حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو نُعَيْمٍ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا الأَعْمَشُ، عَنْ مَالِكِ بْنِ الْحَارِثِ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ رَبِيعَةَ قَالَ: كُنَّا جُلُوسًا عِنْدَ عَبْدِ اللهِ، فَذَكَرُوا رَجُلاً، فَذَكَرُوا مِنْ خُلُقِهِ، فَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللهِ: أَرَأَيْتُمْ لَوْ قَطَعْتُمْ رَأْسَهُ أَكُنْتُمْ تَسْتَطِيعُونَ أَنْ تُعِيدُوهُ؟ قَالُوا: لاَ، قَالَ: فَيَدُهُ؟ قَالُوا: لاَ، قَالَ: فَرِجْلُهُ؟ قَالُوا: لاَ، قَالَ: فَإِنَّكُمْ لاَ تَسْتَطِيعُونَ أَنْ تُغَيِّرُوا خُلُقَهُ حَتَّى تُغَيِّرُوا خَلْقَهُ، إِنَّ النُّطْفَةَ لَتَسْتَقِرُّ فِي الرَّحِمِ أَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً، ثُمَّ تَنْحَدِرُ دَمًا، ثُمَّ تَكُونُ عَلَقَةً، ثُمَّ تَكُونُ مُضْغَةً، ثُمَّ يَبْعَثُ اللَّهُ مَلَكًا فَيُكْتَبُ رِزْقَهُ وَخُلُقَهُ، وَشَقِيًّا أَوْ سَعِيدًا.
Narrated 'Abdullah ibn Rabi'a said:
"We used to sit with 'Abdullah and they mentioned a man together with aspects of his character. 'Abdullah said,
'What would you think if you cut off his head? Would you be able to put
it back on again?' 'No,' they replied. He said, 'And his hand?' 'No,' they
said. 'And his foot?' they said. 'No,' he said. He said, 'You cannot change
his character until you change his physical form. The drop remains in the
womb for forty nights and then the blood congeals and then it becomes a
blood clot and then a lump of flesh and then Allah sends an angel and
he records his provision, his character, and whether he will be
happy or miserable (in the Next World).'"
'What would you think if you cut off his head? Would you be able to put
it back on again?' 'No,' they replied. He said, 'And his hand?' 'No,' they
said. 'And his foot?' they said. 'No,' he said. He said, 'You cannot change
his character until you change his physical form. The drop remains in the
womb for forty nights and then the blood congeals and then it becomes a
blood clot and then a lump of flesh and then Allah sends an angel and
he records his provision, his character, and whether he will be
happy or miserable (in the Next World).'"