Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا هُشَيْمٌ أَنْبَأَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ زَيْدٍ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عُبَيْدَةَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ يُحَدِّثُ قَالَ قَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِنَّ النُّطْفَةَ تَكُونُ فِي الرَّحِمِ أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْمًا عَلَى حَالِهَا لَا تَغَيَّرُ فَإِذَا مَضَتْ الْأَرْبَعُونَ صَارَتْ عَلَقَةً ثُمَّ مُضْغَةً كَذَلِكَ ثُمَّ عِظَامًا كَذَلِكَ فَإِذَا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ أَنْ يُسَوِّيَ خَلْقَهُ بَعَثَ إِلَيْهَا مَلَكًا فَيَقُولُ الْمَلَكُ الَّذِي يَلِيهِ أَيْ رَبِّ أَذَكَرٌ أَمْ أُنْثَى أَشَقِيٌّ أَمْ سَعِيدٌ أَقَصِيرٌ أَمْ طَوِيلٌ أَنَاقِصٌ أَمْ زَائِدٌ قُوتُهُ وَأَجَلُهُ أَصَحِيحٌ أَمْ سَقِيمٌ قَالَ فَيَكْتُبُ ذَلِكَ كُلَّهُ فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ الْقَوْمِ فَفِيمَ الْعَمَلُ إِذَنْ وَقَدْ فُرِغَ مِنْ هَذَا كُلِّهِ قَالَ اعْمَلُوا فَكُلٌّ سَيُوَجَّهُ لِمَا خُلِقَ لَهُ.
English Translation
Hushaym told us: Ali ibn Zayd informed us, who said: I heard Abu Ubaydah ibn Abdillah narrating, he said: Abdullah said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "The drop of semen remains in the womb for forty days in its state, unchanged. When the forty days have passed, it becomes a clot, then a lump of flesh likewise, then bones likewise. Then when Allah wants to complete its creation, He sends an angel to it, and the angel accompanying it says: 'O Lord, is it male or female, wretched or blessed, short or tall? What is its provision and its lifespan? Is it healthy or sickly?'" He said: "So all of that is written." A man among the people said: "Then what is the point of deeds, since all of this has already been decided?" He said: "Act, for everyone will be guided toward what he was created for."