YAM
Anyone can share any source that talks about esoteric interpretation of Surah Nur?
Your input is also appreciated and welcomed.
Thanks.
Surah Nur - Esoteric interpretation
Ya Ali Madad.
I wish to have from forum members the translation of this Ayat topic in English by
Yusuf Ali and Pikhthall.( no other ones please)
I also wish to know one LINE definition of the word 'Noor/Nur' said by our Imams/
recognized Pirs.?( not from any tom dick n harry).
It there other word meaning than 'light' or more value added to that word?
I may wish take it forward from above simple info needed by me.
I wish to have from forum members the translation of this Ayat topic in English by
Yusuf Ali and Pikhthall.( no other ones please)
I also wish to know one LINE definition of the word 'Noor/Nur' said by our Imams/
recognized Pirs.?( not from any tom dick n harry).
It there other word meaning than 'light' or more value added to that word?
I may wish take it forward from above simple info needed by me.
MSMS has given the following translation in the Memoirs:nuseri wrote: I also wish to know one LINE definition of the word 'Noor/Nur' said by our Imams/
recognized Pirs.?( not from any tom dick n harry).
Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth; His light is as a niche in which is a lamp, and the lamp is in a glass, the glass is as though it were a glittering star; it is lit from a blessed tree, an Olive neither of east nor of the west, the oil of which would well-nigh give light though no fire touched it,-light upon light;-Allah guides to His light whom He pleases; and Allah strikes out parables for men; and Allah all things doth know.
(CHAPTER XXIV "Light," 35)
Thanks. It's good.kmaherali wrote:The discussion can be found at:
http://www.ismaili.net/html/modules.php ... vens+earth
AS RECEIVED
Khan
Today at 8:02 PM
The divine light, according to the parable, is placed high above everything, all that which has been created, and above the whole universe.
The lamp is the core of the real illumination. Read and understand Sura Noor !
It is placed inside a glass which protects it from any outside interference or disturbance
The illumination shines bright like a star and children of Iblis tremble like leaves.
In this world, governed by the laws of cause and effect, it becomes natural to know what makes the lamp burn, as no lamp burns without oil.
So to give man the idea of causative factor of the generation of light, it is said that the oil of the blessed tree of olive keeps the lamp alive.
It is said that after the great flood, the olive tree was the first to grow on the earth. This mystic olive is not localised.
It is neither of the east nor of the west. It is universal like the light of Allah.
The light of wisdom (the Quran) in the heart of the Holy Prophet is as protected as the lamp in the glass. Verses 77 to 79 of al Waqi-ah clearly state that the Quran is a protected book; and no one can touch it save the thoroughly purified, the Ahl ul Bayt, according to the verse 33 of Ahzab.
Therefore the true interpretation of "light upon light" is the Holy Prophet and his Ahl ul Bayt. It is further made clear in the next verse.
For "Allah guides whom He wills to His light" see the commentary of al Baqarah: 256 and 257-he who believes in Allah, indeed, has taken hold of the firmest handhold (or rope) which will not break off.
Allah brings them out of the darkness into light-It is obvious that those who are guided unto His light are the thoroughly purified ones.
They alone are the Manifestations of the real light. Those who follow these reflection of the divine light receive guidance from the grace of Allah to the extent or degree of their sincere attachment to them.
The Holy Prophet said:
"My Ahl ul Bayt are like the ark of Nuh. Whosoever sails on it is safe, and whosoever holds back shall perish."
Nubuwwah and imamah, jointly or separately, are the most perfect guidance unto the light of Allah.
Allah Himself chooses and appoints the Guide, but His choice is not arbitrary.
There are conditions which have to be fulfilled. Refer to the commentary of al Baqarah: 124.
When Allah appointed Ibrahim as an Imam after testing his faith and awareness, for the whole mankind, he requested Allah to continue this august office in his progeny. ..
The "inerrancy" of "isma" of the Nabi is confirmed in the Quran itself....and so Read Sura al Jinn..Verses 26-28....in these verses Two types of Guardians have been mentioned....in regards to protecting the Integrity of the Quran...and how the Nabi was "guarded"...by the two angels...or Guardians...from every type of Evil...
And so its the Almighty Allah who Himself...guarded HIS Nabi and ensured his Inerrancy..or infallibilty in the sense of any "invoilibility or immunity" from errors...covering (a) receiving..preserving and conveying the Quran and (b) being protected from any disobedience and sin...
And also protected from any errors....if this wasn't the case then nobody could even rely upon the truth of the sayings i.e. the Quran and sunnah....
And if he wasn't thus inerrant...then the Prophecy of Naboowat would remain unfulfilled....
Now read additionally...Sura al An'am - V 87; Sura al Zumar V 37 ; and Sura Ya sin V 62....all these ayats confirm that Nabi was infallible !
And also devoid of sins or errors....logically this all also indicates that prior to becoming a Nabi...Muhamad (saw) was of the same quality as those who spend part of their life in sins and error...cannot later claim Isma or provide guidance....
And the righteous Imams are also enjoying the same level of inerrancy...due to the fact that Sura Azhab has purified the "members of Nabi's Household"....its all in the Quran and so I am kind of surprised that some of you are debating what is really not debatable...rather its a matter of common sense also....but then ofcourse common sense is also NOT so common !
Divine wisdom demands that only the best and qualified person....is accomplished to Guide....and this then is not the forte of all and sundry and self styled Mullas/Maulvis/Rabbis/Priests/Pundits etc....
Truth is the soul of religion.
When Jesus came to earth he did not say, 'I have brought you a new religion never heard of by you or your ancestors.' ....He said he had not come to give a new law but to fulfill the law !
“Here I write down some proofs that our Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam was not only a Bashar but he was a NOOR too.
These examples have been written in order to make it easy to understand otherwise Allah Almighty is beyond the examples.
Hazrat Ibn-e-Abbas (Allah is well pleased with him) cousin of the Holy prophet (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon Him) says in the commentary of the verse 35 from chapter 24: Sura Noor.
"The similitude of the Noor (Light) of Allah is Noor (light) of the Holy Prophet (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon Him), when he was in the backs of ancestors". (Tafseer-e-Ibne Abbas page 372)
Now I am giving you the names of the books in which this hadith has been narrated.
Allama Ibne Hagar hatiami wrote in his book that the hadith, "Undoubtedly Allah Almighty created the "Noor of Prophet Muhammad (Allah's grace and Peace be upon Him) before every thing", has been narrated by Imam Abdur Razzaq in his book of hadith (Fatawa -e- Hadithia, page 289)
There are many other great ulemas who have narrated this hadith in their books , I am writing for you the names of few books with their writers :
1. Allama Hassan -bin- Muhammad Diyar Becri, "Tarekh -ul- Khamees".
2. Shah Abdul Haq Muhaddith Dehlvi, "Madarig-un-Nabuwwah" Vol 2, page 2
3. Allama Zarqani, "Sherha Movahib", vol. 1, page 55
4. Allama Abdul Ghani, " Al Hadiqa tul Ndiyah", Vol. 2, page 375”
Want more? Here, feast on it :
“Once Hazrat Jaabir (radi Allahu anhu) asked the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) whom Allah Ta'ala created before anything else.
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) stated:
"O Jaabir! Verily, before the creation of anything else Almighty Allah created the Noor of your Nabi from His Noor." (Muwahibul Laduniya; Zirkani Shareef)”
And some more food ....
Noor is a light on its own and also gives light to others.
The meaning that will be taken for Noor will be that which is apparent and makes apparent. ...which is the opposite of "hidden"...
For this same reason the Prophet is called "Noor:...Quran calls him "the Luminous lamp" (Sirajan Muneera)
They are guided and they are the medium for others to get guidance.
In the Dua اللهم اجعلنى نورا the same is meant. ..and he clearly said "Aliyy is the Mowla of those whose Mowla I am.." !!!
The names Noorudeen, Noorulislam, Noorullah are kept with the same purpose.
Noor comes in the Qur’an for guidance just as Dhulmat (darkness) comes for going astray.
Allah Ta’ala says in the Qur’an:
اومن كان ميتا فاحييناه وجعلنا له نورا يمشى به فى الناس كمن مثله فى الظلمات ليس بخارج منها
He who is dead, then We granted him life and gave him a light by which he may walk among people better than someone like him who is a multitude of darkness from which he will not come out?(Al-Anaam-122)
The silent Book cannot 'walk"...and so its "A Manifest Light and a Perspicous Book.." - Also Perspicous means perfect and Flawless....and so its not the TEXT/Translations which all seem to call it as "Quarn"...
The Al Quran is TWO things....the Two precious and weighty things.....and Sunnah comes in as part of the Package...most thus follow conjectures and half truths !
For something to be Noor does not mean that it cannot be human also.
If this was the case then it would not be correct for a human to make this Dua اللهم اجعلنى نورا, because it would mean, O Allah take me out of the fold of humanity.
Rasullah (Sallalahu Alaihi Wasallam) was human as well as Noor.
Allah Ta’ala says in the Qur’an:
قُلْ إِنَّمَا أَنَا بَشَرٌ مِثْلُكُمْ
Say (O Muhammad) I’m verily a human like yourselves. (Al-Kahf-110)
"And had WE made him the Prophet (an angel), WE would have certainly made him a man and disguised him before them in garments like their own" (6:9)....
Allah Ta’ala say in the Qur’an:
قَدْ جَاءَكُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ نُورٌ وَكِتَابٌ مُبِينٌ
‎Verily came to you from Allah Noor and the clear book. (Al-Maidah-15)
Many Mufassireen (Commentators of the Qur’an) have stated that by Noor here is meant Rasullah (Sallalahu Alaihi Wasallam).
The Prophet was Noor. He was guidance for the whole of mankind. Therefore, he was both Noor and human.
To say that Rasullah (Sallalahu Alaihi Wasallam) is made of Noor or made from the Noor of Allah and is not human is incorrect...also
Him being human is proven from the ayat of Qur’an.”
Fatawa Mahmoodia (1:102) Maktaba Mahmoodia
Ahsan Al-Fatawa (1:56) H.M. Saeed Company
"..Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The similitude of His light is as a niche wherein is a lamp. The lamp is in a glass. The glass is as it were a shining star. (This lamp is) kindled from a blessed tree, an olive neither of the East nor of the West, whose oil would almost glow forth (of itself) though no fire touched it. Light upon light. Allah guideth unto His light whom He will. And Allah speaketh to mankind in allegories, for Allah is Knower of all things..."
The great mystery of existence, its eternal origin and infinite permanence is described in the most comprehensive and eloquent parable of light, which contains layer upon layer of allegorical comparisons to make apparent to man the purpose of the great author of the universe.
The performance of light is to Manifest....NOT to hide..!
It is Allah who manifests the universe. The human beings can only think of the factors of the spiritual world in terms of the phenomenal experience obtainable through physical senses; and in the phenomenal world light is the purest thing known to man.
Due to the limitations of human experience man cannot see the real light but perceive only the "lighted objects"... .i.e. the Nabiyyun...the Salihun...the Truthful ones etc... who have already been favoured as they have traversed the path of Sirat already....
It is i.e. the Lighted objects..are dependent upon some source "external" to itself...
The perfect light of Allah is free from any defects.
It prevails everywhere. It envelops everything. It is independent of time and space.
The niche (mishkat) is the recess in the wall, high from the ground in the houses of the Prophet SAW. ...that is why Muslims have to face The kaaba to complete their submission....and so that they may be guided....even when they stand right inside their masjids...book/mulla is there...and supposedly Allah...yet they have been commanded to face the House of the Prophet(s) and their ITRAT !!!..
"Lo ! they plotted a Plot and We also Plotted a Plot.."....you can love or hate Aliyy...all your life ...you have no choice but to face their House...including the Hajar al Aswad....which is under their divine authority and command....i.e. of the Ali Imran dynasty....until Qiyamah...and the hajar al Aswad is also the "recording Book" for those who face the Kaaba.....and so all your deeds..actions...and acts are recorded....and the clear record will be pulled out...and the two angels will interrogate the person...in the grave...when the time is propitious
Khan
Today at 8:02 PM
The divine light, according to the parable, is placed high above everything, all that which has been created, and above the whole universe.
The lamp is the core of the real illumination. Read and understand Sura Noor !
It is placed inside a glass which protects it from any outside interference or disturbance
The illumination shines bright like a star and children of Iblis tremble like leaves.
In this world, governed by the laws of cause and effect, it becomes natural to know what makes the lamp burn, as no lamp burns without oil.
So to give man the idea of causative factor of the generation of light, it is said that the oil of the blessed tree of olive keeps the lamp alive.
It is said that after the great flood, the olive tree was the first to grow on the earth. This mystic olive is not localised.
It is neither of the east nor of the west. It is universal like the light of Allah.
The light of wisdom (the Quran) in the heart of the Holy Prophet is as protected as the lamp in the glass. Verses 77 to 79 of al Waqi-ah clearly state that the Quran is a protected book; and no one can touch it save the thoroughly purified, the Ahl ul Bayt, according to the verse 33 of Ahzab.
Therefore the true interpretation of "light upon light" is the Holy Prophet and his Ahl ul Bayt. It is further made clear in the next verse.
For "Allah guides whom He wills to His light" see the commentary of al Baqarah: 256 and 257-he who believes in Allah, indeed, has taken hold of the firmest handhold (or rope) which will not break off.
Allah brings them out of the darkness into light-It is obvious that those who are guided unto His light are the thoroughly purified ones.
They alone are the Manifestations of the real light. Those who follow these reflection of the divine light receive guidance from the grace of Allah to the extent or degree of their sincere attachment to them.
The Holy Prophet said:
"My Ahl ul Bayt are like the ark of Nuh. Whosoever sails on it is safe, and whosoever holds back shall perish."
Nubuwwah and imamah, jointly or separately, are the most perfect guidance unto the light of Allah.
Allah Himself chooses and appoints the Guide, but His choice is not arbitrary.
There are conditions which have to be fulfilled. Refer to the commentary of al Baqarah: 124.
When Allah appointed Ibrahim as an Imam after testing his faith and awareness, for the whole mankind, he requested Allah to continue this august office in his progeny. ..
The "inerrancy" of "isma" of the Nabi is confirmed in the Quran itself....and so Read Sura al Jinn..Verses 26-28....in these verses Two types of Guardians have been mentioned....in regards to protecting the Integrity of the Quran...and how the Nabi was "guarded"...by the two angels...or Guardians...from every type of Evil...
And so its the Almighty Allah who Himself...guarded HIS Nabi and ensured his Inerrancy..or infallibilty in the sense of any "invoilibility or immunity" from errors...covering (a) receiving..preserving and conveying the Quran and (b) being protected from any disobedience and sin...
And also protected from any errors....if this wasn't the case then nobody could even rely upon the truth of the sayings i.e. the Quran and sunnah....
And if he wasn't thus inerrant...then the Prophecy of Naboowat would remain unfulfilled....
Now read additionally...Sura al An'am - V 87; Sura al Zumar V 37 ; and Sura Ya sin V 62....all these ayats confirm that Nabi was infallible !
And also devoid of sins or errors....logically this all also indicates that prior to becoming a Nabi...Muhamad (saw) was of the same quality as those who spend part of their life in sins and error...cannot later claim Isma or provide guidance....
And the righteous Imams are also enjoying the same level of inerrancy...due to the fact that Sura Azhab has purified the "members of Nabi's Household"....its all in the Quran and so I am kind of surprised that some of you are debating what is really not debatable...rather its a matter of common sense also....but then ofcourse common sense is also NOT so common !
Divine wisdom demands that only the best and qualified person....is accomplished to Guide....and this then is not the forte of all and sundry and self styled Mullas/Maulvis/Rabbis/Priests/Pundits etc....
Truth is the soul of religion.
When Jesus came to earth he did not say, 'I have brought you a new religion never heard of by you or your ancestors.' ....He said he had not come to give a new law but to fulfill the law !
“Here I write down some proofs that our Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam was not only a Bashar but he was a NOOR too.
These examples have been written in order to make it easy to understand otherwise Allah Almighty is beyond the examples.
Hazrat Ibn-e-Abbas (Allah is well pleased with him) cousin of the Holy prophet (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon Him) says in the commentary of the verse 35 from chapter 24: Sura Noor.
"The similitude of the Noor (Light) of Allah is Noor (light) of the Holy Prophet (Allah's Grace and Peace be upon Him), when he was in the backs of ancestors". (Tafseer-e-Ibne Abbas page 372)
Now I am giving you the names of the books in which this hadith has been narrated.
Allama Ibne Hagar hatiami wrote in his book that the hadith, "Undoubtedly Allah Almighty created the "Noor of Prophet Muhammad (Allah's grace and Peace be upon Him) before every thing", has been narrated by Imam Abdur Razzaq in his book of hadith (Fatawa -e- Hadithia, page 289)
There are many other great ulemas who have narrated this hadith in their books , I am writing for you the names of few books with their writers :
1. Allama Hassan -bin- Muhammad Diyar Becri, "Tarekh -ul- Khamees".
2. Shah Abdul Haq Muhaddith Dehlvi, "Madarig-un-Nabuwwah" Vol 2, page 2
3. Allama Zarqani, "Sherha Movahib", vol. 1, page 55
4. Allama Abdul Ghani, " Al Hadiqa tul Ndiyah", Vol. 2, page 375”
Want more? Here, feast on it :
“Once Hazrat Jaabir (radi Allahu anhu) asked the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) whom Allah Ta'ala created before anything else.
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) stated:
"O Jaabir! Verily, before the creation of anything else Almighty Allah created the Noor of your Nabi from His Noor." (Muwahibul Laduniya; Zirkani Shareef)”
And some more food ....
Noor is a light on its own and also gives light to others.
The meaning that will be taken for Noor will be that which is apparent and makes apparent. ...which is the opposite of "hidden"...
For this same reason the Prophet is called "Noor:...Quran calls him "the Luminous lamp" (Sirajan Muneera)
They are guided and they are the medium for others to get guidance.
In the Dua اللهم اجعلنى نورا the same is meant. ..and he clearly said "Aliyy is the Mowla of those whose Mowla I am.." !!!
The names Noorudeen, Noorulislam, Noorullah are kept with the same purpose.
Noor comes in the Qur’an for guidance just as Dhulmat (darkness) comes for going astray.
Allah Ta’ala says in the Qur’an:
اومن كان ميتا فاحييناه وجعلنا له نورا يمشى به فى الناس كمن مثله فى الظلمات ليس بخارج منها
He who is dead, then We granted him life and gave him a light by which he may walk among people better than someone like him who is a multitude of darkness from which he will not come out?(Al-Anaam-122)
The silent Book cannot 'walk"...and so its "A Manifest Light and a Perspicous Book.." - Also Perspicous means perfect and Flawless....and so its not the TEXT/Translations which all seem to call it as "Quarn"...
The Al Quran is TWO things....the Two precious and weighty things.....and Sunnah comes in as part of the Package...most thus follow conjectures and half truths !
For something to be Noor does not mean that it cannot be human also.
If this was the case then it would not be correct for a human to make this Dua اللهم اجعلنى نورا, because it would mean, O Allah take me out of the fold of humanity.
Rasullah (Sallalahu Alaihi Wasallam) was human as well as Noor.
Allah Ta’ala says in the Qur’an:
قُلْ إِنَّمَا أَنَا بَشَرٌ مِثْلُكُمْ
Say (O Muhammad) I’m verily a human like yourselves. (Al-Kahf-110)
"And had WE made him the Prophet (an angel), WE would have certainly made him a man and disguised him before them in garments like their own" (6:9)....
Allah Ta’ala say in the Qur’an:
قَدْ جَاءَكُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ نُورٌ وَكِتَابٌ مُبِينٌ
‎Verily came to you from Allah Noor and the clear book. (Al-Maidah-15)
Many Mufassireen (Commentators of the Qur’an) have stated that by Noor here is meant Rasullah (Sallalahu Alaihi Wasallam).
The Prophet was Noor. He was guidance for the whole of mankind. Therefore, he was both Noor and human.
To say that Rasullah (Sallalahu Alaihi Wasallam) is made of Noor or made from the Noor of Allah and is not human is incorrect...also
Him being human is proven from the ayat of Qur’an.”
Fatawa Mahmoodia (1:102) Maktaba Mahmoodia
Ahsan Al-Fatawa (1:56) H.M. Saeed Company
"..Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The similitude of His light is as a niche wherein is a lamp. The lamp is in a glass. The glass is as it were a shining star. (This lamp is) kindled from a blessed tree, an olive neither of the East nor of the West, whose oil would almost glow forth (of itself) though no fire touched it. Light upon light. Allah guideth unto His light whom He will. And Allah speaketh to mankind in allegories, for Allah is Knower of all things..."
The great mystery of existence, its eternal origin and infinite permanence is described in the most comprehensive and eloquent parable of light, which contains layer upon layer of allegorical comparisons to make apparent to man the purpose of the great author of the universe.
The performance of light is to Manifest....NOT to hide..!
It is Allah who manifests the universe. The human beings can only think of the factors of the spiritual world in terms of the phenomenal experience obtainable through physical senses; and in the phenomenal world light is the purest thing known to man.
Due to the limitations of human experience man cannot see the real light but perceive only the "lighted objects"... .i.e. the Nabiyyun...the Salihun...the Truthful ones etc... who have already been favoured as they have traversed the path of Sirat already....
It is i.e. the Lighted objects..are dependent upon some source "external" to itself...
The perfect light of Allah is free from any defects.
It prevails everywhere. It envelops everything. It is independent of time and space.
The niche (mishkat) is the recess in the wall, high from the ground in the houses of the Prophet SAW. ...that is why Muslims have to face The kaaba to complete their submission....and so that they may be guided....even when they stand right inside their masjids...book/mulla is there...and supposedly Allah...yet they have been commanded to face the House of the Prophet(s) and their ITRAT !!!..
"Lo ! they plotted a Plot and We also Plotted a Plot.."....you can love or hate Aliyy...all your life ...you have no choice but to face their House...including the Hajar al Aswad....which is under their divine authority and command....i.e. of the Ali Imran dynasty....until Qiyamah...and the hajar al Aswad is also the "recording Book" for those who face the Kaaba.....and so all your deeds..actions...and acts are recorded....and the clear record will be pulled out...and the two angels will interrogate the person...in the grave...when the time is propitious
A universal symbol
LIGHT (noor in Arabic) is one of those fascinating symbols that is pervasive across world religions, traditions, cultures and societies. It represents a universal symbol of sacredness and sublimity that tends to captivate both the ancient and modern mind. Since time immemorial, the phenomenon of light has been a source of solace, guidance and enlightenment.
Even other creatures, such as moths, are attracted towards light. Lights are lit on both sacred and secular occasions and places, such as mosques, other places of religious gatherings, such as darbars, dargahs, mazars, mausoleums and public buildings.
Lights are lit in homes as well as on buildings on various religious occasions such as Shab-i-Mairaj, Shab-i-Barat, Lailatul Qadr, and on the occasion of urs of the Sufi saints. Faith groups such as the Manicheans and Zoroastrians are particularly known for celebrating light. In addition, other religions also celebrate light, such as the Jews celebrating Hanukkah, Christians celebrating Christmas, Hindus celebrating Diwali, and the Buddhists celebrating Vesak to express their veneration of light.
Light is also used on ceremonial occasions, such as the marriage of a family member, during celebrations of an event of historical importance such as independence day, significant national and community days, such as the anniversary of victory in war, or even while commemorating a tragic day in the past. Lighting on both happy days and sad provides happiness, solace, peace, serenity and comfort.
Prophets, sages and mystics are often called ‘lights’.
An oil lamp, or a candle, or a bonfire, for example, creates an amazing aura of tranquillity and mystique. In some cultures, there are fire rituals that embody literal or symbolic events, such as in the Shingon School of Japanese Buddhism that practises the esoteric Goma fire ritual. Thus, there is much evidence of how light and fire are used in a symbolic sense across the world.
Not long ago, chiraghaan was done with traditional oil lamps and candles but now, instead, multicolour electric bulbs are used to create a more pervasive effect. Public places, such as mosques, buildings, residential areas, and homes are often decorated with electric lights to show happiness, glory, and sublimity. Nowadays public functions use multicoloured floodlights to enhance the effect of the experience of what is going on. Architects would be particularly mindful of using light in significant public buildings.
Coming from the macrocosm to the microcosm, all great prophets, sages, mystics and enlightened personalities are often called ‘lights’ or the ‘Tower of Light’. In the case of Islam, the Holy Quran, for example, considers the Prophet (PBUH) as the ‘luminous lamp’ and ‘noor’ (5:15). The Quran also testifies that there is as well light and guidance in the Torah and the Bible.
The most fascinating verse regarding noor that has mystified both Sufis and intellectuals alike in all times of Muslim history is the ‘Verse of Light’ (24:35) that starts by saying, “Allah is the Light of the Heavens and the Earth. ...” The rich symbolism described in the entire verse, intertwining both immanence and transcendence, has always challenged Muslims to fathom it. The richness of it can be gauged by the fact that no matter how much we explain it, one feels something is still missing from our explanation.
Despite so many exegetes, mystics, and thinkers explaining the verse both in terms of tanzeel and ta’wil (such as Sahl al-Tustari, Imam Al-Ghazali, Mulla Sadra) the human quest for meaning still remains insatiated. Sahl al-Tustari beautifully explains the noor in terms of ‘Noor-i-Muhammadi’ — the primordial light created in eternity.
It is no wonder then that Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah advised all readers of the Quran, Muslim or otherwise, “… not to allow … their material critical outlook to break in with literal, verbal explanations of (the Light Verse) something that is symbolic and allegorical”. In any case, what can we understand literally when the Quran tells us that “Allah is the Noor of the Heavens and the Earth?”
The purpose of writing these lines is to demonstrate that world faiths and cultures have in common so many beliefs with regard to so many things, such as light. If we wish to engender a sustained dialogue among faiths and cultures within and outside our own tradition, we need to go beyond our apparent differences, and try to understand the hidden structures of symbols that bind us together.
Light is a powerful symbol through which we can see both the similarities and differences in human societies as to how each tradition looks at it, thus enriching and deepening our understanding of light, its mystique and its mysteries. It is a universal capital that all cultures can own.
The writer is an educationist with an interest in the study of religion and philosophy.
Published in Dawn, March 8th, 2019
https://www.dawn.com/news/1468327
LIGHT (noor in Arabic) is one of those fascinating symbols that is pervasive across world religions, traditions, cultures and societies. It represents a universal symbol of sacredness and sublimity that tends to captivate both the ancient and modern mind. Since time immemorial, the phenomenon of light has been a source of solace, guidance and enlightenment.
Even other creatures, such as moths, are attracted towards light. Lights are lit on both sacred and secular occasions and places, such as mosques, other places of religious gatherings, such as darbars, dargahs, mazars, mausoleums and public buildings.
Lights are lit in homes as well as on buildings on various religious occasions such as Shab-i-Mairaj, Shab-i-Barat, Lailatul Qadr, and on the occasion of urs of the Sufi saints. Faith groups such as the Manicheans and Zoroastrians are particularly known for celebrating light. In addition, other religions also celebrate light, such as the Jews celebrating Hanukkah, Christians celebrating Christmas, Hindus celebrating Diwali, and the Buddhists celebrating Vesak to express their veneration of light.
Light is also used on ceremonial occasions, such as the marriage of a family member, during celebrations of an event of historical importance such as independence day, significant national and community days, such as the anniversary of victory in war, or even while commemorating a tragic day in the past. Lighting on both happy days and sad provides happiness, solace, peace, serenity and comfort.
Prophets, sages and mystics are often called ‘lights’.
An oil lamp, or a candle, or a bonfire, for example, creates an amazing aura of tranquillity and mystique. In some cultures, there are fire rituals that embody literal or symbolic events, such as in the Shingon School of Japanese Buddhism that practises the esoteric Goma fire ritual. Thus, there is much evidence of how light and fire are used in a symbolic sense across the world.
Not long ago, chiraghaan was done with traditional oil lamps and candles but now, instead, multicolour electric bulbs are used to create a more pervasive effect. Public places, such as mosques, buildings, residential areas, and homes are often decorated with electric lights to show happiness, glory, and sublimity. Nowadays public functions use multicoloured floodlights to enhance the effect of the experience of what is going on. Architects would be particularly mindful of using light in significant public buildings.
Coming from the macrocosm to the microcosm, all great prophets, sages, mystics and enlightened personalities are often called ‘lights’ or the ‘Tower of Light’. In the case of Islam, the Holy Quran, for example, considers the Prophet (PBUH) as the ‘luminous lamp’ and ‘noor’ (5:15). The Quran also testifies that there is as well light and guidance in the Torah and the Bible.
The most fascinating verse regarding noor that has mystified both Sufis and intellectuals alike in all times of Muslim history is the ‘Verse of Light’ (24:35) that starts by saying, “Allah is the Light of the Heavens and the Earth. ...” The rich symbolism described in the entire verse, intertwining both immanence and transcendence, has always challenged Muslims to fathom it. The richness of it can be gauged by the fact that no matter how much we explain it, one feels something is still missing from our explanation.
Despite so many exegetes, mystics, and thinkers explaining the verse both in terms of tanzeel and ta’wil (such as Sahl al-Tustari, Imam Al-Ghazali, Mulla Sadra) the human quest for meaning still remains insatiated. Sahl al-Tustari beautifully explains the noor in terms of ‘Noor-i-Muhammadi’ — the primordial light created in eternity.
It is no wonder then that Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah advised all readers of the Quran, Muslim or otherwise, “… not to allow … their material critical outlook to break in with literal, verbal explanations of (the Light Verse) something that is symbolic and allegorical”. In any case, what can we understand literally when the Quran tells us that “Allah is the Noor of the Heavens and the Earth?”
The purpose of writing these lines is to demonstrate that world faiths and cultures have in common so many beliefs with regard to so many things, such as light. If we wish to engender a sustained dialogue among faiths and cultures within and outside our own tradition, we need to go beyond our apparent differences, and try to understand the hidden structures of symbols that bind us together.
Light is a powerful symbol through which we can see both the similarities and differences in human societies as to how each tradition looks at it, thus enriching and deepening our understanding of light, its mystique and its mysteries. It is a universal capital that all cultures can own.
The writer is an educationist with an interest in the study of religion and philosophy.
Published in Dawn, March 8th, 2019
https://www.dawn.com/news/1468327
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swamidada_1
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Symbolism of Light in Hinduism
by Jayaram V
Historically light has been universally associated with divinity or godliness in almost every culture and civilization. While darkness invoked fear and anxiety, light offered hope and protection to the ancient world. Hence, in every culture you will find the duality of light and darkness personifying God and evil, or order and chaos respectively. Find here the archetypal meaning, cultural significance and symbolism of Light (jyothi, prakash) in Hinduism
In Hinduism, light symbolizes Brahman, the eye, the individual Self, gods, divinity, purity, supreme bliss, divine power, divine quality, any heavenly body such as a star or a planet, world of Brahman, the power of the sky (prakash), the power or the color of the sun, day, liberation, illumination of the mind, intelligence, brilliance, happiness, prosperity, wisdom, knowledge, higher worlds, guide, intuition, fame, and body vigor.
According to the scriptures, in the beginning there was nothing, neither the sky, nor the earth, nor the sun and the moon. Then the dawn of light manifested as the golden egg, floating in the waters of life. It heralded the day of Brahma, who was asleep until them. The dawn, Usha, is the sister of the sun. She brings hope and good tidings to the mortal beings and wakes them up. Spiritually, she symbolizes the inner awakening.
Light represents the gods of heaven, while darkness portends the presence of demons. Agni is the spark of light. He ignites the sacrificial fire during rituals as the representative of gods. In the body he symbolizes the digestive power. Vaishvanara, and acts as the representative of the bodily organs.
Indra is the leader of gods. He wields lightning as his weapon, the most powerful symbol of light, with which he strike down his enemies and protects the triple worlds. When the sky is darkened by demonic, dark clouds, he slashes them with his weapon to release the rain water.
The demons are afraid of light and prefer darkness. Hence, when evil is in ascendance, the worlds become enveloped in darkness. When darkness becomes unbearable, God descends into the world to restore balance. An incarnation is a descent of God into the darkness of the mortal world like a streak of lightning to dispel it and restore light.
As the dispeller of darkness and demonic powers, light also stands for the order and regularity of the worlds and the awakened state of Brahman or the Saguna Brahman. Light manifests in the body as bodily vigor (tejas), spiritual power (ojas), and reproductive power (retas).
Light in the body makes it healthy. Its light comes from the predominance of the mode of sattva. Foods that are rich in sattva are filled with the light of God. They make the body strong and healthy, and the mind free from evil. The senses are aspects of light, but susceptible to the evil power of the demons. However, breath is impervious to them. Hence, when the senses are withdrawn during meditation and austerities, breath protects their light from the darkness of the impurities
Light is hidden in the sounds of the Vedas. When the mantras are chanted, they illuminate the space around and the space within. Auspicious speech, like the sound of Aum, is filled with light of Brahman. It illuminates those who are touched by it. Auspicious words, prayers, thoughts, and invocations that are filled with the light of wisdom and pure intentions can drive away the darkness of adversity and suffering. The Gayathri Mantra is an invocation to the god of light, Savitr, to illuminate the worlds and the mind and free them from ignorance and delusion.
Light shines in the mind as purity (sattva). When the mind is pure with sattva, it reflects the objects accurately and leads to right discrimination, mental clarity, and brilliance. When the mind is free from impurities, the original luster and light of the Self manifest in the mind and illuminate it like the sun that shines in the clear, bright sky.
The light of Brahman dispels the darkness of Death. It liberates the beings that are caught in it, when they become free from karma and delusion. The world of Brahman is an eternal constant. There shines neither the sun nor the moon. Still, it is self-illuminated by the brilliance of Brahman which is more lustrous than millions of suns.
Light shows the way to those who are caught in the darkness of delusion and ignorance. The path of liberation is illuminated with the light of Brahman only. By following it those who achieve liberation travel to the sun where the immortal world of Brahman is located. Those who enter the light of Brahman never return. They become light beings (jyotisvarup) and self-existing, and remain immersed in the light of pure bliss (ananda-jyoti).
In the day light, the sun shines upon all paths and directs the beings to their destinations. When the sun is absent, the moon becomes the support for those who are caught in darkness of the night. When both the sun and the moon are absent, fire becomes the support, but when none of them are present, the voice becomes the light and illumines the paths.
In the Hindu cosmology, the worlds are divided into light worlds (surya lokas) and dark worlds (asurya lokas). Those who live virtuously and perform their duties selflessly, upon their death enter the worlds of light, while those who indulge in mortal sins and evil actions go to the demonic worlds and suffer greatly.
Darkness denotes mortality, death, decay, suffering and adversity for the embodied souls (jivas) that are caught in the dualities and desires of the mortal world. Until they enter the light of Brahman and become liberated, they remain enveloped in the darkness of egoism, delusion, ignorance, desires, attachments, death, decay, change, and impermanence.
Light is the essential nature of the souls, and God as the sun who illuminates all the worlds is their ultimate source. He alone keeps Time (Death) at bay. The sun and the moon are the luminous bodies that shine in the sky. However, the light of the sun is constant, while that of the moon waxes and wanes. The light of the sun shines on its own without any external support, while everything else in the worlds below shines because of him. Hence, the sun symbolizes Brahman, immortality, permanence and imperishability while the moon symbolizes rebirth, decay, dream states, and the fluctuating fate of the bound souls. The ancestral world is located in the moon, which is a semi dark world. Those who enter it require light from gods as well as from the mortals below.
In ritual worship, light (from a lamp or from the burning of incense) is an offering (food) to God to propitiate him. It symbolizes the sacrificial offering of the Self within to the deity as a gesture of surrender, detachment, and devotion.
The scriptures are filled with the light of divine knowledge. Hence, they illuminate the minds of those who study them and assimilate the knowledge contained in them. It is a common belief that by just keeping a sacred scripture in the house or under the bed one can drive away the darkness of evil and suffering.
In the body the eyes represent the sun and the moon since they are filled with the light of Self. As the sense organs, they have limitations in perceiving truth. However, the Upanishads declare that between the two eye brows there is the light of the Self, the third eye, which can see without seeing, and which can perceive beyond the mind and the senses the truths that are imperceptible to them.
According to the Upanishads, light is life itself. The light of the Sun-god nourishes the worlds and beings. His morning light is the childhood, midday light is the middle age and evening light is old age. Night is nidhana, or death itself. Light is the root, the nourisher, and the support of the tree of life (asvattha tree) which is described in the Katha Upanishad as an inverse tree whose roots are in heaven and branches are spread below. The Light of Brahman is the sap of that tree. It is the divine light that sustains creation. It is the light of God that preserves the world. It is into the light of Brahman that beings and worlds are ultimately withdrawn. It is light from heaven that lightens the mind that is caught in the suffering of samsara.
www.hinduwebsite.com/symbolism/symbols/light.asp
by Jayaram V
Historically light has been universally associated with divinity or godliness in almost every culture and civilization. While darkness invoked fear and anxiety, light offered hope and protection to the ancient world. Hence, in every culture you will find the duality of light and darkness personifying God and evil, or order and chaos respectively. Find here the archetypal meaning, cultural significance and symbolism of Light (jyothi, prakash) in Hinduism
In Hinduism, light symbolizes Brahman, the eye, the individual Self, gods, divinity, purity, supreme bliss, divine power, divine quality, any heavenly body such as a star or a planet, world of Brahman, the power of the sky (prakash), the power or the color of the sun, day, liberation, illumination of the mind, intelligence, brilliance, happiness, prosperity, wisdom, knowledge, higher worlds, guide, intuition, fame, and body vigor.
According to the scriptures, in the beginning there was nothing, neither the sky, nor the earth, nor the sun and the moon. Then the dawn of light manifested as the golden egg, floating in the waters of life. It heralded the day of Brahma, who was asleep until them. The dawn, Usha, is the sister of the sun. She brings hope and good tidings to the mortal beings and wakes them up. Spiritually, she symbolizes the inner awakening.
Light represents the gods of heaven, while darkness portends the presence of demons. Agni is the spark of light. He ignites the sacrificial fire during rituals as the representative of gods. In the body he symbolizes the digestive power. Vaishvanara, and acts as the representative of the bodily organs.
Indra is the leader of gods. He wields lightning as his weapon, the most powerful symbol of light, with which he strike down his enemies and protects the triple worlds. When the sky is darkened by demonic, dark clouds, he slashes them with his weapon to release the rain water.
The demons are afraid of light and prefer darkness. Hence, when evil is in ascendance, the worlds become enveloped in darkness. When darkness becomes unbearable, God descends into the world to restore balance. An incarnation is a descent of God into the darkness of the mortal world like a streak of lightning to dispel it and restore light.
As the dispeller of darkness and demonic powers, light also stands for the order and regularity of the worlds and the awakened state of Brahman or the Saguna Brahman. Light manifests in the body as bodily vigor (tejas), spiritual power (ojas), and reproductive power (retas).
Light in the body makes it healthy. Its light comes from the predominance of the mode of sattva. Foods that are rich in sattva are filled with the light of God. They make the body strong and healthy, and the mind free from evil. The senses are aspects of light, but susceptible to the evil power of the demons. However, breath is impervious to them. Hence, when the senses are withdrawn during meditation and austerities, breath protects their light from the darkness of the impurities
Light is hidden in the sounds of the Vedas. When the mantras are chanted, they illuminate the space around and the space within. Auspicious speech, like the sound of Aum, is filled with light of Brahman. It illuminates those who are touched by it. Auspicious words, prayers, thoughts, and invocations that are filled with the light of wisdom and pure intentions can drive away the darkness of adversity and suffering. The Gayathri Mantra is an invocation to the god of light, Savitr, to illuminate the worlds and the mind and free them from ignorance and delusion.
Light shines in the mind as purity (sattva). When the mind is pure with sattva, it reflects the objects accurately and leads to right discrimination, mental clarity, and brilliance. When the mind is free from impurities, the original luster and light of the Self manifest in the mind and illuminate it like the sun that shines in the clear, bright sky.
The light of Brahman dispels the darkness of Death. It liberates the beings that are caught in it, when they become free from karma and delusion. The world of Brahman is an eternal constant. There shines neither the sun nor the moon. Still, it is self-illuminated by the brilliance of Brahman which is more lustrous than millions of suns.
Light shows the way to those who are caught in the darkness of delusion and ignorance. The path of liberation is illuminated with the light of Brahman only. By following it those who achieve liberation travel to the sun where the immortal world of Brahman is located. Those who enter the light of Brahman never return. They become light beings (jyotisvarup) and self-existing, and remain immersed in the light of pure bliss (ananda-jyoti).
In the day light, the sun shines upon all paths and directs the beings to their destinations. When the sun is absent, the moon becomes the support for those who are caught in darkness of the night. When both the sun and the moon are absent, fire becomes the support, but when none of them are present, the voice becomes the light and illumines the paths.
In the Hindu cosmology, the worlds are divided into light worlds (surya lokas) and dark worlds (asurya lokas). Those who live virtuously and perform their duties selflessly, upon their death enter the worlds of light, while those who indulge in mortal sins and evil actions go to the demonic worlds and suffer greatly.
Darkness denotes mortality, death, decay, suffering and adversity for the embodied souls (jivas) that are caught in the dualities and desires of the mortal world. Until they enter the light of Brahman and become liberated, they remain enveloped in the darkness of egoism, delusion, ignorance, desires, attachments, death, decay, change, and impermanence.
Light is the essential nature of the souls, and God as the sun who illuminates all the worlds is their ultimate source. He alone keeps Time (Death) at bay. The sun and the moon are the luminous bodies that shine in the sky. However, the light of the sun is constant, while that of the moon waxes and wanes. The light of the sun shines on its own without any external support, while everything else in the worlds below shines because of him. Hence, the sun symbolizes Brahman, immortality, permanence and imperishability while the moon symbolizes rebirth, decay, dream states, and the fluctuating fate of the bound souls. The ancestral world is located in the moon, which is a semi dark world. Those who enter it require light from gods as well as from the mortals below.
In ritual worship, light (from a lamp or from the burning of incense) is an offering (food) to God to propitiate him. It symbolizes the sacrificial offering of the Self within to the deity as a gesture of surrender, detachment, and devotion.
The scriptures are filled with the light of divine knowledge. Hence, they illuminate the minds of those who study them and assimilate the knowledge contained in them. It is a common belief that by just keeping a sacred scripture in the house or under the bed one can drive away the darkness of evil and suffering.
In the body the eyes represent the sun and the moon since they are filled with the light of Self. As the sense organs, they have limitations in perceiving truth. However, the Upanishads declare that between the two eye brows there is the light of the Self, the third eye, which can see without seeing, and which can perceive beyond the mind and the senses the truths that are imperceptible to them.
According to the Upanishads, light is life itself. The light of the Sun-god nourishes the worlds and beings. His morning light is the childhood, midday light is the middle age and evening light is old age. Night is nidhana, or death itself. Light is the root, the nourisher, and the support of the tree of life (asvattha tree) which is described in the Katha Upanishad as an inverse tree whose roots are in heaven and branches are spread below. The Light of Brahman is the sap of that tree. It is the divine light that sustains creation. It is the light of God that preserves the world. It is into the light of Brahman that beings and worlds are ultimately withdrawn. It is light from heaven that lightens the mind that is caught in the suffering of samsara.
www.hinduwebsite.com/symbolism/symbols/light.asp
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ismaili103
- Posts: 542
- Joined: Wed Mar 20, 2013 1:40 am
Re: Surah Nur - Esoteric interpretation
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Ismaili Esoteric Interpretation of "Ayat al Noor"
Ayah al Noor
”Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth; His light is as a niche in which is a lamp, and the lamp is in a glass, the glass is as though it were a glittering star; it is lit from a blessed tree, an Olive neither of east nor of the west, the oil of which would well-nigh give light though no fire touched it,-light upon light;-Allah guides to His light whom He pleases; and Allah strikes out parables for men; and Allah all things doth know.” (al-Nur, 24:35)
Esoteric Interpretation
Niche: The niche can be interpreted as a specific community within this world. Though the verse doesn't explicitly mention a wall, it's evident that the niche is situated there. The wall can symbolize humanity, within which there exists a distinct community (niche) following the true path (sirat al mustaqeem).
Glass: Within that niche (community), a glass resides. The glass represents the physical body of the Imam. The Imam’s body is akin to glass, pure and devoid of any sin (Masoom). Although the Imam’s body is the purest creation in all the Universes, it remains fragile, like glass, signifying its temporality like every physical thing, having a beginning and an end. The body is pure, and Noor emanates from it like a glittering star.
Lamp: The lamp represents the Noor of Allah which is eternal and also referred to as the Divine Essence, Universal Intellect, and Soul. Its placement within the glass (Imam’s body) signifies the manifestation of Allah's Noor on Earth in the physical form of the Imam of the time since time immemorial.
Blessed Olive Tree: The olive tree symbolizes the Ahl al Bayt. It’s common to use a tree to symbolize a family, like a family tree. The blessed olive tree indicates that the Imamat stems from a blessed and pure family (Ahl al Bayt), directly descended from Adam A.S
Neither of East nor of the West: The Ahl al Bayt transcends specific geographic boundaries. As stated in the Holy Quran, Allah sent His prophets to every nation. Thus, this pure lineage is not limited to the east or the west, rather, the Noor of Allah manifests universally, across all lands and ages, guiding humankind to the "sirat al mutaqeem."
Olive Oil: Pure olive oil symbolizes the holy and pure bloodline of the Ahl al Bayt tracing back to Adam (A.S.) and even before Adam A.S. Through this lineage, the Noor of Allah shines, signifying that Allah's divine light is manifested on earth through the pure bloodline of the Imam (A.S.). Additionally, it is mentioned that this lamp burns brightly without being touched by any fire. This signifies that throughout history, numerous enemies such as Namrood, Pharaoh, Abu Jahal, Yazid, Mongols, and others attempted to extinguish this light. However, they failed in their evil endeavors because no one can extinguish the divine light of Allah, as the Quran affirms:
“They wish to extinguish Allah’s light with their mouths (false talk, propaganda etc.), but Allah will ˹certainly˺ perfect His light, even to the dismay of the disbelievers.” (As – Saf, 61:8)
Light upon Light: "Noor an Ala Noor," or "Light upon Light," gives us the concept of eternal Imamat, signifying that the Noor of Allah has been manifested on this earth since time immemorial. This phrase suggests that each Imam succeeds another, continuously, until the Day of Judgment, and as Imam Ali Shah (A.S.) states, "even after the Qiyamah."
Allah concludes this Ayat with a beautiful statement: it is only Allah who guides people to His Light, embodied by the Imam. This guidance is solely in Allah's control; only He can bless one's heart with love for the Imam (A.S.), which leads to recognizing the Imam as the "Mazhar e Dhat e Ilahi," or Manifestation of the Divine Essence. Lastly, Allah encourages humanity to contemplate and interpret these parables mentioned in His holy book.
Ismaili Esoteric Interpretation of "Ayat al Noor"
Ayah al Noor
”Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth; His light is as a niche in which is a lamp, and the lamp is in a glass, the glass is as though it were a glittering star; it is lit from a blessed tree, an Olive neither of east nor of the west, the oil of which would well-nigh give light though no fire touched it,-light upon light;-Allah guides to His light whom He pleases; and Allah strikes out parables for men; and Allah all things doth know.” (al-Nur, 24:35)
Esoteric Interpretation
Niche: The niche can be interpreted as a specific community within this world. Though the verse doesn't explicitly mention a wall, it's evident that the niche is situated there. The wall can symbolize humanity, within which there exists a distinct community (niche) following the true path (sirat al mustaqeem).
Glass: Within that niche (community), a glass resides. The glass represents the physical body of the Imam. The Imam’s body is akin to glass, pure and devoid of any sin (Masoom). Although the Imam’s body is the purest creation in all the Universes, it remains fragile, like glass, signifying its temporality like every physical thing, having a beginning and an end. The body is pure, and Noor emanates from it like a glittering star.
Lamp: The lamp represents the Noor of Allah which is eternal and also referred to as the Divine Essence, Universal Intellect, and Soul. Its placement within the glass (Imam’s body) signifies the manifestation of Allah's Noor on Earth in the physical form of the Imam of the time since time immemorial.
Blessed Olive Tree: The olive tree symbolizes the Ahl al Bayt. It’s common to use a tree to symbolize a family, like a family tree. The blessed olive tree indicates that the Imamat stems from a blessed and pure family (Ahl al Bayt), directly descended from Adam A.S
Neither of East nor of the West: The Ahl al Bayt transcends specific geographic boundaries. As stated in the Holy Quran, Allah sent His prophets to every nation. Thus, this pure lineage is not limited to the east or the west, rather, the Noor of Allah manifests universally, across all lands and ages, guiding humankind to the "sirat al mutaqeem."
Olive Oil: Pure olive oil symbolizes the holy and pure bloodline of the Ahl al Bayt tracing back to Adam (A.S.) and even before Adam A.S. Through this lineage, the Noor of Allah shines, signifying that Allah's divine light is manifested on earth through the pure bloodline of the Imam (A.S.). Additionally, it is mentioned that this lamp burns brightly without being touched by any fire. This signifies that throughout history, numerous enemies such as Namrood, Pharaoh, Abu Jahal, Yazid, Mongols, and others attempted to extinguish this light. However, they failed in their evil endeavors because no one can extinguish the divine light of Allah, as the Quran affirms:
“They wish to extinguish Allah’s light with their mouths (false talk, propaganda etc.), but Allah will ˹certainly˺ perfect His light, even to the dismay of the disbelievers.” (As – Saf, 61:8)
Light upon Light: "Noor an Ala Noor," or "Light upon Light," gives us the concept of eternal Imamat, signifying that the Noor of Allah has been manifested on this earth since time immemorial. This phrase suggests that each Imam succeeds another, continuously, until the Day of Judgment, and as Imam Ali Shah (A.S.) states, "even after the Qiyamah."
Allah concludes this Ayat with a beautiful statement: it is only Allah who guides people to His Light, embodied by the Imam. This guidance is solely in Allah's control; only He can bless one's heart with love for the Imam (A.S.), which leads to recognizing the Imam as the "Mazhar e Dhat e Ilahi," or Manifestation of the Divine Essence. Lastly, Allah encourages humanity to contemplate and interpret these parables mentioned in His holy book.