18. Enlightening Fire (2)

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AL-LAH is the Light of the heavens and the earth.

When He begins by saying, AL-LAH is the Light of the heavens and the earth, He is referring to His creation not only as objects of His knowledge but also as illuminated objects of our knowledge, and light-bearing symbols by which we know gradually more of His Light. As I mentioned in Chapter 2, His Light has two vectors, namely from Him to us in the form of creation and revelation, and from us to Him in the form of study and guidance. Each object in the parable of Light simultaneously manifests some aspect of His Light to us and obscures His Unicity, insofar as each object is not identical with His Light, but rather a likeness only. The dual function of these items in the parable, both revealing and concealing, is indicated in the hadith cited in Chapter 2 which says His veil is Light and in the conclusion of the parable – Light on Light!

A. The likeness of His Light is of a niche

His Light, the Light of the heavens and the earth, is like a niche. A niche is a cavity or recess within a wall, built so that it can hold or support an ornament, such as a lamp. There is a great wealth of meaning in this simile.

First of all, it is not what we would expect. If the lamp inside is lit and visible, we hardly even stop to consider the presence of the niche. And indeed, once the lamp is mentioned, the niche is forgotten. So why is it mentioned at all?

1. Many commentators think that the niche represents the human breast, with the lamp symbolizing the heart inside the breast. But a niche, unlike an enclosed and discrete portion of the human body such as the breast or even the heart itself, is not only open but is actually nothing but space, an extension of the room it illuminates. This reminds us that the Light of GOD is, like GOD Himself, not a separate thing or substance, but in some sense ‘open’ to all that we consider to be not Him. He has not made any impenetrable barrier between His Light and our darkness.

2. The niche is an integral part of the whole room, i.e. the universe, but our linguistic mode of being needs words for its perceptions (and then turns around and perceives according to its words), and hence we ‘recess’ the local light of the niche from the relative darkness of the room. The light pervades the room, but we make the niche ‘stand out’, as it were. Thus it is with the Light of GOD. To speak of it, we must localize it, though it is everywhere, while the darkness we contrast it with is actually nothing and nowhere.

3. Niche light, in this analogy, is both local and diffuse. The light of the lamp strikes the concave hollow of the niche and reflects outwards into the room in all directions. This resembles what we understand light to be in general, regardless of its spiritual dimensions – a display of visible energy in a multitude of forms. The real light is from the lamp, but the niche serves to disperse and redirect it. And so, for the beginner, first entering the room of faith, the brightness of the niche is all he sees; his eyes have not yet adjusted to the glare to the point of recognizing the lamp within. Hence the expression Light on Light!; light in general, including physical light, seems to be ‘all there is’, as a materialist might say. For the outsider or the newly arrived, there is nothing more to see. If we fail to see the lamp within the niche, the fault is in us, and is the effect of our ignorance. We have not yet learned where to look, and what to look for.

4. The niche does not exist for itself, but rather was made for the lamp. If we set up decorations or figurines of gods or heroes where our lamp should be, we gain nothing but darkness. The niche, therefore, however bright it may appear to be, has only two true functions – to support the lamp and to cast its light abroad. The lesser light exists to serve the greater, though it is only the lesser light that gains everyone’s recognition. Affirming this in other terms, GOD declares,

The spirit of the believer (the lamp) is not simply part of the universe (the niche), but greater than it, and the reason for its being.

B. wherein there is a lamp.

C. The lamp is in a glass.

The lamp (spirit) appears to be the concentrated source of light in the world. But not all aspects of the lamp are equal. When we read that the lamp is in a glass, we realize that there are certain parts of what we know as lamps, namely the solid base and container for the fuel, that are not in the glass, but rather act as a support for it. These aspects correspond to the body where the spirit dwells. The material part of the lamp, below the glass, is probably bathed in light, but does not itself produce it. Thus we are led to focus on the luminous element that constitutes the real interest of the lamp.

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