حَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الْحَنْظَلِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ عُمَرَ حَدَّثَنَا عَزْرَةُ بْنُ ثَابِتٍ عَنْ يَحْيَی بْنِ عُقَيْلٍ عَنْ يَحْيَی بْنِ يَعْمَرَ عَنْ أَبِي الْأَسْوَدِ الدِّيلِيِّ قَالَ قَالَ لِي عِمْرَانُ بْنُ الْحُصَيْنِ أَرَأَيْتَ مَا يَعْمَلُ النَّاسُ الْيَوْمَ وَيَکْدَحُونَ فِيهِ أَشَيْئٌ قُضِيَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَمَضَی عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ قَدَرِ مَا سَبَقَ أَوْ فِيمَا يُسْتَقْبَلُونَ بِهِ مِمَّا أَتَاهُمْ بِهِ نَبِيُّهُمْ وَثَبَتَتْ الْحُجَّةُ عَلَيْهِمْ فَقُلْتُ بَلْ شَيْئٌ قُضِيَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَمَضَی عَلَيْهِمْ قَالَ فَقَالَ أَفَلَا يَکُونُ ظُلْمًا قَالَ فَفَزِعْتُ مِنْ ذَلِکَ فَزَعًا شَدِيدًا وَقُلْتُ کُلُّ شَيْئٍ خَلْقُ اللَّهِ وَمِلْکُ يَدِهِ فَلَا يُسْأَلُ عَمَّا يَفْعَلُ وَهُمْ يُسْأَلُونَ فَقَالَ لِي يَرْحَمُکَ اللَّهُ إِنِّي لَمْ أُرِدْ بِمَا سَأَلْتُکَ إِلَّا لِأَحْزِرَ عَقْلَکَ إِنَّ رَجُلَيْنِ مِنْ مُزَيْنَةَ أَتَيَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَرَأَيْتَ مَا يَعْمَلُ النَّاسُ الْيَوْمَ وَيَکْدَحُونَ فِيهِ أَشَيْئٌ قُضِيَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَمَضَی فِيهِمْ مِنْ قَدَرٍ قَدْ سَبَقَ أَوْ فِيمَا يُسْتَقْبَلُونَ بِهِ مِمَّا أَتَاهُمْ بِهِ نَبِيُّهُمْ وَثَبَتَتْ الْحُجَّةُ عَلَيْهِمْ فَقَالَ لَا بَلْ شَيْئٌ قُضِيَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَمَضَی فِيهِمْ وَتَصْدِيقُ ذَلِکَ فِي کِتَابِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَنَفْسٍ وَمَا سَوَّاهَا فَأَلْهَمَهَا فُجُورَهَا وَتَقْوَاهَا
صحیح مسلم · Hadith 6739
Abu al-Aswad reported that 'Imran b Husain asked him: What is your view, what the people do today in the world, and strive for, is it something decreed for them or preordained for them or will their fate in the Hereafter be deterrained by the fact that their Prophets brought them teaching which they did not act upon? I said: Of course, it is something which is predetermined for them and preordained for them. He (further) said: Then, would it not be an injustice (to punish them)? I felt greatly disturbed because of that, and said: Everything is created by Allah and lies in His Power. He would not be questioned as to what He does, but they would be questioned; thereupon he said to me: May Allah have mercy upon you, I did not mean to ask you but for testing your intelligence. Two men of the tribe of Muzaina came to Allah's Messenger ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) and said: Allah's Messenger, what is your opinion that the people do in the world and strive for, is something decreed for them; something preordained for them and will their fate in the Hereafter be determined by the fact that their Prophets brought them teachings which they did not act upon. and thus they became deserving of punishment? Thereupon, he said: Of course, it happens as it is decreed by Destiny and preordained for them, and this view is confirmed by this verse of the Book of Allah, the Exalted and Glorious: Consider the soul and Him Who made it perfect, then breathed into it its sin and its piety (xci. 8).
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020