And every soul shall come, with it a driver and a witness.

And every soul shall come, with it a driver and a witness. (Sura Qaf 50:21) Shaykh Tusi has said that there are three statements regarding their being witness: The first is that they are witness over people in the matter of their deeds in this world and in the hereafter which might have been done against truth has been said: and the prophets and the witnesses shall be brought up .

(Sura Zumar 39:69) Secondly, it may mean that you are proof (Hujjat) on people so put before them the truth and the religion and the messenger may be witness over you and may put (describe) the truth and religion.

Thirdly, these noble ones will give witness about the messengers that they conveyed the Divine Commands and that their communities belied them, and that the meaning of the messenger’s being witness over them is that they will give witness about their deeds or will be proofs over them or will give witness about them on the Day of Judgment that they had given true testimony.

In this case ‘upon’ would be in the meaning of ‘for’, that is, ‘upon you’ will mean ‘for you’.[^1] Kulaini, Saffar, Ibne Shahr Aashob and Ayyashi have, with reliable chains of narrators, quoted Imams Baqir and Sadiq (a.s.) that they have while explaining this verse they said: We are the medium nation (Ummate Wusta) and we are Allah’s witness over the creation and Allah’s proof (Hujjat) on the earth.

Furat has, with reliable chains of narrators, about the meaning of this verse, quoted Imam Baqir (a.s.) that there always is a witness from us Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) in every age. Imam Ali was in his time and Imam Hasan was in his days and Imam Husain was in his period and likewise every Imam who guides people towards Allah is in his time the witness of Allah.

Likewise in Basair , Imam Baqir (a.s.) is reported to have said that he said: The ‘medium nation’ means the Imams who are witnesses over the people and: and (that) the Apostle may be a bearer of witness to you… means the messenger will be a witness over you. Imam Sadiq (a.s.) is reported to have said that we are the witnesses over the people about their Halaal (permissible) and Haraam (prohibited) and about whichever of Divine Commandments have been broken by them.

In Kafi and in Basair , Imam Ali (a.s.) is reported to have said: Allah has made us clean of evils and also infallible and made us witnesses over the creation and also proof (Hujjat) in His earth and also He has made Quran with us and us with the Quran.