Surah al-An‘ām

He—may Allah be pleased with him—was asked about the words of the Most High:

“Then He decreed a term, and an appointed term is with Him.”

And His words:

“No one is granted a long life, nor is anything diminished from his lifespan, except that it is in a Record.”

And His words:

“Allah erases what He wills and confirms, and with Him is the Mother of the Book.”

Do this erasure and confirmation occur in the Preserved Tablet and in the book mentioned in the authentic hadith:

“Allah Most High wrote a book, which is with Him upon His Throne”—to the end of the hadith?

It has also been reported:

“The pen has dried.”

What does this mean in relation to erasure and confirmation?

Is it prescribed to say in supplication: “O Allah, if You have recorded me as such-and-such, erase that and record me as such-and-such instead, for You have said: ‘Allah erases what He wills and confirms’”?

Is it authentically reported that ‘Umar used to offer a supplication like this? Is the correct view, in your judgment, that maintaining ties of kinship increases one’s lifespan, as stated in the hadith? Give us a ruling; may you be rewarded.

He—may Allah be pleased with him—replied:

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of all worlds,