Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
It is established that all of a person’s deeds are recorded and accounted for, and that Allah has appointed angels over him who record what he does. As for whether the recording angels leave him in certain circumstances, such as when he is in the bathroom or during sexual intercourse, there is no authentic, explicit hadith establishing this. Therefore, the safer view is to refrain from asserting how they accompany a person, while believing that everything he does is recorded and accounted for, whether it occurs in a noble or an undignified place.
Allah تعالى says:
﴿And the record will be placed, and you will see the criminals fearful of what is in it, and they will say, “Woe to us! What is this record that leaves nothing small or great without recording it?” And they will find all that they did present before them. And your Lord does not wrong anyone.﴾
[Al-Kahf: 49]
Everything a person does is preserved and recorded, whether it occurs during obedience or disobedience, and whether it takes place in a visible or concealed setting.
He سبحانه also says:
﴿He does not utter a word except that with him is a watcher, ready to record.﴾
[Qaf: 18]
And Allah تعالى says:
﴿This is Our record that speaks against you in truth. Indeed, We used to have recorded whatever you used to do.﴾
[Al-Jathiyah: 29]
Some scholars held that the two recording angels remain with a person in all circumstances.
They cited the general meaning of Allah’s statement:
﴿He does not utter a word except that with him is a watcher, ready to record.﴾
[Qaf: 18]
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, may Allah have mercy on him, stated that the basic principle is that the two angels are always with the person, and it should not be said that they leave him in the bathroom or during sexual intercourse unless authentic evidence from the Prophet ﷺ establishes this.
This is based on an important principle:
The basic rule is to act according to the general wording of a text unless there is evidence specifying it.
Some scholars held that the recording angels leave a person when he enters the bathroom or engages in sexual intercourse, and some additionally included bathing.
They cited hadiths and reports, among the most well-known of which is:
“Beware of uncovering yourselves, for there are with you those who do not leave you except when you are defecating and when a man has intercourse with his wife...”
However, this hadith is weak, and the scholars of hadith have declared it weak.
Other narrations also state that the angels leave a person during defecation, sexual intercourse, and bathing, but their chains of transmission are not sufficiently established to allow us to affirm this ruling with certainty.
Therefore, they cannot be relied upon to establish unseen details with certainty.
The more appropriate view is to say:
Allah has informed us that the angels record a person’s deeds, but He has not informed us how this occurs in every place and circumstance.
We do not know whether recording the deeds requires the two angels to remain with the person in every place he enters, or whether Allah has given them the ability to know what he does and record it without needing to enter with him.
These details belong to the unseen, and it is not permissible to assert them without evidence.
We do not have to know the manner in which the recording occurs in order to believe in it.
The angels are created beings with abilities whose reality we cannot fully comprehend. Allah is capable of informing them of whatever He has commanded them to record, in whatever manner He wills.
Al-Suyuti, may Allah have mercy on him, stated regarding the issue of the recording angels entering the bathroom, in essence: We do not know. If they are commanded to enter, they enter; and if Allah honors them by keeping them away from that and informs them of what occurs from the person whose deeds they have been assigned to record, then they carry out what they have been commanded to do.
This is the safer approach regarding matters of the unseen.
No.
We are required to believe in what Allah and His Messenger ﷺ have informed us of, not to know every detail about the world of the angels and the manner in which they perform their duties.
What matters is that a Muslim understands that his words and deeds are not lost; they are recorded and preserved.
As for where the angel stands, how he sees, and how he records deeds in such circumstances, these are details for which there is no authentic text. There is therefore no need to speculate about them.
There is no explicit authentic evidence establishing that the recording angels leave a person when he enters the bathroom, engages in sexual intercourse, or bathes.
Some scholars held this view based on weak narrations, while others held that they never leave him.
The more appropriate view is to refrain from asserting the exact manner in which they remain with him. We believe that all of a person’s deeds are recorded and accounted for, and we entrust the manner in which the angels record them and accompany the person to Allah تعالى.
The important point is not knowing where the angels are at every moment, but remembering that on the Day of Resurrection, a person will find all his deeds recorded and preserved.
And Allah knows best.