“Light” & “Manifold Darkness”

                             “All praise is due to God, who has created

                              the heavens and the earth, and brought

                              into being the manifold darkness and the

                              light; and yet those who are bent on

                              denying the truth regard others as their

                              Sustainer’s equals”

                                                            (Qur’an, 6:1).

Light is necessary for all the beings in the universe. Limited time of darkness is necessary too, but without light there is absence, wickedness, evil.

Darkness means “the partial or total absence of light”, but it could also mean “the wickedness or evil”, or “lack of spiritual or intellectual enlightenment”.

In the Qur’an “darkness” is always used in plural, and “light” in singular. Perhaps because there are so many kinds of evil, but only one enlightenment, which could dissolve any of them. As God says: “And (know) that this is the way leading straight unto Me (= God): follow it, then, and follow not other ways, lest they cause you to deviate from His way. (All) this has He enjoined upon you, so that you might remain conscious of Him” (6:153).

Actually we see people who adjust (or try to adjust) their life according to the guidance of God, and others who do not care about God’s ordinances. The Qur’an considers the one who does not take God’s light (= guidance) as “dead” metaphorically, and the one who adjusts his life to God’s guidance as the living one: “Is then he who was dead (in spirit) and whom We thereupon gave life, and for whom We set up a light whereby he might see his way among men – (as then he) like one (who is lost) in darkness deep, out of which he cannot emerge? That is how to those people without faith their own deeds seem pleasing” (6:122).

In the terminology of the Qur’an, God’s revelation is called also “Rouh of God’s Order” (= a spiritual element as a source for human spiritual life), (42:51-52), and as “A Manifest Light” (4:174), and God’s messenger Muhammad as “A Summoner to God by His leave, and an Illuminating Lamp” (33:46).

The last messenger of God, by receiving this Light-Revelation, became the Radiant point of the Mercy of God for all mankind (21:107). And this Light-Guidance whenever taken seriously to be followed by the believer, causes God’s help to increase his/her ability to fairly follow His guidance and causes him/her to grow in God-consciousness (47:17).

Mu’adh bin Jabal reported that the Messenger of God (peace and God’s blessings be upon him) caught his hand, one day and said to him: “By God, I love you Mu’adh! So I recommend to you for never leave to recite this supplication after every prescribed prayer: O God, help me in remembering You, in thanking You, and in worshiping You well!” (Sunan Abu Dawood).

According to the earlier commentators of the Qur’an, when this verse was revealed: “And your Lord has said: Call on Me and I will respond to you. Surely those who disdain to worship Me shall enter Hell (utterly) humiliated” (40:60), some people asked the Prophet “at what time should we call on Him?” then God revealed: “And when My servants ask you about Me, then (tell them that) I am so near (to them): I respond to the call of anyone when he prays to Me; so let them, then, respond unto Me, and believe in Me, so that they might go aright” (2:186).

To go aright one will need light, and that light is God’s guidance, the Qur’an and its “Radiant Point”, the Prophet (peace and God’s blessings be upon him). “God is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The likeness of His Light is as a niche wherein is a lamp. The lamp is in a glass, the glass as it were a glittering star kindled from a Blessed Tree, an olive neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil would almost glow forth (of itself), though no fire touched it. Light upon light. God guides to His Light whom He will. And God strikes similitudes for men, and God is Knower of all things” (24:35).

Abdullah bin Abbas reported: I stayed overnight with my maternal aunt Maimunah while the Messenger of God was there. I saw him get up to relieve himself then he went to the water-skin and undid its string, then he performed wudhu’ (purifying wash) – he did not use a lot of water. Then he went to his bed and slept. Then he got up again and went to the water-skin, undid its string and performed wudhu’ again, like the first time. Then he stood and prayed. When he prostrated

(during the prayer) I heard him supplicating: O God, put light in my heart, and put light in my hearing, and put light in my seeing, and put light beneath me, and put light above me, and put light on my right, and put light on my left, and put light before me, and put light behind me, and make the light greater for me. Then he slept until he started to snore, then Bilal came and woke him up for the Morning Prayer (Sunan An-Nasaie).

But not all people see things correctly, many don’t know why they exist, what is their role in this worldly life, what will happen after death, etc. They consider life without purpose, and so they are free to do whatever they like.

Then comes the selfishness, the lack of respect for others; they even have no shame in harming and destroying lands, and killing and torturing people. The industrious countries produce tremendous quantities of arms, very sophisticated arms. What interests them is the material benefit, they don’t care about others’ sufferings. According to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the combined arms sales of the top 100 largest arms producing companies (in 2012 only) amounted to an estimated US$395 billion (and it was increasing in the last few years). The five biggest exporters in 2010-2014 were the USA, Russia, China, Germany and France. And the five biggest importers were India, Saudi Arabia, China, UA Emirates and Pakistan. This means that we are living in nearly a manifold darkness.

Most people in the world do not care anymore to get God’s light, because they do not really believe in God and in the Hereafter. God says: “Or (their deeds) is like the depths of darkness upon an abysmal sea, made yet more dark by wave billowing over wave, with (black) clouds above it all: depths of darkness, layer upon layer, (so that) when one holds up his hand, he can hardly see it: for he to whom God gives no light, no light whatever has he!” (24:40).

As for those who follow God’s Light and the guidance of the Prophet during their life time in this world, even in the Hereafter they will get “light” with them: “In the Day when you will see the believing men and believing women with their light shining forth before them and on their right: Good tidings for you on this day” (56:12).

The Person’s Character How To Deal With it?

                                 “Consider the human self, and how

                                 it is formed in accordance with what

                                 it is meant to be; and how it is

                                 imbued with moral failings as well

                                 as with consciousness of God!

                                 Successful indeed will be the one

                                 who purifies it. And truly lost is

                                 he who eclipses it”

                                                            (Qur’an, 91:7-10).

Human being is a very complex entity. His body contains tremendous delicate powers. According to the information given by Prophet Muhammad (peace and God’s blessings be upon him) when the fetus reaches 120 days of age, in the mother’s womb, the angel comes and blows “ar-Rouh” (= the Soul) into it.

This soul is a special created being for this future person, and will be attached to him/her until his/her death, when this soul will be taken away out of the body. On the Day of Resurrection, however, it will return back to the person’s recreated body in a recreated universe, for the whole universe will change its nature (Qur’an, 14:48). This soul causes the emergence of many spiritual faculties, as the capability to understand, to know, to perceive, to feel, to initiate, to desire, to like, to dislike, etc. All these faculties will be gradually developed when the baby is born. Thus, it is a particular soul, not like the soul of animals.

All these spiritual faculties are called “an-Nafs” (= the Self). This “Self” is the person’s character, which can choose the right path or the evil one. The responsible element (the mind and the heart), within the Nafs is originally inclined to the right path, but can be deceived by the temptation of the worldly fascinations so that it may choose the wrong path. And that is why the Qur’an is always inciting man’s mind and heart to do all necessary purifying exercises, such as constantly performing obligatory prayers, fasting in the month of Ramadan, paying the due purifying alms, and carrying out pilgrimage to the Holy Sanctuary in Makkah - if one has the means to do it - and to behave correctly towards people and all other creations around. Performing all these is the only way to enable the Nafs to keep its genuineness.

The Qur’an indicates that if man’s mind/heart preferred   infringing all bounds and gave itself up to the vanities of this lower life, then his end will be the Hellfire, while if it was humbly fearing God and restrained the lower desires, his end will be Paradise (79:37-41). This may explain the verses of the Qur’an above this article. And there is another verse in the Qur’an, which states that the hearing, the sight and the inner-heart – all of them – will be called to account for decisions they have taken during this worldly life (see 17:36).

The Qur’an even describes the Final Judgment proceedings, in the Day of Judgment in such a fascinating way, when it narrates that all the sensory organs, all people’s intellectual and emotional counterparts will bear witness against those who followed their evil desires and transgressed all bounds (see 36:65; 41:19-21; and 79:37-39).

“And (remind them of) the Day when God’s enemies are gathered to the Fire, for they will be driven (thereto), until when they come close to it, their hearing and their sight and their (very) skins will bear witness against them, speaking of what they were doing (on earth). And they will ask their skins: Why did you bear witness against us? – (and) these will reply: God who gives speech to all things has given speech to us (as well): for He (it is who) has created you in the first instance – and unto Him you are (now) brought back” (41:19-21).

This fascinating scene of the Final Judgment in the Hereafter is among the unseen events, which will happen and will be witnessed in reality.

Back to how one should deal with his person’s character (an-Nafs) in this worldly life, the Qur’an emphasizes on the necessity of one’s purifying himself (his mind/heart, his intentions, his devotion to God) from evil. It also indicates that even the earlier messengers of God, like Abraham and Moses, have taught their people that only activities of purifying oneself and the consciousness of God and prayers are the conducive means to meet the successful end in the Hereafter (87:14-19).

As in the reality of everyday life a person often feels in his/her mind/heart that s/he has the right to revenge harshly against other’s “injury”, Satan incites human being to get angry quickly, whereas God invites believers to be tolerant and keep forbearance:

“Be tolerant, enjoin kindness and pay no attention to foolish people. And if any insinuation from Satan should provoke you, seek refuge in God, He is Hearing, Seeing. Truly the God-conscious, when a visitation from Satan touches them, they remember, and at once they discern (the reality)” (7:199-201).  

The Unseen: How It Should Shape Our Actions

 « And God alone comprehends the unseen

 (= the hidden reality) of the heavens and the earth, 

and to Him all matters are returning. So worship 

Him and place your trust in Him alone: for your 

Lord is not unaware of what you do” (11:123).

There are two kinds of existence:

The tangible world: this is the world and the things that we can see, touch, hear, smell or feel. For example, we can see our bodies, the bodies of people, the earth on which we stand, the trees around us, the grass, the flowers, the birds, the bees, and many kinds of animals. We can see rivers and seas, water and fire, mountains and plains, the sky with its sun, the moon and many stars. All of these are beings, all are parts of the existence: we can see them all and we can touch many of them.

The intangible world: on the other hand, there is another kind of existence regarding which we can neither see its components nor can we touch them. We believe in God, and we are sure of the existence of the soul, spirit, psyche, mind, intelligence, knowledge, awareness, etcetera, yet we cannot see or touch them. We call this kind of existence the unseen, which can be said to be the world which is beyond the reach of human perception.

The most important of all existence is the One Who is the cause of all beings: God, the Creator, the Supreme Sovereign- “the Most Gracious, has imparted the Qur’an (unto man), He has created human being, He has imparted unto him articulate thought and speech” (55:1-4). “Vision cannot attain Him, but He attains (all) vision. And He is the Subtle, the Aware” (6:103). Here we have to emphasize that this quality of God is unique and absolute. Because even when it comes to angels, for example, who are beyond the reach of human vision and perception in general, God has made it possible for the great Prophet Muhammad (peace and God’s blessings be upon him) to see the Archangel Gabriel twice, according to the Qur’an (53:13-14).

There is another kind of the unseen, that is the Jinn, from whom comes Satan, who is called Iblis (the chief devil), who tempted and deceived our parents Adam and Eve, and caused them to be driven out from the Garden (7:27). He and his tribe (= the Jinn) can watch humans, while humans cannot see them (7:27). Satan is always trying to deceive human beings, and will try always to lead them astray, but God told Satan that he shall have no control over God’s devoted persons (15:41-42). God forbids the believers from following the steps of Satan, for Satan enjoins indecency and what is reprehensible (24:21).

The biological part of human being is so complicated and indispensably important for a person, yet the unseen part of that being seems absolutely engulfing the biological part. The spiritual part of a human (= the soul, the self, the mind, the inner insight, the capacity of thought and the subtle feeling) comes into being when a special soul is breathed into the fetus by an angel (this is told by the Prophet Muhammad in one of his explanations to his companions, narrated by Ibn Massoud and reported by Bukhari and Muslim). In the Qur’an we read (the English translation): “And indeed We have created man out of the essence of clay, and then We cause him to remain as a drop of sperm in (the womb’s) firm keeping, and then We create out of the drop of sperm a germ-cell, and then We create out of the germ-cell an embryonic lump, and then We create within the embryonic lump bones, and then We clothe the bones with flesh – and then We bring (all) this into being as a new creation: hollowed, therefore, is God, the best of artisans!” (23:12-14).

All this “spiritual part “of a human starts its existence when the soul is breathed by the angel (when the fetus is three months old), and develops gradually when the baby is born.

When we follow this developing creation of the human being thoroughly, how could we then deny the existence and the sovereignty of God, the Creator and the Sustainer? Or how we dare to ignore His ordinances? And how could we deny or even doubt the coming of the Resurrection and the Day of Judgment! Among the most important unseen reality, that Day is awaiting all humans.

There is no other solution in response to the exisitence of this unseen reality better than to surrender absolutely to God, to follow His guidance and to be always active in devoting oneself to Him. Actions of this devotion are not limited to doing prayers, but include all kinds of good deeds such as, for example, seeking more knowledge, helping one’s own family or helpless people and the needy, and in general performing all kinds of activities for the development of the surrounding society, as God says in the Qur’an:: “Anyone – be it man or woman – who does righteous deeds, and is a believer, him verily We shall revive with a goodly life. And We shall surely pay them their reward according to the best of what they used to do” (16:97).

In this verse of the Holy Qur’an, all believers who are seriously following God’s guidance in their everyday life, are promised goodly life in this world, and in the hereafter. In this worldly life, they are content with whatever lot they are destined to have in life, either in the form of abundant wealth, or limited means of livelihood. And in the life to come, which is unseen in this world, they are promised with an excellent life.