Light

اللَّهُ نُورُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ مَثَلُ نُورِهِ كَمِشْكَاةٍ فِيهَا مِصْبَاحٌ الْمِصْبَاحُ فِي زُجَاجَةٍ الزُّجَاجَةُ كَأَنَّهَا كَوْكَبٌ دُرِّيٌّ يُوقَدُ مِن شَجَرَةٍ مُّبَارَكَةٍ زَيْتُونَةٍ لَّا شَرْقِيَّةٍ وَلَا غَرْبِيَّةٍ يَكَادُ زَيْتُهَا يُضِيءُ وَلَوْ لَمْ تَمْسَسْهُ نَارٌ نُّورٌ عَلَىٰ نُورٍ يَهْدِي اللَّهُ لِنُورِهِ مَن يَشَاءُ وَيَضْرِبُ اللَّهُ الْأَمْثَالَ لِلنَّاسِ وَاللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ

Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The example of His light is like a niche within which is a lamp, the lamp is within glass, the glass as if it were a pearly [white] star lit from [the oil of] a blessed olive tree, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil would almost glow even if untouched by fire. Light upon light. Allah guides to His light whom He wills. And Allah presents examples for the people, and Allah is Knowing of all things. (24:35)

Allah is light. His hijab is light. His guidance is light. His messengers brought light. His revelation is light. Allah is the source of light. He is the creator of light. Without Allah, everything would be completely dark. He is the Munawwir.

Light enables us to see things as they are and recognize our surrounding. It allows us to find our way. It is guidance. Allah is THE source of guidance. All other source of guidance which is not from Him is misguidance. He is the Hadi.

He describes His light in a mishkaat which is a niche or a space in the wall. This represents our rib cage in our chests. In this niche there is a lamp. The lamp represents emaan. The lamp is in a glass enclosure. This enclosure represents our hearts. The lamp is fueled by pure olive oil which is neither eastern nor western. It is out of this world. This oil which is the lamps fuel is the Quran.

When there is a constant supply of pure Quran in our hearts and when our hearts are kept clean and shiny, the lamp of emaan will light up in our hearts. Its glow will be reflected in the clean glass of the heart and become multiplied. It will also be reflected in the niche in the wall which will enhance it further and reflect it to the whole room. This will result in light upon light – nurun ala nur.

This is the guidance of Allah that He gives to the hearts of believers so that they may be guided by it.

Everyone in this world is in search of meaning. Allah's guidance comes to different people in different ways. His light comes to some and they process it through their biases. The pure light of Allah's guidance is refracted from their personal arrogance and whims, distorting the true perspective.

In their search for guidance, they experience an optical illusion. They are like a thirsty traveler is a flat, featureless, hot and dry desert in search of water who perceive water in the horizon. They exert all their efforts and pin all their hopes on that water only to reach it and find that it was an optical illusion of a mirage. At that point they have no choice. They have no energy to go on further. They realize their mistake, but it is too late and they die in misery.

وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَعْمَالُهُمْ كَسَرَابٍ بِقِيعَةٍ يَحْسَبُهُ الظَّمْآنُ مَاءً حَتَّىٰ إِذَا جَاءَهُ لَمْ يَجِدْهُ شَيْئًا وَوَجَدَ اللَّهَ عِندَهُ فَوَفَّاهُ حِسَابَهُ وَاللَّهُ سَرِيعُ الْحِسَابِ

Those who disbelieve [will find] their deeds [will disappear] like a mirage on a desert: the thirsty man will reckon it is water till, as he comes up to it, he finds it is nothing. Yet he finds Allah and he must render Him his account; Allah is Prompt in reckoning! (24:39)

This is the state of people whose beliefs are formed from distorted truths. They believe them to be true and pin all their hopes in it. They dedicate all their resources to pursue their false goals until they reach death only to realize that they were deluded.

For someone to be truly guided they must follow the guidance revealed by Allah, do good deeds sincerely for Allah based on the methodology taught by the Prophet (SWAS).

أَوْ كَظُلُمَاتٍ فِي بَحْرٍ لُّجِّيٍّ يَغْشَاهُ مَوْجٌ مِّن فَوْقِهِ مَوْجٌ مِّن فَوْقِهِ سَحَابٌ ظُلُمَاتٌ بَعْضُهَا فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ إِذَا أَخْرَجَ يَدَهُ لَمْ يَكَدْ يَرَاهَا وَمَن لَّمْ يَجْعَلِ اللَّهُ لَهُ نُورًا فَمَا لَهُ مِن نُّورٍ

Or [they are] like darknesses within an unfathomable sea which is covered by waves, upon which are waves, over which are clouds - darknesses, some of them upon others. When one puts out his hand [therein], he can hardly see it. And he to whom Allah has not granted light - for him there is no light. (24:40)

In contrast to Allah’s guidance and light, consider those who are deprived from it. There is little light in deep oceans. Consider a very deep ocean. At the bottom of it there is absolute darkness. If such an ocean is very turbulent and there are waves upon waves it will be even more difficult to see anything.

Now if there are very dark clouds over such a stormy ocean, will someone at the bottom of the ocean be able to see anything? No, they will not even be able to see their own outstretched arm. There is only dhulumaatun baaduha fauqa baad – darknesses, some of them upon others.

This is the condition of disbelieving people who are deprived of Allah’s guidance and light.

O Allah, enable us to clean our hearts so that they become shiny and become capable of holding Your nur.

O Allah, help us to constantly study the Quran so that it becomes a source of fuel for the emaan in our hearts.

O Allah, give us your nur in our hearts so that our lives are lit up with true guidance.

O Allah, protect us from optical illusions that lead us astray in a purposeless life which ends in a miserable death.

O Allah, save us from darknesses upon darknesses out of which we can never come out except by Your help.