Light shows people the way and frees them from darkness. There is a light in human life that helps people tell truth from falsehood, the light of faith and guidance, and its source is God, writes Maimuna Jannat Maisara in Desh Rupantor.
The Quran says: 'Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth. The example of His light is like a niche within which is a lamp; the lamp is within glass, the glass as if it were a shining star, lit from the oil of a blessed olive tree, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil would almost glow even if untouched by fire. Light upon light. Allah guides to His light whom He wills.' (Surah An-Nur, verse 35)
In the writer's reading, God being the light of the heavens and the earth means He is the source of light and guidance for all creation. A major expression of that light is His revealed Book and the teaching of the Prophet (peace be upon him); the Quran frees people from the darkness of ignorance and error.
The lamp's oil comes from a blessed olive tree that catches the sun at different times of day, making the oil clear and of the finest quality. Together, the lamp, the glass and the clear oil convey the brightness and completeness of the light.
God guides to His light whom He wills, meaning guidance is truly His. The writer's advice is to seek the truth, understand the Quran, follow the Prophet's example and ask God for the right path. Worldly light shows the visible road, she writes, while guidance towards God's light shows the way to good in this world and the next.
Photo: The Metropolitan Museum of Art / Wikimedia Commons (CC0); a mosque lamp
Source: Desh Rupantor
Comments
(0)