Assalam Alaikum I hope you are well. Recently I was asked about the symbolism of light in Islam and the Islamic teachings on light and I didnt know how to asnwer. Could you touch on this topic? JazakAllah Khayr
Wa’alaikumasalam! wa iyyak(i) ☻
QURAN AYAHS SYMBOLIZING LIGHT
* I omitted ayahs similar to ones stated below (i.e., these are not all of the ayahs that symbolize light)
** I added tafsir to some to better understand what the ayah (specifically the term light in the ayah) means
“By which Allah guides those who pursue His pleasure to the ways of peace and brings them out from darknesses into the light, by His permission, and guides them to a straight path.”— 5:16
“And We sent, following in their footsteps, Jesus, the son of Mary, confirming that which came before him in the Torah; and We gave him the Gospel, in which was guidance and light and confirming that which preceded it of the Torah as guidance and instruction for the righteous.”— 5:46(and We gave him the Injil, in which was guidance and light): a guidance that directs to the truth and a light that removes the doubts and solves disputes (tafsir ibn khatir)
“Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered prophet, whom they find written in what they have of the Torah and the Gospel, who enjoins upon them what is right and forbids them what is wrong and makes lawful for them the good things and prohibits for them the evil and relieves them of their burden and the shackles which were upon them. So they who have believed in him, honored him, supported him and followed the light which was sent down with him - it is those who will be the successful.”— 7:157(and followed the light which was sent down with him): light here refers to the Quran.
“They want to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah will perfect His light, although the disbelievers dislike it.”— 61:8“(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,(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).” - tafsir ibn khatirtherefore, light = the truth
“And they did not appraise Allah with true appraisal when they said, “ Allah did not reveal to a human being anything.” Say, “Who revealed the Scripture that Moses brought as light and guidance to the people? You [Jews] make it into pages, disclosing [some of] it and concealing much. And you were taught that which you knew not - neither you nor your fathers.” Say, “ Allah [revealed it].” Then leave them in their [empty] discourse, amusing themselves.”— 6:91“(Say : “Who then sent down the Book which Musa brought, a light and a guidance to mankind”) meaning, say, O Muhammad , to those who deny the concept that Allah sent down Books by revelation, answering them specifically,(Who then sent down the Book which Musa brought) in reference to the Tawrah that you and all others know that Allah sent down to Musa, son of `Imran. Allah sent the Tawrah as a light and a guidance for people, so that it could shed light on the answers to various disputes, and to guide away from the darkness of doubts.” - tafsir ibn khatir
“Their example is that of one who kindled a fire, but when it illuminated what was around him, Allah took away their light and left them in darkness [so] they could not see.”— 2:17“Allah likened the hypocrites when they bought deviation with guidance, thus acquiring utter blindness, to the example of a person who started a fire. When the fire was lit, and illumnitated the surrounding area, the person benefited from it and felt safe. Then the fire was suddenly extinguished. Therefore, total darkness covered this person, and he became unable to see anything or find his way out of it. Further, this person could not hear or speak and became so blind that even if there were light, he would not be able to see. This is why he cannot return to the state that he was in before this happened to him. Such is the case with the hypocrites who preferred misguidance over guidance, deviation over righteousness. This parable indicates that the hypocrites first believed, then disbelieved, just as Allah stated in other parts of the Qur'an.Allah’s statement,(Allah removed their light) means, Allah removed what benefits them, and this is the light, and He left them with what harms them, that is, the darkness and smoke. Allah said,(And left them in darkness), that is their doubts, disbelief and hypocrisy.” - tafsir ibn khatir
“Therefore, believe in Allah and His Messenger and in the Light which We have sent down. And Allah is All-Aware of what you do.”— 64:8light = Quran
“So is one whose breast Allah has expanded to [accept] Islam and he is upon a light from his Lord [like one whose heart rejects it]? Then woe to those whose hearts are hardened against the remembrance of Allah. Those are in manifest error.”— 39:22“(Is he whose breast Allah has opened to Islam, so that he is in light from his Lord) means, is this person equal to the one who is hard-hearted and far from the truth? This is like the Ayah: (Is he who was dead and We gave him life and set for him a light (i.e. Belief) whereby he can walk amongst men – like him who is in the darkness (i.e., disbelief) from which he can never come out) (6:122)” - tafsir ibn khatir
“Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His Light is as a niche and within it a lamp: the lamp is in a glass, the glass as it were a star Durriyyun, lit from a blessed tree, an olive, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil would almost glow forth, though no fire touched it. Light upon Light! Allah guides to His Light whom He wills. And Allah sets forth parables for mankind, and Allah is All-Knower of everything.”— 24:35“`Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn `Abbas said:(Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth.) means, the Guide of the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth. Ibn Jurayj said: “Mujahid and Ibn `Abbas said concerning the Ayah:(Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth.) He is controlling their affairs and their stars and sun and moon.” As-Suddi said concerning the Ayah: (Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth.) by His Light the heavens and earth are illuminated.…It was narrated that Ibn Mas`ud said, “There is no night or day with your Lord; the Light of the Throne comes from the Light of His Face.”(The parable of His Light) There are two views concerning the meaning of the pronoun (His). The first is that it refers to Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, meaning that the parable of His guidance in the heart of the believer is (as a niche) This was the view of Ibn `Abbas. The second view is that the pronoun refers to the believer, which is indicated by the context of the words and implies that the parable of the light in the heart of the believer is as a niche. So the heart of the believer and what he is naturally inclined to of guidance and what he learns of the Qur'an which is in accordance with his natural inclinations are, as Allah says: (Can they who rely on a clear proof from their Lord, and whom a witness from Him recites it (can they be equal with the disbelievers)) ﴿11:17﴾. The heart of the believer in its purity and clarity is likened to a lamp in transparent and jewel-like glass, and the Qur'an and Shari`ah by which it is guided are likened to good, pure, shining oil in which there is no impurity or deviation. (as (if there were) a niche) Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Muhammad bin Ka`b and others said, “This refers to the position of the wick in the lamp.” This is well-known, and hence Allah then says:﴿فِيهَا مِصْبَاحٌ﴾(and within it a lamp.) This is the flame that burns brightly. Or it was said that the niche is a niche in the house. This is the parable given by Allah of obedience towards Him. Allah calls obedience to Him as light, then He calls it by other numerous names as well. Ubayy bin Ka`b said, “The lamp is the light, and this refers to the Qur'an and the faith that is in his heart.” As-Suddi said, “It is the lamp.’‘﴿الْمِصْبَاحُ فِى زُجَاجَةٍ﴾(the lamp is in a glass,) means, this light is shining in a clear glass. Ubayy bin Ka`b and others said, “This is the likeness of the heart of the believer.’'﴿الزُّجَاجَةُ كَأَنَّهَا كَوْكَبٌ دُرِّىٌّ﴾(the glass as it were a star Durriyyun,) …(Light upon Light!) Al-`Awfi narrated from Ibn `Abbas that this meant the faith and deeds of a person. As-Suddi said:﴿نُّورٌ عَلَى نُورٍ﴾(Light upon Light!) ”Light of the fire and the light of the oil: when they are combined they give light, and neither of them can give light without the other. Similarly the light of the Qur'an and the light of faith give light when they are combined, and neither can do so without the other.“(Allah guides to His Light whom He wills.) means, Allah shows the way to the ones whom He chooses, as it says in the Hadith recorded by Imam Ahmad from `Abdullah bin `Amr, who said, “I heard the Messenger of Allah say: “Allah created His creation in darkness, then on the same day He sent His Light upon them. Whoever was touched by His Light on that day will be guided and whoever was missed will be led astray. Hence I say: the pens have dried in accordance with the knowledge of Allah, may He be glorified.”(And Allah sets forth parables for mankind, and Allah is All-Knower of everything.) Having mentioned this parable of the Light of His guidance in the heart of the believer,…
“And is one who was dead and We gave him life and made for him light by which to walk among the people like one who is in darkness, never to emerge therefrom? Thus it has been made pleasing to the disbelievers that which they were doing.”— 6:122“(And set for him a light whereby he can walk amongst men.) for he became guided to where he should go and how to remain on the correct path. The light mentioned here is the Qur'an, according to Ibn `Abbas, as Al-`Awfi and Ibn Abi Talhah reported from him. As-Suddi said that the light mentioned here is Islam. Both meanings are correct.” - tafsir ibn khatir
“And thus We have revealed to you an inspiration of Our command. You did not know what is the Book or [what is] faith, but We have made it a light by which We guide whom We will of Our servants. And indeed, [O Muhammad], you guide to a straight path”— 42:52
DISCUSSION & CONCLUSION
According to the ayahs above and similar ayahs that I did not mention - when symbolized, the term “light” seems to refer to 4 themes:
The truth
Guidance
Faith/Belief
Quran
In certain Ayahs Allah calls Himself light as well, this is discussed in verse 24:35 above (#9), but in brief this can mean that He is what illuminates the heavens and the earth, and/or that He guides people, and/or that He controls all affairs.
In other ayahs, we are told the believers will be given a light on the day of resurrection - I did not mention those ayahs here but I’ll briefly explain: “O you who have believed, fear Allah and believe in His Messenger; He will [then] give you a double portion of His mercy and make for you a light by which you will walk and forgive you, and Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.”— Quran, 57:28
Al-`Awfi, Al-Dahhak and others reported from Ibn `Abbas:“When the people are gathering in darkness, Allah will send light, and when the believers see the light they will march towards it. This light will be their guide from Allah to Paradise…” - tafsir ibn khatir
long post I know, but I got all of your research and evidences right here! Sorry for any grammatical & spelling errors and sorry if the layout/format gets confusing. Take care in sha Allah! ☻
