Āyat an-Nūr

Observations of the structure and organization of one of the most beautiful parables of the Quran.

Āyat an-Nūr (The Āyah of Light), as the name suggests, is not a sūrah in the Quran. Rather, it is a single āyah taken from Sūrat an-Nūr (The Light), for which it provides its name. The āyah is quite famous and the structure of the parable of light within it is very detailed, so I felt it warranted an entire chapter.¹ This āyah beautifully describes the faith and heart of a believer coming into contact with revelation. Adding to its beauty, the parable has been shown to be a mirror structure.²^,³

CONNECTIONS

[A]/[A’] – Allah ﷻ being the “light of the heavens and the earth” teaches us that He is the source of our physical light, which illuminates the beauty of His creation and allows us to see, as well as the source of our spiritual light (i.e., guidance), which enlightens us. As the source of all “light” He is the one best positioned to “guide to His light whomever He wills.”

[B]/[B’] – Allah ﷻ describes His light through an example we can understand.  The lamp is made up of two parts; one which is intrinsic to it and another from an outside source. When the lamp inside the glass (i.e., the light contained within a pure heart) is ignited by a radiant flame (i.e., revelation), the effect is “light upon light”.

[C]/[C’] – Allah ﷻ describes the oil, which is the fuel for the lamp, as from a “blessed olive tree.” Many commentators understood the oil to represent the pure human spirit⁴ one which “almost radiates even though a fire had not touched it.” Or, in simpler terms, the pure human spirit already possessed its own glow before the light of revelation kindles it.⁵

[D]/[D’] – The center emphasizes that the source of this light is “neither of the east nor of the west,” which connects back to the outer ring. This light is something otherworldly and worldly at the same time. Randhawa and Khan beautifully summarize this saying, “All human spirits originate from a single, non-terrestrial source. Therefore, pure human spirits are not confined to any geographical location, but are dispersed across the earth, regardless of direction. Allah ﷻ does not restrict His guidance to any particular race, region, or nationality, but only requires that a person has kept his pure nature intact. It is when the light of revelation reaches such people that it ignites their spirit, producing the “light upon light” that illuminates the dark corners of the world.”⁶

And Allah ﷻ knows best.

1. I have a structure documented for the entirety of Sūrat an-Nūr, but that will have to wait for a later post :)

2. Farrin, Raymond. Structure and Quranic Interpretation: A Study of Symmetry and Coherence in Islams Holy Text. White Cloud Press, 2014.

3. The detailed connections are taken from:

Ali Khan, Nouman and Sharif Randhawa. Divine Speech: Exploring the Quran as Literature. Bayyinah Institute, 2016.

4. Shafi, Muhammad. Maʿariful Quran

5. Which is how the “light upon light” is created. Human spirit + revelation = light upon light.

6. Ali Khan, Nouman and Sharif Randhawa. Divine Speech: Exploring the Quran as Literature. Bayyinah Institute, 2016.