Witnesses unto Mankind. Sayyid Abul A'la Mawdudi
to you in the Book, that is the truth, confirming what came before it; surely God is aware of and sees His servants (al-Fāṭir 35: 31).
With the truth We have sent it down, and with the truth it has come down; and We have sent you but as a herald of glad tidings and a world (al-Isrā’ 17: 105).
These are the verses of the Book; and that which has been sent down to you from your Lord is the truth, but most people do not believe (al-Ra‘d 13: 1).
Thus, the very simple truths to which Muslims witness – that there is no god but the One God and that Muhammad is God’s Messenger – do in fact encompass the whole Truth, all that is true and right and real, all knowledge that is trustworthy. The Shahadah to God is the proclamation of, and commitment to, His lordship over everything in the heavens and on earth; more specifically, over all human life. Shahadah to Muhammad, blessings and peace be on him, is no parochial call to an exclusive or tribal faith and way of life, for he confirms and enfolds every Truth before him. Witness to him, therefore, is witness to every Messenger of God, to the profound reality of the continuing act of Divine guidance.
Witnessing, according to the Qur’ān, is indeed a Divine act: God Himself witnesses to the Truth, so do His Angels, and all those who possess knowledge. Thus, in witnessing to the Truth, the Muslim in fact becomes a party to the Divine testimony. And, on the Day of Judgement, man’s ears, eyes, hands, feet, and body, too, will become witnesses as to how truthful was his witness during his life on earth.
God bears witness that there is no god but He – and the Angels, and all those possessing knowledge – upholding justice, there is no god but He, the All-mighty, the All-wise (Āl ‘Imrān 3: 18).
But, God [Himself] bears witness to [the truth of] what He has sent down to you; He has sent down that with His knowledge, and the Angels also bear witness; and God is sufficient as a witness (al-Nisā’ 4: 166).
Say: What could most weightily bear witness [to the Truth]? Say: God is witness between me and you, and this Qur’ān has been revealed to me so that I may warn you thereby, and whomsoever it may reach. Do you indeed bear witness that there are other gods with God? Say: I bear no [such] witness. Say: He is the One God; and I am quit of what you associate (al-An‘ām 6: 19).
Till, when they come to it [the Fire], their hearing, and their sights, and their skins will bear witness against them, speaking of what they were doing. And they will say to their skins: Why did you bear witness against us? They shall say: God has given speech to us, as He gives speech to everything (Fuṣṣilat 41: 20–1).
Truth, of whatever nature and form and wherever it is, by the compulsive logic inherent in its nature, requires to be manifest, to be known. That is the primary reason why God witnesses to the truth about Him, to the truth of His guidance. That is why everything that He has created, too, manifests not only its own true nature but also witnesses to God, and witnesses to every truth. It is only a creation possessing free will, such as man, who may conceal the truth of its own nature, the truth it may possess, or the truth about its Creator.
The seven heavens extol His limitless glory, and the earth, and whatever is in them; and there is not a single thing but which glorifies Him with His praise, but you do not understand their glorification. Surely He is All-forbearing, All-forgiving (al-Isrā’ 17: 44).
Have you not seen that before God prostrate themselves all that are in the heavens and all that are on earth – the sun, and the moon, and the stars, and the mountains, and the trees, and the beasts? And many of mankind; but many [others, having denied Him] will merit punishment (al-Ḥajj 22: 18).
Thus, those who have been given the Truth, too, are under pledge – by the logic of truth itself, by the logic of having Divine guidance, and by the logic of their human nature, of their particular history, of their explicit and implicit covenant with God – to bear witness to it, to make it manifest. This argument runs like a thread through all the Quranic discourses which urge upon man, in general, and upon certain groups and communities, in particular, to fulfil their pledge, by reminding them of His bounties and favours, of their history, and of the fact of having been given His guidance.
And when God made covenant with those who had been given the Book: you shall make it known to mankind, and not conceal it (Āl ‘Imrān 3: 187).
Children of Israel, remember My blessing with which I blessed you, and fulfil [your] covenant with Me and I shall fulfil [My] covenant with you (al-Baqarah 2: 40; also 5: 12 and 7: 169).
[Believers], remember God’s blessing upon you, and your covenant [with Him] which He made with you, when you said: We have heard, and we obey (al-Mā’idah 5: 7).
Those who conceal the clear messages and the guidance that We have sent down, after We have made them clear for mankind in the Book – they shall be cursed by God and the cursers; except such as repent, and put themselves right, and make [the Book] known … (al-Baqarah 2: 159–60).
This last passage clearly states that the whole rationale for the duty of witness is inherent in the fact of having the Book: it has been given by God, it is a clear guidance, it has been given and made clear for mankind. Therefore, those who possess the Book must make it clear before mankind. Otherwise, they deserve to be cursed by God and all those who are deprived of the guidance, unless they repent and present its message clearly.
This witness to the Truth is most critical for human destiny. Truth must be manifest and known, not only because of its inherent logic, but more importantly because human beings can neither fulfil the meaning and purpose in their lives nor can they achieve the glory that is their destiny without receiving the Truth. The Quranic discourse in this regard is very important and should be clearly understood.
Firstly, that man has been given life to test how he conducts himself in fulfilling the purpose of his creation during his sojourn on earth. Secondly, that he has been created to live in surrender to his Creator. Thirdly, that he will be judged for his whole life, and for all of its consequences, even beyond life, after his earthly life comes to an end. Then he will be either rewarded or punished in accordance with his conduct. Fourthly, that his real destiny lies in the life that will follow this judgement, the Ākhirah. Hence he must be judged fairly and mercifully. Fifthly, that he must therefore be made aware of what his Creator desires of him, how he must conduct himself. Sixthly, that to meet this urgent need of man, God has always sent His Messengers to guide man; indeed, the very first man, Adam, was a Messenger.*
This, then, is the Divine law under which man’s ultimate destiny critically hinges on the successful rendering of the witness to the Truth.
The Responsibility of the Ummah
Once the Quranic discourse in this respect is fully understood, it should not be difficult to see how the Muslim Ummah as the successor to the Last Prophet, blessings and peace be on him, now bears the responsibility of witness before all mankind for all times to come.
Firstly, all the Messengers of God discharged this duty during their lifetime, the last of them being the Prophet Muhammad, blessings and peace be on him. The Qur’ān addresses him thus, defining all the duties entrusted to him:
O Prophet, We have sent you as a witness [to the Truth], and as a herald of glad tidings and a warner, and as one who calls to God, by His leave, and as a light-giving lamp (al-Aḥzāb 33: 45–6).
Secondly, the Prophet, blessings and peace be on him, was the Messenger to all mankind, and not merely to the Arabs, and for all times to come, by virtue of being the Last Prophet.