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wa-yawma nabʿathu fī kulli ʾummatin shahīdan ʿalayhim min ʾanfusihim wa-jiʾnā bika shahīdan ʿalā hāʾulāʾi wa-nazzalnā ʿalayka l-kitāba tibyānan li-kulli shayʾin wa-hudan wa-raḥmatan wa-bushrā li-l-muslimīna
The day We raise in every nation a witness against them from among themselves, We shall bring you as a witness against these. We have sent down the Book to you as a clarification of all things and as guidance, mercy and good news for the Muslims.
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah An-Nahl – Verse 89
89. “And (remember) the day when We raise up a witness from every people against them from among themselves, and We shall bring you as a witness against these. And We have sent down the Book to you explaining clearly everything, and as a guidance, and glad tidings for Muslims.”
The objective of ‘a witness’, is the prophet who has been sent to them, or their ‘contemporary leader’ who serves as the proof of Allah, and We appoint you as a witness of the people, O’ Muhammad! This Book, the Qur’an, is an explicit and eloquent Book for all religious affairs. The verse says:
“And (remember) the day when We raise up a witness from every people against them from among themselves, and We shall bring you as a witness against these. And We have sent down the Book to you explaining clearly everything, and as a guidance, and glad tidings for Muslims.”
There are no religious matters which are not concerned within the Qur’an or not explicitly expressed in it or which are not leading man to the sources of knowledge, i.e., to the blissful Prophet (S) and to his true successors or to the consensus of the Ummah. Therefore, all religious edicts are direct inferences from the Qur’an, as was explained in the foregoing fifth verse which revealed allusions made to the witnesses of the nations. This is one of our decisive beliefs that every nation will have a witness on the Day of Resurrection and the Prophet of Islam (S) will bear witness over this nation as well as over the witnesses of other nations.
The important point in here is that the testimony of men of Allah must be based on the senses, seeing and knowledge, and they must be innocent of any error or falsehood so as their testimony should be regarded as a kind of ultimatum on that sensitive occasion upon all people. It is evident that there is no one to be aware of the deeds of people whether present or absent, apparent or hidden, and whose words will be accepted by all nations and Allah in Hereafter, except for prophets and those ‘Immaculate Imams’ who have full command of the deeds, words, and behavior as well as the minds of all people owing to their invisible lines of communication.
It has been narrated in Tafsir-i-Safi from Imam Sadiq (as) who said:
“By Allah! we are knowledgeable about everything which is in the skies and on the earth, and whatever is between them, as well as what is in Paradise or in Hell.”
Then the Imam (as) recited the above verse three times. Imam Baqir (as) remarked:
“Whatever is needed by the Ummah has already been mentioned in the Qur’an, and whatever you hear from me, I shall provide its Qur’anic documentation if you ask.” 10
Hadrat Ali (as) said:
“Whatever news about you, as well as the history of the past nations, the future generations, the skies and the earth all have been stated in the Qur’an.” 11
Imam Rida (as) said to the chief men of some religions in a session that among the miracles of the Messenger of Islam is one which reveals a poor orphan who has been an illiterate shepherd, being in possession of a Book ‘the explanation of every thing’ and that all news of the past and future until the Hereafter be recorded in it. 12 Imam Sadiq (as) has said:
“In Allah’s Book, there is a solution for every dispute between two parties though the people’s wisdom may not catch it.” 13
The Qur’an expresses everything though everyone may not understand. Hadrat Ali (as) says: For the common people, the Qur’an provides apparent sentences; for some sophisticated individuals, it provides mysterious allusions; and for the saints of Allah, it reveals delicate divine nuances, while for the prophets it presents ‘facts’. Such a trait of being ‘explanatory of everything’ is either in a direct manner or by means of verses which contain some principles that are leading for us, such as in the Qur’an it says:
“…and whatever the Messenger gives you, accept it, and from whatever he forbids you, keep back…” 14
And as in the verse which says:
“…That you may make clear to mankind what has been sent down to them…” 15
Footnotes