Tafsir of Al Imran 3:98-99

"And Allah is Witness" The waw (and) is for the state (hal). The meaning is: Why do you disbelieve in the signs of Allah, which have guided you to the truthfulness of Muhammad (peace be upon him), while Allah is Witness to your deeds and will recompense you for them? This state necessitates that you do not dare to disbelieve in His signs.

"You avert [people] from the way of Allah" Al-Hasan read it as taṣuddūna (you avert) from the verb aṣaddu. It refers to the true religion, which is known to be the way of Allah that He commanded to be followed—namely, Islam. They used to tempt the believers, devise schemes to turn them away from it, and exert all their efforts to prevent those who wished to enter it. It is also said that the Jews approached the Aws and Khazraj and reminded them of the enmities and wars that existed between them during the Age of Ignorance, so that they might return to such a state.

"Seeking to make it crooked" You seek for it deviation and a leaning away from the intended path and uprightness.

If you ask: How can you "seek to make it crooked" when that is impossible? I say: There are two meanings:

1. You confuse the people until you make them imagine that it has crookedness, by saying that the Law of Moses cannot be abrogated, or by distorting the description of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) from its true form, and so on.
2. You follow your own desires in concealing the truth and seeking what is unattainable for you—namely, the existence of crookedness in that which is more upright than anything straight.

"While you are witnesses" That it is the way of Allah, from which none turns away except one who is astray and leading others astray. Or, it means: You are witnesses among the people of your religion, upright individuals whose words they trust and whom they call upon to testify in their most significant matters—these are the rabbis.

"And Allah is not unaware" This is a threat. The position of "seeking to make it crooked" (tabghūnahā ‘iwajan) is in the accusative case as a state (ḥāl).