He—may Allah have mercy on him—was asked about the hadith of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace:

“The drop of fluid remains a drop for forty days, then a clinging mass for forty days, then a lump of flesh for forty days; then it is fashioned, its features delineated, and its shape formed.”

Yet it is reported from Hudhayfa ibn Asīd:

“When forty-two nights have passed over the drop of fluid, Allah Most High sends an angel to it, who fashions it and creates its hearing, sight, skin, flesh, and bones. Then he says, ‘My Lord, male or female? Wretched or blessed? What will its provision be, and what will its lifespan be?’”

The questioner cited the remainder of the hadith, then asked: How can these two hadiths be reconciled?

He replied:

Praise be to Allah, Lord of all worlds.

The first hadith is recorded in the two Sahīh collections, from ‘Abd Allah ibn Mas‘ūd, who said:

The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace—the truthful one whose words are confirmed as true—told us:

“The creation of each of you is brought together in his mother’s womb for forty days as a drop of fluid. Then he becomes a clinging mass for a similar period, then a lump of flesh for a similar period. Then the angel is sent to him and breathes the soul into him. He is commanded to record four things: his provision, his lifespan, his deeds, and whether he will be wretched or blessed. By Him besides whom there is no god, one of you may perform the deeds of the people of Paradise until there is only a cubit between him and it