mother's womb) and that our life is known and written by Allah. But it does not say "do nothing": it says that the ending is decisive, and other texts command us to act. Faith in destiny reassures (what reaches me could not have missed me) and makes responsible (I choose my deeds). Hadith 5 protects the religion itself. If everyone could add acts of worship to their taste, the religion would be transformed within a few generations. The rule is simple: for worship, one follows what is transmitted; for the rest of life, what is not forbidden is permitted. Both hadiths share one thread: humility. I do not know my ending, so I do not consider myself saved; I am not a lawgiver, so I do not invent religion.

Lessons to draw from it • Never judge with certainty the fate of a person, nor despair of oneself. • Regularly ask Allah for steadfastness and a good ending. • Meet trials with the peace of verse 57:23. • Look for the source of a religious practice before adopting it. • Distinguish worship (one follows the text) from worldly matters (the rule is permission).

Key points to remember • Hadith 4 (Bukhari 3208, Muslim 2643): four things written: provision, lifespan, deeds, happiness or wretchedness. • Deeds are judged by their endings. • Hadith 5 (Bukhari 2697, Muslim 1718): مَنْ أَحْدَثَ فِي أَمْرِنَا هَذَا مَا لَيْسَ مِنْهُ فَهُوَ رَدٌّ. • Hadith 1 = the scale of the inside; hadith 5 = the scale of the outside (Ibn Rajab).

The main message Act sincerely according to the Sunna, without thinking you have arrived and without despair: your destiny is in Allah's hands, and your part is to do well until the end.