Two angels are sitting on your shoulders right now. They’ve been there since you hit puberty. One on your right. One on your left. And they’re writing down everything you do.
Every word. Every action. Every glance. Every click. Every secret sin you thought you buried. It’s all being recorded, according to Islamic eschatological teachings documented by scholars. And on the Day of Judgment, they’ll hand you a book. Your book. With your name on it. And you’ll have to read every single page.
The Angels You Can’t See
Their names, are Raqeeb and Ateed—or collectively known as the Kiraman Katibin, the Noble Scribes. They’re mentioned explicitly in the Quran.
[Surah Qaf, Ayah 17-18]
“When the two receivers receive, seated on the right and on the left. Man does not utter any word except that with him is an observer prepared [to record].”
Read that again, as Islamic scholars emphasize when teaching this verse. Not “some of your words.” Not “your public actions.” According to Quranic description studied by classical and contemporary exegetes, every single word you speak—whispered, shouted, texted, posted, thought out loud—there’s an angel ready to record it.
It’s not just your words. Abu Umamah Al-Bahili رضي الله عنه narrated that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, as recorded by Imam At-Tabarani and authenticated by Islamic scholars including Al-Albani: “The angel on the right records good deeds, and the angel on the left records bad deeds.”
The angel on your right shoulder, records every prayer you pray, every charity you give, every kind word you speak, every time you control your anger, every moment you resist sin. He’s hoping you give him more to write, as traditional Islamic teachings emphasize.
The angel on your left shoulder, records every sin. Every lie. Every haram glance. Every backbiting session. Every moment of arrogance. Every secret you think nobody knows. And according to authentic hadith documented by scholars, he waits—hoping you’ll repent before he has to write it down.
[Surah Al-Infitar, Ayah 10-12]
“And indeed, [appointed] over you are keepers, noble and recording; they know whatever you do.”
They know. You can’t hide from them. You can’t lock the door on them. You can’t clear your history for them. They see everything Allah ﷻ allows them to see—which is everything you do.
The Grace Period You’re Wasting
Here’s something that should give you hope and terror at the same time. When you’re about to commit a sin, the angel on the left doesn’t write it immediately.
Abu Umamah Al-Bahili رضي الله عنه narrated that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, as recorded in authentic collections compiled by scholars including Al-Tabarani and authenticated by Al-Albani: “When a servant intends to do a good deed, but does not do it, one good deed is written for him. If he does it, ten good deeds are written for him, up to seven hundred times. When a servant intends to do a bad deed, but does not do it, nothing is written against him. If he does it, only one bad deed is written, or Allah may forgive him.”
Traditional Islamic scholarship emphasizes the Divine mercy in this system. According to authenticated reports preserved by hadith scholars, when you’re about to commit a sin, the angel on the left waits for a short duration – giving you time to repent, to change your mind, to seek Allah’s forgiveness. If you repent within that time, according to these prophetic teachings, the angel erases it. It never gets written. Like it never happened.
But if you haven’t repented, the angel writes it down. One sin. Just one. Not multiplied. Not exaggerated. Exactly what you did.
Now compare that to good deeds, as Islamic scholars consistently emphasize when explaining Allah’s mercy. When you even think about doing something good—even if you don’t end up doing it—one good deed is written for you. And if you actually do it? According to hadith documented by scholars, at minimum ten good deeds are written. Sometimes seven hundred. Sometimes more, based on your sincerity and the deed’s impact.
That’s Allah’s mercy. He multiplies your good deeds and gives you time to erase your bad ones. Yet according to how most people actually live, you’re wasting that grace period, ignoring those chances to repent, committing the same sins over and over while the angels write and write and write.
The Book That Will Destroy You or Save You
On the Day of Judgment—after the earth is flattened, after the sun is brought close, after everyone who ever lived stands waiting—the books will be distributed.
Your book. My book. Every single person’s book containing everything those angels recorded from puberty until death.
[Surah Al-Isra, Ayah 13-14]
“And [for] every person We have imposed his fate upon his neck, and We will produce for him on the Day of Resurrection a record which he will encounter spread open. [It will be said], ‘Read your record. Sufficient is yourself against you this Day as accountant.'”
Your fate is fastened to your neck, according to classical Quranic exegesis studied by scholars like Ibn Kathir and others. You’re carrying it right now. Every deed you do adds to it. And on the Day of Judgment, according to this Quranic description, it will be opened in front of you. Spread out. Every page. Every line. Every letter.
And you’ll be told: Read it. You’re your own witness. You’re your own judge. You can’t deny it because, it’s in your own handwriting—your deeds, written by angels who never lie, never exaggerate, never get things wrong.
But here’s where it gets crushing. The way you receive that book determines your eternal fate.
If you receive it in your right hand, you’re saved. You’ll read it with joy. You’ll call out to everyone around you, as the Quran describes.
[Surah Al-Haqqah, Ayah 19-24]
“So as for he who is given his record in his right hand, he will say, ‘Here, read my record! Indeed, I was certain that I would be meeting my account.’ So he will be in a pleasant life—in an elevated garden, its [fruit] to be picked hanging near. [They will be told], ‘Eat and drink in satisfaction for what you put forth in the days past.'”
You’ll be happy to show people your book. Not because it’s sinless—no one’s book is sinless except the prophets. But because the good outweighs the bad. Because you repented. Because Allah ﷻ forgave you. Your name is written among the successful.
But if you receive it in your left hand—or worse, from behind your back—you’re destroyed.
[Surah Al-Haqqah, Ayah 25-37]
“But as for he who is given his record in his left hand, he will say, ‘Oh, I wish I had not been given my record and had not known what is my account. I wish my death had been the decisive one. My wealth has not availed me. Gone from me is my authority.’ [Allah will say], ‘Seize him and shackle him. Then into Hellfire drive him. Then into a chain whose length is seventy cubits insert him.’ Indeed, he did not used to believe in Allah, the Most Great, nor did he encourage the feeding of the poor. So there is not for him here this Day any devoted friend nor any food except from the discharge of wounds; none will eat it except the sinners.”
You’ll wish you had never been born. You’ll wish you had died before this moment. You’ll see page after page of sins you forgot about, sins you didn’t think mattered, sins you thought were hidden. And it’s too late to change anything, as scholars emphasize when teaching about the finality of that Day.
What’s Written in Your Book Right Now
Let me paint you a picture, based on how most people actually live. This is what’s probably in your book right this moment—the book those angels have been writing since you hit puberty.
Page after page of missed prayers. Fajr skipped because you stayed up watching Netflix. Dhuhr delayed until it’s almost Asr. Maghrib prayed half-heartedly while scrolling through your phone. Isha rushed in three minutes because you’re tired. That’s if you prayed at all, as emphasized by scholars warning about prayer negligence.
Chapters dedicated to your eyes. Every haram glance at Instagram models. Every Netflix scene you didn’t look away from. Every intentional stare. Every image you saved. According to Islamic teachings about protecting one’s gaze documented in authentic sources, each glance is a sin—and you’ve probably committed thousands.
Volumes about your tongue. Every lie you told your parents. Every backbiting session with your friends where you tore someone apart. Every curse word. Every joke at someone’s expense. Every time you said something to show off. Every complaint against Allah’s decree. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, as recorded in Jami’ at-Tirmidhi (Hadith 2616) and authenticated by scholars: “Whoever can guarantee what is between his jaws and what is between his legs, I can guarantee him Paradise.” Your tongue and your private parts, according to scholarly interpretation—the two things that destroy most people.
Entire sections about your fingers. Every haram thing you typed. Every message you sent that you shouldn’t have. Every like on content that displeases Allah ﷻ. Every hour wasted scrolling when you should have been reading Quran. Your fingers—the same fingers that are supposed to be making dhikr, according to prophetic guidance—spending more time on TikTok than on Tasbeeh.
Dark pages about your secret sins, the ones you think nobody knows about according to the delusion Islamic scholars warn against. Your private browser sessions. Your hidden chats. The things you do when you’re alone. The addictions you haven’t told anyone about. But, the angels know. They’re writing it all. And on the Day of Judgment, even if no human ever found out, it will all be revealed—unless you repent.
[Surah Az-Zalzalah, Ayah 7-8]
“So whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it, and whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it.”
An atom’s weight, according to classical Islamic exegesis emphasized by scholars. The smallest possible thing. That “harmless” gossip. That “small” lie. That “quick” glance. It’s all recorded. And you’ll see it all.
When Your Body Betrays You
Here’s the part that should terrify you completely, documented in multiple Quranic verses and explained by scholars across centuries. On the Day of Judgment, if you try to deny what’s in your book, if you try to say “I didn’t do that” or “It wasn’t that bad,” Allah ﷻ will make your own body parts testify against you.
[Surah Ya-Sin, Ayah 65]
“That Day, We will seal over their mouths, and their hands will speak to Us, and their feet will testify about what they used to earn.”
Your mouth will be sealed. You won’t be able to lie. You won’t be able to make excuses. Your hands will speak. Your feet will testify. Your skin will witness against you.
Imagine that moment, as scholars encourage when teaching about this terrifying reality. Your own hand—the hand you used to type haram messages, to touch what you shouldn’t touch, to take what wasn’t yours—will speak. In front of everyone. In front of the prophets. In front of the angels. In front of your parents. In front of people you respected. It will describe exactly what you did with it.
Your feet—the feet that walked to haram places, that ran from obligatory prayers, that stood where you shouldn’t stand—will testify about every step you took, according to the same Quranic description.
Your eyes, your ears, your skin—every part of your body, will be given the ability to speak. And they won’t lie for you. They can’t lie, as scholars emphasize based on that Day’s realities.
[Surah Fussilat, Ayah 20-23]
“Until, when they reach it, their hearing and their eyes and their skins will testify against them of what they used to do. And they will say to their skins, ‘Why have you testified against us?’ They will say, ‘We were made to speak by Allah, who has made everything speak; and He created you the first time, and to Him you are returned. And you were not covering yourselves, lest your hearing testify against you or your sight or your skins, but you assumed that Allah does not know much of what you do. And that was your assumption which you assumed about your Lord. It has brought you to ruin, and you have become among the losers.'”
You’ll ask your own skin: “Why are you testifying against me?” And your skin will answer, according to these verses: “Allah made us speak—the same God who created you gave us the ability to witness.”
And that last line should destroy you. “You thought Allah ﷻ didn’t know much of what you were doing.” That’s exactly what you think when you sin in secret. You know Allah ﷻ sees everything intellectually, but practically, you act like He doesn’t. You act like you can get away with it. You act like nobody will ever know.
Your body parts will prove you wrong.
The Only Way to Clean Your Book
You’re reading this for a reason. Allah ﷻ is giving you a chance. Right now. In this moment. Before your book is finalized. Before death takes your soul and seals your record.
First: Immediate Tawbah. Sincere repentance erases sins from your record completely—like they never happened. Allah ﷻ says in the Quran.
[Surah Al-Furqan, Ayah 70]
“Except for those who repent, believe and do righteous work. For them Allah will replace their evil deeds with good ones, and Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.”
Replace evil deeds with good ones. Not just erase—replace. That page full of sins? According to Islamic teachings emphasized by scholars, with sincere repentance, Allah ﷻ can turn it into a page full of good deeds. That’s His mercy, documented throughout Islamic scripture.
But it has to be sincere repentance, as scholars consistently emphasize when teaching the conditions of valid Tawbah. Four conditions according to Islamic jurisprudence documented by scholars: (1) Stop the sin immediately. (2) Regret what you did. (3) Make a firm intention to never return to it. (4) If it involved someone’s rights, make it right with them.
You can’t “repent” and then go back to the same sin tomorrow and think it counts. That’s not repentance—that’s playing games with Allah ﷻ.
Second: Good Deeds That Erase Bad Deeds. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, as recorded in Sahih Muslim (Book 32, Hadith 6251) : “Follow up a bad deed with a good deed and it will erase it.”
That sin you just committed? Immediately pray two rak’ahs. Give charity. Make dhikr. Do something good that will erase it before the angel writes it permanently.
Establish your five daily prayers on time. The five daily prayers erase the sins committed between them—as long as you avoid major sins.
Fast Mondays and Thursdays, according to prophetic example. Give regular charity, based on Islamic ethical teachings. Read Quran daily, as scholars encourage. Control your tongue, based on prophetic warnings. Lower your gaze, according to Quranic commands. These good deeds, according to Islamic spiritual teachings, will fill your book with light that overwhelms the darkness.
Third: Dua for Forgiveness. Make it a daily habit to seek Allah’s forgiveness. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, as recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari (Book 75, Hadith 6307): “By Allah! I ask for forgiveness from Allah and turn to Him in repentance more than seventy times a day.”
Seventy times a day, as scholars emphasize—and he’s the one whose past and future sins were already forgiven according to Quranic statement. If he needed to seek forgiveness seventy times daily, what about you with your book full of actual sins?
[Surah Al-Zumar, Ayah 53]
“Say, ‘O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.'”
All sins. No matter how many. No matter how bad. No matter how long you’ve been doing them. If you sincerely repent, Allah ﷻ will forgive them. But you have to actually repent—not just feel bad while planning to do it again tomorrow.
What You Must Do Before They Close Your Book
The angels are writing your book right now. This sentence you’re reading—they’re recording whether you’ll act on it or ignore it. This moment of awareness—they’re noting whether it leads to change or just temporary emotion that fades by tomorrow, as scholars observe happening with most people.
Stop whatever sin you’re committing. Right now. Today. This moment. Not tomorrow. Not after Ramadan. Not when you “feel ready.” The angel on your left is waiting to erase it—but only if you stop and repent immediately.
Fix your Salah. Prayer is the first thing you’ll be asked about on the Day of Judgment. If your prayer is good, everything else has a chance. If your prayer is corrupted, everything else is corrupted. Start praying on time. Every prayer. With presence. With sincerity.
Guard your tongue. Most of what drags people to Hell is their tongue and their private parts. Stop backbiting. Stop lying. Stop complaining. Stop cursing. Start using your tongue for dhikr, for Quran, for good words, as Islamic ethical teachings consistently emphasize.
Guard your eyes. The eyes commit zina, the hands commit zina, the feet commit zina. Stop feeding your eyes haram. Unfollow those accounts. Delete those apps. Lower your gaze, based on Quranic commands. Fill your vision with Quran and beneficial knowledge instead.
And most importantly: Live like someone who knows their book is being written. Because it is. Right now. Every second. Every word. Every action. The angels are recording it all—and one day, you’ll have to answer for every page.
[Surah Al-Kahf, Ayah 49]
“And the record [of deeds] will be placed [open], and you will see the criminals fearful of that within it, and they will say, ‘Oh, woe to us! What is this book that leaves nothing small or great except that it has enumerated it?’ And they will find what they did present [before them]. And your Lord does injustice to no one.”
Nothing small or great. It’s all there. The question is: When your book is opened, when your name is called, when you step forward to receive it—will you take it with your right hand or your left?
The answer to that question is being written right now. By your choices. By your actions. By whether you close this article and change, or close it and forget. The angels are watching. They’re recording. And one day, you’ll read every word they wrote.
Make sure it’s a book you can be proud of.