And such is Allah’s testimony between the Messenger and his followers, on the one hand, and those who reject him, on the other. It includes Allah’s judgment in favor of the Messenger and his followers. Through the signs He manifests attesting to the Messenger’s truthfulness, He judges that this is the truth. These signs are of many kinds. He also decrees for him deliverance, victory, support, and happiness in this world and the Hereafter, while decreeing for those who reject him destruction, punishment, and misery in this world and the Hereafter. As the Most High says:

“It is He who sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to make it prevail over all religion.”

He makes it prevail through proofs and signs that establish knowledge and make clear that it is true. He also makes it prevail by granting it victory and support against its opponents, so that it is triumphant. As the Most High says:

“We certainly sent Our messengers with clear proofs and sent down with them the Scripture and the balance, so that people may uphold justice. And We sent down iron, in which there is great might.”

This, then, is testimony that entails judgment, as we explained earlier concerning His words:

“Allah bears witness.”

Mujāhid, al-Farrāʾ, and Abū ʿUbaydah said that “Allah bears witness” means that He judges and decrees. Yet the sense of judgment is more apparent in His words, “between me and you.”

A person may say to another, “So-and-so is a witness between me and you,” meaning that he witnesses what passes between us. Allah thus bears witness through what He has revealed and what He says. This is like witnessing the deeds of His servants. However, those who rejected the Messenger did not deny their rejection, nor did they suspect the Messenger of denying his claim to messengership. Thus, understanding “witness” as including judgment is more firmly established and more consonant with the Quran. And Allah knows best.