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A035

Surah: 024 - Ayah: 035

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24:35

Evidence of Heavenly Bodies:
In the order of the universe, next to the heavens are the heavenly bodies, i.e. stars. There are many heavenly bodies and among them one is so radiant that it unsparingly provides light and heat to the rest of the heavenly bodies and to the entire universe. It is always shining and radiating and it neither decreases nor increases. It is called the sun, and it has immersed the entire universe and existents in its immense light. The sun is the light verse (24:35) of the external world, the meaning of which shows that in the world of religion and the world of humanity as well, there is a holy personality who is the light of God and the Prophet and he, due to his knowledge, wisdom and supreme character, is most excellent and eminent among people, just as the sun is among the heavenly bodies. This evidence of the heavenly bodies is like those verses of the Quraan in which it is established that the perfect Man, i.e. the Imam of the time, is the light of God.

The third proof is: “Allah guides unto (recognition of) His light whosever He wills” (24:35). In this verse the Quraan is mentioned first, because the exoteric guidance of God starts with the Quraan, then the light of Imamat, because His esoteric guidance starts with the light of Imamat. It follows that God makes whomsoever He wills, reach His esoteric guidance through His exoteric guidance.

From the above-mentioned proofs it is evident that, in the time of Prophethood, for the complete guidance of the people in addition to the Quraan there was also a living Light from Allah, which He has described as “Luminous Lamp.” The paramount importance of it lies in the fact that when God willed to give an appropriate example of His reality, He used “misbah”, a synonym of it (the luminous lamp), as God says: “Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth; His light is as a niche in which is a lamp” (24:35). One should reflect deeply as to why Allah did not give the example of His light from such tremendous, natural and heavenly sources of light from such tremendous, natural and heavenly sources of light as the sun, the moon and the stars, and instead He gave the example of the lamp of a house and then He used the same example for the light of His Messenger also. The correct solution of these most difficult questions is that the light of Prophet is the same light of God. The proof of this is that when God attributes light of Himself, He compares it to a luminous lamp and when He attributes light to the Messenger, He compares it to the same “luminous lamp”.

According to verses (24:35) the light of God is such a huge that every particle of heavens and the earth is immersed in it, both extremely and internally. Thus, can it be said that this Divine light is devoid of life and cannot give the glow of silent and hidden life all the time to every infinitesimal particle? Can it be said that the light of the “Ever living and Everlasting” cannot illumine every particle and atom in the heavens and the earth? There is indeed soul in the form of light in every particle in the universe.

The meaning of God enfolding this vast universe in His hand is full of wisdom-filled allusions. Thus in this act He brings closer things which are far, He shows pre-eternity (azal) and post-eternity (abad) together, He brings the past (the first end of which is Hazrat Adam’s time) back to centres in the present and the remote future forward, including the collective Resurrection and accommodates it in the personal spirituality. If we believe that this is a Qur’anic fact then let us also believe that all this happens at the place of "Light upon light" (24:35). That is the place of spirit and spirituality where (Natiq or Asas or) Imam and Bab meet together like two oceans (18:60-61).

Symbolic Language I said : He said
I said: In the Holy Qur’an, many magnificent trees are praised separately. Some belong to this world and some to Paradise.
He said: It is not so. In reality there is only one tree, but as the Glorious Qur’an is the Paradise of knowledge and wisdom, and in Paradise everything has different manifestations, so sometimes this tree appears as the Olive (24:35), or the Tree of Sinai (28:30) and gives light, or the Pure Tree (14:24) which gives luminous fruit, or it manifests itself as the Fig (95:1), Pomegranate (55:68), Vine (16:11), Lote-Tree (53:14), Tuba (13:29), Date-palm (55:68), Banana (56:29) etc. As the Wise Qur’an in the language of wisdom says, reality is one but it has many and varied examples (17:89; 30:58).

(18) God’s Greatest Favour:

The greatest bounty (ni^cmat) or the greatest favour (in^cam) of God, which is specifically mentioned in the Fatihah, is hidayat (guidance) on the straight path. For the meaning of hidayat is hidden knowledge, recognition, wisdom and pleasure of God; it is the name of the light of intellect and soul and it is the name of finding the way to the light of God, for as God says: “God guides unto His light whom He wills” (24:35). That is, God grants the recognition of the Imam of the time to whom He wills, for it is the Imam of the time who is the light of God, and it is though him alone that people receive the exoteric and exoteric guidance of God.

Nuru’d-Din ^cAli (peace be upon him):

Root: nun, waw, ra’. Nur means light and Nuru’d-Din means the light of religion. Nuru’d-Din ^cAli means ^cAli is the light of religion, the one who is the light of religion on behalf of ^cAli, namely the Imam of the progeny of Muhammad and the children of ^cAli. This wisdom-filled name of the Imam is extremely important, for “light” in the Qur’an is the most outstanding subject, in which the one and the same light is mentioned as a whole. Nonetheless, with respect to the different aspects of the reality of light the concept of God is in the verse of misbah (24:35), the concept of the Prophet is in the verse of siraj (33:46) and the concept of the Imams is in the verse of masabih (41:12; 67:5).

Study the "Lamp-verse" (24:35) and the two following verses carefully, and reflect on each of their words, particularly the phrases "light upon light", "in houses" and "men". There will then remain no doubt in the fact that light is always one and the greatest proof of this is "light upon light". The allusion of "in houses" means that the mazhar of light is present on the earth and the word "men" clearly means that this luminous lamp of the Divine light continues in the personal world of the Prophets and Imams.

Q143 Please furnish us with a proof from the Qur’an, which is really outstanding, wisdom-filled, simple, concise, logical, decisive and amazing, which ascertains absolutely that the chain of light continues eternally.

A143 Such an unprecedented proof is “nurun ^cala nur (light upon light)” in verse (24:35), which means that the links of the chain of light are joined with one another and this chain of the light of God continues from eternity. The same is also the firm luminous rope of Allah, which has to always be present among the people. I firmly believe that “light upon light” is also a wird or wazifah (to remember a word/phrase constantly) of reflection and knowledge. Therefore, read and reflect upon it time and again. God willing, this reflective ^cibadat will never be fruitless.

Q308 Kindly give us some clear proofs of the continual presence of the mazhar of Allah on the surface of the earth.

A308

• Study verse (24:35) carefully: The luminous lamp of the Divine light is in a niche, which is in a glass. The glass is like a luminous star. It should be noted that this is the praise of the mazar of the light of Allah.
• The same proof is in the verse of the revealed light (5:15).
• The name “an-nur” (the Light) is His mazhar.
• The name “az-zahir” of Allah is because He has a mazhar;
• The luminous veil of Allah mentioned in verse (42:51) is His mazhar.
• If the heart of a mu’min servant is the Throne of Allah, then the first and foremost mu’min is His mazhar.
• If Allah has encompassed everything in the Imam-i mubin, then the rank of His mazhar is also included in him (36:12). In short, there are countless proofs of this fact.

Q322 Please explain one more cogent example about recognition.

A322

• Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth (24:35), i.e. He is the light of knowledge, the light of guidance and the light of recognition.
• Therefore, the inner aspect of the universe, the personal world and the Qur’an shine with the light of God.
• Allah’s light is in His mazhar’s lamp, the burning lamp is transparent and resplendent like a star.
• In short, wherever light is extolled, there is also an allusion to the inner eye, because light is in the sense of both to see and to show. Praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of the worlds!

The sun itself is the greatest among the Divine signs of the universe of the solar system, in which the planet earth and its inhabitants exist. If we interpret the Qur’an in the light of the macrocosm, then we have to compare the verse of “Misbah (24:35)” with the sun, the verse of “Siraj (33:46)” with the moon and the other verses of light with the stars and we should think deeply, with peace of mind, whether or not the meaning of tajaddud-i amthal is mentioned, not only in these examples, but also in the very words misbah (lamp), light upon light and siraj (lamp).

Q511 Please explain some realities and esoteric meanings of verse (57:3): “He is the first, the last, the manifest and the hidden.”

A511

• Arifs recognise that it is Allah, may He be exalted, who is the first, the last, the manifest and the hidden.
• Here the most important question relates to the manifest, which should be answered with respect to three contexts: the external world, the world of religion and the personal world.
• The answer with regard to the external world is that He is the light of the heavens and the earth (24:35), but the law of recognition never ceases due to the manifestation of the light.
• The answer in the context of the world of religion is that the holy Prophet and the Imam are the mazhar of Allah’s light.
• The answer in the context of the personal world is that it is distinguished for the sake of the vision (didar) and recognition therefore, there cannot be any doubt in His theophanies and manifestations occurring in it.

Q514 Is it correct to refer to all the Qur’anic verses related to ‘light’, as the ‘light verses’? Kindly tell us their collective wisdom.

A514

• The subject of light is spread throughout the wise Qur’an as well as being concentrated in the verse of the lamp (24:35).
• If Allah Himself is the light of the heavens and the earth, how can the revealed light be separate from His light?
• You should reflect on the law of “light upon light”.
• There are two great wisdoms in the verse of the lamp:

• For the sake of teaching people and with respect to manifestation it is correct to refer separately to Allah’s light, the Prophet’s light, the Imam’s light, mu’min men and women’s light. However, with respect to the law of “light upon light”, all these manifestations are of the same one light.
• If Allah is the light of the heaven and the earth of the world of religion and the personal world, after the Prophets and Imams it can also rise in [the personal world of] many mu’mins. In fact, every individual in this world has the capacity of receiving grace from this light however the prerequisites for this are faith (iman) and obedience.

Hazrat Mawlana Sultan Muhammad Shah, the greatest of the Imams, salawatu’llahi ^calayhi, has drawn special attention to the verse of Lamp: “Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth.” (24:35). By his inner and luminous guidance it has become known that its living and luminous ta’wil is in the manifestation of the sacred Sanctuary, such as: the holy niche means the mouth of the blessed qalb (heart, intellect) of the Imam of the time; the luminous lamp means the supreme Name of the pure light; lamp stand (fanus) means the verbal supreme Name; shining of the star like the pearl means the manifestation and revelations of the pearl of Intellect and the hidden Book whose inspirational (ilhami) ta’wil continues to come from the supreme light; the olive tree means the Universal Soul; neither of the east nor of the west means the non-spatial rank.

Note: The greatest of the Imams means “The night of qadr is better than a thousand months” (97:3) See Wajh-i Din.

The verse of Lamp (24:35) has many secrets. If the Lord of spiritual resurrection blesses us with his luminous ta’yid, a special ta’wili wisdom can be presented. You know that there are two worlds: the physical and the world of religion. Thus, the heavens and earths are both physical and religious or spiritual.

Thus, it is a fact that Allah, the true worshipped, may His name be mighty, is the light of the seven heavens and the seven earths (65:12) of the world of religion, which are: the first heaven is Adam^(c), the second is Noah^(c), the third is Abraham^(c), the fourth is Moses^(c), the fifth is Jesus^(c), the sixth is Muhammad^(s), and the seventh is the qa’im^(c). Thus the lord of every cycle is the heaven of the world of religion and his supreme hujjat is its earth. Accordingly Hazrat qa’im^(c) is the seventh heaven of the world of religion and his supreme hujjat is its earth. Now, by Mawla’s grace it becomes crystal clear that Allah, the true worshipped, is the light of intellect and soul of the seven heavens and the seven earths of the world of religion. Al-hamdu li’llah!

This verse has been referred 70 times.