886 - 'Ismah ibn 'Asim informed me, saying: Hanbal narrated to me, saying: Abu 'Abd Allah [Ahmad ibn Hanbal] said: "Good, evil, wretchedness, and felicity are written upon the servant." He used as evidence the hadith of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace): "Among them is he who is born a believer, lives as a believer, and dies a disbeliever; and among them is he who is born a disbeliever, lives as a disbeliever, and dies a believer." He said: "This is regarding the one for whom Allah has written wretchedness or felicity." He said: I asked Abu 'Abd Allah about belief in predestination (al-Qadar)? He said: "We believe in it, and we know that what has befallen us could not have missed us, and what has missed us could not have befallen us, and that Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, has predestined everything, both good and evil; it is preceded in the Preserved Tablet. Wretchedness and felicity are written upon the son of Adam before he is created, while we are yet in the loins of our forefathers."
٨٨٦ - وَأَخْبَرَنِي عِصْمَةُ بْنُ عَاصِمٍ، قَالَ: ثَنَا حَنْبَلٌ، قَالَ: قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: «الْخَيْرُ وَالشَّرُّ وَالشَّقْوَةُ وَالسَّعَادَةُ مَكْتُوبَانِ عَلَى الْعَبْدِ» ، وَاحْتَجَّ بِحَدِيثِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يُولَدُ مُؤْمِنًا، وَيَحْيَا مُؤْمِنًا، وَيَمُوتُ كَافِرًا، وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يُولَدُ كَافِرًا، وَيَحْيَا كَافِرًا، وَيَمُوتُ مُؤْمِنًا قَالَ: هَذَا مَنْ كَتَبَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ الشَّقَاءَ وَالسَّعَادَةَ، قَالَ: وَسَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنِ الْإِيمَانِ بِالْقَدَرِ؟ قَالَ: نُؤْمِنُ بِهِ، وَنَعْلَمُ أَنَّ مَا أَصَابَنَا لَمْ يَكُنْ يُخْطِئُنَا، وَمَا أَخْطَأَنَا لَمْ يَكُنْ لِيُصِيبَنَا، وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ قَدَّرَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ مِنَ الْخَيْرِ وَالشَّرِّ، فَهُوَ سَابِقٌ فِي اللَّوْحِ الْمَحْفُوظِ، الشَّقَاءُ وَالسَّعَادَةُ مَكْتُوبَانِ عَلَى ابْنِ آدَمَ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُخْلَقَ، وَنَحْنُ فِي أَصْلَابِ الْآبَاءِ
