Quran Universe
61:8

يُرِيدُونَ لِيُطۡفِـُٔواْ نُورَ ٱللَّهِ بِأَفۡوَٰهِهِمۡ وَٱللَّهُ مُتِمُّ نُورِهِۦ وَلَوۡ كَرِهَ ٱلۡكَٰفِرُونَ

Yureedoona liyutfioo noora Allahi biafwahihim waAllahu mutimmu noorihi walaw kariha alkafiroona

They want to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah will perfect His light, although the disbelievers dislike it.

Word by word
  1. يُرِيدُونَThey intend
  2. لِيُطۡفِـُٔواْto put out
  3. نُورَ(the) light
  4. ٱللَّهِ(of) Allah
  5. بِأَفۡوَٰهِهِمۡwith their mouths
  6. وَٱللَّهُbut Allah
  7. مُتِمُّwill perfect
  8. نُورِهِۦHis Light
  9. وَلَوۡalthough
  10. كَرِهَdislike
  11. ٱلۡكَٰفِرُونَthe disbelievers
As-Saf · 61:8Madinah

Trying to blow out the sun with your mouth.

Allah completes His light anyway

The attempt
mouthswords, mockery, lies
blow at
Allah's lightlike the sun
result
it is completedwhoever dislikes it
Who decides
the loudest voicesthey will win
Allah perfects itno mouth can stop it

The early Muslims in Madinah faced constant talk, plots and doubts spread against them. Ibn Kathir compares those efforts to someone trying to put out the sun by blowing at it. Allah will perfect His light, however much it is disliked.

You scroll and see comment after comment mocking faith. It can make you feel small, like the light is going out. It is not. Breath does not reach the sun. Your job is to stay near it, not to win every comment war.

If everyone online is against the truth, the truth must be losing.

Words cannot put out what Allah has decided to complete.

Try this

Close one app that leaves you feeling faith is under siege, and read one page of Quran instead.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 61:7)

And who does more wrong than the one who invents a lie against Allah, while he is being invited to Islam? And Allah guides not the people who are wrongdoers (7)They intend to put out the Light of Allah with their mouths. But Allah will bring His Light to perfection even though the disbelievers hate (it)(8)He it is Who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to make it victorious over all religions even though idolators hate (it)(9)

The Most Unjust among all People

Allah said,

وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرَىٰ عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ وَهُوَ يُدْعَىٰ إِلَى الْإِسْلَامِ ۚ 

(And who does more wrong than the one who invents a lie against Allah, while he is being invited to Islam?) meaning, none is more unjust than he who lies about Allah and calls upon rivals and associates partners with Him, even while he is being invited to Tawhid and sincerely worshipping Him. This is why Allah said,

وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ 

(And Allah guides not the people who are wrongdoers.) Allah said,

يُرِيدُونَ لِيُطْفِئُوا نُورَ اللَّهِ بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ 

(They intend to put out the Light of Allah with their mouths.) indicating that the disbelievers will try to contradict the truth with falsehood. Their attempts are similar to one's attempt to extinguish the sun with his mouth, which is impossible. Likewise is the case of their attempt to extinguish truth. So Allah said,

وَاللَّهُ مُتِمُّ نُورِهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْكَافِرُونَ - هُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ بِالْهُدَىٰ وَدِينِ الْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى الدِّينِ كُلِّهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْمُشْرِكُونَ

(But Allah will bring His Light to perfection even though the disbelievers hate (it). He it is Who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to make it victorious over all (other) religions even though the idolators hate (it).)

We explained the meanings of similar Ayat before, in the Tafsir of Surah Bara'ah. All praise and thanks are due to Allah.