Tafsir of Al-Qiyamah 75:14

"Nay, man is a witness against himself" (basirah), meaning a clear, manifest proof against himself, testifying to the evil deeds that have proceeded from him, as is indicated by the word "against" ('ala) and the circumstantial clause that follows.

As for the grammar: "Man" (al-insan) is the subject (mubtada'), and "against himself" ('ala nafsihi) is connected to "witness" (basirah), assuming the implied word "deeds" (a'mal), or the meaning is "against him" without any implied word. "Witness" (basirah) is the predicate (khabar). It is a metaphor for a clear, manifest proof, or it carries the meaning of "evident" (bayyinah), and it is an adjective for an implied "proof" (hujjah) which is the [actual] predicate. Making the proof a "witness" (basirah) is because its possessor has insight (basir) into it, so the attribution is metaphorical. Alternatively, it means "indicating," as a metaphor. It is also permitted that there is a conceptual and imaginative metaphor involved. The feminine form is used for hyperbole or because the described object—meaning "proof"—is feminine.

It is said that this is because of the intended meaning of the limbs; that is, his limbs are a "witness" against him. This is attributed to Ibn Qutaybah. It is also permitted that the implied word is "an eye of insight" ('aynu basirah), and Al-Farra’ opted for this, citing: "As if upon the man of reason [there is] an eye of insight, in his gathering or a sight he gazes upon, cautious until all people think—out of fear—that he does not hide his inner secrets from them."

Based on this, it is said that "man" is the first subject, and "witness" (basirah), with the implied "eye of insight," is the second subject, and "against himself" is the predicate of the second subject, and the sentence is the predicate of the first subject.

Abu Hayyan chose the view that "witness" (basirah) is a fa'il (agent) in relation to the prepositional phrase, and this [entire construct] is the predicate for "man," and it operates on the fa'il because it relies on that [prepositional phrase]. The matter of the feminine form is evident.

"Nay" (bal) is for progression in both interpretations—the intention of a "witnessing proof" or the intention of an "eye of insight." The meaning in both is that the human being is informed of his deeds; nay, it contains that which suffices in place of being informed, because he is knowledgeable of the details of his circumstances, testifying against himself for what he has done, for his limbs will speak of that on the day when their tongues, their hands, and their feet will bear witness against them for what they used to do. In both views, as has been said, there is a nuance of tajrid (abstraction), and it is more apparent in the second.