leave him. Nowadays, if you were to slip a small recorder into your pocket and let it capture everything you say, you would be amazed at the strange and startling words that escape your tongue—things you utter without even thinking. A man may say a single word that angers Allah, pay it no attention, and yet it can hurl him into the Fire for many years—Allah’s refuge is sought.

Raqīb means “the watcher” who keeps you under constant observation, while ʿatīd means “the ever-present one” who never departs; every word you speak is written down. It is related that Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal—may Allah have mercy on him—was once ill and groaning from pain. A companion visited him and said, “So-and-so among the Successors reports that the angel even records the groan of a sick person.” Upon hearing this, the Imām stopped groaning, fearful that it might be written against him.

For this reason a person should reduce his speech as much as he can, for the Prophet ﷺ said, “Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him speak good or remain silent.” Speaking good is any utterance that brings benefit—either because it is inherently good, or because it fosters harmony and affection among those present. If you attend a gathering and say nothing, people will not enjoy sitting with you; but if you engage them in permissible conversation to win their hearts and draw closer to them, that is good. Follow, then, his ﷺ instruction: “let him speak good or remain silent.”

Among the utterances that are recorded is backbiting, so beware lest it be written against you. When you backbite someone, he will, on the Day of Resurrection, take from your good deeds—the most precious thing you will possess at that time. If your good deeds are exhausted, the sins of those you backbit will be transferred to you, after which you will be cast into the Fire.

And Allah is the One who grants success.