Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “Allah created the spirits four thousand years before the bodies, and He created provisions four thousand years before the spirits. Thus, before He created creation—when He alone was, and there was neither heaven nor earth, neither land nor sea—He bore witness concerning Himself to Himself, saying: ‘Allah bears witness that there is no deity except Him.’” (1)

Regarding His words, “and the angels”: that is, the angels too bear witness. It was said: Allah’s testimony means His informing and making known, whereas the testimony of the angels and the believers means their affirmation. His saying, “and those endowed with knowledge,” means the prophets, peace be upon them.

Ibn Kaysan said that it means the Emigrants and the Helpers. Muqatil said: the learned believers among the People of the Book—Abdullah ibn Salam and his companions. Al-Suddi and al-Kalbi said: it means all the learned believers. “Upholding justice” means: with justice. The construction of this verse is: “Allah bears witness, upholding justice”; it is in the accusative as a circumstantial qualifier. It was also said that it is in the accusative by syntactic disjunction. The meaning of His words, “upholding justice,” is that He administers the affairs of creation, just as one says, “So-and-so is in charge of so-and-so’s affair,” meaning that he manages it and attends to its means; or, “He upholds so-and-so’s due,” meaning that he recompenses him. Thus Allah, exalted is He, is the One who administers, provides, and recompenses according to deeds. “There is no deity except Him, the Mighty, the Wise.”

“Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam. Those who were given the Book differed only after knowledge had come to them, out of mutual envy. Whoever disbelieves in the verses of Allah—then indeed, Allah is swift in reckoning.” (19)

“Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam”: that is, the approved and sound religion, as Allah Most High says: “I have approved Islam as your religion” (al-Ma’idah 5:3); and He says: “Whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted from him” (Al Imran 3:85).

Al-Kisa’i read it as anna (“that the religion”), with the initial hamzah bearing fatḥah, in coordination with the first anna (“that”). Its construction is: “Allah bears witness that there is no deity except Him, and He bears witness that the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam”; or: “Allah bears witness that the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam because there is no deity except Him.” The rest read it as inna (“indeed the religion”), with the initial hamzah bearing kasrah, as a new clause. Islam means entering into submission, which is compliance and obedience. One says, aslama: he entered into submission and surrendered himself.

Concerning Allah Most High’s words, “Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam,” Qatadah said: “It is the testimony that there is no deity except Allah, and affirming what has come from Allah Most High. It is Allah’s religion, which He ordained, sent His messengers with, and guided His righteous servants to; He accepts no other religion, and none can be saved except through it.” (2)

Abu Sa‘id al-Shurayhi informed us; Abu Ishaq al-Tha‘labi informed us; Abu Amr al-Furati informed us; Abu Musa Imran ibn Musa informed us; al-Hasan ibn Sufyan informed us; Ammar ibn Umar ibn al-Mukhtar informed us. My father related to me from Ghalib al-Qattan, who said: “I came to Kufah on business and lodged near al-A‘mash. I used to visit him regularly. Then, one night, I wanted to travel down to