Abdullah ibn Mas’ud reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, drew a square, and in the middle he drew a line which poked out the end. Across the middle line, he drew some smaller lines. The Prophet said, “This is man and the square surrounding him is death. The middle line is his worldly hopes, and the smaller lines are his troubles. If this one misses him, another will distress him. If that one misses him, another will distress him.”
Source: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 6417
Grade: Sahih (authentic) according to Al-Bukhari
عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ قَالَ قَالَ خَطَّ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ خَطًّا مُرَبَّعًا وَخَطَّ خَطًّا فِي الْوَسَطِ خَارِجًا مِنْهُ وَخَطَّ خُطَطًا صِغَارًا إِلَى هَذَا الَّذِي فِي الْوَسَطِ مِنْ جَانِبِهِ الَّذِي فِي الْوَسَطِ وَقَالَ هَذَا الْإِنْسَانُ وَهَذَا أَجَلُهُ مُحِيطٌ بِهِ أَوْ قَدْ أَحَاطَ بِهِ وَهَذَا الَّذِي هُوَ خَارِجٌ أَمَلُهُ وَهَذِهِ الْخُطَطُ الصِّغَارُ الْأَعْرَاضُ فَإِنْ أَخْطَأَهُ هَذَا نَهَشَهُ هَذَا وَإِنْ أَخْطَأَهُ هَذَا نَهَشَهُ هَذَا
6417 صحيح البخاري كتاب الرقاق باب في الأمل وطوله
