How do we reconcile the hadiths that speak of the writing of human destinies at different stages (fifty thousand years before the creation of creation, at the creation of the Pen, and in the wombs), and does this constitute a contradiction?

There is no contradiction between the sacred texts; what appears to be so are types of divine decrees, all of which fall under the belief that Allah has written the destinies of creation. These decrees are of five types:

1. The Eternal Decree: Allah's writing of destinies fifty thousand years before the creation of the heavens and the earth. 2. The First Life-Span Decree: When the covenant was taken on the Day He said: {Am I not your Lord?} 3. The Second Life-Span Decree: When the embryo is being formed in the womb, an angel is sent to write the fetus's sustenance, lifespan, deeds, and whether it will be wretched or felicitous. 4. The Annual Decree: On Laylat al-Qadr (the Night of Decree), when destinies are separated and detailed from the Preserved Tablet to the records of the angels. This decree is subject to effacement and affirmation. 5. The Daily Decree: This is the execution of all the aforementioned into their designated places.

The origin of all these decrees is "Umm al-Kitab" (the Preserved Tablet), which does not change or alter. In contrast, the detailed writings (such as the life-span and annual decrees) in the records of the angels are subject to effacement and affirmation by being contingent upon the actions of the servants. All of this is written in the Preserved Tablet, and it is a detailing of what is contained therein.