Is it correct if we attribute fairness to scientists in this verse?

Question

In Surah 3, Ayah 18 we read:

شَهِدَ ٱللَّهُ أَنَّهُۥ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ وَٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ وَأُو۟لُوا۟ ٱلْعِلْمِ قَآئِمًۢا بِٱلْقِسْطِ ۚ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ

And almost any translation that I looked, attributes the قَآئِمًۢا بِٱلْقِسْطِ ۚ to Allah (SWT).

I am not a native Arab speaker. But I'm learning it and it seems to me that attributing the قَآئِمًۢا بِٱلْقِسْطِ ۚ to وَأُو۟لُوا۟ ٱلْعِلْمِ is also possible syntactically.

In other words, is it correct if we assume the وَأُو۟لُوا۟ ٱلْعِلْمِ قَآئِمًۢا بِٱلْقِسْطِ ۚ to be a noun phrase.

Who else also testifies to the oneness of Allah?

The scientists who are fair (who are not arrogant)

Is this assumption correct grammatically?

Answer 1

The phrase قَآئِمًۢا بِٱلْقِسْطِ is hāl (which is a type of grammatical description), and the hāl must match the word it is describing in number.

قَآئِمًۢا is singular. ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ (the angels) and أُو۟لُوا۟ ٱلْعِلْمِ (those who have knowledge) are both plural.

So, applying the hāl to either of those two fails on grammatical grounds. It may apply to the only other eligible singular word before it: the name of Allah.

So, it is describing Allah.

This also means translating أُو۟لُوا۟ ٱلْعِلْمِ as scientist fails on more grounds than it already fails on. All scientists obviously don't testify God is one, and there is no modifier in the verse to specify "fair" scientists.