Light upon Light

By Naseer Ahmed, New Age Islam 5 July 2022 The Metaphor For The Light Of Allah Is A Lamp And Not The Sun; It Is Not Available To All Like The Light Of The Sun But Only To Those Who Seek It Main Points: 1. Signs of Allah are also there in what He has created of the physical world, its laws and in the natural phenomena that we observe 2. When you combine the Quranic Ayat with the corresponding Ayat in the physical world or its knowledge from science, it is like touching the self-luminescent olive oil with fire producing Light upon Light. 3. The hypocrites and the disbelievers choose to remain in darkness in this world and will remain in darkness in the Hereafter. -------- The Quranic verses are called Ayat which mean the signs of Allah. The signs of Allah are also there in what He has created of the physical world, its laws and in the natural phenomena that we observe. The Quran refers to these also as the Ayat of Allah. While the Ayat in the Quran about the material world is its cryptic description, the detail is to be found through systematic study of the subject which is what science is all about. Consider the following ayat of the Quran which point to the ayat in the physical world, its laws and in the natural phenomena which the Quran is asking us to ponder over. (2:164) Behold! in the creation of the heavens and the earth; in the alternation of the night and the day; in the sailing of the ships through the ocean for the profit of mankind; in the rain which Allah Sends down from the skies, and the life which He gives therewith to an earth that is dead; in the beasts of all kinds that He scatters through the earth; in the change of the winds, and the clouds which they Trail like their slaves between the sky and the earth;- (Here) indeed are Signs for a people that are wise. (7:185) Do they see nothing in the government of the heavens and the earth and all that Allah hath created? (Do they not see) that it may well be that their terms is nigh drawing to an end? In what message after this will they then believe? (186) To such as Allah rejects from His guidance, there can be no guide: He will leave them in their trespasses, wandering in distraction. Ayat An-Nur Now consider the following verse: (24:35) Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The Parable of His Light is as if there were a Niche and within it a Lamp: the Lamp enclosed in Glass: the glass as it were a brilliant star: Lit from a blessed Tree, an Olive, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil is well-nigh luminous, though fire scarce touched it: Light upon Light! Allah doth guide whom He will to His Light: Allah doth set forth Parables for men: and Allah doth know all things. This verse with reference to the Deen of Islam or its moral principles is explained in my article: An Exposition of the Verse of Light (Ayat al-Nur). Now we can understand the same with reference to Ayat about the material world. The Quranic Ayat is like the olive oil from a tree that is neither of the east nor of the west which means it is not from this world, but of divine origin “Lit from a blessed Tree, an Olive, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil is well-nigh luminous, though fire scarce touched it”. When you combine the Quranic Ayat with the corresponding Ayat in the physical world or its knowledge from science, it is like touching the self-luminescent olive oil with fire producing Light upon Light. : Allah doth set forth Parables for men: and Allah doth know all things. A Commentator’s Experience of ‘Light upon Light’ The following is from a young commentator’s understanding of verse 15:21 (15:21) And there is not a thing but its (sources and) treasures (inexhaustible) are with Us; but We only send down thereof in due and ascertainable measures. What can we make of the verse by itself? What is it that Allah sends down from the Heavens except for rain is what we wonder? If Allah is referring to the deposits of gold, and other elements and has sent these down in due and ascertainable measures, then the job is done with the creation of the earth is what we think. We think that the qunatitity of every element must be limited by what is already there. However, when I looked beyond my limited knowledge and dipped into the common pool of cumulative knowledge of all mankind, I discovered that indeed the Heavens are the factories that make these treasures which are sent down on earth for our benefit and this is a continuous process which did not end with the creation of the earth. Allah is forever sending down whatever we need in the right measure. Briefly, what we learn from science, is the following: The universe's three lightest elements — hydrogen, helium and lithium — were created in the earliest moments of the cosmos, just after the Big Bang. Most of the quantities of elements heavier than lithium, up to iron on the periodic table, were forged billions of years later, in the cores of stars. The precious metals that we see on Earth today are largely heavenly in nature, coming from the sky. Cosmic dust is made of various elements, such as carbon, oxygen, iron and other atoms heavier than hydrogen and helium. The new Herschel observations are the best evidence yet that supernovae are, in fact, the dust-making machines of the early cosmos. The principal investigator of the survey project, Margaret Meixner of the Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md. explained "Now we have a direct measurement of how supernovae enrich space with the elements that condense into the dust that is needed for stars, planets and life." Enough gold, uranium and other heavy elements about equal in mass to all of Earth's oceans likely came to the solar system from the collision of two neutron stars billions of years ago, a new study finds. Recent findings have suggested that much of the gold and other elements heavier than iron on the periodic table was born in the catastrophic aftermath of colliding neutron stars, which are the ultra-dense cores of stars left behind after supernova explosions. What is the purpose of the verse? The purpose of the verse is to make us appreciate God's generosity so that we become grateful to Him for His bounties. It is to give us a true idea of His greatness as the possessor of infinite resources, and the ability to send down all that we need in appropriate measure. Science has helped me to gain the deepest understanding of the verse when before, it was very shallow. I experienced true ecstasy from the deep understanding that the verse gave me of several of the attributes of Allah such as Al-Karim (The Generous), Ar-Rahman, Ar-Rahim, Al-Malik (Possessor of complete sovereignty), Al-Khaliq (Creator), Al-Wahhab (Bestower of all things) , Ar-Razzaq (provider of sustenance), Al-Alim (The Knower), Al-Qabid (Restrainer) , Al-Basit (Expander), Al-Khabeer (the all Aware) , Al-Muqeet (Noursiher), Al-Mujib (Responsive), Al-Hakeem (The Wise), Al-Hamid (praiseworthy), Al-Muhsi (Accounter), Al-Qayyum (The Self Subsisting Sustainer of all), Al-Badi (Originator of creation), Al-Warith (Inheritor to whom everything returns). Those Who Try To Extinguish the Light There are many who with their deceptive discourse try to deprive the believers of the light and from the ‘Light upon Light’ (61:7) Who doth greater wrong than one who invents falsehood against Allah, even as he is being invited to Islam? And Allah guides not those who do wrong. (8) Their intention is to extinguish Allah´s Light (by blowing) with their mouths: But Allah will complete His Light, even though the Unbelievers may detest (it). The Metaphor of Allah’s Light (33:45) O Prophet! Truly We have sent thee as a Witness, a Bearer of Glad Tidings, and Warner,-(46) And as one who invites to Allah´s (grace) by His leave, and as a lamp spreading light. (47) Then give the Glad Tidings to the Believers, that they shall have from Allah a very great Bounty.(48) And obey not (the behests) of the Unbelievers and the Hypocrites, and heed not their annoyances, but put thy Trust in Allah. For enough is Allah as a Disposer of affairs. The metaphor for the Light of Allah is a lamp and not the Sun. It is not available to all like the light of the Sun but only to those who seek it. The hypocrites and the disbelievers choose to remain in darkness in this world and will remain in darkness in the Hereafter. (57:13) One Day will the Hypocrites- men and women - say to the Believers: "Wait for us! Let us borrow (a Light) from your Light!" It will be said: "Turn ye back to your rear! then seek a Light (where ye can)!" So a wall will be put up betwixt them, with a gate therein. Within it will be Mercy throughout, and without it, all alongside, will be (Wrath and) Punishment! The Metaphor of the Rejecters’ Darkness (24:39) But the Rejecters,- their deeds are like a mirage in sandy deserts, which the man parched with thirst mistakes for water; until when he comes up to it, he finds it to be nothing: But he finds Allah (ever) with him, and Allah will pay him his account: and Allah is swift in taking account.(40) Or (the Rejecters´ state) is like the depths of darkness in a vast deep ocean, overwhelmed with billow topped by billow, topped by (dark) clouds: depths of darkness, one above another: if a man stretches out his hands, he can hardly see it! for any to whom Allah giveth not light, there is no light! May Allah guide us all to His light and may we become the true seekers of His light wherever we may find it. Amen. ----- A frequent contributor to NewAgeIslam.com, Naseer Ahmed is an Engineering graduate from IIT Kanpur and is an independent IT consultant after having served in both the Public and Private sector in responsible positions for over three decades. He has spent years studying Quran in-depth and made seminal contributions to its interpretation. URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/light-allah-ayat-quran/d/127408 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism