—unlike His being a witness between him and them, which is known through scriptural text and reasoned examination. One therefore considers: Has Allah testified to his truthfulness and to their falsehood in rejecting him, or has He testified to his falsehood and to their truthfulness in rejecting him?

Upon examining this, one realizes that Allah has testified to his truthfulness and their falsehood through both kinds of signs: through His words that He sent down, and through the evidence by which He made clear that he is a truthful messenger. Hence He followed this with His words:

“And this Quran has been revealed to me so that I may warn you with it and whoever it reaches.”

For this Quran contains a warning and is itself a sign through which He has testified that he is truthful. He has also testified through the signs He manifests on the horizons and within themselves, until it becomes clear to them that the Quran is the truth.

His words in this verse are:

“Say, ‘Allah is a witness between me and you.’”

Likewise, He says:

“Say, ‘Allah is sufficient as a witness between me and you.’”

And likewise:

“Say, ‘Allah is sufficient between me and you as a witness.’”

And likewise:

“He knows best what you say concerning it. He is sufficient as a witness between me and you.”

Thus He, glorified be He, stated that He is a witness between him and them. He did not say, “a witness against us” or “a witness for me,” because He included judgment in the meaning of testimony. He is therefore a witness who judges by His testimony between me and you. Judgment entails more than mere testimony: a witness may simply give testimony, whereas a judge rules justly in favor of the party in the right against the party in the wrong, secures the former’s rights from the latter, and treats both the party in the right and the party in the wrong as each deserves.