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This also implies that one must never despair and give up when it comes to hoping that others will embrace Islam. For example, a person's father or mother may be a non-Muslim and may continue for a long time to 1 Cf., Muhammad al-Sindi, Sharh al-Arbaeen al-Nawawiya (al-Damaam, Saudi Arabia: Ramaadi li-1-Nashr, 1995), p. 39. 2 lbn Hajr, Fath, vol. 13, p. 326. 3 Al-Qaari, vol. 1, p. 1 50. 4 Cf., al-Qaari, vol. 1, p. 152. Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi be so. But the person may continue to pray for their guidance and need not despair. It may well be that Allah guides them to the truth just prior to their deaths. • Every Muslim should seek refuge in Allah from having an evil end, wherein his deeds before his death are those of the people of Hell. • Provisions are predetermined even before one's birth by Allah. Allah is the sole Provider. Hence, one must turn to Him to seek provisions. One's provisions have already been recorded and decreed. They will come to him. There is, then, no need and no reason for a person to sell his religion for the sake of getting provisions in this world. 1 • According to al-Nawawi, the hadith shows that it is recommended­ perhaps it would be better to say permissibleto swear by Allah in order to stress a matter and make the people really pay attention to it.2 • It is clear from this hadith that the soul is not breathed into the womb at the time of conception. This means that the Islamic position on this question is different from the Catholic perception. Summary of the Hadith • The word nutfah does not occur in this hadith as recorded by al-Bukhari, Muslim and numerous others. It is only found in a narration recorded by Abu A waana. This narration contradicts what all other trustworthy narrators have narrated. Hence, it must be considered a case of idraaj, where a word has incorrectly been inserted into the text of a hadith. • The majority of the scholars have understood this hadith to mean that the fetus passes through three stages of nutfah, alaqah and mudhghah. Each stage takes forty days, for a total of one hundred and twenty days. This author was forced to adopt an opinion that is different from the majority opinion on this question, although it is not unprecedented. It is never an easy proposition to go against what the great scholars of Islam have stated. The author asks Allah to forgive him if he is mistaken and to guide him to what is correct. • The alternate explanation of this hadith, which is more supported by other narrations from the Prophet (peace be upon him) and what seems to be "medical fact," is that the entire three stages occur during the first forty some-odd days after conception. • There is nothing explicit about when the rooh is breathed into the fetus. It definitely takes place at least forty days after conception. The majority of the scholars, some say a consensus, state that it takes place after 120 days. 1 Sultaan, p. 73. 2 Yahya al-Nawawi, Sharh Matin al-Arabaeen al-Nawawiya (Jeddah: Dar al-Mujtama, 1986), p. 50. • • • • Hadith #4: Creation in the Mother's Womb Others say that it takes place after 130 days. This author has not ventured to make any conclusion on this point. While a human is still a fetus, an angel records its provisions, life span, deeds and whether he will be happy or miserable. This is all part of the foreknowledge that Allah possesses about this creation. The deeds a person is performing at the time of his death are the deeds that will determine whether he is from the people of Paradise or the people of Hell. One cannot rest on his past deeds and think he is going to Paradise. Instead, one must continue to struggle and toil for his most important behavior is his behavior at the time of his death. A person may be performing the deeds of the people of Hell and, then, by Allah's mercy, he is guided to perform the deeds of the people of Paradise. Therefore, he will be from the people of Paradise. Unfortunately, the opposite can also be true. Such has already been recorded for each human while he was in the womb of his mother. Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi Hadith #5: ''Whoever Introduces ... " Hadith #5: "Whoever introduces . . . " ,, ,, ,,,. ,, OI ,, O' i:O OI .J. l.lA u ;t J ૗૘i :; J & ll11 ( '\ Jìj ұj Ҳ ҳ Ҵ \.O On the authority of the Mother of the Faithful, Umm Abdullah, Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, "Whoever introduces anything into this matter of ours that is not from it shall have it rejected." Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim.