6:19 Say: “What thing is greater in bearing witness?” Say: “God.”
There is no bearing witness more truthful than the Real’s own bearing witness to what He witnessed at the first. That is His words, “God bears witness that there is no god but He” [3:18]. This is the Real’s bearing witness that the Real is the Real.
On the first day, at the beginningless covenant, with true words and pure speech, He reported of the unitary existence, the self-sufficient being, the endless majesty, the eternal beauty, the continuous Essence, and the self-standing attributes.
Abū ʿAbdallāh Qurashī said, “This is a teaching for the servants and right guidance for the seekers. With His own gentleness, He is teaching the servants to bear witness in their measure to His oneness and solitariness, just as He bears witness as is fitting for Him. Put aside the path of resistance, lest you fall into the pit like the abandoned Iblis.”
One of them said, “God bears witness to His oneness, His unity, and His self-sufficiency. Others, like the angels and the possessors of knowledge, bear witness by assenting to the truth of that to which He bears witness concerning Himself.”
He Himself bore witness to His Lordhood, greatness, and oneness, for no one else was worthy of bearing witness. The creatures cannot reach the core of His majesty and tremendousness, and their bearing witness is nothing but assenting to the truth of the Real’s bearing witness.
Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad said, “The bearing witness of people is built on four pillars: first following the commands, second avoiding prohibitions, third contentment, and fourth approval.”
It is said that people’s bearing witness is of three sorts: the bearing witness of the common people, the bearing witness of the elect, and the bearing witness of the elect. The bearing witness of the common people is to emerge from associationism. The bearing witness of the elect is to enter into contemplation. The bearing witness of the elect is the breeze of companionship from the side of proximity for the sake of union.
The self-purifier sees all from Him, the recognizer sees all in Him, the tawḥīd-voicer sees all as He. Every named being is a loan. True being is He—the rest are suspect. Say “God,” then leave them [6:91]. Oh, all is You, and that’s it! How could anyone appear alongside You?
