92 - النُّورُ

[Bint e Aisha]

النُّورُ

 

Translation

 

النُّورُ is translated as The Light, The Illuminator and The Enlightenment.

 

Definition
 

It is mentioned once in Surah Noor;

 

اللَّهُ نُورُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ - Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth 
[Surah Noor: part of verse 35]

 

The Sifaat are adjectives (Descriptive quality) and نُور is a noun. Therefore this Sifat is different. It is similar to مُبِين which means one who illuminates (makes clear). In the verse it is translated as “Light” and there are different ways to understand this verse. Some Scholars say it refers to the “light” of Hidaayah which Allah ta’ala gives to people through His signs in the universe. 

 

Another way to describe it is that Allah ta’ala is “Munawwir” – He gives the Noor of sight; physical sight (Seeing with eyes) and spiritual sight (to see and understand and be righteous.)

 

Yet another way to understand it is that Allah ta’ala is the Creator of all Noor i.e. the sun which is direct light and all the other sources of light which we have which is indirect light. 

 

Imam Ghazali (Rahimahullah) says Noor in its own essence is something that is Dhaahir (apparent) and it illuminates and makes things seen i.e. in its own essence the sun is light and it is a source of light which illuminates. Without the sunlight we would not be able to see the world in the day time (in the old days when there was no artificial light.)

 

Some say Noor is the name of perception and then through that perception we can see other things. 

 

Noor of Hidaayah
 

The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam said, “Every child is born in a state of Fitrah (the natural state of man), then his parents make him into a Jew or a Christian or a Magian.”

 

The Fitrah of every human being is that they have Noor in their hearts. Therefore every human being has the capacity to perceive and to believe. A Mu’min (Believer) derives benefit from this Noor in the heart. 

 

يَهْدِي اللَّهُ لِنُورِهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ - Allah guides to His Light whom He pleases. [Surah Noor: part of verse 35]

 

Light & Darkness
 

Allah ta’ala did not just create Noor but also “Dhulumaat” which is the opposite of Noor. 

 

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَجَعَلَ الظُّلُمَاتِ وَالنُّورَ
 

“All praise be to Allah, the One Who has created the heavens and the earth and made darkness and the light.” [Surah An’aam: 1]

 

نُور is singular and ظُلُمَات is plural and some Scholars say it refers to the multiple paths to darkness. Allah ta’ala has shown in the Qur’an the ways to Taqwa and the test of living in this world.

 

Can we get through the ظُلُمَات to the نُور?
 

Allah ta’ala says in the Qur’an,  

 

اللَّهُ وَلِيُّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا يُخْرِجُهُمْ مِنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ
 

Allah is the Wali (Protector) of those who believe, He brings them out of the depth of darkness and lead them into the light. [Surah Baqarah: 257]

 

Allah ta’ala takes a person out from the darkness to light and you get the visual image of a person going through different layers of darkness and evil and difficulties. Like a knight fighting different forces of evil to get the beautiful castle a person fights through the layers of darkness trying to get the light of Hidaayah. We often have to go through these layers of darkness to get to the light and we see that in the darkness there is some light i.e. rays of hope.

 

In terms of Heavenly Bodies

 

هُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ الشَّمْسَ ضِيَاءً وَالْقَمَرَ نُورًا 
 

He is the One Who gave the sun its brightness and the moon its light. [Surah Yunus: 5]

 

ضِيَاء means illuminated by its own self. We now know scientifically that the sun has its own source of energy and light and the moon does not have its own source of light but reflects the light of the sun. 

 

The Eye

The eye is a delicate and intricate part of the body through which we see and perceive the world. There is so much regarding how the eye perceives colours and different dimensions.

 

Mawlana Rumi (Rahimahullah) says, “Someone says how can your heart contain Allah when you are so small.” He replies, “Your eye is small but it can see the whole world.”

 

Allah ta’ala has put such great potential in the eye despite it being something so small, insignificant and delicate, Similarly the heart is small but the potential is immense. 

 

Their Light will be in front of them on the Siraat

يَوْمَ تَرَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ يَسْعَىٰ نُورُهُمْ بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَبِأَيْمَانِهِمْ بُشْرَاكُمُ الْيَوْمَ جَنَّاتٌ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ

 

On the Day of Judgement you shall see the true believing men and the believing women, with their light shining before them and on their right hands, and it will be said to them: "Rejoice today, you shall enter the gardens beneath which rivers flow, in which you shall live forever, and that is the highest achievement." [Surah Hadeed: 12]

 

On the Day of Judgment when crossing the Siraat, the light of Imaan will help them see. In another place in the Qur’an it is mentioned that the disbelievers will ask where they get the light from and the Believers will say they got it from the world. Therefore Allah ta’ala is The Bestower of Noor on the Day of Judgment to those who worked on the Noor of Imaan in this world.

 

Ways to attain Noor

Mufti Shafi’ (Rahimahullah) has compiled a list of ways to earn Noor in Ma’aariful Qur’an. [For references of these ahadeeth, refer to the Tafseer of this verse (Hadeed: 12) in Maarif al Quran]

1.    “Give glad tidings to those who go to the mosque in the darkness of night that they will receive perfect light on the Day of Judgment.”

2.    “He who takes care of his five daily prayers [that is, performs them regularly fulfilling all their essentials], it will serve as light, proof and salvation for him on the Day of Judgement. He who fails to take care of it, there will be no light, nor proof or salvation for him on the Day of Judgement. The latter will be in the company of Qarun, Haman and Fir’aun.”

3.    “Whoever recites Surah Al-Kahf, there will be so much of light for him on the Day of Judgement that it will spread from his place to Makkah.” In another narration, “Whoever recites Surah Al-Kahf on a Friday, light will extend from his feet to the heights of the heaven on the Day of Judgment.”

4.    “Whoever recites just a single verse of the Quran, it will be a light for him on the Day of Judgement.”

5.    “Whoever sends salah (durood) to me, it shall be the cause of light on the Bridge of Sirat.”

6.    “The hair, that falls on the ground at the time of shaving it when coming out of the state of ihram, will be a light for him on the Day of Judgement.”

7.    “Stoning the Jamaraat in Mina will be a light on the Day of Judgement.”

8.    “He whose hair turns grey in Islam, it will be a light for him on the Day of Judgement.” (i.e. he remains steadfast on Islam for his whole life).

9.    “He who shoots even one arrow in Allah’s way while fighting in jihad, it will be a light for him on the Day of Judgement.”

10.    “He who remembers Allah in the marketplace will receive light for every strand of hair on the Day of Judgement.” (markets being the places where the temptations of dunya manifest themselves.)

11.    “He who alleviates the calamity of a Muslim, Allah will create two compartments of light for him at the bridge which will brighten up a whole world. No one besides Allah knows its number.”

 

May Allah grant us the light! Ameen

 

Counsel

Work on the Noor of Hidaayah and make Du’a for Noor in life.

 

Du’a for Noor

In the Qur’an 

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا تُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ تَوْبَةً نَصُوحًا عَسَىٰ رَبُّكُمْ أَنْ يُكَفِّرَ عَنْكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ وَيُدْخِلَكُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ يَوْمَ لَا يُخْزِي اللَّهُ النَّبِيَّ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَعَهُ ۖ نُورُهُمْ يَسْعَىٰ بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَبِأَيْمَانِهِمْ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا أَتْمِمْ لَنَا نُورَنَا وَاغْفِرْ لَنَا ۖ إِنَّكَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
 

O believers! Turn to Allah in sincere repentance. It may well be that your Rabb will remove from you your sins and admit you to gardens beneath which rivers flow. On that Day Allah will not humiliate the Prophet and those who believe with him. Their light will shine in front of them and on their right, and they will say: “Our Rabb! Perfect our light for us and grant us forgiveness, for You have power over all things.” [Surah Tahreem: 8]

 

In Hadith

َللّٰهُمَّ اجْعَلْ فِىْ قَلْبِىْ نُوْرًا وَّفِىْ بَصَرِىْ نُوْرًا وَّفِىْ سَمْعِىْ نُوْرًا وَّعَنْ يَّمِيْنِىْ نُوْرًا وَّعَنْ يَّسَارِيْ نُوْرًا وَّفَوْقِىْ نُوْرًا وَّتَحْتِىْ نُوْرًا وَّ اَمَامِىْ نُوْرًا وَّخَلْفِىْ نُوْرًا وَّ اجْعَلْ لِّیۡ نُوْرًا وَّ فِىْ لِسَا نِىْ نُوْرًا وَّ عَصَبِىْ نُوْرًا وَّ لَحْمِىْ نُوْرًا وَّ دَمِىْ نُوْرًا وَّ شَعْرِىْ نُوْرًا وَّ بَشَرِىْ نُوْرًا وَّاجْعَلْ فِىْ نَفَسِىْ نُوْرًا وَّ اَعْظِمْ لِىْ نُوْرًا اَللّٰهُمُّ اَعْطِنِىْ نُوْرًا

O Allah! Make light in my heart, light in my sight and light in my hearing, light to my right and light to my left, light above me and light below me, light before me and light behind me, let there be light for me, light in my tongue, light in my muscles, light in my flesh, light in my blood, light in my hair, light in my skin, and place light in my soul. Magnify the light for me. O Allah, grant me light." (Bukhari)

 

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