Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
Allah is completely independent of the angels and of their writing. He knows everything before it happens and after it happens, and nothing in the heavens or the earth is hidden from Him. Rather, Allah appointed the noble recording angels for great wisdoms connected with establishing proof, manifesting His justice, and showing the precision of His order and His care for the deeds of His servants.
Allah says:
“And indeed, over you are guardians, noble recorders, who know whatever you do.”
[Al-Infitar: 10–12]
Allah knows the deeds of His servants before they perform them. He knows what was, what will be, and what would happen if something that did not happen were to happen.
Allah says:
“Indeed, Allah is Knowing of all things.”
[Al-Anfal: 75]
The purpose of the angels’ writing is not to inform Allah of what a person has done—far exalted is Allah above any such need. Rather, the recording is part of the system Allah has established for judging His servants and bringing their deeds forth.
One of the clear wisdoms is that a person will find his deeds recorded before him on the Day of Resurrection, so that he is not punished for anything except that his actions are preserved and presented.
Allah says:
“And the record will be placed, and you will see the criminals fearful of what is in it. They will say, ‘Woe to us! What is with this record that it leaves nothing small or great except that it has counted it?’ And they will find what they did present before them. And your Lord does injustice to no one.”
[Al-Kahf: 49]
The record a person sees on the Day of Resurrection serves as a witness to what he did during his life, even though Allah already knew all of it.
Among the wisdoms mentioned by scholars is that the presence of angels assigned to the deeds of human beings demonstrates the perfection of Allah’s organization and governance of creation.
Allah did not create the universe without purpose. Rather, He established order in everything and assigned angels to different tasks by His command, including angels who record human deeds.
This reflects Allah’s perfect wisdom and care for the deeds of His servants, so that their words and actions are neither lost nor neglected.
When a Muslim knows that his words and actions are being recorded, this encourages him to watch himself and to be careful about what he says and does.
Allah says:
“No word does he utter except that with him is an observer ready to record.”
[Qaf: 18]
Remembering that one’s deeds are preserved and recorded helps a person do good, avoid sins, and become more aware of his accountability before Allah.
A human being is not required to know the detailed wisdom behind everything Allah creates or legislates.
Allah says:
“And you have not been given of knowledge except a little.”
[Al-Isra: 85]
There are rulings, acts of worship, and aspects of creation whose wisdoms we partly understand, while other wisdoms may remain unknown to us. Not knowing the full wisdom does not mean that no wisdom exists, because human knowledge is limited, whereas Allah’s knowledge and wisdom are perfect.
Therefore, the wisdoms mentioned regarding the noble recording angels are those that have become apparent to us, while Allah may have other and greater wisdoms that we do not fully comprehend.
In summary: Allah does not need the angels in order to know human deeds, for He knows them before they happen. Rather, He appointed the noble recording angels as part of the perfectly ordered system He established. Their recording demonstrates care for people’s deeds, establishes proof against them, and manifests the perfection of Allah’s justice and accounting. Knowing that one’s deeds are recorded also reminds a person to remain conscious of Allah and prepare for the Day of Judgment.
And Allah knows best.