The Column (Al-Suff)
In the name of God, The Most Gracious, The Dispenser of Grace
All that is in the heavens and the earth magnifies God; He is the All-mighty; the All-wise. 1 O YOU who have attained to faith! Why do you say one thing and do another? 2 Most loathsome is it in the sight of God that you say what you do not do! 3 Verily Allah loveth those who fight in His way drown up in ranks, as though they were a structure well compacted. 4 Remember when Moses said to his people, "O my people, why do you cause me grief when you know that I am God's Messenger to you?" When they wavered, God let their hearts waver too. God does not guide transgressors. 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 They want to extinguish the light of God by uttering blasphemies. But God wills to perfect His light, however the unbelievers may dislike it. 8 He it is who has sent forth His Apostle with [the task of] spreading guidance and the religion of truth, to the end that He make it prevail over all [false] religion, however hateful this may be to those who ascribe divinity to aught but God. 9