Noor Ki Hakeekat

7/25/2019 Noor Ki Hakeekat

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The Light of the Prophet

by Dr. Mostafa al-Badawi

"Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth . . . "[1. Qur'an (24:35).]he !ight isone of the ninet#nine $eautiful %a&es of Allah. !ight is that

hih things eo&e *non. hings &a e+ist in the dar*, ut theannot e seen. !ight &a e -hsial, suh as the light of the sun

or the &oon, or intelligile, li*e the light of the intellet. he latter isthat hih illu&inates the dar*ness of ignorane ith the light of

*noledge. otal dar*ness is non#e+istene, thus light is that hihrings reated eings out of non#e+istene into e+istene. t is the

reative at of Allah and this is one of the &eanings of "Allah is thelight of the heavens and the earth . . . " he other &eaning is that

ever light in the universe is ut a refletion of /is &er, ever*noledge a refletion of /is *noledge and so on. "Allah reated

/is reation in dar*ness," said the 0ro-het, &a Allahs lessingsand -eae e u-on hi&, "then /e s-raed the& ith /is light. hose

ho& this light reahed ea&e rightl guided, hile those it did

not ent astra."[2. ir&idhi.]And he also said, as reorded usli&,"Allah, August and aesti is /e, rote the destinies of reation

fift thousand ears efore /e reated the /eavens and the earth./is throne as on the ater. A&ong hat /e rote in the

e&e&rane, hih is the other of the $oo*, as: Aa %ai 6

7aree& is the 8eal of the 0ro-hets."

The Mother of the Book is the source of all knowledge, including the DivineScriptures. It is the essential knowledge of Allah before He created creation. This iswh it is said to have been written fift thousand ears before the creation of thecos!os, a s!bolic nu!ber, since without stars and planets there cannot be dasand ears as we understand the!. Allah conceived His creation in the darkness ofnon"e#istence, then with the light of His creative act brought the! out intoe#istence. Thus the $irst %ight was created, a being appearing against the darkbackground of non"e#istence. &The first thing that Allah created was the Intellect,&'(.

Tir!idhi.)said the *rophet, . He also said, &The first thing that Allahcreated was the *en,& which a!ounts to the sa!e thing, since the first intellect is thepri!ordial light in its passive aspect as recipient of the knowledge of what is to be,

while the *en is the pri!ordial light in its active aspect of writing this knowledge onthe +uarded Tablet at Allahs co!!and. &The first thing that Allah created was the*en and He said to it- rite/ So it wrote what is to be forever.& '0. Tabarani and Abu 1u2a!.)$ro! this $irst light all of creation, with all its varied for!s and !eanings till the endof ti!e unfolds.


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This pri!ordial light is what is called the %ight of the *rophet, , sincehe is the created being who received the !a3or share of it.

This light was also the origin of the lights of all other Divine Messengers, of the

angels, then of all other beings. This is how the *rophet, could sa,

&I was a *rophet when Ada! was still between spirit and bod.&'4. Tir!idhi, Ah!ad,Haki! and Bukhari in Tarikh.)The power of this light !ade the *rophets radiation so powerful,once he appeared on earth, that Allah calls hi! in the 5uran &an illuminating lamp."Allah describes the sun and the !oon in the 5uran in like !anner e#plaining whatHe !eans when He sas that He !ade the *rophet &an illuminating lamp&. He sas,6#alted is He-

"Have you not seen how Allah created seven heavens, one upon another, and set the

moon therein for a light and the sun for a lamp?"

'7. 5ur2an 89:-:7;)

Here he calls the sun ala!p, since its light is self generating, but He calls the !oon a light, since itbutreflects the light of the sun. He also sas: " . . . and We appointed a blazinglamp . . . " '9. 5ur2an 89


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see it. Aisha& &Ces/& she replied. He said, &I asked ! %ord to grant !e ! nation,so He gave !e one third of the!, so I praised and thanked Hi!. Then I asked hi!for the rest, so He gave !e the second third, so I praised and thanked Hi!. Then Iasked Hi! for the third third, so He gave it to !e, so I praised and thanked Hi!.&She said that had she wished to pick up !ustard seeds fro! the floor b this lightshe could have.':(. Abu 1u2a! in Hilia.)In the fa!ous description of Hind ibn Abi Hala, the

*rophets stepson fro! the %ad hadi3a, &He was dignified and awe inspiring,radiant like the radiance of the !oon on the night it is full&':0. Tir!idhi in %hama&il, BahaEi, Tabarani,and ibn Sa2d.)Ibn Abbas described how he saw light shining fro! between his front teeth.':4. Tir!idhi in %hama&il, Dari!i, BahaEi, Tabarani, and ibn Asakir.)Abu 5ursafa, as a bo, went to swearallegiance to the *rophet, together with his !other and her sister. hen thereturned ho!e the told hi!, & M son, we have never seen the like of this !an, noranone better looking, cleaner dressed, or gentler in his speechF and we saw as iflight ca!e out of his !outh.& ':7. Tabarani.)

The @o!panion, Anas ibn Malik, , described how, when the *rophet

!a Allahs blessings and peace be upon hi!, first entered Madina,everthing in Madina *aak beca!e illu!inated, then how, when he died and wasburied in Ha>rath 6 Aisha2s A house, the light disappeared. The pheno!enon was sosudden that the @o!panions were taken aback and began to doubt whether the hadreall seen it at all.':9. Ah!ad and ibn Ma3ah.)This was onl the light that radiated fro! hisblessed bod, for Madina *aak itself re!ained the cit of %ight. Abu Hurara relatedhow the were once praing the night praer of Aisha with the *rophet

and how the *rophets two grandsons, I!a! Hasanan Husan cli!bed onto his back when he went into prostration. hen he was done,he placed one of the! on his right and the other on his left. Abu Hurara

asked hi!, &Shall I take the! to their !other& he replied, &1o&. Then aflashing light appeared fro! the sk, at which he said, &go to our !other.& The light

re!ained until the reached their house.':ar.)Gn another occasion,Anas said that, he acco!panied the *rophet, , into the!osEue where the saw a group of people with their hands raised, calling upon

Allah. &Do ou see in their hands what I see& the *rophet asked.

&hat is in their hands& Anas replied. &There is light in their hands,&replied the *rophet. &Ask Allah the 6#alted to show it to !e,& said Anas. At the

*rophets reEuest, Allah showed it to hi!.':?. Bukhari in Tarikh, BahaEi and Abu 1u2a!.)

Another @o!panion, Ha>rath 6 A!r al"Asla!i , said that once the were

with the Messenger of Allah on a ver dark night and lost sight ofeach other. Suddenl A!rs fingers shone forth with light so that the were able toround up their !ounts and gather again. The light did not subside until the had

finished gathering.'=. Bukhari in Tarikh, BahaEi and Tabarani.)As for Abu Abs, he used to pra all theritual praers with the *rophet, then walk back to his dwelling, at Bani Haritha, a few!iles fro! the !osEue. Gne dark rain night, as he left the !osEue, his staff was!ade to shine forth with light, so that he was able to walk safel back ho!e.'=:. BahaEi.)

Gn another occasion, two of the *rophet s well known @o!panions,

sad ibn Hudar and Abbad ibn Bishr, left the *rophet house late ona dark night. The tip of the staff of one of the! lit up like a la!p and the were ableto walk. hen the ca!e to the place where the usuall separated, the tip of the


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other staff lit up as well.'==. Bukhari)Another @o!panion, al"Tufal ibn A!r al"Dawsi,

related how, after his first visit to the *rophet , when he accepted

Isla! and was about to return to his tribe, he asked the *rophet fora sign to show to his tribes!en, at which a light shone forth fro! his forehead. Hee#clai!ed, &1ot here, G Messenger of Allah, the will think it a curse/& So the*rophet !oved the light to the tip of al" Tufals whip. He returned to his tribe withthis sign and !ost of the! accepted Isla!.'=(. Ibn Hisha!.)

ab ibn uhar was a !an fro! Mu>ana, a highl talented poet who used his talent

against the *rophet and his co!panions. Gnce Makkah 6 *aak had

been conEuered, aJb beca!e a fugitive, aware that the *rophethad ordered hi! e#ecuted. His brother, Bu3ar, was a Musli!. He sent aJb a

!essage that he could onl save his life if he ca!e to the *rophet asa repentant. 6ventuall a2b agreed to this and ca!e to Madinah 6 *aak. The

*rophet forgave hi!, accepted his allegiance, and gave hi!

per!ission to recite the poe! aJb had co!posed in his praise. hen he ca!e tothe passage,

The Messenger is a light that illu!inates

An Indian blade, a sword of Allah, drawn

the *rophet took his !antle, his burda, off his shoulders and put it on a2ab2s,signalling his approval. The best swords of the ti!e were Indian and the connectionbetween the sword and light is that the Arabs signalled the wa b standing on a riseand brandishing their swords in the sun so that the flashed like !irrors.'=0. Ibn IshaE.)

The light of the *rophet, !anifested itself in his parents before andduring his birth. His biographers have recorded that his father2s forehead shone with

a light that a certain wo!en fro! 5urash noticed. She knew that the appearance ofthe *rophet of the 6nd of Ti!e was i!!inent and felt that Abdullah2sA forehead signalled his being the father. She offered herself to hi!, but herefused. Soon JHa>rath 6 Abdullah A !arried A!ina A and, once she beca!e

pregnant with the *rophet , the light vanished fro! his forehead. He!et the sa!e wo!an again and, noticing she no longer wanted hi!, asked her wh.She replied that he no longer carried that light on his forehead.'=4. Ibn Hisha!.)As for the%ad A!ina A, when she beca!e pregnant, she saw in a drea!"vision that a lightca!e out of her that lit the land as far north as Sria.'=7. Haki!, Ah!ad, Ba>>ar, Tabarani, BahaEi and


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Abu 1u2a!.)She was also told in her drea! that she was pregnant with the !aster ofthis nation and the sign of that would be that when she gave birth to hi! she wouldsee a light co!ing out with hi! that would shine over Bosra in Sria. &hen this

happens&, she was told, &call hi! Muha!!ad/8-sawas &'=9. Ibn IshaE.)&I conceived hi!,& she said, &and suffered no pain until deliver. hen he ca!e out of !e, a lightca!e out with hi! that illu!inated everthing fro! 6ast to est&'=>ar, Tabarani, Abu 1u2a!, and ibnAsakir.)This event is also a ver clear indication of the spiritual rank of the %ad A!ina,for to see the palaces of Bosra in Sria fro! Makkah 6 *aak de!ands the spiritual

vision of sanctit. '(:. Haki! and Tabarani.)%ater, the *rophet s uncle, Abbas,praised hi! with a poe!, on his return fro! the Tabuk e#pedition, saing-

Cou, when ou were born, the earth was lit

And with our light so was the sk

hen his wet"nurse, Ha>rath 6 Hali!a al"Sa2dia, first saw hi!, she laid her hand onhi! and he s!iled. &hen he s!iled,& she said, &a light appeared fro! his !ouththat rose to the sk.&'(=. BahaEi, Abu 1u2a!, ibn IshaE and Abu Ca2la.)

So!e of the hadiths we have Euoted here have strong chains of trans!ission, othershave weaker ones. However, we !ust re!e!ber that even the chain consideredweakest b Musli! traditionists, is Euite acceptable as historical proof to anprofessional historian on this planet, being far stronger and better authenticated thanother ancient sources he works with. It is also well known that weak traditionsstrengthen each other so as to beco!e acceptable. This is wh those we have Euotedhere have been accepted b leading scholars such as Ibn athir, Suutii, 5adi 2Iad,BahaEi, and others.

@o!!enting on the verse of 5ur2an,"'here has come to you a light from Allah and aclear oo!,"'((. 5ur2an 84-:4;)the well"known scholar al"Alusi sas that the light in Euestion

is no other than the *rophet ,. He Euotes the $ollower, 5atada, as anauthoritative source for this opinion, as well as other well known scholars, pointingout that this is the !ost logical interpretation of the construction of the verse, Thenhe also Euotes those whose opinion differs fro! his in that the believe that both thelight and the Book refer to the 5ur2an 6 *aak. This he does because real Musli!


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scholars, as opposed to pretenders and i!postors, alwas Euote, along with theirown opinions, the contrar opinions of other reputable scholars, so weighing both inthe !ost ob3ective !anner. 5adi 2Iad, the fa!ous author of al(%hifa?, is of the sa!eopinion as al"Alusi, an opinion, an opinion shared b other fa!ous co!!entatorssuch as Tabari and 5urtubi.

Although the *rophet s light is the !ost powerful in the universe,since he is the nearest created being to Allah A>awa3al, it is not the onl one. Angelsare !ade of light, the 5ur2an is light, the spirits of hu!an beings are light, faith islight, knowledge is light, the sun, the !oon, and the stars are also lights. The light ofeach hu!an being depends upon his faith, knowledge, and virtue. Thus the !ostpowerful lights are those of Divine Messengers, then those of *rophets, saints,virtuous believers, and finall those of sinful believers. This is the hierarch of hu!anbeings. Both the first and the last are hu!an, all have lights, and all are slaves ofAllah A>awa3al, but the distance between the top of the pra!id and its botto! is sogreat that those at the botto!, in *aradise, will see those at the top as distant as, in

this world, we see the stars at night.'(0. Tir!idhi.)

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