| An-Nisa (The Women): (166) But Allah bears witness...

There are two issues in this verse:

The First Issue: Know that the word {But} (Lākin) is not used to begin a sentence because it is a corrective clause (istidrāk) referring back to what preceded it. There are two views regarding what is being corrected:

1. The first view is that these verses, in their entirety, are a response to the statement: {The People of the Book ask you to send down to them a Book from the heavens} (An-Nisā: 153). This statement implies that the Qur'an was not sent down to them from the heavens. Therefore, the meaning here is: Even if they testify that the Qur'an was not sent down to them from the heavens, {But Allah bears witness} that it was sent down to you from the heavens.
2. The second view is that after Allah said: {Indeed, We have revealed to you} (An-Nisā: 163), the people said, "We do not testify to that." Thus, {But Allah bears witness} was revealed.

The Second Issue: The testimony of Allah is known through the fact that He revealed this Qur'an to the Prophet, a revelation whose eloquence in wording and nobility in meaning reached a level where the first and the last were incapable of matching it. This served as a miracle, and the manifestation of a miracle is testimony to the truthfulness of the claimant. Since His testimony is known only through the revelation of the Qur'an, it is rightly stated: {But Allah bears witness to what He has revealed to you}—meaning, He testifies to your prophethood by means of this Qur'an which He revealed to you.

Then, the Almighty said: {He has sent it down with His knowledge} (Anzalahu bi-‘ilmih). There are two issues concerning this:

The First Issue: When Allah said: {bears witness to what He has revealed to you}, He clarified the characteristic of that revelation, which is that Allah revealed it with complete knowledge and profound wisdom. Thus, the phrase {He has sent it down with His knowledge} functions like someone saying, "I wrote with a pen" or "I cut with a knife." The intent of {He has sent it down with His knowledge} is to describe the Qur'an as possessing the utmost beauty and the highest perfection. This is similar to how it is said about a man renowned for his complete knowledge and intellect who composes a book and meticulously refines it: "He composed this with the perfection of his knowledge and virtue." This implies that he used the entirety of his knowledge as a tool and means for composing this book, thereby indicating the extreme quality and ultimate beauty of that composition. The same applies here, and Allah knows best.

The Second Issue: Our scholars stated that this verse indicates that Allah Almighty possesses knowledge. This is because the verse proves the affirmation of Allah's knowledge. If His knowledge were identical to His very essence (Dhat), it would necessitate attributing a thing to itself, which is impossible.

Then He said: {And the angels bear witness}. The testimony of the angels to this is known because the appearance of the miracle through the Prophet indicates that Allah has testified to his prophethood. If Allah testifies to it, the angels must necessarily testify to it, as established in the Qur'an that they do not precede Him in speech. The purpose is as if to say: O Muhammad, if these Jews deny you, do not concern yourself with them, for Allah, the Lord of all worlds, confirms you in this, and the angels of the seven heavens confirm you in this. Whoever is confirmed by the Lord of the worlds and the angels of the Throne, the Footstool, and all the seven heavens, should not pay attention to the denial of the most contemptible of people, which are these Jews.

Then the Almighty said: {And sufficient is Allah as a witness} (Wa kafā billāhi shahīdan). The meaning is, "Allah is sufficient as a witness." The discussion regarding similar phrases has already preceded.

< { Indeed, those who disbelieve and avert [others] from the way of Allah have certainly strayed far into error. Indeed, those who disbelieve and commit wrong, never would Allah forgive them, nor would He guide them to any way * Except the way of Hell, wherein they will abide forever. And that [destruction] for Allah is easy. } >