a firm station for them upon which they have settled, and it may also surround them—unlike those of whom He said:

“And among people is one who worships Allah on the edge: if good befalls him, he is reassured by it, but if a trial befalls him, he turns back on his face.”

Such a person is neither steadfast nor firmly settled nor reassured. Rather, he is like someone standing on the edge of a valley—that is, its side. He may feel reassured when good befalls him, yet he may also fall face-first into the valley. Likewise, He distinguished between one who

“founded his building upon fear of Allah and His good pleasure”

and

“one who founded his building on the edge of a crumbling bank, which collapsed with him into the Fire of Hell.”

The same applies to those who were on the brink of a pit of fire, from which He rescued them. There are many passages that illustrate this.

It has thus become clear that the Messenger and those who follow him stand upon clear evidence from their Lord, insight, guidance, and light. This consists of the faith in their hearts, knowledge, and righteous action. Then He said:

“And a witness from Him follows him.”

The pronoun in “from Him” refers to Allah Most High. That is, a witness from Allah follows this person who stands upon clear evidence from his Lord. The witness is from Allah, just as the aforementioned clear evidence upon which he stands is also from Allah.

As for the view that “the witness” comes from the person mentioned himself, interpreting it as his tongue or as ‘Alī ibn Abī Tālib, this is weak. The fact that a person’s witness comes from him does not entail that the witness is truthful, for it is like the testimony of