6. J (cont.)

3 lbn Rajab, Jaami, vol. 1 , p. 163. 4 Even al-Suyooti did not mention it in his commentary to al-Baqara 234, although he mentioned the others who stated that the rooh is breathed into the fetus at that time. See Jallaal al-Deen al­ Suyooti, al-Durr al-Manthoor fl al-Tafseer al-Mathoor (Beirut: Dar al-Marifah, n.d.), vol. 1, pp. 287-288. Hadith #4: Creation in the Mother's Womb argue that life already began, as the fetus is growing from one stage to the next in its developmental process, before the angel comes and breathes the rooh into fetus. However, it seems to be the opinion of the majority of the scholars-- if not a consensus-- that the breathing in of the rooh implies the creation of a new human being. Muhammad Naeem Yaseen has supported this conclusion through a number of arguments. One important case that he points to is the case of the father of humans, Adam (peace be upon him). Adam was created from clay but the turning point in his creation was when the rooh was breathed into him. For example, Allah says, -;Ӑӑ . . -- _,ࣘ i;.u '"' · , ... चछ-- u·,, ,, i..S:"JJ S T ࢥj "[Remember] when your Lord said to the angels, 'Truly, I am going to create man from clay. So when I fashioned him and breathed into him [his] soul created by Me, then you fall down prostrate to him"' (Saad 71-72). Yaseen also states, in support of the idea that it is the breathing in of the soul that constitutes actual life, that there is an agreement that death, the opposite of life, occurs when the soul is completely detached from the body.1 In conclusion, although there is nothing specific that the breathing in of the rooh constitutes the beginning of a new human life, it does seem to be the consensus view and it has weighty arguments to support it. "He is also commanded to issue four decrees: to record his sustenance, his life span, his deeds and [whether he will be] unhappy [by entering Hell] or happy [by entering Paradise]." The angels records all of these matters for the human being while it is still a fetus. This is a reference to Allah's pre-knowledge of everything that will occur in this universe. This knowledge and recording was referred to under the discussion related to belief in al-Qadar, in hadith #2. This hadith states that the amount of a person's provisions and sustenance is recorded. It is also recorded whether or not that sustenance comes through legal or illegal means. 2 Exactly how long the person will live is already known and recorded while he is still in his mother's womb. The person's individual deeds will be recorded at that time. Then the angel records whether he will be among the fortunate or the miserable. According to ibn Hajr, the angel simply records the one word or the other. This status is based on how the person ends his life, as is clear from the 1 Muhammad Naeem Yaseen, Abhaath Fiqhiyyah fl Qadhaaya Tibiyyah Muaasirah (Amman, Jordan: Daar al-Nafaais, 1996), pp. 1 5-16. 2 lbn Hajr, Fath, vol. 13, p. 3 1 8. Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi remainder of the hadith.1 Of course, this determination is based on Allah's knowledge and justice. He will destine for Heaven those who deserve Heaven because they are going, after birth, to accept the truth and apply it in their lives. He will destine for Hell those who will refuse the truth and do not follow the Straight Path.2 Obviously, Allah could have sent the humans to Heaven and Hell without putting them through this life. However, this life is so that they will not have any argument against Allah. They will not be able to claim, for example, when thrown into Hell, that they would have believed and followed the truth. Now, their deeds will be right in front of them on the Day of Judgment and they will not be able to make any false claims on their own behalf.