The Column (Al-Suff)
In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
All that is in the heavens and the earth glorify God. He is the Majestic and All-wise. 1 O People who Believe! Why do you preach what you do not practice? 2 It is most hateful in the sight of God if you say something and do not practice it. 3 God loves those who fight for His cause in battlefield formations firm as an unbreakable concrete wall. 4 And [mention, O Muhammad], when Moses said to his people, "O my people, why do you harm me while you certainly know that I am the messenger of Allah to you?" And when they deviated, Allah caused their hearts to deviate. And Allah does not guide the defiantly disobedient people. 5 And [this happened, too,] when Jesus, the son of Mary, said: "O children of Israel! Behold, I am an apostle of God unto you, [sent] to confirm the truth of whatever there still remains of the Torah, and to give [you] the glad tiding of an apostle who shall come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad." But when he [whose coming Jesus had foretold] came unto them with all evidence of the truth, they said: "This [alleged message of his] is [nothing but] spellbinding eloquence!" 6 And who could be more wicked than one who invents [such] a lie about [a message from] God, seeing that he is [but] being called to self-surrender unto Him? But God does not bestow His guidance upon evil-doing folk. 7 Fain would they put out the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah will perfect His light however much the disbelievers are averse. 8 He it is Who hath sent His apostle with the guidance and the true religion, that He may make it triumph over all religion, even though averse may be the associaters. 9