Hadith 77

Narrated by Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him): The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him): who is the truthful and the believed: said: "The creation of each one of you is gathered in his mother's womb for forty days as a sperm, then it becomes a clot for a similar period, then it becomes a lump of flesh for a similar period. Then Allah sends an angel to it with four words: to write down its deeds, its lifespan, its provision, and whether it will be miserable or happy. Then the soul is breathed into it. By Him, besides whom there is no deity, one of you may do the deeds of the people of Paradise until there is only an arm's length between him and it, but the decree overtakes him, and he acts in the way of the people of Hell and enters it. And one of you may do the deeds of the people of Hell until there is only an arm's length between him and it, but the decree overtakes him, and he acts in the way of the people of Paradise and enters it."