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The Light of Allah, shining from the Quran on the world — light without heat

Friday Khutba by Dr Zahid Aziz, for Lahore Ahmadiyya UK, 27 December 2024

“Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth. A likeness of His light is as a pillar on which is a lamp — the lamp is in a glass, the glass is as it were a brightly shining star — lit from a blessed olive-tree, neither eastern nor western, whose oil gives light, even though fire does not touch it — light upon light. Allah guides to His light whom He pleases. And Allah sets forth parables for mankind, and Allah is Knower of all things”  — ch. 24, An-Nūr, v. 35

اَللّٰہُ نُوۡرُ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الۡاَرۡضِ ؕ مَثَلُ نُوۡرِہٖ کَمِشۡکٰوۃٍ فِیۡہَا مِصۡبَاحٌ ؕ اَلۡمِصۡبَاحُ فِیۡ زُجَاجَۃٍ ؕ اَلزُّجَاجَۃُ  کَاَنَّہَا کَوۡکَبٌ دُرِّیٌّ یُّوۡقَدُ مِنۡ شَجَرَۃٍ مُّبٰرَکَۃٍ زَیۡتُوۡنَۃٍ لَّا شَرۡقِیَّۃٍ وَّ لَا غَرۡبِیَّۃٍ ۙ یَّکَادُ زَیۡتُہَا یُضِیۡٓءُ وَ لَوۡ لَمۡ تَمۡسَسۡہُ نَارٌ ؕ نُوۡرٌ عَلٰی نُوۡرٍ ؕ یَہۡدِی اللّٰہُ لِنُوۡرِہٖ مَنۡ یَّشَآءُ ؕ وَ یَضۡرِبُ اللّٰہُ الۡاَمۡثَالَ لِلنَّاسِ ؕ وَ اللّٰہُ بِکُلِّ شَیۡءٍ عَلِیۡمٌ ﴿ۙ۳۵﴾

At this time of the year, the days are naturally dark, with reduced daylight hours, and daytime itself often being dull and overcast. This is perhaps why great public dis­plays of attractive and colourful artificial lights are set up to brighten the atmo­sphere and bring cheer to people. This verse of the Holy Quran occurs in a chapter entitled An-Nūr or The Light. It tells us about the importance of light by begin­ning with the words: “Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth.” Of course, Allah cannot be light, because light is something that is a part of creation, and nothing in creation can be Allah. However, in human languages, a person is often called by the name of a quality he possesses or the function which he performs, when that quality or function is very closely associated with him.

There are numerous examp­les of this. There is a company called Mr Reliable because it claims to be reliability itself. In the Quran, in one verse a person is called “righteousness”, not just “righteous”, if he fulfils all the requirements of righteousness. Another person has been called a deed which is “not good”, as if he has become a bad deed himself. The same applies to calling Allah as light. It means Provider of light, but He is such a unique and supreme provider of light, and providing light is so associated with Him that He can be called light.

The meaning of “Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth” may be that He has created the sources of light in the heavens that we see and benefit from, that is to say, the sun, the moon and the stars, and then He has provided in the earth the materials that we can use to produce light, such as combustible materials which we can burn. Of course, these days the light we use is produced by electricity which is generated by the use of some element of nature. We may also take light of the heavens to mean the guidance Allah has provided for us to see the right path and the wrong path, and the light of the earth are the physical lights we need in order to survive and live our daily lives. Regarding the light for our guidance, the Quran says that a person whose heart Allah has opened to Islam so that he follows a light from his Lord is not like those whose hearts are hardened and do not open to receive this light (39:22).

The next words of the verse are: “A likeness of His light”. This removes any misimpression that Allah is the same as light. It says that He produces light, “His light”, not that he is light, and then goes on to explain what His light is like. This point had to be clarified because otherwise people might have thought that Allah was light and started worshipping lights. Already, at the time when the Quran was revealed, there was widespread worship of the sun, the moon and the stars, and people would be prone to misunderstanding the statement that “Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth”.

The verse then gives an example or illustration to show what His light is like: “A likeness of His light”. The light it mentions by giving an illustration is His light of guidance, because guidance is the main subject of the Quran. Here I may digress to say that even as regards physical light, which we see all around us, scientists over the centuries have found it very difficult to find out what it is. When we see a beam of light, does it consist of particles like water from a tap or from a shower? Or is it like a wave which is travelling through some material? Scientists have puzzled over this and no one can really explain the nature of light.

Allah’s light described here by illustration is the guidance He has sent in the form of the revelation of the Quran. The Quran says in three places (7:157, 42:52, 64:8) that, along with His Messenger, Allah has sent a light which Muslims must believe in and follow, in other words the Quran. In this verse it gives a description of that light. The Quran is like a lamp placed on a high pillar, from where its light radiates out to all the world. It is a practice among many Muslims to place the Quran on a high shelf, well-protected in a cover. But its light doesn’t reach anyone. Allah says here that its light will reach everywhere.

The verse then says: “the lamp is in a glass, the glass is as it were a brightly shining star.” This means that the source of the light will be pro­tected by a transparent glass. Interestingly, sources of human-made light also have to be in a transparent covering, as in a light bulb. Without that, the light might go out or the light-source, like the flame of a candle, may do damage by its heat. The words “the lamp is in a glass” mean that the Quran is protected by Allah so that its light cannot be extinguished or corrupted by something from outside, and it is also pro­tected against attacks upon its teachings. And while being protected, it is also shining in the world like a bright star. The Quran says about itself in one place:

“This indeed is a glorious Quran, in a guarded tablet (lauḥ maḥfūẓ)” (85:21–22).

This is a different way of saying the same thing about its protection. For the protection of its teachings and to make them shine in the world, Allah raises mujaddids and other servants of Islam.

This lamp, it says, is “lit from a blessed olive-tree, neither eastern nor western, whose oil gives light, even though fire does not touch it.” I read on a website about oil lamps:

“Olive oil lamps are found everywhere at archaeological sites across the Medi­terra­­nean region. Unsurprisingly, the most common oil used in the Mediterranean region was olive oil.”

So Allah says here to mankind that, just as you use lamps fuelled by olive oil, My light comes from an olive tree as well. As you know, an olive branch is a symbol of peace. It was so among many nations from ancient times; for example, in the Greek and Roman civilisations. In the Bible, from the time of Noah it came to signify peace. In Arab tradition also, the olive branch is a symbol of peace. In 1974, the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat brought an olive branch to the U.N. General Assembly and showed it during his speech. Our British 50p coin till 2008 showed the statue of a woman, known as Britannia, holding out an olive branch. So the Quran is “lit from a blessed olive-tree”, meaning that it is based on peace and it offers peace to the world. It is “neither eastern nor western”, but meant for the whole world.

The verse then says that the oil of this lamp gives light, even without the oil being lit by any fire. If we consider the sources of light that man has invented in this world, they need to be lit by something. Using the older sources of light, you lit a candle, or lit the oil in an oil lamp, or the gas in a gas lamp. In case of traditional electric light bulbs, an electric current heated up a thin metallic filament to a high temperature, and the filament then produced light, but with a lot of heat. Modern LED light bulbs also require an electric current to make them light up. But the Quran gives its light without needing any heat to do so and without producing any heat. Religious preachers often make emotionally-charged speeches to their followers, which are full of fury, indigna­tion and exaggeration,. They also indulge in heated argu­ments and hot debates with those who disagree with them. The Quran does not need its followers to present its message by means of anger, rage and heat; it is its light which should be presented.

There is an expression in English which says that a person, while trying to prove some­thing, “generated more heat than light”. It is used by judges when they dismiss an argument presented by a lawyer and to tell him that his argument is just an impassioned statement, lacking any solid basis, clarity or logic. There is another common expression to describe what someone is saying: “It’s just hot air”, meaning empty, pretentious and boastful talk, with no real substance. So the words of the Quran produce light without heat. And they don’t need to be heated in order to display the light that is within them to others.

Then the verse goes on to describe Allah’s light as “light upon light” — nūr-un ‘alā nūr. This means that it keeps on giving more and more light. When we find some light in the Quran on some point, that is not the end of it. Further thought and research will reveal more light. It is then stated:

“Allah guides to His light whom He pleases.”

This doesn’t mean that a person does nothing himself, and if Allah pleases He will guide that person, and if Allah doesn’t want to, He won’t guide that person. The next verses say that this light is:

“in houses which Allah has permitted to be raised high and His name to be remembered within them. Therein do glorify Him, in the mornings and the evenings, men whom neither merchandise nor selling diverts from the rememb­rance of Allah and the keeping up of prayer and the giving of the due charity — they fear a day in which the hearts and the eyes will turn about” (24:36–37).

According to this, the highest house is not the tallest and the most magnificent and imposing building. It is one within which the light of Allah enters because those who live in it always remember Him, glorify Him, and do not let their worldly activities become a hindrance to remembering Allah in their hearts, praying to Him and giving their wealth for the help of others.

So may Allah enable us to do what is necessary to receive His light into our homes and lives  — ameen.

Website: www.aaiil.uk