Al-Ankaboot (The Spider)

52. “Say: ‘Allah is sufficient as a witness between me and you’. He knows what is in the heavens and the earth; and those who believe in the falsehood and disbelieve in Allah, they are the losers.”

This verse is a cause of solace for the Prophet of Islam (S) and as a threat for the obstinate pretext-seekers, since Allah (s.w.t.) is a witness upon what happens between the Prophet (S) and pagans, and He reckons everything.

So, this verse says:

“Say: ‘Allah is sufficient as a witness between me and you’…”

It is obvious that the more aware the witness is the more valuable his testimony is.

That is why, by the next sentence, the verse adds:

“…He knows what is in the heavens and the earth…”

Now, we are going to know how Allah has testified to the truthfulness of His prophet.

This witness may be a practical witness, for when Allah gives a great miracle, such as Qur’an, to His Prophet (S), He has signed the document of his legitimacy. Is it possible that Allah, the Wise, the Just, gives the Miracle to a liar (God forbid)? Therefore, giving such a miracle to the self of the Prophet (S) is the best way of Allah’s attestation to his prophecy.

In addition to the abovementioned practical witness, there has also been given some oral attestations in a lot of verses of the Qur’an; as Surah Ahzab, No. 33, verse 40 says:

“Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets, and Allah is Cognizant of all things.”

And Surah Al-Fath, No. 48, verse 29 says:

“Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; and those who are with him are strong against unbelievers, (but) compassionate amongst each other…”

Some commentators have said that the verse under discussion has been sent down in Medina in answer to some chiefs of the Jews, such as Ka‘b-ibn-’Ashraf, and his followers.

They told the Prophet (S):

“Who testifies that you are the messenger of Allah?”

The verse was sent down and said that Allah testifies to it.

By regarding to this statement, another commentary and explanation for the above verse can also be understood. It shows that the purpose of it is the testimony and witness of Allah mentioned in the former Divine Books of which the scholars of the People of the Book are well aware.

In the meanwhile, there is no contradiction between these three commentaries, and all of them may be found in the meaning of the verse.

At the end of the verse, as a warning, the Holy Qur’an says:

“…and those who believe in the falsehood and disbelieve in Allah, they are the losers.”

What a loss is greater than this that once one loses all the capitals of his self for nothing, the same as the polytheists did. They set their heart and spirit at the disposal of idols and spent their whole bodily powers, social facilities and personal potentialities in the way of propagation and putting in circulation the belief of idolatry and wiping the Name of Allah, while they obtained nothing save that they became losers.

The Holy Qur’an often refers to this great loss in its verses, and sometimes it shows this fact by the Arabic word /’axsar/ (more loser) and there is no loss greater than this.¹

More important than this is that in a bargain, it happens that one loses his whole capital and he smashes up, but sometimes it goes further than this and a heavy debt remains for him, which is the worst kind of trade fallen; and polytheists are just in the same case. They sometimes cause the failure and aberration of others, too, and they form a chained failure.