Surah 24. An-Nur

And [once again]: Why do you not say, whenever you hear such [a rumour], "It does not behove us to speak of this, O Thou who art limitless in Thy glory: this is an awesome calumny"?¹⁹

  - Mohammad Asad

The interjection subhanaka ("O Thou who art limitless in Thy glory") stresses here the believer's moral duty to bethink himself of God whenever he is tempted to listen to, or to repeat, a calumny (since every such rumour must be considered a calumny unless its truth is legally proved).

Why did you not, when you heard about it, say: "It is not befitting for us to talk about it, God forbid! This is a monstrous slander?"

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Wherefore, when ye heard it, said ye not: It is not for us to speak of this. Glory be to Thee (O Allah); This is awful calumny.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

God admonishes you [hereby] lest you ever revert to the like of this Isinl. if you are [truly] believers;

  - Mohammad Asad

Allah admonishes you never to repeat a mistake like this, if you are true believers.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Allah admonisheth you that ye repeat not the like thereof ever, if ye are (in truth) believers.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

for God makes [His] messages clear unto you-and God is all knowing, wise!

  - Mohammad Asad

Allah has made His revelations clear to you, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And He expoundeth unto you His revelations. Allah is Knower, Wise.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Verily, as for those who like [to hear] foul slander²⁰ spreadagainst [any of] those who have attained to faith-grievous suffering awaits them in this world ²¹ and in the life to come: for God knows [the full truth], whereas you know [it] not.²²

  - Mohammad Asad

The term fahishah signifies anything that is morally reprehensible or abominable: hence, "immoral conduct" in the widest sense of this expression. In the above context it refers to unfounded or unproven allegations of immoral conduct, in other words, "foul slander".

I.e., the legal punishment as stipulated in verse {4} of this surah.

This Qur~anic warning against slander and, by obvious implication, against any attempt at seeking out other people’s faults finds a clear echo in several well-authenticated sayings of the Prophet: "Beware of all guesswork [about one another], for, behold, all [such] guesswork is most deceptive (akdhab al-hadith); and do not spy upon one another, and do not try to bare [other people’s] failings" (Muwatta’; almost identical versions of this Tradition have been quoted by Bukhari, Muslim and Abu Da’ud); "Do not hurt those who have surrendered themselves to God (al-muslimin), and do not impute evil to them, and do not try to uncover their nakedness [i.e., their faults]: for, behold, if anyone tries to uncover his brother’s nakedness, God will uncover his own nakedness [on the Day of Judgment]" (Tirmidhi); and, "Never does a believer draw a veil over the nakedness of another believer without God’s drawing a veil over his own nakedness on Resurrection Day" (Bukhari). All these injunctions have received their seal, as it were, in the Qur~anic exhortation: "Avoid most guesswork [about one another] - for, behold, some of [such] guesswork is [in itself] a sin" ( 49:12 ).

Those who love to broadcast such slanders among the believers will have a painful punishment in this life and in the Hereafter. Allah knows and you do not know.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Lo! those who love that slander should be spread concerning those who believe, theirs will be a painful punishment in the world and the Hereafter. Allah knoweth. Ye know not.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And were it not for God's favour upon you and His grace, and that God is compasionate, a dispenser of grace...!²³

  - Mohammad Asad

See verse {10} of this surah and the corresponding note [11].

Were it not for the grace and mercy of Allah towards you, this scandal would have produced very bad results for you. Allah is indeed very Kind, most Merciful.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Had it not been for the grace of Allah and His mercy unto you, and that Allah is Clement, Merciful, (ye had been undone).

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

O YOU who have attained to faith! Follow not Satan's footsteps: for he who follows Satan's footsteps [will find that], behold, he enjoins but deeds of abomination and all that runs counter to reason.²⁴ And were it not for God's favour upon you and His grace, not one of you would ever have remained pure. For [thus it is:] it is God who causes whomever He wills to grow in purity: for God is all-hearing, all-knowing.

  - Mohammad Asad

In this context, the term al-munkar has apparently the same meaning as in 16:90 (explained in the corresponding note [109]) since, as the sequence shows, it clearly relates to the unreasonable self-righteousness of so many people who "follow Satan’s footsteps" by imputing moral failings to others and forgetting that it is only due to God’s grace that man, in his inborn weakness, can ever remain pure.

O believers! Do not follow the footsteps of Shaitan: because anyone who follows the footsteps of Shaitan is seduced by him to commit acts of indecency and wickedness. If there had not been the grace and mercy of Allah upon you, none of you would have ever been purified from that sin, for it is Allah Alone Who purifies whom He pleases, and Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

O ye who believe! Follow not the footsteps of the devil. Unto whomsoever followeth the footsteps of the devil, lo! he commandeth filthiness and wrong. Had it not been for the grace of Allah and His mercy unto you, not one of you would ever have grown pure. But Allah causeth whom He will to grow. And Allah is Hearer, Knower.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Hence, [even if they have been wronged by slander,] let not those of you who have been graced with [God's] favour and ease of life ever become remiss in helping²⁵ [the erring ones among] their near of kin, and the needy, and those who have forsaken the domain of evil for the sake of God,²⁶ but let them pardon and forbear. [For,] do you not desire that God should forgive you your sins, seeing that God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace?²⁷

  - Mohammad Asad

Or: "Swear that [henceforth] they would not help [lit., "give to"] .. .", etc. Both these meanings - "he swore [that]" and "he became remiss [in]" - are attributable to the verb ala, which appears in the above sentence in the form ya’tal. My rendering is based on the interpretation given to this verb by the great philologist Abu Ubayd al-Qasim al-Harawi (cf. Lane I, 84).

For an explanation of this rendering of the designation al-muhajirun (or, in other places, alladhina hajaru). see surah {2}, note [203].

It is generally assumed that this verse refers to Abu Bakr, who swore that he would never again help his poor relative, the muhajir Mistah (whom he used to support until then) after the latter had taken part in slandering Abu Bakr's daughter, 'A'ishah (see note [12] above). There is no doubt that this assumption of the commentators is well-founded, but there is also no doubt that the ethical purport of the above verse is timeless and, therefore, independent of the fact or facts with which it appears to be historically linked. (This view finds additional support in the use of the plural form throughout the above passage.) The call to "pardon and forbear" is fully consonant with the Qur'anic principle of countering evil with good (see 13:22 and the corresponding note [44]).

Let not those among you who are endowed with grace and amplitude of means swear to withhold their help from their relatives, the indigent and those who left their homes for the cause of Allah - rather let them forgive and overlook - do you not wish that Allah should forgive you? Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And let not those who possess dignity and ease among you swear not to give to the near of kin and to the needy, and to fugitives for the cause of Allah. Let them forgive and show indulgence. Yearn ye not that Allah may forgive you? Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

[But,] verily, those who [falsely, and without repentance,²⁸ ] accuse chaste women who may have been unthinkingly careless but have remained true to their faith,²⁹ shall be rejected [from God's grace] in this world as well as in the life to come: and awesome suffering awaits them

  - Mohammad Asad

According to Razi, the absence of repentance is incontrovertibly implied in the condemnation expressed in the sequence, since the Qur'an makes it clear in many places that God always accepts a sinner's sincere repentance.

Lit., "chaste, unmindful [or "careless"] believing women", i.e., virtuous women who thoughtlessly expose themselves to situations on which a slanderous construction may be put.

Those who accuse chaste but careless believing women are cursed in this life, and in the Hereafter they shall have a grievous punishment.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Lo! as for those who traduce virtuous, believing women (who are) careless, cursed are they in the world and the Hereafter. Theirs will be an awful doom.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

on the Day when their own tongues and hands and feet will bear witness against them by [recalling] all that they did!

  - Mohammad Asad

Such people should not forget that Day when their own tongues, their own hands and their own feet will testify against their misdeeds.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

On the day when their tongues and their hands and their feet testify against them as to what they used to do,

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

On that day will God pay them in full their just due, and they will come to know that God alone is the Ultimate Truth, manifest, and manifesting [the true nature of all that has ever been done].³⁰

  - Mohammad Asad

Regarding the double meaning ("manifest" and "manifesting") inherent in the adjective mubin, see note [2] on 12:1 ; for my rendering of God's attribute al-haqq as "the Ultimate Truth", see note [99] on 20:114 . In this particular instance, the active form of mubin ("manifesting") apparently relates to God's revelation, on Judgement Day, of the true nature of man's actions and, thus, of the enormity of the sin to which this passage refers.

On that Day, Allah will give them the full reward they deserve, then they will realize that Allah is the One Who manifests the Truth.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

On that day Allah will pay them their just due, and they will know that Allah, He is the Manifest Truth.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

[In the nature of things,] corrupt women are for corrupt men, and corrupt men, for corrupt women - just as good women are for good men, and good men, for good women. [Since God is aware that] these are innocent of all that evil tongues may impute to them,³¹ forgiveness of sins shall be theirs, and a mr`~t excellent cilstenance!³²

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "innocent of all that they [i.e., the slanderers] may say".

See note [5] on 8:4 . The reference, in this context, to God's "forgiveness of sins" (maghfirah) is obviously meant to stress the innate weakness of man's nature, which makes him prone to sinning, however good and pure he may be (cf. 4:28 ).

Unclean women are for unclean men, and unclean men are for unclean women; and pure women are for pure men, and pure men are for pure women. They are free from the slanderer's accusations; for them there shall be forgiveness and honorable provision from Allah.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Vile women are for vile men, and vile men for vile women. Good women are for good men, and good men for good women; such are innocent of that which people say: For them is pardon and a bountiful provision.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

O YOU who have attained to faith! Do not enter houses other than your own unless you have obtained permission and greeted their inmates. This is [enjoyed by you] for your own good, so that you might bear [your mutual rights] in mind.³³

  - Mohammad Asad

This categorical prohibition connects with the preceding passages inasmuch as it serves as an additional protection of individuals against possible slander. In its wider purport, it postulates the inviolability of each person's home and private life. (For the socio-political implications of this principle, see State and Government in Islam, pp. 84 ff.)

O believers! Do not enter houses other than your own until you have sought permission and said greetings of peace to the occupants; this is better for you, so that you may be mindful.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

O ye who believe! Enter not houses other than your own without first announcing your presence and invoking peace upon the folk thereof. That is better for you, that ye may be heedful.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Hence, [even] if you find no one within [the house], do not enter it until you are given leave;³⁴ and if you are told, "Turn back," then turn back. This will be most conducive to your purity; and God has full knowledge of all that you do.

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., by the rightful owner or caretaker.

If you do not find the person you wanted to see, then do not enter until permission is given to you; and if you are asked to go back, then go back; this is more fitting for you; and Allah is cognizant of what you do.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And if ye find no one therein, still enter not until permission hath been given. And if it be said unto you: Go away again, then go away, for it is purer for you. Allah knoweth what ye do.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

[On the other hand,] you will incur no sin if you [freely] enter houses not intended for living in but serving a purpose useful to you:³⁵ but [always remember that] God knows all that you do openly, and all that you would conceal.

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "uninhabited houses wherein there are things of use (mata') for you". In the consensus of all the authorities, including the Companions of the Prophet, this relates to buildings or premises of a more or less public nature, like inns, shops, administrative offices, public baths, etc., as well as to ancient ruins.

There is no blame on you if you enter houses which are not used for dwelling and in which you have something belonging to you; and Allah knows what you reveal and what you conceal.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

(It is) no sin for you to enter uninhabited houses wherein is comfort for you. Allah knoweth what ye proclaim and what ye hide.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

TELL the believing men to lower their gaze and to be mindful of their chastity:³⁶ this will be most con-ducive to their purity- [and,] verily, God is aware of all that they do.

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "to restrain [something] of their gaze and to guard their private parts". The latter expression may be understood both in the literal sense of "covering one's private parts" - i.e., modesty in dress - as well as in the metonymical sense of "restraining one's sexual urges", i.e., restricting them to what is lawful, namely, marital intercourse (cf. {23:5-6}). The rendering adopted by me in this instance allows for both interpretations. The "lowering of one's gaze", too, relates both to physical and to emotional modesty (Razi).

Enjoin the believing men to lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that is chaster for them. Surely Allah is well aware of their actions.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and be modest. That is purer for them. Lo! Allah is Aware of what they do.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and to be mindful of their chastity, and not to display their charms [in public] beyond what may [decently] be apparent thereof;³⁷ hence, let them draw their head-coverings over their bosoms.³⁸ And let them not display [more of] their charms to any but their husbands, or their fathers, or their husbands' fathers, or their sons, or their husbands' sons, or their brothers, or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their womenfolk, or those whom they rightfully possess, or such male attendants as are beyond all sexual desire,³⁹ or children that are as yet unaware of women's nakedness; and let them not swing their legs [in walking] so as to draw attention to their hidden charms.⁴⁰ And [always], O you believers-all of you-turn unto God in repentance, so that you might attainto a happy state!⁴¹

  - Mohammad Asad

My interpolation of the word "decently" reflects the interpretation of the phrase illa ma zahara minha by several of the earliest Islamic scholars, and particularly by Al-Qiffal (quoted by Razi), as "that which a human being may openly show in accordance with prevailing custom (al-'adah al-jariyah)". Although the traditional exponents of Islamic Law have for centuries been inclined to restrict the definition of "what may [decently] be apparent" to a woman's face, hands and feet- and sometimes even less than that - we may safely assume that the meaning of illa ma zahara minha is much wider, and that the deliberate vagueness of this phrase is meant to allow for all the time-bound changes that are necessary for man's moral and social growth. The pivotal clause in the above injunction is the demand, addressed in identical terms to men as well as to women, to "lower their gaze and be mindful of their chastity": and this determines the extent of what, at any given time, may legitimately - i.e., in consonance with the Qur'anic principles of social morality - be considered "decent" or "indecent" in a person's outward appearance.

The noun khimar (of which khumur is the plural) denotes the head-covering customarily used by Arabian women before and after the advent of Islam. According to most of the classical commentators, it was worn in pre-Islamic times more or less as an ornament and was let down loosely over the wearer's back; and since, in accordance with the fashion prevalent at the time, the upper part of a woman's tunic had a wide opening in the front, her breasts were left bare. Hence, the injunction to cover the bosom by means of a khimar (a term so familiar to the contemporaries of the Prophet) does not necessarily relate to the use of khimar as such but is, rather, meant to make it clear that a woman's breasts are not included in the concept of "what may decently be apparent" of her body and should not, therefore, be displayed.

I.e., very old men. The preceding phrase "those whom they rightfully possess" (lit., "whom their right hands possess") denotes slaves; but see also note [78].

Lit., "so that those of their charms which they keep hidden may become known". The phrase yadribna bi-arfulihinna is idiomatically similar to the phrase daraba bi-yadayhi mishyatihi, "he swung his arms in walking" (quoted in this context in Taj al-'Arus). and alludes to a deliberately provocative gait.

The implication of this general call to repentance is that since "man has been created weak" ( 4:28 ), no one is ever free of faults and temptations - so much so that even the Prophet used to say, "Verily, I turn unto Him in repentance a hundred times every day" (Ibn Hanbal, Bukhari and Bayhaqi, all of them on the authority of 'Abd Allah ibn'Umar).

Likewise enjoin the believing women to lower their gaze and guard their modesty; not to display their beauty and ornaments except what normally appears thereof; let them draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their charms except to their husbands, their fathers, their fathers-in-law, their own sons, their stepsons, their own brothers, their nephews on either brothers' or sisters' sides, their own womenfolk, their own slaves, male attendants who lack sexual desires or small children who have no carnal knowledge of women. Also enjoin them not to strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden trinkets. And O believers! Turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, about your past mistakes, so that you may attain salvation.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and be modest, and to display of their adornment only that which is apparent, and to draw their veils over their bosoms, and not to reveal their adornment save to their own husbands or fathers or husbands' fathers, or their sons or their husbands' sons, or their brothers or their brothers' sons or sisters' sons, or their women, or their slaves, or male attendants who lack vigor, or children who know naught of women's nakedness. And let them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide of their adornment. And turn unto Allah together, O believers, in order that ye may succeed.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

AND [you ought to] marry the single from among you⁴² as well as such of your male and female slaves as are fit [for marriage].⁴³ If they [whom you intend to marry] are poor, [let this not deter you;] God will grant them sufficiency out of His bounty - for God is infinite [in His mercy], all-knowing.

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., from among the free members of the community, as is evident from the subsequent juxtaposition with slaves. (As most of the classical commentators point out, this is not an injunction but a recommendation to the community as a whole: hence my interpolation of the words "you ought to".) The term ayyim - of which ayama is the plural - signifies a person of either sex who has no spouse, irrespective of whether he or she has never been married or is divorced or widowed. Thus, the above verse expresses the idea - reiterated in many authentic sayings of the Prophet - that, from both the ethical and the social points of view, the married state is infinitely preferable to celibacy.

The term as-salihin connotes here both moral and physical fitness for marriage: i.e., the attainment of bodily and mental maturity as well as mutual affection between the man and the woman concerned. As in 4:25 , the above verse rules out all forms of concubinage and postulates marriage as the only basis of lawful sexual relations between a man and his female slave.

Get the singles among you married as well as those who are fit for marriage among your male slaves and female slaves. If they are poor, Allah will make them free from want out of His grace: for Allah has boundless resources and is All-Knowing.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And marry such of you as are solitary and the pious of your slaves and maid servants. If they be poor; Allah will enrich them of His bounty. Allah is of ample means, Aware.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And as for those who are unable to marry,⁴⁴ let them live in continence until God grants them sufficiency out of his bounty. And ay of one those whom you rightfully possess⁴⁵ desire [to obtain] a deed of freedom, write it out for them if you are awareof any good in them:⁴⁶ and give them [their share] of the wealth of God which He has given you.⁴⁷ And do not, in order to gain⁴⁸ some of the fleeting pleasures of this worldly life, coerce your [slave] maidens into whoredom if they happen to be desirous of marriage;⁴⁹ and if anyone should coerce them, then, verily, after they have been compelled [to submit in their helplessness], God will be much-forgiving. a dispenser of grace!

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., because of poverty, or because they cannot find a suitable mate, or for any other personal reason.

Lit., "whom your right hands possess", i.e., male or female slaves.

The noun kitab is, in this context, an equivalent of kitabah or makatabah (lit., "mutual agreement in writing"), a juridical term signifying a "deed of freedom" or "of manumission" executed on the basis of an agreement between a slave and his or her owner, to the effect that the slave undertakes to purchase his or her freedom for an equitable sum of money payable in instalments before or after the manumission, or, alternatively, by rendering a clearly specified service or services to his or her owner. With this end in view, the slave is legally entitled to engage in any legitimate, gainful work or to obtain the necessary sum of money by any other lawful means (e.g., through a loan or a gift from a third person). In view of the imperative form of the verb katibuhum ("write it out for them"), the deed of manumission cannot be refused by the owner, the only pre-condition being an evidence - to be established, if necessary, by an unbiassed arbiter or arbiters - of the slave's good character and ability to fulfil his or her contractual obligations. The stipulation that such a deed of manumission may not be refused, and the establishment of precise juridical directives to this end, clearly indicates that Islamic Law has from its very beginning aimed at an abolition of slavery as a social institution, and that its prohibition in modern times constitutes no more than a final implementation of that aim. (See also next note, as well as note [146] on 2:177 .)

According to all the authorities, this relates (a) to a moral obligation on the part of the owner to promote the slave's efforts to obtain the necessary revenues by helping him or her to achieve an independent economic status and/or by remitting part of the agreed - upon compensation, and (b) to the obligation of the state treasury (bayt al-mal) to finance the freeing of slaves in accordance with the Qur'anic principle - enunciated in 9:60 - that the revenues obtained through the obligatory tax called zakah are to be utilized, among other purposes, "for the freeing of human beings from bondage" (fi 'r-riqab, an expression explained in surah {2}, note [146]). Hence, Zamakhshari holds that the above clause is addressed not merely to persons owning slaves but to the community as a whole. - The expression "the wealth of God" contains an allusion to the principle that "God has bought of the believers their lives and their possessions, promising them paradise in return" ({9: 111}) - implying that all of man's possessions are vested in God, and that man is entitled to no more than their usufruct.

Lit., "so that you might seek out" or "endeavour to attain to".

Lit., "if they desire protection against unchastity (tahassun)", i.e., through marriage (cf. the expression muhsanat as used in 4:24 ). Most of the classical commentators are of the opinion that the term fatayat ("maidens") denotes here "slave girls": an assumption which is fully warranted by the context. Hence, the above verse reiterates the prohibition of concubinage by explicitly describing it as "whoredom" (bigha').

And let those who do not find means to marry keep themselves chaste until Allah enriches them out of His bounty. As for those of your slaves who wish to buy out their liberty, execute the deed of liberty with them if you find them deserving, and give them some of the wealth which Allah has given you. Do not force your slave-girls into prostitution for your own worldly gains, if they wish to preserve their chastity; and if anyone forces them into it, then surely after such a compulsion Allah will be forgiving and merciful to them.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And let those who cannot find a match keep chaste till Allah give them independence by His grace. And such of your slaves as seek a writing (of emancipation), write it for them if ye are aware of aught of good in them, and bestow upon them of the wealth of Allah which He hath bestowed upon you. Force not your slave girls to whoredom that ye may seek enjoyment of the life of the world, if they would preserve their chastity. And if one force them, then (unto them), after their compulsion, Lo! Allah will be Forgiving, Merciful.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

AND, INDEED, from on high have We bestowed upon you messages clearly showing the truth, and [many] a lesson from [the stories of] those who have passed away before you, and [many] an admonition to the God conscious

  - Mohammad Asad

We have already sent down to you revelations giving you clear guidance and cited examples of those people who passed away before you to serve as a warning and an admonition for the righteous people.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And verily We have sent down for you revelations that make plain, and the example of those who passed away before you. An admonition unto those who ward off (evil).

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

God is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His light is, as it were,⁵⁰ that of a niche containing a lamp; the lamp is [enclosed] in glass, the glass [shining] like a radiant star:⁵¹ [a lamp] lit from a blessed tree -an olive-tree that is neither of the east nor of the west⁵² - the oil whereof [is so bright that it] would well-nigh give light [of itself] even though fire had not touched it: light upon light!⁵³ God guides unto His light him that wills [to be guided];⁵⁴ and [to this end] God propounds parables unto men, since God [alone] has full knowledge of all things.⁵⁵

  - Mohammad Asad

The particle ka ("as if" or "as it were") prefixed to a noun is called kaf at-tashbih ("the letter kaf pointing to a resemblance [of one thing to another]" or "indicating a metaphor"). In the above context it alludes to the impossibility of defining God even by means of a metaphor or a parable - for, since "there is nothing like unto Him" ( 42:11 ), there is also "nothing that could be compared with Him" ( 112:4 ). Hence, the parable of "the light of God" is not meant to express His reality - which is inconceivable to any created being and, therefore, inexpressible in any human language - but only to allude to the illumination which He, who is the Ultimate Truth, bestows upon the mind and the feelings of all who are willing to be guided. Tabari, Baghawi and Ibn Kathir quote Ibn 'Abbas and Ibn Mas'ud as saying in this context: "It is the parable of His light in the heart of a believer."

The "lamp" is the revelation which God grants to His prophets and which is reflected in the believer's heart - the "niche" of the above parable (Ubayy ibn Ka'b, as quoted by Tabari) - after being received and consciously grasped by his reason ("the glass [shining brightly] like a radiant star"): for it is through reason alone that true faith can find its way into the heart of man.

It would seem that this is an allusion to the organic continuity of all divine revelation which, starting like a tree from one "root" or proposition - the statement of God's existence and uniqueness - grows steadily throughout man's spiritual history, branching out into a splendid variety of religious experience, thus endlessly widening the range of man's perception of the truth. The association of this concept with the olive-tree apparently arises from the fact that this particular kind of tree is characteristic of the lands in which most of the prophetic precursors of the Qur'anic message lived, namely, the lands to the east of the mediterranean: but since all true revelation flows from the Infinite Being, it is "neither of the east nor of the west" - and especially so the revelation of the Qur'an, which, being addressed to all mankind, is universal in its goal as well.

The essence of the Qur'anic message is described elsewhere as "clear [in itself] and clearly showing the truth" (cf. note [2] on 12:1 ); and it is, I believe, this aspect of the Qur'an that the above sentence alludes to. Its message gives light because it proceeds from God; but it "would well-nigh give light [of itself] even though fire had not touched it": i.e., even though one may be unaware that it has been "touched by the fire" of divine revelation, its inner consistency, truth and wisdom ought to be self-evident to anyone who approaches it in the light of his reason and without prejudice.

Although most of the commentators read the above phrase in the sense of "God guides unto His light whomever He wills", Zamakhshari gives it the sense adopted in my rendering (both being syntactically permissible).

I.e., because of their complexity, certain truths can be conveyed to man only by means of parables or allegories: see notes [5] and [8] on 3:7 .

Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His Light is as if there were a Niche, in which there is a lamp, the lamp is enclosed in crystal, the crystal is of a starlike brilliance, it is lit with the olive oil from a blessed olive tree which is neither eastern nor western, its very oil would almost be luminous though no fire touched it - as though all the means of increasing Light upon Light are provided - Allah guides to His Light whom He pleases. Allah cites such parables to make His message clear to the people; and Allah has knowledge of everything.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The similitude of His light is as a niche wherein is a lamp. The lamp is in a glass. The glass is as it were a shining star. (This lamp is) 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, Allah guideth unto His light whom He will. And Allah speaketh to mankind in allegories, for Allah is knower of all things.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall