“Indeed, we are messengers of the Lord of the worlds.” (al-Shu‘ara’ 26:16) It was also said that qa‘īd means one who remains constantly beside someone and does not leave, rather than one who is sitting, as opposed to standing. Mujahid said: “Qa‘īd means one who lies in wait.”

“No word does he utter except that with him is an observer, ready. And the agony of death comes in truth: ‘This is what you sought to evade.’” (18–19)

“No word does he utter”: that is, he speaks no utterance and casts it forth from his mouth, “except that with him is an observer,” a guardian, “ready,” present wherever he may be.

Al-Hasan ⦗138a⦘ said: “The angels keep away from a person in two situations: when he relieves himself and when he has sexual intercourse.”

Mujahid said: “They record even his groaning during his illness.” (1) ‘Ikrimah said: “They record only that for which he will be rewarded or punished.” (2)

Al-Dahhak said: “Their place is beneath the molar, upon the palate.” (3) A similar report is related from al-Hasan, who liked to keep the hair beneath his lower lip clean.

Abu Sa‘id al-Shurayhi informed us; Abu Ishaq al-Tha‘labi informed us; al-Husayn ibn Muhammad al-Dinawari informed us; Ahmad ibn Ja‘far ibn Hamdan related to us; al-Fadl ibn al-‘Abbas ibn Mihran related to us; Talut related to us; Hammad ibn Salamah related to us; Ja‘far ibn al-Zubayr informed us, from al-Qasim ibn Muhammad, from Abu Umamah, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “The recorder of good deeds is on a man’s right, and the recorder of evil deeds is on his left. The recorder of good deeds has authority over the recorder of evil deeds. When he performs a good deed, the one on the right records it as ten; and when he commits an evil deed, the one on the right says to the one on the left: ‘Leave him for seven hours, perhaps he will glorify Allah or seek forgiveness.’” (4)

“And the agony of death comes”: that is, its overwhelming severity which envelops a person and overcomes his mind, “in truth,” meaning, with the reality of death. It was also said: with the truth of the matters of the Hereafter, until a person perceives it clearly and sees it with his own eyes. And it was said: with that to which it leads.