Riyad as-Salihin: Book 0, Hadith 576
Ibn Mas’ud (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) drew up a square and in the middle of it he drew a line, the end of which jutted out beyond the square. Further across the middle line, he drew a number of smaller lines. Then he (ﷺ) said, “The figure represents man and the encircling square is the death which is encompassing him. The middle line represents his desires and the smaller lines are vicissitudes of life. If one of those misses him, another distresses him, and if that one misses him, he falls victim to another.”.
وعن ابن مسعود رضي الله عنه قال: خط النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم خطا مربعا، وخط خطاً فى الوسط خارجاً منه، وخط خططاً صغاراً إلى هذا الذى فى الوسط من جانبه الذى فى الوسط، فقال: “هذا الإنسان، وهذا أجله محيطا به -أو قد أحاط به- وهذا الذى هو خارج أمله، وهذه الخطط الصغار الأعراض فإن أخطأه هذا ، نهشه هذا، وإن أخطأه هذا نهشه هذا” ((رواه البخاري))
Riyad as-Salihin: Book 0, Hadith 576
The above hadith is from the Riyad as-Salihin collection of hadiths. Compiled by the esteemed Imam Yahya ibn Sharaf al-Nawawi in the 12th century, Riyad as-Salihin (The Gardens of the Righteous) is a cherished collection of approximately 1,900 hadith. This monumental work, organized into 20 distinct books, was the product of a painstaking 44-year composition process dedicated to compiling prophetic teachings.
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For more Hadith in Book 0: The Book of Miscellany