The Verse of Light ( ar-at, آیة النور, āyat an-nūr) is the 35th verse of the
24th surah
Light ( ar, النور, ; The Light) is the 24th chapter of the Quran with 64 verses. The surah takes its name, An Nur, from verse 35.
Summary
*1 This chapter revealed from heaven
*2-3 Law relating to fornication
*4-5 Punishment for defa ...
of the
Quran
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , ...
(
Q24:35).
Verse
Commentary
The eighth Imam of the Twelver Imami Shiites Ali ibn Moses says in the interpretation of this verse:
He is the guide of the people of heaven and the guide of the people of the earth.
and the sixth Shiite Imam, Jafar Sadiq, has stated that:
God first spoke of His light.
The example of God's guidance is in the heart of the believer.
The glorious is inside the believer and the lamp of his heart, and the lamp is the light that God has placed in his heart.
Hence it was and remains a key Qur'anic passage to many
Sufis
Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, r ...
and
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
philosophers
A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...
into the present day, who argue for
esoteric readings of the Qur'an.
al-Ghazali
Al-Ghazali ( – 19 December 1111; ), full name (), and known in Persian-speaking countries as Imam Muhammad-i Ghazali (Persian: امام محمد غزالی) or in Medieval Europe by the Latinized as Algazelus or Algazel, was a Persian poly ...
's reflections on this verse are collected in his
Mishkat al-Anwar (the "Niche of Lights").
Often employed by
Sufi
Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, r ...
s and
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
Philosophers
A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...
, the verse is also the primary source of one of the
99 Names of God: an-Nur (), "The Light".
Commentators on Ayat an-Nur include:
*
Avicenna
Ibn Sina ( fa, ابن سینا; 980 – June 1037 CE), commonly known in the West as Avicenna (), was a Persian polymath who is regarded as one of the most significant physicians, astronomers, philosophers, and writers of the Islamic ...
*
al-Ghazali
Al-Ghazali ( – 19 December 1111; ), full name (), and known in Persian-speaking countries as Imam Muhammad-i Ghazali (Persian: امام محمد غزالی) or in Medieval Europe by the Latinized as Algazelus or Algazel, was a Persian poly ...
*
Fakhr al-Din al-Razi
*
Ibn al-'Arabi
*
Rumi
Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī ( fa, جلالالدین محمد رومی), also known as Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Balkhī (), Mevlânâ/Mawlānā ( fa, مولانا, lit= our master) and Mevlevî/Mawlawī ( fa, مولوی, lit= my ma ...
*
Mulla Sadra
*
Hakeem Noor-ud-Din
*
Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad
Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad ( ur, ) (12 January 1889 – 8 November 1965), was the second caliph ( ar, خليفة المسيح الثاني, ''khalīfatul masīh al-thāni''), leader of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and the ...
*
Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya
See also
*
Chapter
*
Verse of Throne
*
Esoteric interpretation of the Qur'an
Esoteric interpretation of the Quran ( ar, تأويل, taʾwīl) is the allegorical interpretation of the Quran or the quest for its hidden, inner meanings. The Arabic word ''taʾwīl'' was synonymous with conventional interpretation in its earl ...
*
Esotericism
Western esotericism, also known as esotericism, esoterism, and sometimes the Western mystery tradition, is a term scholars use to categorise a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas ...
*
Nūr (Islam)
''Nūr'' ( ar, النور) is a term in Islamic context referring to the "cold light of the night" or "heatless light" i.e. the light of the moon. This light is used as a symbol for "God's guidance" and "knowledge", a symbol of mercy in contr ...
*
Sufism
Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality ...
*
Chapter of Light
References
{{Reflist
External links
Theophanies and Lights in the Thought of Ibn 'Arabi*Al-Ghazali.
' (The Niche for Lights)
Light Upon Light (Islamic Videos)Haqiqaul Furqan, Tafsir of Maulana Hakeem Noor-ud-DinBenefits of reading Surah noor (verse of light)Summary Of Ibn Qayyim Tafsir Of Ayat Nur
Quranic verses
Esoteric interpretation of the Quran
An-Nur
Islamic theology
Allah
Light and religion