ʿUbādah ibn al-Ṣāmit—may Allah be pleased with him—once said to his son: “My dear son, you will never taste the sweetness of faith until you realize that whatever befell you could never have missed you, and whatever missed you could never have struck you. I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: ‘The first thing Allah created was the Pen. He said to it, “Write.” The Pen replied, “My Lord, what shall I write?” He said, “Write the decrees (qadar) of everything until the Hour is established.”’ My son, I also heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: ‘Whoever dies without believing this is not of me.’
In another wording reported by Aḥmad: ‘The first thing Allah, exalted is He, created was the Pen. He said to it, “Write,” so at that very moment it recorded everything that will occur until the Day of Resurrection.’
And in a narration transmitted by Ibn Wahb he ﷺ said: ‘Whoever does not believe in the decree—its good and its evil—Allah will cast him into the Fire.’
—
Biographical notes:
- “His son” refers to al-Walīd ibn ʿUbādah. He was born during the Prophet’s ﷺ lifetime, counted among the senior Successors, and died sometime after 70 AH—may Allah have mercy on him.
- Ibn Wahb is ʿAbd Allah ibn Wahb ibn Muslim al-Miṣrī, a trustworthy jurist and companion of Mālik. He was born in 125 AH and died in 197 AH—may Allah have mercy on him.
“Flavor of faith” means its sweetness; faith possesses a distinctive sweetness and savor—whoever tastes them grows indifferent to the world and all it contains.
“Whatever befell you could never have missed you …” i.e., whatever has been decreed for you, whether good or evil, will inevitably reach you, and whatever has not been decreed for you will never touch you.