Angels Knowing What is Hearts of Man
Question

                Occasionally one says the du’a (supplication) of entering the toilet or says “bismillah” (in the name of Allah) secretly. Do angels know this secretly said speech? Do they record it and will we be brought to account for it?
Praise be to Allah.
    Al-Bukaari 
    and Muslim narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the 
    Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, relating from his 
    Lord, may He be glorified and exalted: “Allah decreed good deeds and bad 
    deeds, then He explained that. Whoever thinks of doing a good deed then does 
    not do it, Allah will write it down as one complete good deed. If he thinks 
    of doing a good deed and then does it, Allah [may He be glorified and 
    exalted] will write it down between ten and seven hundred fold, or many 
    more. If he thinks of doing a bad deed then he does not do it, Allah will 
    write it down as one complete good deed, and if he thinks of it then does 
    it, Allah will write it down as one bad deed.” 

    
    Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar said in Fath al-Bari. 

    This 
    indicates that the angel can see what is in the heart of the human being, 
    either because Allah informs him of it or because Allah has granted him some 
    knowledge by means of which he is able to find it 
    out.                                              

    The 
    former view is supported by the report narrated by Ibn Abi’l-Dunya from Abu 
    ‘Imran al-Jawni who said: He calls out to the angel: “Write down such and 
    such for so and so”, and he says: “O Lord, he did not do it”. He says: “He 
    intended it”. 

    And 
    it was said that the angel detects a foul odour when a person is thinking of 
    doing a bad deed, and he detects a good smell for a good deed. That was 
    narrated by al-Tabarani from Abu M’ashar al-Madani. A similar report was 
    narrated from Sufyan ibn ‘Uyaynah. 

    
    Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked about 
    the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): “When a 
    person thinks of doing a good deed but does not do it, one good deed is 
    recorded for him …” If his thinking about it is something hidden and is 
    between him and his Lord, how can the angels see it? 

    He 
    replied: 
An answer to this question was narrated from Sufyan ibn 
    ‘Uyaynah, who said: If he thinks of doing a good deed, the angel smells a 
    good fragrance, and if he thinks of doing a bad deed, the angel smells a 
    foul odour. 
    
    In 
    fact, Allah is able to tell the angels what is in a person’s heart in 
    whatever manner He wishes. End quote. 

    
    Majmoo’ al-Fataawa 

    And 
    he (may Allah have mercy on him) also said: 

    Even 
    if they smell the good scent and foul odour, their knowledge is not 
    dependent on what they smell; rather they know what is in the heart of the 
    human being, they can hear it and see the whispers of his nafs (soul). Even 
    the shaytan gets hold of his heart, and when he remembers Allah he retreats, 
    but if his heart neglects to remember Allah he starts to whisper. He knows 
    whether he is remembering Allah or neglecting to remember Him, and he knows 
    what his nafs desires or is inclined towards, and he makes that attractive 
    to him.  

    It is 
    proven in al-Saheeh from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon 
    him) in a hadeeth (report) narrated by Safiyyah (may Allah be pleased with 
    her) that: “The shaytan flows through the son of Adam like blood.” 

    The 
    fact that the angels and the shaytan are close to a person’s heart is 
    something that is mentioned in numerous reports which reach the level of 
    tawatur (transmitting a narration or religious text by a group of narrators 
    from a group of narrators, generation after generation and so forth, and 
    they are all trustworthy people and it is absolutely impossible for them to 
    agree on a lie), whether the person is a believer or a disbeliever. End 
    quote from Majmoo’ al-Fatawa. 

    As 
    for what a person thinks in his heart without moving his tongue and uttering 
    it, he will be rewarded for that, but it is not the particular reward that 
    is bestowed by the Lawgiver to the one who mentions that, rather that reward 
    comes for speaking, and speaking is only achieved by uttering the words. But 
    there are some scholars who say that moving the tongue is sufficient even if 
    there is no sound that can be heard. This is the view of the Malikis and is 
    the view favoured by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, that it is sufficient to 
    move the lips even if the words cannot be heard. End quote. 

    The 
    majority of scholars think that it is essential to speak the words loud 
    enough to be heard by oneself. Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said 
    in Sharh al-Muhadhdhab: If he cannot hear himself then it is not an 
    announcement or speech. End quote. 

    He 
    also said: It should be noted that the adhkar (remembrance of Allah) that 
    are prescribed in prayer and elsewhere, whether they are obligatory or 
    mustahabb (preferred), do not count for anything unless they are uttered so 
    that he can hear himself if his hearing is sound. Al-Adhkar. 

    With 
    regard to a man being brought to account for what he thinks about to 
    himself, this has been answered in question no.
    
    99324. 
And Allah knows best.