al-Qamar

وَكُلُّ شَيْءٍ فَعَلُوهُ فِي الزُّبُرِ

وَكُلُّ صَغِيرٍ وَكَبِيرٍ مُسْتَطَرٌ

52. And everything they have done is noted in Records of deeds.

53. And any deed, small and large, is written down.

The blessed Verses in question makes a reference to the fundamental principle that the deeds committed by ancient peoples were not effaced following their death but whatever was done by them was recorded in the Records of their deeds; likewise your deeds are being recorded and preserved for the Day of Reckoning. The word zubur is the plural form of zabur denoting book but it is herein employed in the sense of the Record of deeds committed by mankind.

In order to lay further emphasis, the second blessed Verse adds that the Record of deeds shall be a complete and all inclusive record on the Day of Resurrection, such that upon receiving their Records of deeds, sinners shall cry:

"Woe unto us! What kind of Record is this that leaves neither a small thing nor a big thing, but has recorded it with numbers," ² .

The Arabic word mustatir ("written down, recorded") is cognate with satr ("line, queue"), originally denoting "line" be it the line of people or trees or words on a page. As it is commonly employed in the last sense, the same occurs to mind. It is another warning to such ignorant sinners.

Footnotes

1. 2. 18:49