As a witness against those to whom You sent him, and against their denial and affirmation. That is: Your saying is accepted by Allah for them and against them, just as the saying of a just witness is accepted in judgment. If you say: How was he a witness at the time of sending, while he is only a witness when bearing witness or when delivering it? I say: It is a hypothetical state, like the matter of the book: I passed by a man with a falcon hunting with it tomorrow, meaning: hypothetically hunting with it tomorrow. If you say: It is understood from his saying: Indeed, We have sent you as a caller, that he is permitted to call, what is the benefit of his saying 'by His permission'? I say: He did not mean by it the reality of permission, but rather made permission a metaphor for facilitation and ease. This is because entering into the right of the owner is difficult, so when permission is encountered, it becomes easy and facilitated. Since permission is a facilitation of what is difficult, it was placed in its place. This is because calling the people of polytheism and ignorance to monotheism and the laws is an extremely difficult and challenging matter. Thus, it was said: 'by His permission', to indicate that the matter is difficult and cannot be achieved except if Allah facilitates and eases it. From this is their saying about the miser: he is not permitted to spend, meaning: he is not facilitated in spending due to it being burdensome for him, entering into the ruling of difficulty. Allah illuminated the darkness of polytheism with him and guided the misguided by him, just as the darkness of the night is illuminated by the shining lamp and is guided by it. Or Allah extended with the light of his prophethood the light of insight, just as He extends with the light of the lamp the light of sight. He described it with illumination because among lamps, there are those that do not shine if their wick is low and their thread is thin. In the words of some: Three illuminate: a slow messenger, a lamp that does not shine, and a table waiting for someone to come. Some were asked about the frightening things? He said: A covering darkness, and a dim lamp. And it was said: And this is a shining lamp. Or a following shining lamp. And it is permissible in this interpretation to connect it to the 'كاف' of 'أَرْسَلْناكَ'.