Signs & Science: Everything on Record

وَوُضِعَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ فَتَرَى ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ مُشْفِقِينَ مِمَّا فِيهِ وَيَقُولُونَ يَـٰوَيْلَتَنَا مَالِ هَـٰذَا ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ لَا يُغَادِرُ صَغِيرَةًۭ وَلَا كَبِيرَةً إِلَّآ أَحْصَىٰهَا ۚ وَوَجَدُوا۟ مَا عَمِلُوا۟ حَاضِرًۭا ۗ وَلَا يَظْلِمُ رَبُّكَ أَحَدًۭا ٤٩

And the record ˹of deeds˺ will be laid ˹open˺, and you will see the wicked in fear of what is ˹written˺ in it. They will cry, “Woe to us! What kind of record is this that does not leave any sin, small or large, unlisted?” They will find whatever they did present ˹before them˺. And your Lord will never wrong anyone.

— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran

And the record [of deeds] will be placed [open], and you will see the criminals fearful of that within it, and they will say, "Oh, woe to us! What is this book that leaves nothing small or great except that it has enumerated it?" And they will find what they did present [before them]. And your Lord does injustice to no one.

— Saheeh International

And the book (of deeds) will be placed (before them), then you will see the guilty people scared of its contents and saying, “Woe to us! What a book is this! It has missed nothing, minor or major, but has taken it into account.” Thus they will find whatever they did present before them, and your Lord will not wrong anyone.

— T. Usmani

The record of their deeds will be laid open and you will see the guilty, dismayed at what they contain, saying, ‘Woe to us! What a record this is! It does not leave any deed, small or large, unaccounted for!’ They will find everything they ever did laid in front of them: your Lord will not be unjust to anyone.

— M.A.S. Abdel Haleem

And the Book is placed, and thou seest the guilty fearful of that which is therein, and they say: What kind of a Book is this that leaveth not a small thing nor a great thing but hath counted it! And they find all that they did confronting them, and thy Lord wrongeth no-one.

— M. Pickthall

And the Book (of Deeds) will be placed (before you); and thou wilt see the sinful in great terror because of what is (recorded) therein; they will say, "Ah! woe to us! what a Book is this! It leaves out nothing small or great, but takes account thereof!" They will find all that they did, placed before them: And not one will thy Lord treat with injustice.

— A. Yusuf Ali

And the Book (one’s Record) will be placed (in the right hand for a believer in the Oneness of Allâh, and in the left hand for a disbeliever in the Oneness of Allâh), and you will see the Mujrimûn (criminals, polytheists, sinners), fearful of that which is (recorded) therein. They will say: "Woe to us! What sort of Book is this that leaves neither a small thing nor a big thing, but has recorded it with numbers!" And they will find all that they did, placed before them, and your Lord treats no one with injustice.

— Al-Hilali & Khan

[Al-Quran 18:49]

The Quran states that Allah knows everything, and everything is on record in a Book. It further states that on the Day of Recompense, no one will be wronged in the least:

اَلَمۡ تَرَ اِلَى الَّذِيۡنَ يُزَكُّوۡنَ اَنۡفُسَهُمۡ ؕ بَلِ اللّٰهُ يُزَكِّىۡ مَنۡ يَّشَآءُ وَلَا يُظۡلَمُوۡنَ فَتِيۡلًا‏ ٤٩

[Al-Quran 4:49]

اَلَمۡ تَرَ اِلَى الَّذِيۡنَ قِيۡلَ لَهُمۡ كُفُّوۡۤا اَيۡدِيَكُمۡ وَاَقِيۡمُوا الصَّلٰوةَ وَاٰ تُوا الزَّكٰوةَ ۚ فَلَمَّا كُتِبَ عَلَيۡهِمُ الۡقِتَالُ اِذَا فَرِيۡقٌ مِّنۡهُمۡ يَخۡشَوۡنَ النَّاسَ كَخَشۡيَةِ اللّٰهِ اَوۡ اَشَدَّ خَشۡيَةً ۚ وَقَالُوۡا رَبَّنَا لِمَ كَتَبۡتَ عَلَيۡنَا الۡقِتَالَ ۚ لَوۡلَاۤ اَخَّرۡتَنَاۤ اِلٰٓى اَجَلٍ قَرِيۡبٍ ؕ قُلۡ مَتَاعُ الدُّنۡيَا قَلِيۡلٌ ۚ وَالۡاٰخِرَةُ خَيۡرٌ لِّمَنِ اتَّقٰى وَلَا تُظۡلَمُوۡنَ فَتِيۡلًا‏ ٧٧

[Al-Quran 4:77]

وَمَنۡ يَّعۡمَلۡ مِنَ الصّٰلِحٰتِ مِنۡ ذَكَرٍ اَوۡ اُنۡثٰى وَهُوَ مُؤۡمِنٌ فَاُولٰٓٮِٕكَ يَدۡخُلُوۡنَ الۡجَـنَّةَ وَلَا يُظۡلَمُوۡنَ نَقِيۡرًا‏ ١٢٤

[Al-Quran 4:124]

يَوۡمَ نَدۡعُوۡا كُلَّ اُنَاسٍۢ بِاِمَامِهِمۡۚ فَمَنۡ اُوۡتِىَ كِتٰبَهٗ بِيَمِيۡنِهٖ فَاُولٰۤٮِٕكَ يَقۡرَءُوۡنَ كِتٰبَهُمۡ وَلَا يُظۡلَمُوۡنَ فَتِيۡلًا‏ ٧١

[Al-Quran 17:71]

وَنَضَعُ الۡمَوَازِيۡنَ الۡقِسۡطَ لِيَوۡمِ الۡقِيٰمَةِ فَلَا تُظۡلَمُ نَـفۡسٌ شَيۡــًٔـا ؕ وَاِنۡ كَانَ مِثۡقَالَ حَبَّةٍ مِّنۡ خَرۡدَلٍ اَتَيۡنَا بِهَا ؕ وَكَفٰى بِنَا حٰسِبِيۡنَ‏ ٤٧

[Al-Quran 21:47]

وَلَا نُـكَلِّفُ نَفۡسًا اِلَّا وُسۡعَهَا وَلَدَيۡنَا كِتٰبٌ يَّـنۡطِقُ بِالۡحَـقِّ وَهُمۡ لَا يُظۡلَمُوۡنَ‏ ٦٢

[Al-Quran 23:62]

يٰبُنَىَّ اِنَّهَاۤ اِنۡ تَكُ مِثۡقَالَ حَبَّةٍ مِّنۡ خَرۡدَلٍ فَتَكُنۡ فِىۡ صَخۡرَةٍ اَوۡ فِى السَّمٰوٰتِ اَوۡ فِى الۡاَرۡضِ يَاۡتِ بِهَا اللّٰهُ ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ لَطِيۡفٌ خَبِيۡرٌ‏ ١٦

[Al-Quran 31:16]

فَالۡيَوۡمَ لَا تُظۡلَمُ نَفۡسٌ شَيۡـــًٔا وَّلَا تُجۡزَوۡنَ اِلَّا مَا كُنۡتُمۡ تَعۡمَلُوۡنَ‏ ٥٤

[Al-Quran 36:54]

...

Modern science is now acknowledging that no information is ever lost. The No-hiding theorem asserts that if information is lost from a system, due to decoherence, it simply moves to a subspace in the environment. Therefore, original information can never be destroyed.

Surah al-Waqiah concludes thus:

56:83

فَلَوْلَآ إِذَا بَلَغَتِ ٱلْحُلْقُومَ ٨٣

Then why, when it [i.e., the soul at death] reaches the throat

56:84

وَأَنتُمْ حِينَئِذٍۢ تَنظُرُونَ ٨٤

And you are at that time looking on -

56:85

وَنَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنكُمْ وَلَـٰكِن لَّا تُبْصِرُونَ ٨٥

And We [i.e., Our angels] are nearer to him than you, but you do not see -

56:86

فَلَوْلَآ إِن كُنتُمْ غَيْرَ مَدِينِينَ ٨٦

Then why do you not, if you are not to be recompensed,

56:87

تَرْجِعُونَهَآ إِن كُنتُمْ صَـٰدِقِينَ ٨٧

Bring it back, if you should be truthful?