An Example of the Endeavor to Comprehend or Reify The Hadith Text: The Shape That the Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) Has Drawn About the Relationship between Ambition (Amal) and Fate (Ajal)

Abstract

Human beings have been given to an inborn emotion, amal (ambition) without which they may not survive. Every human has ambition in various degrees and qualities. However, Holy Qur’an and hadiths urge believers to be alert against tul-i amal (having longtime ambition) that would make them forget the Hereafter by stating that life on earth is temporary. One of the hadiths in this regard is the well-known narration reported on the authority of Ibn Masud, which relates that once Prophet (pbuh) has described the relationship of human with amal (ambition) and death through drawing several lines on the ground. These lines which are contents of the mentioned narration drawn by the Prophet (pbuh) have long called the attention of commentators of hadiths. Therefore the commentators in an endeavour to ascertain what the Prophet (pbuh) has exactly drawn have depicted a variety of shapes and displayed their understanding of the hadith text. This article by providing charts explaining the ambitions and the death of human aims to prove that each shape depicted concerning the said narration represents an activity of explication and the activity of understanding the hadith texts continues through ages.