قُلْ كَفَىٰ بِٱللَّهِ شَهِيدًۢا بَيْنِى وَبَيْنَكُمْ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ بِعِبَادِهِۦ خَبِيرًۢا بَصِيرًا 96
Translations
Say, "Sufficient is Allāh as Witness between me and you. Indeed He is ever, concerning His servants, Aware and Seeing."
Transliteration
Qul kafaa billahi shaheedan bayni wa baynakum. Innahu kana bi-ibaadihi khabeeran baseeran.
Tafsir (Explanation)
The Prophet Muhammad is commanded to declare that Allah alone is sufficient as a witness between him and his people regarding the truth of his message. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir emphasize that this ayah affirms Allah's perfect knowledge and observation of all matters—He is fully aware (Khabir) of the hidden realities and sees (Basir) all actions, making Him the most trustworthy and just witness. This serves as a response to those who rejected the Prophet's message, as Allah's testimony supersedes any human witness or denial.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah Al-Isra, which addresses the disbelievers' rejection of the Prophet and their demands for miraculous signs. The ayah responds to the Meccan polytheists who disputed the Prophet's claims by appealing to Allah as the ultimate authority and witness, emphasizing that human acceptance is secondary to divine truth.
Related Hadiths
The concept of Allah being All-Knowing and All-Seeing is reinforced in the hadith: 'Allah is with the servant as long as the servant is with prayer' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3819), and more directly in 'Indeed, Allah sees all your deeds' (Sahih Muslim 2642), which emphasizes divine oversight mentioned in this ayah.
Themes
Key Lesson
In times of doubt or when facing opposition, believers should remember that Allah's knowledge and testimony are sufficient—we need not rely on human validation of our faith or righteousness. This ayah encourages trust in divine justice and wisdom, knowing that Allah sees all intentions and actions, making ultimate judgment rest with Him alone.
Related Ayahs
وَيَخِرُّونَ لِلْأَذْقَانِ يَبْكُونَ وَيَزِيدُهُمْ خُشُوعًا ۩
And they fall upon their faces weeping, and it [i.e., the Qur’ān] increases them in humble submission.
ذَٰلِكَ جَزَآؤُهُم بِأَنَّهُمْ كَفَرُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا وَقَالُوٓا۟ أَءِذَا كُنَّا عِظَـٰمًا وَرُفَـٰتًا أَءِنَّا لَمَبْعُوثُونَ خَلْقًا جَدِيدًا
That is their recompense because they disbelieved in Our verses and said, "When we are bones and crumbled particles, will we [truly] be resurrected [in] a new creation?"
مَّن كَانَ يُرِيدُ ٱلْعَاجِلَةَ عَجَّلْنَا لَهُۥ فِيهَا مَا نَشَآءُ لِمَن نُّرِيدُ ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَا لَهُۥ جَهَنَّمَ يَصْلَىٰهَا مَذْمُومًا مَّدْحُورًا
Whoever should desire the immediate - We hasten for him from it what We will to whom We intend. Then We have made for him Hell, which he will [enter to] burn, censured and banished.
وَءَاتِ ذَا ٱلْقُرْبَىٰ حَقَّهُۥ وَٱلْمِسْكِينَ وَٱبْنَ ٱلسَّبِيلِ وَلَا تُبَذِّرْ تَبْذِيرًا
And give the relative his right, and [also] the poor and the traveler, and do not spend wastefully.