“They seek to extinguish Allah’s light with their mouths, but Allah refuses except to perfect His light, even though the disbelievers hate it. He is the One who sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth, to make it prevail over every religion, even though the polytheists hate it.”
Once it became clear that they had no proof for what they said and no evidence for the claims they had established—and that these were merely assertions they had made and fabrications they had invented—He stated that by this “they seek to extinguish Allah’s light with their mouths.”
Allah’s light is His religion, with which He sent the messengers and for which He revealed the scriptures. Allah called it light because it illuminates the darkness of ignorance and false religions. It consists of knowledge of the truth and action in accordance with the truth, while everything else is its opposite. These Jews and Christians, along with those polytheists who resemble them, seek to extinguish Allah’s light merely with words for which they have no proof whatsoever.
“But Allah refuses except to perfect His light,” for it is the brilliant light that all creation, even if they joined forces to extinguish it, could never put out. The One who sent it down holds the forelocks of all His servants in His hand, and He has guaranteed its protection against everyone who intends it harm. Hence He says: “But Allah refuses except to perfect His light, even though the disbelievers hate it.” Even if they do everything within their power to reject and invalidate it, their efforts cannot harm the truth in the least.
Allah Most High then explained this light whose perfection and preservation He has guaranteed, saying: “He is the One who sent His Messenger with guidance,” namely beneficial knowledge, “and the religion of truth,” namely righteous action. Thus, the message with which Allah sent Muhammad—peace and blessings be upon him—encompasses the clarification of truth and its distinction from falsehood concerning Allah’s names, attributes, and actions, as well as His rulings and reports. It commands everything beneficial to hearts, souls, and bodies: devoting religion sincerely to Allah alone, loving Allah and worshiping Him, embracing noble character and excellent traits, performing righteous deeds, and observing beneficial manners. It also forbids everything that opposes and contradicts these things, including evil character and deeds that harm hearts and bodies, both in this world and in the Hereafter.
Thus, Allah sent him with guidance and the religion of truth “to make it prevail over every religion, even though the polytheists hate it.” That is, He sent him to raise it above all other religions through proof and evidence, and through the sword and the spear. Even if the polytheists hate this, lay treacherous plots against it, and devise their schemes, evil plotting harms none but its perpetrator. Allah will inevitably fulfill His promise and carry out what He has guaranteed.