Indeed, many people are under the assumption that everything they do in private is seen only by themselves and no one else, but this is certainly not the case. Allāh (ﷻ) has sent down guardian angels whom He (ﷻ) has entrusted to watch over every soul of mankind.
Allāh (ﷻ) has created angels of various types; some angels watch over a person constantly, some angels seek out to gatherings where Allāh (ﷻ)'s name is mentioned, and some angels rotate between the day and the night, gathering together at the Fajr and ‘Asr prayers. Allāh (ﷻ) asks those angels (who gather at the prayers), and He is the most Knowing concerning His creation:
Then, the angels respond by saying:
Allāh (ﷻ) says in His book:
"He is the Irresistible, (Supreme) over His slaves, and He sends guardians (angels guarding and writing all of one’s good and bad deeds) over you, until when death approaches one of you, Our Messengers (angel of death and his assistants) take his soul, and they never neglect their duty." (2)
ibn ʿAbbās (رضي الله عنه) narrated that the Prophet (ﷺ) said:
"Allāh ordered (the appointed angels over you) that the good and the bad deeds be written, and He then showed (the way) how (to write). If somebody intends to do a good deed and he does not do it, then Allāh will write for him a full good deed (in his account with Him); and if he intends to do a good deed and actually did it, then Allāh will write for him (in his account) with Him (its reward equal) from ten to seven hundred times, to many more times: and if somebody intended to do a bad deed and he does not do it, then Allāh will write a full good deed (in his account) with Him, and if he intended to do it (a bad deed) and actually did it, then Allāh will write one bad deed (in his account)." (3)
Abu Hurairah (رضي الله عنه) narrated that the Prophet (ﷺ) said:
"Angels come (to you) in succession by night and day, and all of them get together at the time of Fajr and ‘Asr prayers. Then those who have stayed with you overnight, ascend unto Allāh Who asks them (and He knows the answer better than they):
'How have you left My slaves?'
They reply,
'We left them while they were praying and we came to them while they were praying.'
The Prophet (ﷺ) added:
'If anyone of you says Amīn (during the prayer at the end of the recitation of Sûrat Al-Fâtihah), and the angels in heaven say the same, and the two sayings coincide, all his past sins will be forgiven.'" (4)
And Allāh (ﷻ) says in His book:
Meaning, Allāh always knows the speech of man whether it is said privately or openly in public.
And Allāh (ﷻ) also said:
"For him (each person), there are angels in succession, before and behind him. They guard him by the Command of Allāh. Verily! Allāh will not change the (good) condition of a people as long as they do not change their state (of goodness) themselves (by committing sins and by being ungrateful and disobedient to Allāh). But when Allāh wills a people’s punishment, there can be no turning back of it, and they will find besides Him no protector." (6)
And Allāh (ﷻ) also said:
And Allāh (ﷻ) also said:
And Allāh (ﷻ) also said:
ibn Taymiyyah (رحمه الله) was asked regarding the statement of the Prophet (ﷺ):
"'If the slave intends to do a good deed, but he does not do it, it is written as a good deed for him.' (14)
If the intention is a secret between man and his Lord, how are the angels able to see it?"
He (رحمه الله) responded:
"All praises belong to Allāh (عز و جل). The answer to this question has been narrated from Sufyān ibn ʿUyaynah. He said:
'If the person intends to perform a good deed, the angels smell a pleasant fragrance, and if the person intends to perform an evil deed, they smell a foul odor.'
In reality, Allāh (عز و جل) has the ability to show the angels what is in the soul of man however He wills, just as He is able to show some from mankind what other men are upon. Therefore, if Allāh (عز و جل) is able to reveal to some people what is in the hearts of men sometimes, then it is more deserving that the angels who are entrusted to watch over man are given this knowledge from Allāh (عز و جل). It has been said that the meaning of the verse, 'And we are nearer to him than his jugular vein..' refers to the angels. Allāh has granted angels the ability to know the inner thoughts of man. ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd said:
'Indeed, there is from Shayṭān a suggestion toward the son of Ādam; and there is from the angel a suggestion.' (15)
The suggestion from the angel is for the person to accept and believe in the truth, with a promise of good. The suggestion from Shayṭān is for the person to reject the truth, and to distance him from it with evil. The Prophet (ﷺ) said:
'There is none amongst you except that he has been entrusted with a companion from amonst the jinn. They (the companions) said, 'You too, O Messenger of Allāh?' He said: 'Me too, but Allāh helped me against him, and so he embraced Islām; thus, he only commands me with good.'' (16)
Therefore, if the evil intentions man has is given to him from Shayṭān, then Shayṭān is aware of these evil thoughts and the good intentions man has is given to him from the angels, then the angel is also aware of these good thoughts. If this angel knows about man's thoughts, then the angels who write down the deeds of man are also aware of his thoughts."
And Allāh (ﷻ) knows best.
May Allāh bless you, and shukran.
Sources :
The information collected in this article was extracted from the book, Majmū’ al Fātawā ibn Taymiyyah Regarding Life after Death and Affairs of the Unseen, compiled and explained by Sheikh Ṣāliḥ al-Fawzān, and published by Authentic Statements Publications.
1. Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 555
2. Qurʾān 6:61
3. Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī volume 8, ḥadīth no. 498
4. Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī volume 4, ḥadīth no. 446
5. Qurʾān 13:10
6. Qurʾān 13:11
7. Qurʾān 82:9
8. Qurʾān 82:10
9. Qurʾān 50:16
10. Qurʾān 50:17
11. Qurʾān 50:18
12. Qurʾān 17:13
13. Qurʾān 17:14
14. Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 162
15. Collected by ibn Hibban
16. Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2814