Az-Zukhruf: (80) "Or do they think that We..."

"Or do they think that We do not hear their secret," because it indicates that what they plotted was a matter they had concealed, fitting the context of scheming rather than denying the truth, for the disbelievers were vocal in their denial. The "secret" here refers to the discourse of the self—that is, do they think that We do not hear the discourse of their souls regarding that plot? "And their private counsel," meaning their whispering and speaking to one another in secret. More than one scholar has said: The secret is what they spoke to themselves or others in a vacant place, and the private counsel is what they spoke amongst themselves by way of whispering.

"Yes," We hear both and are aware of them, "and Our messengers," who record their deeds for them, "are right there with them," accompanying them, "recording." That is, they record them—or they record everything that emanates from them, both actions and words, of which the aforementioned matter is a part.

The present tense denotes continuous renewal. It, along with its subject, serves as the predicate. "With them" functions as a circumstantial qualifier placed before the verb for the sake of the verse-ending rhyme, or it may also be a predicate. The nominal sentence (subject and predicate) is either a conjunction to what is implied by "Yes," or it is a circumstantial clause, meaning: "We hear that, while Our messengers are recording it." If "secret" is taken to mean the discourse of the self, the verse is manifest evidence that secrets and whispered discourse are heard by the Exalted. It is likewise manifest that the guardians record it just as they record their other outward words and deeds. It is not far-fetched that Allah the Exalted would acquaint them with it through any of the ways of disclosure, and thus they would record it.

Whoever restricts the recording of the angels to non-heart-based matters restricts the "secret" to that which they spoke to others in a vacant place. The manifest meaning is that their assumption is actual; this is not far-fetched for ignorant disbelievers. Ibn Jarir narrated from Muhammad bin Ka'b al-Qurazi who said: Three men were at the Ka'bah, beneath its coverings—two from Quraysh and one from Thaqif, or two from Thaqif and one from Quraysh. One of them said, "Do you think Allah, the Exalted, hears our speech?" Another said, "If you speak aloud, He hears, but if you speak secretly, He does not." Then the verse, "Or do they think..." was revealed.

It has also been said: They were placed, in their persistence in falsehood and their lack of fear of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, in the position of one who thinks that Allah, Glory be to Him, does not hear his secret and his private counsel.