...Light..

‏


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 it were 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. And Allah setteth forth for mankind similitudes, for Allah is Knower of all things. (35) (This lamp is found) in houses which Allah hath allowed to be exalted and that His name shall be remembered therein. Therein do offer praise to Him at morn and evening. (36) Men whom neither merchandise nor sale beguileth from remembrance of Allah and constancy in prayer and paying to the poor their due; who fear a day when hearts and eyeballs will be overturned; (37) That Allah may reward them with the best of what they did, and increase reward for them of His bounty. Allah giveth blessings without stint to whom He will. (38) As for those who disbelieve, their deeds are as a mirage in a desert. The thirsty one supposeth it to be water till he cometh unto it and findeth it naught, and findeth, in the place thereof, Allah Who payeth him his due; and Allah is swift at reckoning. (39)
Translation of Surah Al Nur [..Light.. ] from ' The Noble Quran  ', Chapter 24 : 35-39

Life's journey is often time like a mirage.
We ,armed with superficial secular knowledge and apparent wisdom, can easily fall into a cosy assumption that we had all things covered, but when we reach there, it is still over the horizon. Life, devoid of true spirituality, can be awfully misleading. We start with false premise, have wrong direction, and at the end of the road, if we are sincere with ourselves,meet with dead ends!

False knowledge, dearth of wisdom and subsequent to this, blind pride, only lead us all to 'layer upon layer' of darkness'.

Only through 'true knowledge' can one separate'light' from mirages.
'Light' seemed like a nice cliche.
For people illuminated by such 'light' though, all roads lead to Makkah.


Cat Steven aka Yusuf Islam, despite his very own early hedonistic ways, is gifted with such 'light'. It is a rare precious gift. On the other hand one can have an IQ as high or higher than an Albert Einstein or a Carl Sagan, but without that gift of 'light', the eyes can see but, alas, remained blind and dry, the ears,hear, but not listen  to true wusdom and knowledge,as if dumb,and the heart can still beat and has its rythm, but remain cold and impervious to Truth.



Light, from the perspective of Cat Steven, before he was given real LIGHT,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fxY2zh33z0


then, what followed changed his life 180 degrees,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4GZx26znag