2. GOD is Light (2)

O AL-LAH, put light in my heart and light on my tongue, put light in my hearing, put light in my sight, put light behind me and light before me, put light above me and light below me. O AL-LAH, give me light. (Sahihu Muslim, Book 6, Hadith 227)

1. This is a prayer often mentioned among the customary invocations of the Prophet (may AL-LAH bless him and give him peace):

اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْ فِي قَلْبِي نُورًا وَفِي لِسَانِي نُورًا وَاجْعَلْ فِي سَمْعِي نُورًا وَاجْعَلْ فِي بَصَرِي نُورًا وَاجْعَلْ مِنْ خَلْفِي نُورًا وَمِنْ أَمَامِي نُورًا وَاجْعَلْ مِنْ فَوْقِي نُورًا وَمِنْ تَحْتِي نُورًا ‏.‏ اللَّهُمَّ أَعْطِنِي نُورًا

Other similar prayers mention “light in my hair, and light in my skin, and light in my flesh, and light in my blood, and light in my bones.” Clearly, the meaning of light here is not restricted to ordinary physical and visible light. In the same way that literal light is not intended in the tradition above, this next tradition below should not be understood as proof of literal incarnation.

From Abi Hurairah, who said, “The Messenger of AL-LAH, (may AL-LAH bless him and give him peace) said, ‘Verily GOD has spoken, “Against whoever antagonizes a friend of Mine I declare war. My servant does not approach Me with anything more loved to me than what I have obliged him to do. And My servant continues to get close to Me by supererogatory deeds until I love him. When I love him, I am his hearing by which he hears, and his sight by which he sees, and his hand by which he strikes, and his foot by which he walks. If he entreated Me, I would surely grant him [his request]. And if he sought protection from Me, I would surely protect him.”’” (Sahihul-Bukhari, Book 81, Hadith 91)

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏‏إِنَّ اللَّهَ قَالَ مَنْ عَادَى لِي وَلِيًّا فَقَدْ آذَنْتُهُ بِالْحَرْبِ، وَمَا تَقَرَّبَ إِلَىَّ عَبْدِي بِشَىْءٍ أَحَبَّ إِلَىَّ مِمَّا افْتَرَضْتُ عَلَيْهِ، وَمَا يَزَالُ عَبْدِي يَتَقَرَّبُ إِلَىَّ بِالنَّوَافِلِ حَتَّى أُحِبَّهُ، فَإِذَا أَحْبَبْتُهُ كُنْتُ سَمْعَهُ الَّذِي يَسْمَعُ بِهِ، وَبَصَرَهُ الَّذِي يُبْصِرُ بِهِ، وَيَدَهُ الَّتِي يَبْطُشُ بِهَا وَرِجْلَهُ الَّتِي يَمْشِي بِهَا، وَإِنْ سَأَلَنِي لأُعْطِيَنَّهُ، وَلَئِنِ اسْتَعَاذَنِي لأُعِيذَنَّهُ

In these traditions, we see hyperbole and metaphor as mnemonic devices for conveying a concept almost too difficult to fathom, namely how the Infinite Divine interacts with and is involved in the mortal and finite. Reaching for some term to express this Presence, we might call it the spiritual energy of Authenticity. A friend of AL-LAH is someone who loves Him and is loved by Him in an act of mutual validation and intimate communion. In terms of light, we could say that AL-LAH ‘shines’ through his beloved servant like the rays of the sun through glass; the more transparent the glass is, the less visible it is in itself, and the brighter and stronger does the light of GOD appear to be.

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