Love of Allah-The Light of the Heavens and the Earth

There are different views and concepts about the existence of Allah and spiritual love. Many believers and seekers of Truth have spent their lives in finding the Allah Almighty and His love. Allah, the creator of everything, is generally known through His attributes which describe how He manifests Himself to us. Human intellect cannot possibly comprehend every aspect of His attributes. Generally there are Ninety Nine names of Allah commonly known as Al- Asmaul Husna which show His attributes, limitless power and splendor.

The Holy Quran describes very beautifully in Surah Noor,

“Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His light is as if it were a niche containing a lamp; the lamp is [enclosed] in glass, the glass [shining] like a radiant star:  [a lamp] lit from a blessed tree – an olive-tree that is neither of the east nor of the west, the oil whereof [is so bright that it] would well-nigh give light [of itself] even though fire had not touched it: light upon light! Allah guides unto His light him that wills [to be guided]; and [to this end] Allah propounds parables unto men, since Allah [alone] has full knowledge of all things.” [24:35]

Allah is Light-the concept is so deep and vast that no one interpretation can be enough to describe. “Light is something which makes things visible; which itself manifests and helps make other things manifest. The human mind conceives light in this very sense. Absence of light is termed darkness, invisibility and obscurity. On the other hand, when there is visibility and things become exposed to view, man says there is light. Allah has been called `Light’ in this basic sense, and not in the sense of a beam of light… All human words used for Allah are used in their basic sense and meaning, and not with reference to their physical connotation.” Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi; Tafhim al-Qur’an

The word Light is not applicable to Allah in its limited sense, but in its absolute sense. Everything which gives light and illuminates other things has got its light from Him; it has no light of its own. The word light is also used for knowledge, and ignorance is termed as darkness. Allah is the Light of the universe in this sense too, because the knowledge of Reality and of guidance can be obtained from Him alone; without having recourse to His `Light’, there will be nothing but darkness of ignorance in the world. Light is that by which things become known. Things may exist in the dark, but they cannot be seen. Light may be physical, such as the light of the sun or the moon, or intelligible, like the light of the intellect which illuminates the darkness of ignorance with the light of knowledge. The metaphor of light as applied to God therefore must be taken to suggest the Absoluteness of God and not His Omnipresence which easily lends itself to a pantheistic interpretation.

The human vision can only comprehend and perceive limited physical lights. Although Allah’s Light is illuminating the whole world but this Light is beyond human perception. Important thing is that how can be blessed with this Noor-this Light, and is there any possibility to perceive it with struggle, meditation or love.

Though it is only Allah who blesses whomsoever He wants to be benefitted with the capacity to perceive His Noor but love and purity can work much in this regard. He bestows them on the deserving ones alone. He knows who is entitled to receive this bounty. The people who become closer to Allah are those who love to be closer to Him. They make an effort to come closer to Allah. Allah then grants them the honor of His closeness. The person who seeks His favors, avoids His wrath, fights against his self and keeps his heart pure with His remembrance surely will be benefited and when Allah is pleased to bestow His bounties, He bestows without measure and then the seeker can easily perceive that satisfaction.  “The metaphor of His light” also means the quality of light in the heart of the believer.

As Jalal Uddin Rumi says,

“I tried to find Him on the Christian cross, but He was not there; I went to the Temple of the Hindus and to the old pagodas, but I could not find a trace of Him anywhere. I searched on the mountains and in the valleys but neither in the heights nor in the depths was I able to find Him. I went to the Ka’bah in Mecca, but He was not there either. I questioned the scholars and philosophers but He was beyond their understanding.