Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The similitude of His Light is as a niche wherein is a lamp. The lamp is in a glass. The glass is as a shining star. [This lamp is] kindled from a blessed tree, an olive neither of the East nor of the West, whose oil would almost glow forth [of itself] though no fire touched it. Light upon light. Allah guideth unto His light whom He will. Allah speaketh to mankind in allegories, for Allah is Knower of all things. [ Surah al Nur , 24 : 35 ]
Such splendour, such beauty. Allah's description of Himself.
Scholars,very few of them, with sufic bent, such as the eleventh century philosopher Abu Hamid al Ghazali [ and of late ,that famous Scottish convert, Abdal Qadir as Sufi , and Prof Muhamad al Mahdi ] understood this "light" or nur to be the true quintessential light or the definitive source of all light in the universe. Others, more commonly, interpret 'light' here, rather figuratively, as the guidance God infuses into the hearts of believers that give them the ability to discern right from wrong, good from evil, and give them a strong belief and confidence in their faith and what they profess to be true.
In the light of recent scientific development and progress, al Ghazali's literal take of Nur may indeed be the true meaning and interpretation of the 'ayat'. If that is the case, in 11th century AD , the sufis were the originator of what the likes of Einstein et al discovered some 9 centuries later with 'hardcore science'. That could only come through 'divine' inspiration.! Allahualam.
[see The Big Bang and a Century of Science: The True Nature of Reality, June 24th,2009, under "Personalities"........Prof Muhd al Mahdi]
No comments:
Post a Comment