The Messenger of Allah ﷺ, the truthful one whose word is confirmed, told us, "Each one of you is gathered in his mother's womb for forty days as a drop, then he becomes a clinging clot for a like period, then a lump of flesh for a like period. Then the angel is sent to him and breathes the spirit into him, and he is commanded to record four things, his provision, his lifespan, his deeds, and whether he will be wretched or blessed. By the One besides whom there is no god, one of you will do the deeds of the people of Paradise until there is only a forearm's length between him and it, then what was written overtakes him and he does the deeds of the people of the Fire and enters it. And one of you will do the deeds of the people of the Fire until there is only a forearm's length between him and it, then what was written overtakes him and he does the deeds of the people of Paradise and enters it."In the narration of Waki the wording is, "The creation of one of you is gathered in his mother's womb for forty nights." In the narration of Muaz from Shuba it is, "forty nights, forty days." In the narrations of Jareer and Isa it is, "forty days."
حدثنا عثمان بن أبي شيبة وإسحق بن إبراهيم كلاهما عن جرير بن عبد الحميد ح و حدثنا إسحق بن إبراهيم أخبرنا عيسى بن يونس ح و حدثني أبو سعيد الأشج حدثنا وكيع ح و حدثناه عبيد الله بن معاذ حدثنا أبي حدثنا شعبة بن الحجاج كلهم عن الأعمش بهذا الإسناد قال في حديث وكيع إن خلق أحدكم يجمع في بطن أمه أربعين ليلة و قال في حديث معاذ عن شعبة أربعين ليلة أربعين يوما وأما في حديث جرير وعيسى أربعين يوما