Meaning: a witness · Also translated as: witnesses, witness, your witnesses, two witnesses
Forms in the Quran
شَهِيدًا×20
شُهَدَآءَ×12
شَهِيدٌ×12
وَٱلشُّهَدَآءِ×3
شُهَدَآءَكُم×2
ٱلشُّهَدَآءِ×2
شَهِيدَيْنِ×1
بِشَهِيدٍ×1
Its root in the classical dictionaries
الشهود والشهادة: الحضور مع المشاهدة، إما بالبصر، أو بالبصيرة، وقد يقال للحضور مفردا قال الله تعالى: عالم الغيب والشهادة [السجدة/ 6] ، لكن الشهود بالحضور المجرد أولى، والشهادة مع المشاهدة أولى، ويقال للمحضر: مشهد، وللمرأة التي يحضرها زوجها: مشهد، وجمع مشهد: مشاهد، ومنه:
قوله تعالى: ﴿عالم الغيب والشهادة﴾ [الأنعام: 73]. الشهادة والشهود: حضور مع مشاهدة. وذلك إما بالبصر، وإما بالبصيرة. والأول تتعلق به الأحكام الظاهرة، وأما الثاني فالشرع بالنسبة إلى الأحكام الظاهرة لم يعتبره. وقد يقال للحضور مفردا، إلا أن الشهود بالحضور المجرد أولى والشهادة مع الشهادة. وقد يقال للمحضر: مشهد، وللمرأة بحضرة…
Say: "Bring forward your witnesses
To prove that God did
Forbid so and so." If they
Bring such witnesses,
Be not thou amongst them:
Nor follow thou the vain
Desires of such as treat
Our Signs as falsehoods,
And such as believe not
In the Hereafter: for they
Hold others as equal
With their Guardian-Lord.
Whether We show thee
(Realised in thy life-time)
Some part of what We
Promise them,—or We
Take thy soul (to Our Mercy)
(Before that),—in any case,
To Us is their return:
Ultimately God is witness.
To all that they do.
One day We shall raise
From all Peoples a witness
Against them, from amongst themselves:
And We shall bring thee
As a witness against these
(Thy people): and We have sent down
To thee the Book explaining
All things, a Guide, a Mercy,
And Glad Tidings to Muslims.
Those who believe (in the Qur-ān),
Those who follow the Jewish (scriptures),
And the Sabians, Christians,
Magians, and Polytheists,—
God will judge between them
On the Day of Judgment:
For God is witness
Of all things.
And strive in His cause
As ye ought to strive,
(With sincerity and under discipline).
He has chosen you, and has
Imposed no difficulties on you
In religion; it is the cult
Of your father Abraham.
It is He Who has named
You Muslims, both before
And in this (Revelation);
That the Apostle may be
A witness for you, and ye
Be witnesses for mankind!
So establish regular Prayer,
Give regular Charity,
And hold fast to God!
He is your Protector—
The best to protect
And the Best to help!
And those who launch
A charge against chaste women,
And produce not four witnesses
(To support their allegations),—
Flog them with eighty stripes;
And reject their evidence
Ever after: for such men
Are wicked transgressors;—
And for those who launch
A charge against their spouses,
And have (in support)
No evidence but their own,—
Their solitary evidence
(Can be received) if they
Bear witness four times
(With an oath) by God
That they are solemnly
Telling the truth;
Why did they not bring
Four witnesses to prove it?
When they have not brought
The witnesses, such men,
In the sight of God,
(Stand forth) themselves as liars!
And from each people
Shall We draw a witness,
And We shall say: "Produce
Your Proof": then shall they
Know that the Truth is in
God (alone), and the (lies)
Which they invented will
Leave them in the lurch.
Say: "Enough is God
For a Witness between me
And you: He knows
What is in the heavens
And on earth. And it is
Those who believe in vanities
And reject God, that
Will perish (in the end).
There is no blame
(On these ladies if they
Appear) before their fathers
Or their sons, their brothers,
Or their brothers’ sons,
Or their sisters’ sons,
Or their women,
Or the (slaves) whom
Their right hands possess.
And, (ladies), fear God;
For God is Witness
To all things.
And the Earth will shine
With the glory of its Lord:
The Record (of Deeds)
Will be placed (open);
The prophets and the witnesses
Will be brought forward;
And a just decision
Pronounced between them;
And they will not
Be wronged (in the least).
To Him is referred
The Knowledge of the Hour
(Of Judgment: He knows all):
No date-fruit comes out
Of its sheath, nor does
A female conceive (within
Her womb) nor bring forth
(Young), but by His Knowledge.
The Day that (God) will propound
To them the (question),
"Where are the Partners
(Ye attributed) to Me?"
They will say, "We do
Assure Thee not one
Of us can bear witness!"
Soon will We show them
Our Signs in the (furthest)
Regions (of the earth), and
In their own souls, until
It becomes manifest to them
That this is the Truth.
Is it not enough that
Thy Lord doth witness
All things?
Or do they say,
"He has forged it"?
Say: "Had I forged it,
Then can ye obtain
No single (blessing) for me
From God. He knows best
Of that whereof ye talk
(So glibly)! Enough is He
For a witness between me
And you! And He is
Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."