Book of Healing - Qur'anic Healing - The Concept of the Waves of Light
The Concept of the Waves of Light
Tags: Waves of Light, Light, Du`a'yi Nur
1. It has already been mentioned that belief, namely, the faith of a staunch Muslim, turns into light when it reaches the level of perfection. Thus to imagine light or to conceive the waves of light at any initial stage, is a part of faith. It should be remembered that there are many potentialities hidden in the human existence. Among them, the faculty of imagination and conception is extremely important, because of the fact that, it is linked to the observation of light after making certain progress. Thus the conception of the waves of light is an extremely useful shughl (contemplation of God). And this highly important shughl should be made through a ma'thurah (a prayer which has been transmitted from the Prophet or the Imams) related to seeking light, in the light of knowledge and wisdom. Take for instance, the following prayer, which Imam Ja`far as-Sadiq, may peace be on him, used to recite after every morning prayer (salah):
"Allahumma'j`al li nuran fi qalbi, wa nuran fi sam`i, wa nuran fi basari, wa nuran fi lisani, wa nuran fi sha`ri, wa nuran fi bashari, wa nuran fi lahmi, wa nuran fi dami, wa nuran fi `izami, wa nuran fi `asabi, wa nuran bayna yadayya, wa nuran fi khalfi, wa nuran `an yamini, wa nuran `an yasari, wa nuran min fawqi, wa nuran min tahti."
"O Allah! make for me a light in my heart, and a light in my ear, and a light in my eye, and a light in my tongue, and a light in my hair, and a light in my skin, and a light in my flesh, and a light in my blood, and a light in my bones, and a light in my nerve, and a light in front of me, and a light behind me, and a light on my right side, and a light on my left side, and a light above me and a light below me". (Da'a'im, I, 167).
2. The above-mentioned blessed prayer, on the one hand, reveals how great the need of the waves of light is for the health and soundness of the human intellect, soul and body; and on the other hand it can be estimated that this wisdom-filled prayer, although initially it is like a belief, hope and concept, gradually becomes a practical reality for a mu'min. As it reveals from verse (57:12), when the light of faith becomes perfect, it runs in front and on the right side of the mu'min men and mu'min women. In that state, every such mu'min becomes a proof of the above prayer. That is to say, he becomes surrounded from six sides by the circle of the waves of light. For, the appearance of light from the front is the sign of perfection. It is the wisdom-filled principle of the wise Qur'an that it mostly covers lower and subsidiary teachings by speaking about the highest teaching.
3. When the glorious Qur'an says: "Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth" (24:35) according to the people of wisdom, by this significant verse the concept of the entire universe wherein man is also necessarily included, becomes like a large ball of iron, which has become red in the glowing fire. If this concept can be understood only at the place of truth of certainty (haqqu'l-yaqin) then let us give you a concept of the vision or the eye of certainty (`aynu'l-yaqin): Consider that the Divine light is an endless and unfathomable ocean in which everything of the heaven and the earth is immersed and man swims in it like a fish. There is a great difference between these two examples. In the former, the iron which has become hot and red, in a sense, has become annihilated in the fire, whereas in the latter, the fish which swims in the water has not become annihilated in the essence of the water.
4. Now let us explain the same point in the light of knowledge of certainty (`ilmu'l-yaqin) so that it may be easily understood. In this connection, first and foremost, it is extremely necessary to understand the nature and essence of light. For light does not mean only the one which is for the inner eye, rather its form and action are in accordance with the need of each of the external and internal senses. A small example of it can be given from a power house which does not only provide electricity for a city, but also does many other important and useful works. Thus the light of guidance, which is required by the heart and brain is in the states of intellect and understanding, and knowledge and wisdom. The light which is ordained for the external and internal ear, is in the different states of the blessed voice. The light of the external eye and internal eye is undoubtedly the light which is related to observation. And the light which the tongue needs, is in the state of extraordinary power of speech. This is the description of the waves of light.
5. There cannot be any doubt and ambiguity about the authenticity and wisdom of the above-mentioned prayer of light. Certainly, it is extremely coherent and systematic and an excellent example of comprehensiveness and perfection. On the whole, the health and peace of intellect, soul and body is sought in this prayer. Here an important question arises: Is there need of separate lights for the hair, skin, flesh, blood, bones and nerves of man also? Yes. Why not, while the structure, action and need of each of the parts of a body are separate and specific. Since hair is a conspicuous sign of the existence of the vegetative soul in the human body, therefore, the vegetative soul is in need of the light of guidance separately. It has to work in the entire body with sound health and cleanliness, it has to grow a certain substance in the form of hair, and also there is an indication to botany in it.
6. The description of the light which is fixed for the skin is extremely interesting. Thus one of the waves of this light has frozen at the outer part of the human skin. This frozen light is particularly found on the face. Had this light of face not been there, Adam, may peace be on him, and his children would not have had any relation with the Form or Image of the Compassionate (surat-i Rahman). When the faithful servant smiles, being pleased by the good news of the Qur'an and Islam, then you should understand that there is a wave of light on his face. If he becomes serious, being concerned about religion, then this is another wave of light. If a fortunate (mu'min) sheds tears in the love of the holy Prophet and for the sake of spiritual progress, this is a third wave of light. This wave is very powerful and it is expected that it may cause a revolution [in his personal world]. Moreover, look in verse (39:23) so that, you may be sure of the miracles of the light of skin and may attain the wealth of external and internal healing.
7. Flesh is the main source of physical strength, therefore, it needs the light of guidance so that it may remain safe and sound from every evil, badness and sickness and a preponderance and inclination towards patience, worship and goodness may be created in it. There are many signs of the running of the waves of light in the flesh of a true servant of God, such as, feeling of a spiritual current, overpowering ecstasy or tenderness of the heart due to the influence of the remembrance of God and the discourse of knowledge of certainty, ecstasy due to Divine love, the purifying quake (zalzalah-yi tuhur), as a result of the successful abundant remembrance of God. The purifying quake is a bodily miracle which is mentioned in five places in the holy Qur'an. This agitating light (i.e. quake) continues to occur long before the stage of `Izra'il (manzil-i `Izra'ili) and full-fledged spirituality, when a darwish or sufi after abundant remembrance of God, lies down in the state of half sleep. It should also be noted here that flesh is the soil and the earth of the personal world, skin its surface, hair its vegetables, blood its water, nerves its waterways (i.e. streams, canals etc.) and the bones its mountains.
8. One extremely important and wisdom-filled example: How is the wheat ground and turns into flour in the water mill? The grindstone revolving with its weight grinds it. What makes the grindstone revolve? The machinery which is set up under it. What is the moving force of this machinery? Waterfall which falls on the wheel. What pushes the water-fall? The water of the canal. What is the source of the water of the canal? The water of the stream. What is the source of the stream? Reservoirs of water in the mountains. What are their sources? Snow, rain, clouds, ocean and the sun. What is the cause of this amazing and wonderful act of the sun? The pressure of the All-encompassing Soul (Universal Soul, Supreme Soul), which constantly falls on the universe and causes the ether of the centre of the universe to dissolve and transform into a candescent gas, called the sun. By whose command does the Universal Soul or the Soul of souls perform this act? By the command of God, the Blessed, the Exalted. From this example, the law becomes clear that God is the Causer of causes, that is, He has created many causes for the completion of every act. In this chain of causes, after every cause, appears another greater cause until the people of insight become sure of the higher causes and the Causer of the causes.
9. The purpose of the above example is that all the causes and means of cure and healing are created by God. But it is necessary to see in this how we can remember God more and more and what are the means through which we can recognise Him. However, despite this fact, His all-embracing mercy allows that each individual, according to his knowledge and capacity, can use any of these causes and means.
10. The need of the continuous waves of light for the movement and circulation of the blood is because of the fact that, without them, its system of circulation does not act according to the internal health. An external example of which is the way water revolves on a circle, such as the chain of the meeting of rivers with ocean, creation of vapour from the ocean, the creation of the clouds from the vapour and the creation of rain from the clouds and the creation of rivers from the rain, all this is due to the power and energy of the material light, i.e. the sun. Similarly, through the help of the waves of the internal light, blood can circulate in the human body without any defect and sickness. The sun of the personal world is the heart, and the wisdom of the prayer of light says that the circulation of spiritual blood, i.e. light is possible only if there is light in the heart.
11. There can be a disease in the bones also, therefore, to prevent or cure it, they also need the light of health and healing. One of the numerous great miracles of the light through which the Perfect Men pass, is related to the bones. And that is, they recite the tasbih (glorification) of God in harmony with them as the mountains of their personal world, as mentioned in the Qur'anic story of Hazrat Dawud, may peace be on him (21:79, 34:10, 38:18). Moreover, the bone of the forehead is the Mount Sinai of the personal world, which is the place of the truth of certainty, where there is nothing but miracles.
12. The importance of the nerves is that they, in addition to being like the water-ways, are also the means of communication through which the cells and parts of the entire body receive every message and command of the heart and mind. Thus the need is to generate a source of light in the heart, so that, from it the healing waves of light may run in the entire body through the nerves. In order to attain this goal, according to the guidance of the Qur'an, God is remembered abundantly. For while acting upon the commandments of religion by doing the `ibadat of the heart day and night, in the light of the knowledge of certainty, the waves of light are conceived automatically, in which lies the secret of the health of intellect, soul and body.
22 Shawwal, 1406/30th June, 1986.
| Chapter Index | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter |