324 – Abū Bakr Jafar ibn Muhammad al-Firyābī informed us, saying: Qutayba ibn Saīd narrated to us, from Mālik ibn Anas, from Zayd ibn Abī Unaysa, that Abd al-Hamīd ibn Abd al-Rahmān ibn Zayd ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) informed him, from Muslim ibn Yasār al-Juhanī, that Umar ibn al-Khattāb ⦗742⦘ (may Allah be pleased with him) was asked about this verse:

“And when your Lord took from the loins of the children of Adam their descendants and made them testify concerning themselves, ‘Am I not your Lord?’ They said, ‘Yes indeed, we testify’—lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection, ‘We were unaware of this.’” [al-Arāf: 172]

Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) being asked about it, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) replied:

“When Allah, Glorified and Exalted, created Adam (peace be upon him), He passed His right hand over his back and brought forth his offspring from him. He said, ‘I created these for Paradise, and they will perform the deeds of the people of Paradise.’ Then He passed His hand over his back and brought forth his offspring from him. He said, ‘These are for Hell, and they will perform the deeds of the people of Hell.’ A man then stood and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, what, then, is the purpose of deeds?’ The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) replied, ‘When Allah, Glorified and Exalted, creates a servant for Paradise, He sets him to performing the deeds of the people of Paradise until he dies upon a deed of the people of Paradise. And when He creates a servant for Hell, He sets him to performing the deeds of the people of Hell until he dies while upon a deed of the people of Hell, whereupon He admits him to Hell because of it.’”