This week, I have selected a beautiful and fragrant bouquet for you to enjoy. Friends and visitors often gift me flowers, and I display them carefully in a vase on the mantelpiece in the entrance of my house. They draw attention and give joy for weeks. Here is something truly amazing. Look at how Allah describes the heart of his beloved friends.
Light Upon Light
“Allah is the Light of the Heavens and the Earth. An example of His Light is the shelf inside the wall with a lamp; the lamp glowing inside the glass; the glass bright like a brilliant shining star, powered by the blessed olive oil, from the tree neither of the East nor of the West; the oil burns without being touched by flame; light upon light. Allah guides whomever He pleases towards His light. Allah gives people examples and has knowledge of all things” (Al-Nur: 35).
This famous verse of ‘light’ presents a powerful image of the believer’s glowing heart filled with divine light. It contrasts it with the closed minds of the disbelievers who are groping in darkness. In this example, the shelf inside the wall is the human heart; the lamp is the guidance of the Quran; the glass is human intellect, and the olive oil is emotion. The example shows that every person has God-given potential and the desire to see and accept the truth. This is a powerful desire in search of the truth, like petrol, a spark can set it aflame. So, whenever the Divine guidance, the light is presented, they readily accept it.
The Sublime Metaphor Explained
In this sublime parable, every word is charged with meaning:
- Light (Nur): Heavens and the earth exist because of Allah; there would be nothing without Him. The vast cosmos; sun, moon, stars, angels, the Prophets, the Saints, the scholars, every visible and invisible light comes from Him. Guidance, the light is also from Him. These creative signs are powered by His light. All beauty, goodness, and perfection are from Him.
- Niche (Mishkat): This represents the human heart, the inner sanctuary capable of receiving divine light and energy to become a powerhouse.
- Lamp (Misba’h): This symbolises the Majestic Quran, the radiant light of divine guidance.
- Glass (Zuj’aja): This stands for reason and intellect, transparent, refined, and able to transmit light without distortion.
- Olive oil (Zaytoon): This represents the natural disposition (Fitrah), the God-given yearning for truth and living a pious life.
- Light upon light (Nur ‘ala Nur): This expresses the harmony of faith and intellect, of revelation and reason, combining to produce moral clarity and spiritual light.
This parable captures both the cosmic dimension of Allah’s light spread through the heavens and the earth, and the personal dimension, light shining in the believer’s heart. Here “light” is not physical illumination; it symbolises knowledge, divine creative power, guidance and existence. Without this divine light, there is only darkness, ignorance, disbelief, and nothing. This verse also reconciles two forces often seen as opposites: reason and revelation. The intellect, like the clear glass, shines brightest when lit by the flame of divine guidance. Revelation does not silence the mind; it refines and directs it. The “olive tree neither of East nor West” shows that Allah’s light is universal, not confined by geography, culture, or race. It belongs to all of humanity.
Further Praise of the Believers
“People with such pure hearts visit the houses that Allah has ordered to build, where His name is praised. They glorify Him morning and evening. These men aren’t distracted from Allah’s remembrance by buying and selling. They perform the prayer, pay Zakat and are afraid of a day when hearts will be anxious. Allah will reward them according to the best they did and give them more from His grace. Allah provides without limit for whom He pleases” (Al-Nur:36-38).
Application to the Believer
These verses explain where the light lives: “in houses Allah has ordered to build,” meaning the mosques and the hearts of the believers. Here we see the living examples of light-filled hearts: believers whose worship, honesty, and service radiate faith. Their devotion is not dimmed by worldly distractions; their lives are acts of remembrance. They live in constant awareness of the Day when “hearts and eyes will tremble.” These are people whose faith makes them radiant, “not distracted by trade or commerce,” but ever conscious of their Lord.
Conclusion
The believer’s heart is a miniature universe, a lamp lit by the Light of Allah. When purified through worship, remembrance, and service, it becomes a mirror reflecting divine beauty. That is why the Prophet ﷺ said: ‘When light enters the heart, it expands.’ The verse of Light is a parable of spiritual illumination: Allah is the source of all guidance; the Quran is the lamp; reason is the glass; the pure heart is the niche; and when divine revelation meets human sincerity, it becomes light upon light. The Prophet ﷺ talked about the believer’s light-filled heart. He said, “Beware of the insight and wisdom of the believer, he sees with the light of Allah.” Let’s ask Allah for this heart.
