Tafsir for verse: 4:135
۞ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ كُونُواْ قَوَّٰمِينَ بِٱلۡقِسۡطِ شُهَدَآءَ لِلَّهِ وَلَوۡ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِكُمۡ أَوِ ٱلۡوَٰلِدَيۡنِ وَٱلۡأَقۡرَبِينَۚ إِن يَكُنۡ غَنِيًّا أَوۡ فَقِيرٗا فَٱللَّهُ أَوۡلَىٰ بِهِمَاۖ فَلَا تَتَّبِعُواْ ٱلۡهَوَىٰٓ أَن تَعۡدِلُواْۚ وَإِن تَلۡوُۥٓاْ أَوۡ تُعۡرِضُواْ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ خَبِيرٗا ١٣٥ ﴿135
135O you who believe, be upholders of justice - witnesses for Allah, even though against (the interest of) your selves or the parents, and the kinsmen. One may be rich or poor, Allah is better caretaker of both. So do not follow desires, lest you should swerve. If you twist or avoid (the evidence), then, Allah is all-aware of what you do.
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Commentary

And when that was among the best of admonitions for the people of the food of those who have taken him as a refuge, he turned to them, seeking their compassion, with the wording of faith, coming with the wording of command in a way that encompasses others. He said what is like the result of what has passed regarding the command of justice from the beginning of the surah; up to here; in a way that he confirmed and urged: "O you who have believed"; meaning: they have acknowledged faith with their tongues; "be steadfast"; meaning: be firmly established in a profound manner; consistently upon it; striving in it.

And when the greatest foundation of this surah is justice, he presented it and said: "with justice"; unlike what comes in 'Al-Ma'idah'; for the consideration in it is towards fulfillment, which is only through looking at the one who is to be fulfilled for; "witnesses"; meaning: present; alert; the presence of the one who will hold accountable for everything you intend to enter into; "for Allah"; meaning: for the face of the One in whose hand is everything; not for anything else; "and if"; that justice were "against yourselves"; meaning: for I do not increase you by that except in honor; and if you do not do that, I will compel you to testify against yourselves before the heads of witnesses; so you will be exposed on a day when the first and the last gather from all of the servants.

And when he mentioned the most precious thing to a person, he followed it with what comes after it; and he began with the one who combined to that the awe; he said: "or"; meaning: or is that justice against "the parents"; and he followed it with what encompasses both of them and others; he said: "and the closest relatives"; meaning: from the children and others; then he justified that by saying: "if he is"; meaning: the one who is witnessed for or against; "wealthy"; meaning: you see the testimony for him with something false that pushes harm from him to others; from the one who is witnessed against or others; or preventing a greater corruption than it; or against him with what is not righteousness; hoping for the benefit of the poor with what does not harm him; and similar to that; "or a poor person"; so it may seem to you that the testimony for him with what he does not have benefits him is a mercy for him; or with what is not against him for one who is stronger than him, it settles a fitnah; "then Allah"; meaning: the Lord of glory and honor; "is more deserving of both"; meaning: of the two types of the wealthy and the poor; included in them are these witnesses because of them from you; so He is the one hoped for in bringing benefit and warding off harm; without what you thought; so the pronoun from the usage; and if it returned to the mentioned, the pronoun would be singular; because the one being spoken about is one ambiguous.

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