and His saying, exalted is He, concerning the one who forbids a servant when he prays:

“Does he not know that Allah sees?”

And His saying, exalted is He:

“Say, ‘Work, for Allah will see your deeds, as will His Messenger and the believers.’”

And His saying:

“Or do they think that We do not hear their secrets and private conversations? Indeed We do, and Our messengers are with them, recording.”

And His saying, exalted is He:

“Everything they have done is in the records.”

“And everything small and great is written down.”

There are other similar passages.

Mentioning that He sees deeds, knows them and keeps account of them entails a warning of requital for them. It is like someone saying, “I know what you have done, and reports of everything you have done have reached me,” and similar expressions. The purpose is not to speak merely of power or knowledge in isolation, but of power and knowledge associated with requital. Once knowledge and power are present, requital is possible and depends only on the will of the one who requites; nothing else is then needed. One must therefore seek salvation by asking His forgiveness, repenting to Him and doing good deeds that erase bad deeds.

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When He, glorified and exalted is He, swore by “those ranged in ranks,” “those that scatter” and “those sent forth,” He stated what the oath affirmed. He said, exalted is He:

“Indeed, your God is One.”

And He said, exalted is He:

“Indeed, what you are promised is true.”

“And Judgment will surely come to pass.”

And He said, exalted is He:

“Indeed, what you are promised will surely come to pass.”

He did not state what the oath affirmed in al-Nāzi'āt; for those ranged in ranks are the angels, and He did not swear to establish their existence, just as He did not swear to establish His own existence;