Who needs books of deeds?

In answer to the video "Muhammad and Merkabah Mysticism"

Contrary to what this youtuber is trying to make a mountain of, there is nothing in the apocrypha resembling the meaningful intricacies of that Quranic subject.

Only the steadfast, those capable of "sabr", come out in better spiritual condition from the "fitna" the hard trials of this world. The Quran pictures these life trials as passing through a metaphysical fire of refinement. Those that fail will not be spared the pain of going through that process of refinement. If they reach the afterlife in an "unrefined" condition, they will need to test their steadfastness through the trial of the physical fire of hell 41:24. The manner in which we responded to these tests will be found wide open before us on Judgement Day leaving man with no excuse regarding what he "would have done". 

God knows who will pass or fail his tests, however if He decided not to make mankind go through these tests and only reward or chastise according to His knowledge, people might easily object. But with the tests, God can present the result for the people for them to convict themselves

"Read your book; your own self is sufficient as a reckoner against you this day".

The tests therefore serve us as our own evidence testifying to our worldly deeds, on Judgement Day 99:6,78:40,16:92. These angelic records are not required for Allah, aptly described by the prophet Jacob as

12:64"the best at keeping".

He is the One who knows best the true nature of every person's deeds 84:23. He alone has access to the intentions behind every deed while the recording angels only know

82:10"ma tafAAalun/what you do in concrete".

Notice here the Quran's eloquence and surgical use of words. There is a reason why the Quran describes the coming of a day where certain deeds will be turned to ashes, and this is because the outward alone is not the only qualifying criteria for a deed in the Hereafter, it must be coupled with correct intention and faith, something only known to God. In sura jinn, the Quran denies that any entity in the heavens and the earth, angelic, jinn, or even prophetic, has any independent knowledge of the unseen beyond what God allows it to have. And when God shares part of that knowledge, He makes sure it reaches its intended purpose 

72:26-8"[He is] Knower of the unseen, and He does not disclose His [knowledge of the] unseen to anyone. Except whom He has approved of messengers, and indeed, He sends before each messenger and behind him observers. That he may know that they have conveyed the messages of their Lord; and He has encompassed whatever is with them and has enumerated all things in number". 

The image painted here is intricate and comprehensive, from the perspective of divine knowledge and control. God alone possesses ultimate knowledge, nobody has access to it unless He selects them for that purpose. Once that is done the messenger is monitored by surrounding entities that make sure nothing interferes with his mission. These entities are themselves precisely encompassed in number and knowledge by Allah. This means they arent needed by Him for that purpose rather their description creates in the audience/reader a sense of how tightly the situation is encompassed by the divine will. 

Allah is the Watcher over every soul

13:33,58:7"Allah knows whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth, Nowhere is there a secret counsel between three persons but He is the fourth of them, nor (between) five but He is the sixth of them, nor less than that nor more but He is with them wheresoever they are; then He will inform them of what they did on the day of resurrection: surely Allah is Cognizant of all things".

These records are just part of an array of irrefutable arguments, facts and devices used by God in His court of justice. Just like the balance of good deeds, or the books of deeds, the witnessing entities that will be brought forth whether external or within our own selves, are only tools serving the purpose of articulating the truth of one's deeds in such a way that it will inevitably lead to self conviction. They are some of the aspects of God's perfect court of justice 

5:109,4:166,6:19,10:28-29,17:13-14,21:47"And We will set up a just balance on the day of resurrection, so no soul shall be dealt with unjustly in the least; and though there be the weight of a grain of mustard seed, (yet) will We bring it, and sufficient are We to take account" 

25:58"and Sufficient is He as being aware of the faults of His servants".

These records, as well as all other forms of evidences and testimonies are meant for the humans only because, as per the requirements of justice, God does not pass His judgement solely on the basis of His knowledge of His creatures' reality, not even on the basis of their own knowledge of what they truly are 75:14, but after the evidence is presented to each person

58:6"On the day when Allah will raise them up all together, then inform them of what they did: Allah has recorded it while they have forgotten it; and Allah is a witness of all things".

The angels themselves will reply to the sinners denying any evil doings at the moment of death

16:28"surely Allah knows what you did".

It is a book of evidence which each person will read to convict himself

17:13-14"And We have made every man's actions to cling to his neck, and We will bring forth to him on the resurrection day a book which he will find wide open: Read your book, your own self is sufficient as a reckoner against you this day".

None will be able to deny this personal book as it does not omit a single deed

18:49"what a book is this! it does not omit a small one nor a great one, but numbers them (all). And what they had done they shall find present (there); and your Lord does not deal unjustly with anyone".

It is a device among many others meant at establishing perfect justice. The guilty will have no choice but to confess and acknowledge his faults in light of those evidences

67:11,40:11"so we do confess our faults; is there then a way to get out?".

As a final note, the book of deeds record the thoughts and actions of individuals as well as nations

45:28"every nation shall be called to its book: today you shall be rewarded for what you did".

This is just one of the Quranic intricacies and the manner in which it remains consistent in all of its arguments spread throughout the book over a period of 23 years. In several places the Quran states that God judges men individually, and not in groups. But this does not negate the infliction of collective suffering even because of the misdeeds of a few, and this is an objective reality. Any community, including the Muslims 8:25 is vulnerable to this. Believers of all times have been urged by their prophets to purge evil from their communities, hasten each other to good deeds and guard one another from evil, to avoid that outcome. Muslims are warned, through examples of the past, to choose very carefully their leaders because when such elite and rulers begin their mischief, they drag most of the community with them in corruption and lead it to destruction

17:16"And when We wish to destroy a town, We send Our commandment to the people of it who lead easy lives, but they transgress therein; thus the word proves true against it, so We destroy it with utter destruction".

As happened in the past, the Almighty may punish a whole nation for the crime of a single individual if that whole nation sanctions it, directly or passively. As stated by Ezekiel in his warnings to Israel, the righteousness of the few will not deliver the guilty when the time comes Ezek14:20, although it may delay it Prov28:2. If the efforts of those few righteous remnants fall on deaf ear and that the decreed punishment is if such a scale that even the righteous cannot escape it, their reckoning will be with God, as the prophet stated 

"If Allah sends punishment upon a nation then it befalls upon the whole population indiscriminately and then they will be resurrected (and judged) according to their deeds. "