—and the solicitude they exhibit points to His love; whereas the humiliation, distancing, and abandonment they sometimes contain point to His hatred and loathing. The pattern of bringing a thing forth in utter weakness and deficiency, then conducting it to completion and perfection, is evidence that the Resurrection will indeed come to pass, and the recurring states of plant and animal life and the movement of water prove its possibility. The visible marks of mercy and bounty that appear upon His creatures testify to the soundness of prophethood, and the perfections they possess—whose absence would leave them deficient—show that the One who bestows those perfections is most entitled to them. Thus His effects are among the strongest proofs of His attributes and of the truth of what His messengers have reported about Him.

Created things therefore stand as witnesses that corroborate the recited verses, calling attention to the need to reason from these crafted signs. The Exalted says, “We shall show them Our signs on the horizons and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that it is the Truth” ⦗Fussilat: 53⦘—that is, that the Quran is true. He has informed us that He will inevitably show them some of His visible signs that will make plain to them that His recited signs are true; then He states that His own testimony suffices to verify His word, for He has set up proofs and demonstrations for the veracity of His Messenger. His signs testify to His truth, and He, through His signs, testifies to the truth of His Messenger: He is both the Witness and the One for whom testimony is borne, the Proof and the thing proved—indeed, He is a proof of Himself. One of the knowers of God said, “How can I seek evidence for the One who is my evidence for everything? Whatever proof I might look for concerning Him, His very existence is clearer than it.”

For this reason the messengers said to their people, “Is there any doubt about Allah?” ⦗Ibrāhīm: 10⦘. He is more evident than anything known and clearer than any proof. In reality all things are known through Him, even though in rational inquiry one comes to know Him by reflecting on His actions and judgments.