364 — Al-Firyābī also informed us, saying: Abū Bakr ibn Abī Shayba narrated to us, saying: Yahyā ibn Ādam narrated to us, from Hammād ibn Zayd, from ʿUbayd Allah ibn Abī Bakr, that Anas ibn Mālik narrated to him, saying: The Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said:

“Allah Most High has appointed an angel over the womb. He says ⦗784⦘, ‘O Lord, a drop? O Lord, a clot? O Lord, a lump of flesh?’ When Allah Most High wills to decree its creation, the angel says, ‘Male or female? Wretched or blessed? What will the lifespan be? What will the provision be?’ All of this is then written while the child is in its mother’s womb.”