`Sayyiduna Hudhayfah bin Asid (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that when the drop of fluid remains in the womb for forty or forty-five nights, an angel comes to it and says, "O Lord! Should I write him as wretched or blessed?" Then whatever Allah commands, he writes it as such. Then he says, "Should I write him as male or female?" Then whatever Allah commands, he writes it as such, and he writes his deeds, his effect, his lifespan, and his provision. Then the record is rolled up; nothing is added to it nor subtracted from it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Amir bin Wathilah that he heard from Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with them), who used to say: The wretched one is he who is wretched from his mother’s womb, and the fortunate one is he who takes admonition from others. Amir bin Wathilah, after hearing this from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with them), came to a companion of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) whose name was Hudhaifah bin Asid Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him), and narrated to him the statement of Abdullah bin Mas'ud and asked: How can a person be wretched without having done any deeds? Sayyiduna Hudhaifah (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: Do you find this strange? I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: When forty-two nights pass over the drop (of semen), Allah sends an angel to it, who shapes it and creates its hearing, sight, skin, flesh, and bones. Then he asks: O Lord! Will it be male or female? Then Allah decrees whatever He wills, and the angel writes it down. Then he asks: O Lord! What will its lifespan be? Then Allah decrees whatever He wills, and the angel writes it down. Then he asks: O Lord! What will its provision be? Then Allah decrees whatever He wills, and the angel writes it down. Then the angel comes out with this record in his hand, and nothing is added to it nor subtracted from it. And in another narration, it is added that (the angel asks): Will it be sound in body or defective? Then Allah creates it either free from defect or with a defect.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates from the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that he said: A share of adultery is written for every human being, which he will inevitably commit. The adultery of the eyes is looking, the adultery of the ears is listening, the adultery of the tongue is speaking, the adultery of the hands is grasping (and touching), the adultery of the feet is walking (towards evil), the adultery of the heart is desire and longing, and the private parts either confirm these matters or deny them.

Narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr bin al-As (may Allah be pleased with him) that he heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say: "The hearts of men are between two fingers of the fingers of Allah, like one heart. He turns them as He wills." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "O Allah, Turner of the hearts! Turn our hearts towards Your obedience."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, that he used to say: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Every child is born upon the fitrah (Islam), (born with the capacity for Islam. If his parents are upon Islam, he remains upon Islam, otherwise they turn him to their own religion, but the capacity for Islam still remains in him, and that is why some of them later accept Islam). Then his parents make him a Jew, a Christian, or a Magian, just as an animal always gives birth to a complete animal with four legs. Do you find among them any animal born with its ears cut off? Then Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, says: If you wish, recite this verse: "Allah's creation upon which He has created mankind. There is no altering Allah's creation..." the complete verse (Ar-Rum: 30).

`Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) reports that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about the children of the polytheists, so he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: When Allah created them, He knew well what deeds they would do (when they grew up).

Sayyiduna Ubayy bin Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The boy whom Sayyiduna Khidr (peace be upon him) killed was born upon disbelief (meaning, he would have grown up to be a disbeliever), and if he had lived, he would have led his parents into rebellion and disbelief.

Umm al-Mu’minin Aisha Siddiqa (may Allah be pleased with her) says that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was called to the funeral of a child who was from among the Ansar. I said,“O Messenger of Allah! Glad tidings for him, he will be one of the birds of Paradise, for he neither did evil nor reached the age of doing evil.”The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said,“And is it something else you are saying, O Aisha? Indeed, Allah created people for Paradise while they were still in the loins of their fathers, and He created people for Hell while they were still in the loins of their fathers.”