AlMaghrib, Notes, Surat Noor Tafsir, Light Upon Light

 

This weekend I took the AlMaghrib class on Tafsir Surat Noor at Qableet Tayybah.

 

So right when I sat in my seat, I realized that the same aya I wrote about in December was on the board...I was about to cry from excitement knowing that I would finally get a better understanding of this ayah

 

Back in December I wrote the following post titled "Light upon Light" which is about one of my favorite ayas mentioned in Surat Noor (and a reason why I took the class!). Here is that post:  http://hudawritess.blogspot.com/2012/12/light-upon-light-allahs-light-amazing.html

 

Although this class is a tafsir of all the ayahs in this Surah, in this post I want to focus on the ayah about Light Upon Light.  Maybe I will create other posts with other ayahs I learned about as it helps me remember what I learned.
 

Upon writting this post I had radioquraan.com playing and they play random surahs just like a radio...and guess what the ayahs were about? Allahs light on the Day of Judgement...<3<3. Surat Hadid to be excact. Its about the hypocrites on the Day of Judgement begging for the believers light.....!  I actually really learned these ayahs through another Almaghrib class when they showed us the ayas///it seriously makes you cry heres that video in case you  wana hear and read these ayahs :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CC6eTT8rcYg

Dont be that person on the Day of Judgement who was not able to attain Allahs Light...

If you have this light of gudiance which Allah only places upon whom He wills, thentake care of it and work on increasing it....

What is Allahs Light as described in the Quran?

Here you go...and sorry if its complicated, the sheikh did not spend alot of time on these ayahs but I hope you learn something!!


 

 

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 pearly [white] 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. And Allah presents examples for the people, and Allah is Knowing of all things.

So heres the basics before you go to the aya descriptions:
1. These ayahs are a parable to Allahs Light of Guidance
2. "The niche" = representsheart of the beleiver
3. "The lamp"=represents the Quran, ayat, and faith that is in the heart
4. "The oil"= represents the fitrah to beleive in Allah
5.  All of these things combined make the light at its best....causing all to shine, this light is so bright just like the "brilliant star".
 

 

The Surah is named after this ayah (Surat Noor)

 

 

Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth:
 Allah guides everything in the heavens and the earth. He is in charge of all of the earth and heavens.

 

The parable of His light is as a niche: the example of His light, His Light is like: the niche, this is kind of like a sculpture in the wall (google images,niche wall)which helps the light reflect.

The niche represents the heart of the believer <3

 

and within it a lamp, the lamp is in glass, the glass as it were
a brilliant star:

the lamp with the glass helps spread the light even more, this lamp represents the ayat of Allah.

This lamp is very shiny just like the bright stars.. The lamp, the glass, the stars, all give extra light.

 

lit from a blessed tree, an olive, neither of the east or the west, whose oil would almost glow forth, though no fire touched it:

this is a olive tree, and it is neither of the east or west because the sun is always shining upon this tree causing its oil to glow.The oil is so pure it will shine and glow without light.  The glass itself is shinning also.
 

The oil is the fitrah of the Muslim, the fitrah is to believe in Allah.
 

You gain this extra light as believer through good deeds, obedience to Allah.

 

The example of the believers life is like the niche,
 everything combined makes the light bright at its best.

 

Light upon light!!:

when the two lights (the light of the oil, and the light of the fire) are combined they give light and neither of them can give light without the other.

 

The light is giving light, the lamp is giving light, the oil is giving light everything is giving  light!

 

Similarly the light of the Quran and the light of faith give light when they are combined, and neither can do so without the other...!!! subhanAllah!!

 
Allah guides to His light whom He wills. And Allah presents examples for the people, and Allah is Knowing of all things:

Allah gives this Light of guidance to whom He wants. He gives use examples (Such as the light of the lamp,niche, glass,oil)
 

Other commentary from online sources:  

the lamp is in a glass, means, this light is shining in a clear glass.

Ubayy bin Ka`b and others said,

"This is the likeness of the heart of the believer.''

Ubayy bin Ka`b said,

"The lamp is the light, and this refers to the Qur'an and the faith that is in his heart.''

 

"the parable of the light in the heart of the believer is as a niche. So the heart of the believer and what he is naturally inclined to of guidance and what he learns of the Qur'an" : Ibn Abs

 

The parable of His Light,

There are two views concerning the meaning of the pronoun (His).

The first is that it refers to Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, meaning that the parable of His guidance in the heart of the believer is كَمِشْكَاةٍ (as a niche).

This was the view of Ibn Abbas.

The second view is that the pronoun refers to the believer, which is indicated by the context of the words and implies that the parable of the light in the heart of the believer is as a niche. So the heart of the believer and his fitrah is towards the oguidance and what he learns of the Qur'an