0/10. Chapter:
Sunan Ibn Majah 91 — The Pen and Divine Decree
Regarding the Divine Decree (Qadr)
Hadith About the Pen, Deeds, and Divine Decree
Sunan Ibn Majah : 91
Sunan Ibn MajahHadith Number 91
حَدَّثَنَا هِشَامُ بْنُ عَمَّارٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَطَاءُ بْنُ مُسْلِمٍ الْخَفَّافُ، حَدَّثَنَا الأَعْمَشُ، عَنْ مُجَاهِدٍ، عَنْ سُرَاقَةَ بْنِ جُعْشُمٍ، قَالَ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ الْعَمَلُ فِيمَا جَفَّ بِهِ الْقَلَمُ وَجَرَتْ بِهِ الْمَقَادِيرُ أَوْ فِي أَمْرٍ مُسْتَقْبَلٍ قَالَ " بَلْ فِيمَا جَفَّ بِهِ الْقَلَمُ وَجَرَتْ بِهِ الْمَقَادِيرُ وَكُلٌّ مُيَسَّرٌ لِمَا خُلِقَ لَهُ " .
Suraqah bin Ju'shum Narrated from:
I said: 'O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), is one's deed in that which has already dried of the Pen and what has passed of the Divine Decree, or is it in the future?' He said: 'No, it is in that which he already dried of the Pen and what has passed of the Divine Decree, and each person is facilitated for what he has been created.'
Reference : Sunan Ibn Majah 91In-book reference : Introduction, Hadith 0English translation : Vol. 1, Book 1, Hadith 91
Summary of Sunan Ibn Majah Hadith 91
This hadith about the Pen and Divine Decree records a question from Suraqah bin Ju'shum. He asked whether a person’s deeds are in what the Pen has already dried upon and what has passed of Divine Decree, or whether they are only in a future matter. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم answered that they are in what the Pen has already dried upon and what has passed of the Divine Decree. He then said each person is facilitated for what he has been created for. The hadith teaches that Allah’s decree is already known and written, while people still move through deeds. It gives a short answer without inviting argument or guesswork about the unseen.
What we learn from this hadith
- The hadith affirms what the Pen has already written.
- Human deeds are mentioned within Divine Decree.
- Each person is facilitated for what they were created for.
- The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم answered the question directly without long speculation.
