Come, the singular and the plural, and the masculine and the feminine are equal in this matter among the people of Hijaz. And the people of Tamim feminize and pluralize. The meaning is: bring your witnesses and bring them close. If you say: how did he command him to bring forth their witnesses who testify that Allah has prohibited what they claim to be prohibited, then he commanded him not to bear witness with them? I say: he commanded him to bring them forth while they are witnesses of falsehood, to hold them accountable and to confront them with the truth, and to show to the witnesses that they are not upon anything, so that the positions of the witnesses and the ones being witnessed for are equal in that they do not return to anything that can be relied upon. And his saying: 'So do not bear witness with them' means do not affirm what they have testified to nor believe them, for if you affirm for them, it is as if you have borne witness with them like their testimony and you are one of them. And do not follow the desires of those who have denied Our signs, by placing the apparent in the place of the concealed to indicate that whoever denies the signs of Allah and turns to others is merely following desires, nothing else. For if he followed the evidence, he would only be a believer in the signs, affirming the Oneness of Allah, glorified and exalted is He. If you say: why was it not said: say, come, witnesses who testify that Allah has prohibited this? [He returned to his words. He said: 'If you say: why was it not said: say, come, witnesses who testify that Allah has prohibited this, and what difference is there between it and the revealed text... etc.' Ahmad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: the reason for his contradiction is that if it were said contrary to the revealed text, which is: come with witnesses who testify, it would imply that the one requesting witnesses is not certain that there are witnesses, just as the judge says to the claimant: bring forth evidence that testifies to that, so he is not certain that the claimant has evidence. Then his statement: 'So if they testify' is a confirmation that there are indeed witnesses. Thus, the combination of both is contradictory as you see, and Allah is the Guide.] And what difference is there between it and the revealed text? I say: the intention is that they should bring their witnesses whom they know will testify for them and support their words, and those being witnessed for would imitate them and trust them and rely on their testimony, to demolish what they stand upon, to affirm the truth and to invalidate falsehood. Therefore, the witnesses were added for that purpose, and the phrase 'those' was used to indicate that they are known witnesses marked by their testimony for them and by supporting their doctrine. The evidence for this is His saying, glorified and exalted is He: 'So if they testify, do not bear witness with them.' And if it were said: come, witnesses who testify, its meaning would be: bring people who testify to the prohibition of that, so it would appear to be a request for witnesses of the truth, which is not the aim. This is contradicted by His saying, glorified and exalted is He: 'So if they testify, do not bear witness with them.'