There is no tree on earth, nor the place where a needle enters, except that there is an angel entrusted with it; he comes to Allah, our Lord, with knowledge of its moisture when it is moist, and its dryness when it is dry.

His saying, the Almighty: "Except in a clear record (kitabin mubin)."

7372 - It was mentioned from Abu Hudhayfah, Sufyan narrated to us, from 'Amr ibn Qays, from a man, from Sa'id ibn Jubayr, from Ibn 'Abbas who said: Allah, Blessed and Exalted, created the Nun—which is the inkwell—and He created the Tablets, then He wrote in it the affairs of the world until it ends, whatever was created, or provisions, whether lawful or unlawful, or deeds of righteousness or immorality. He then recited this verse: "And not a leaf falls but that He knows it, and no grain in the darkness of the earth, and no moist or dry [thing] but that it is in a clear record."

7373 - My father narrated to us, Hisham ibn Khalid narrated to us, Shu'ayb narrated to us, Sa'id narrated to us, from Qatadah regarding His saying:

"In a clear record," he said: All of that is in a clear record from Allah.

His saying: "And it is He who takes your souls by night."

7374 - Muhammad ibn Hammad al-Tehrani Abu 'Abd Allah narrated to me, Hafs ibn 'Umar al-'Adani informed us, al-Hakam ibn Aban narrated to us, from 'Ikrimah regarding His saying: "And it is He who takes your souls by night," he said: He takes the souls at the time of their sleep. There is no night but that Allah the Almighty and Exalted takes all the souls, then He asks every soul about what its owner did during the day, then He calls the Angel of Death and says: 'Seize this, seize this.' There is no day but that the Angel of Death looks into the book of people's lives. One [narrator] says: 'Three times,' and another says: 'Five times.'

7375 - My father narrated to us, Abu Hudhayfah narrated to us, Shibl narrated to us, from Ibn Abi Najih, from Mujahid regarding "And it is He who takes your souls by night," he said: As for His taking them by night, it is their sleep.

His saying: "And He knows what you commit by day."

7376 - My father narrated to us, Abu Salih narrated to us, Mu'awiyah ibn Salih narrated to me, from 'Ali ibn Abi Talhah, from Ibn 'Abbas regarding His saying: "And He knows what you commit by day," he said: Meaning, what you earn of sin. It was also narrated from Mujahid, al-Suddi, and Qatadah the like of this.