“Those who believe in Allah and His messengers—they are the steadfast affirmers of truth and the witnesses before their Lord. They shall have their reward and their light. But those who disbelieve and deny Our signs—they are the companions of the Blaze.” (19)

“Know that Allah gives life to the earth after its death. We have made the signs clear to you so that you may understand. Indeed, the charitable men and charitable women…” Ibn Kathir and Abu Bakr, narrating from Asim, recited both words with an ungeminated ṣād, deriving them from tasdiq (affirmation of the truth), meaning: the believing men and believing women. The others recited them with a geminated consonant, meaning: the charitable men and charitable women; the tā’ was assimilated into the ṣād. “And those who lend Allah a goodly loan,” through charity and spending in the way of Allah, Exalted is He. “It will be multiplied for them”—that loan—“and they will have a noble reward”: a fine recompense, namely Paradise.

“Those who believe in Allah and His messengers—they are the steadfast affirmers of truth.” A ṣiddīq is one who is exceedingly truthful. Mujahid said: “Everyone who believes in Allah and His Messenger is a steadfast affirmer of truth,” and he recited this verse.

Al-Dahhak said: “They are eight men from this community who preceded the people of the earth in their time in embracing Islam: Abu Bakr, Ali, Zayd, Uthman, Talhah, al-Zubayr, Sad, and Hamzah. The ninth of them was Umar ibn al-Khattab—may Allah, Most High, be pleased with them all. Allah joined him to them because of what He knew of the sincerity of his intention.”

“And the witnesses before their Lord.” They differed concerning the structure of this verse. Some held that it is connected to what precedes it, and that “and” is a coordinating conjunction; by “the witnesses,” He meant the sincere believers. Al-Dahhak said: “They are those whom we named.” He said: