Tafsir of Al-An'am 6:150

(Say, "Bring forward your witnesses") i.e., bring them for testimony. Halumma is a verbal noun (ism fi'l) that is indeclinable according to the people of the Hijaz, whereas for the Banu Tamim, it acts as a verb that is inflected for feminine, dual, and plural forms, and is built upon what is well-known regarding the specific properties of verbs.

Abu Ali al-Farsi stated that pronouns may attach to a word even if it is a particle, such as laysa, or a verbal noun, such as hāt, due to their resemblance to verbs. Based on this, halumma is considered a verbal noun absolutely, as stated in Sharh al-Tashil and by al-Radi, who said: "The Banu Tamim inflect it, making it masculine, feminine, and plural in consideration of its origin."

Its origin, according to the Basrans, is hā-lumma, derived from lamm (to gather). If one intends [the meaning of] gathering, the alif is dropped due to the supposition of a sukun on the lam, because its origin is lamama. According to the Kufans, it is hal + umm, where the damma of the hamza was transferred to the lam, and it was then dropped, as is the rule. This was considered far-fetched, as hal does not enter into the imperative; this was countered by what al-Radi transmitted from them, stating that the origin of hal umm is halla umm, a word of urging meaning "hasten," which was then changed to hal to lighten the structure, and then the aforementioned process was applied to it.

It is transitive, meaning "bring" or "come with," and intransitive, meaning "approach," as in His saying: (Come to us) [al-Ahzab: 18].

(Who testify that Allah has forbidden this) and they are their leaders who established their misguidance. The objective of bringing them is to expose them, to oblige them, and to demonstrate that they have no foundation, just as their followers have none. Therefore, the witnesses were specified by the genitive construction (idafa) and described with what indicates that they are witnesses known for their testimony and their defense of their school of thought. This is an allusion to what they forbade of the livestock, as recounted in the preceding verses.

Mujahid said: It refers to the bahira and the sa'iba.

(If they testify) i.e., those witnesses who are known for falsehood, after having been brought, (that Allah has forbidden this) (then do not testify with them) i.e., do not validate them, for it is pure falsehood. Their corruption has been clarified to you, for acknowledging it from them is an agreement with their false testimony, and silence might suggest satisfaction. Intending this meaning by "do not testify" is either by way of metaphorical transference (isti'ara taba'iyya), or a loose metaphor (majaz mursal) by mentioning the consequence while intending the antecedent (since testimony is a consequence of acknowledgement), or it is metonymy, or it is a matter of stylistic conformity (mushakala).

Some have claimed that the pronoun in "they testify" refers to the polytheists, i.e., "if they do not find a witness to testify to that, they testify themselves for themselves, so do not testify." This is extremely far-fetched. Even more distant—or rather, closer to corruption—is the claim that the meaning is "bring your witnesses from other than you, and if they do not find that—because non-Arabs do not forbid what has been mentioned—and they testify themselves, then do not believe them."

(And do not follow the desires of those who denied Our verses) the explicit noun is placed in the position of the pronoun to hint that the denier of the verses is merely a follower of desire, and that the follower of the proof can only be a believer in it. The address is said to be directed to everyone for whom it is appropriate, and it is also said to be directed to the Master of those addressed, with the intention being his nation.

(And those who do not believe in the Hereafter) such as the idolaters, is conjoined to the first relative clause by way of conjoining an attribute to an attribute, with the object being the same. For whoever denies His verses—Exalted is He—does not believe in the Hereafter, and vice versa. Some have claimed that the first relative clause refers to those who deny while affirming the Hereafter, such as the People of the Two Books, and the second refers to those who deny while rejecting the Hereafter. The weakness of this is obvious.

(And they ascribe equals to their Lord) i.e., they make an equal for Him, meaning a partner. It is similar to His saying: (They are of Him, idolaters). It is also said: they deviate (ya'dilun) from Him—Glorified be He—with their actions and attribute them to other than Him—the Mighty and Majestic. However, the basis of the prohibition is not this combination, but rather that those [people] possess these characteristics and are described by them. It is also said that the sentence is in the position of a state (hal) of the pronoun in "they do not believe."