The Light of the Prophet
by Dr. Mostafa al-Badawi
"Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth . . .
"[1.
Qur'an (24:35).] The Light
is one of the ninety-nine Beautiful Names of Allah. Light is that by which
things become known. Things may exist in the dark, but they cannot be seen.
Light may be physical, such as the light of the sun or the moon, or
intelligible, like the light of the intellect. The latter is that which
illuminates the darkness of ignorance with the light of knowledge. Total
darkness is non-existence, thus light is that which brings created beings out of
non-existence into existence. It is the creative act of Allah and this is one of
the meanings of "Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth . . . "
The other meaning is that every light in the universe is but a reflection of His
mercy, every knowledge a reflection of His knowledge and so on. "Allah created
His creation in darkness," said the Prophet, may Allah’s blessings and peace be
upon him, "then He sprayed them with His light. Those whom this light reached
became rightly guided, while those it did not went astray."[2.
Tirmidhi.] And he also
said, as recorded by Muslim, "Allah, August and Majestic is He, wrote the
destinies of creation fifty thousand years before He created the Heavens and the
earth. His throne was on the water. Among what He wrote in the Remembrance,
which is the Mother of the Book, was: Muhammad is the Seal of the Prophets."
The Mother of the Book is the source of all
knowledge, including the Divine Scriptures. It is the essential knowledge of
Allah before He created creation. This is why it is said to have been written
fifty thousand years before the creation of the cosmos, a symbolic number, since
without stars and planets there cannot be days and years as we understand them.
Allah conceived His creation in the darkness of non-existence, then with the
light of His creative act brought them out into existence. Thus the First Light
was created, a being appearing against the dark background of non-existence.
"The first thing that Allah created was the Intellect,"[3.
Tirmidhi.] said the
Prophet, may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him. He also said, "The first
thing that Allah created was the Pen," which amounts to the same thing, since
the first intellect is the primordial light in its passive aspect as recipient
of the knowledge of what is to be, while the Pen is the primordial light in its
active aspect of writing this knowledge on the Guarded Tablet at Allah’s
command. "The first thing that Allah created was the Pen and He said to it:
Write! So it wrote what is to be forever."[4.
Tabarani and Abu Nu'aym.]
From this First light all of creation, with all its varied forms and meanings
till the end of time unfolds.
This primordial light is what is called the
Light of the Prophet, may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him, since he is
the created being who received the major share of it.
This light was also the origin of the lights
of all other Divine Messengers, of the angels, then of all other beings. This is
how the Prophet, may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him, could say, "I was
a Prophet when Adam was still between spirit and body."[5.
Tirmidhi, Ahmad, Hakim and Bukhari in Tarikh.]
The power of this light made the Prophet’s radiation so powerful, once he
appeared on earth, that Allah calls him in the Qur’ān "an illuminating lamp."
Allah describes the sun and the moon in the Qur’ān in like manner explaining
what He means when He says that He made the Prophet "an illuminating lamp".
He says, Exalted is He:
"Have you not seen how Allah created seven
heavens, one upon another, and set the moon therein for a light and the sun for
a lamp?"[6.
Qur'an (71:16)]
Here he calls the sun a lamp, since its light is self generating, but He calls
the moon a light, since it but reflects the light of the sun. He also
says: " . . . and We appointed a blazing lamp . . . "
[7.
Qur'an (78:13)] The
sun’s light being extremely hot, and, "Blessed is He who has set in the sky
constellations and has set among them a lamp and an illuminating moon,"
[8.
Qur'an (25:61)]
emphasizing that the moon’s light is light with little heat. When He says to His
Prophet: " O Prophet! We have sent you as a witness, a bearer of good tidings
and of warning, as a caller to Allah by His leave and as an illuminating lamp,"
[9.
Qur'an (33:45 - 46)] we
are to understand that He made the Prophet’s light powerful like the sun’s, yet
cool and gentle like the moon’s.
Some of the Prophet’s Companions were given to
see this light as even brighter than both the sun and moon, for when they walked
with him they noticed that he cast no shadow on the ground.[10.
al-Hakim al-Tirmidhi]
Those who saw him in the full moon noticed that his blessed face was brighter
than the moon,[11.
Tirmidhi] and one of his
Companions, the Lady Rubayyi‘, when asked to describe him, said, "My son, had
you seen him, you would have seen the sun shining."[12.
Tirmidhi]
The light of the Prophet shone at all levels,
it filled the material, intermediary, and spiritual worlds, dispelled the
darkness of ignorance and disbelief, and is destined to shine across the ages
till the end of time.
That this light was physical as well as
spiritual was borne witness to most amply by those who saw him. The Lady ‘A‘isha
related how she saw the whole room fill with light one night, then it
disappeared, while the Prophet continued to call upon his Lord. Then the room
was filled with a more powerful light which disappeared after a while. She
asked, "What is this light I saw?" he said, "Did you see it. O ‘A‘isha?" "Yes!"
she replied. He said, "I asked my Lord to grant me my nation, so He gave me one
third of them, so I praised and thanked Him. Then I asked him for the rest, so
He gave me the second third, so I praised and thanked Him. Then I asked Him for
the third third, so He gave it to me, so I praised and thanked Him." She said
that had she wished to pick up mustard seeds from the floor by this light she
could have.[13.
Abu Nu'aym in Hilia.]
In the famous description of Hind ibn Abi Hala, the Prophet’s stepson from the
Lady Khadija, "He was dignified and awe inspiring, radiant like the radiance of
the moon on the night it is full…"[14.
Tirmidhi in Shama'il, Bayhaqi, Tabarani, and ibn Sa'd.]
Ibn ‘Abbas described how he saw light shining from between his front teeth.[15.
Tirmidhi in Shama'il, Darimi, Bayhaqi, Tabarani, and ibn Asakir.]
Abu Qursafa, as a boy, went to swear allegiance to the Prophet, together with
his mother and her sister. When they returned home they told him, " My son, we
have never seen the like of this man, nor anyone better looking, cleaner
dressed, or gentler in his speech; and we saw as if light came out of his
mouth." [16.
Tabarani.]
The Companion, Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be
pleased with him, described how, when the Prophet, may Allah’s blessings and
peace be upon him, first entered Madina, everything in Madina became
illuminated, then how, when he died and was buried in ‘A’isha’s house, the light
disappeared. The phenomenon was so sudden that the Companions were taken aback
and began to doubt whether they had really seen it at all.[17.
Ahmad and ibn Majah.] This
was only the light that radiated from his blessed body, for Madina itself
remained the city of Light. Abū Hurayra related how they were once praying the
night prayer of ‘isha’ with the Prophet, may Allah’s blessings and
peace be upon him, and how the Prophet’s two grandsons, Hasan and Husayn climbed
onto his back when he went into prostration. When he was done, he placed one of
them on his right and the other on his left. Abu Hurayra asked him, "Shall I
take them to their mother?" he replied, "No". Then a flashing light appeared
from the sky, at which he said, "go to your mother." The light remained until
they reached their house.[18.
Ahmad, Hakim, and Bazar.]
On another occasion, Anas said that, he accompanied the Prophet, may Allah’s
blessings and peace be upon him, into the mosque where they saw a group of
people with their hands raised, calling upon Allah. "Do you see in their hands
what I see?" the Prophet asked. "What is in their hands?" Anas replied. "There
is light in their hands," replied the Prophet. "Ask Allah the Exalted to show it
to me," said Anas. At the Prophet’s request, Allah showed it to him.[19.
Bukhari in Tarikh, Bayhaqi and Abu Nu'aym.]
Another Companion, ‘Amr al-Aslami, said that once they were with the Messenger
of Allah, may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him, on a very dark night and
lost sight of each other. Suddenly ‘Amr’s fingers shone forth with light so that
they were able to round up their mounts and gather again. The light did not
subside until they had finished gathering.[20.
Bukhari in Tarikh, Bayhaqi and Tabarani.]
As for Abu ‘Abs, he used to pray all the ritual prayers with the Prophet, then
walk back to his dwelling, at Bani Haritha, a few miles from the mosque. One
dark rainy night, as he left the mosque, his staff was made to shine forth with
light, so that he was able to walk safely back home.[21.
Bayhaqi.] On another
occasion, two of the Prophet’s well known Companions, Usayd ibn Hudayr and
‘Abbad ibn Bishr, left the Prophet’s house late on a dark night. The tip of the
staff of one of them lit up like a lamp and they were able to walk. When they
came to the place where they usually separated, the tip of the other staff lit
up as well.[22.
Bukhari] Another
Companion, al-Tufayl ibn ‘Amr al-Dawsi, related how, after his first visit to
the Prophet, when he accepted Islam and was about to return to his tribe, he
asked the Prophet for a sign to show to his tribesmen, at which a light shone
forth from his forehead. He exclaimed, "Not here, O Messenger of Allah, they
will think it a curse!" So the Prophet moved the light to the tip of al-
Tufayl’s whip. He returned to his tribe with this sign and most of them accepted
Islam.[23.
Ibn Hisham.]
Ka‘b ibn Zuhayr was a man from Muzayna, a
highly talented poet who used his talent against the Prophet and his companions.
Once Macca had been conquered, Ka`b became a fugitive, aware that the Prophet
had ordered him executed. His brother, Bujayr, was a Muslim. He sent Ka`b a
message that he could only save his life if he came to the Prophet repentant.
Eventually Ka‘b agreed to this and came to Madina. The Prophet forgave him,
accepted his allegiance, and gave him permission to recite the poem Ka`b had
composed in his praise. When he came to the passage,
The Messenger is a light that illuminates
An Indian blade, a sword of Allah, drawn
the Prophet took his mantle, his burda,
off his shoulders and put it on Ka‘b’s, signalling his approval. The best swords
of the time were Indian and the connection between the sword and light is that
the Arabs signalled the way by standing on a rise and brandishing their swords
in the sun so that they flashed like mirrors.[24.
Ibn Ishaq.]
The light of the Prophet, may Allah’s
blessings and peace be upon him, manifested itself in his parents before and
during his birth. His biographers have recorded that his father’s forehead shone
with a light that a certain women from Quraysh noticed. She knew that the
appearance of the Prophet of the End of Time was imminent and felt that
‘Abdallah’s forehead signalled his being the father. She offered herself to him,
but he refused. Soon `Abdallah married Amina and, once she became pregnant with
the Prophet, the light vanished from his forehead. He met the same woman again
and, noticing she no longer wanted him, asked her why. She replied that he no
longer carried that light on his forehead.[25.
Ibn Hisham.] As for the
Lady Amina, when she became pregnant, she saw in a dream-vision that a light
came out of her that lit the land as far north as Syria.[26.
Hakim, Ahmad, Bazzar, Tabarani, Bayhaqi and Abu Nu'aym.]
She was also told in her dream that she was pregnant with the master of this
nation and the sign of that would be that when she gave birth to him she would
see a light coming out with him that would shine over Bosra in Syria. "When this
happens", she was told, "call him Muhammad!"[27.
Ibn Ishaq.] "I conceived
him, " she said, "and suffered no pain until delivery. When he came out of me, a
light came out with him that illuminated everything from East to West…"[28.
Ibn Sa'd, Tabarani, Bayhaqi, Abu Nu'aym, Abu Ya'la, Ibn Ishaq.]
She also said, "I saw the night I gave birth to him a light that illuminated the
palaces of Syria so that I saw them."[29.
Abu Nu'aym.] The Prophet
later confirmed this, saying, "My mother saw, when she gave birth to me, a light
that illuminated the palaces of Bosra."[30.
Ibn Sa'd, Ahmad, Bazzar, Tabarani, Abu Nu'aym, and ibn Asakir.]
This event is also a very clear indication of the spiritual rank of the Lady
Amina, for to see the palaces of Bosra in Syria from Macca demands the spiritual
vision of sanctity.
[31. Hakim and Tabarani.]
Later, the Prophet’s uncle, ‘Abbas, praised him with a poem, on his return from
the Tabuk expedition, saying:
You, when you were born, the earth was lit
And with your light so was the sky
When his wet-nurse, Halima al-Sa‘dia, first
saw him, she laid her hand on him and he smiled. "When he smiled," she said, "a
light appeared from his mouth that rose to the sky."[32.
Bayhaqi, Abu Nu'aym, ibn Ishaq and Abu Ya'la.]
Some of the hadiths we have quoted here have
strong chains of transmission, others have weaker ones. However, we must
remember that even the chain considered weakest by Muslim traditionists, is
quite acceptable as historical proof to any professional historian on this
planet, being far stronger and better authenticated than other ancient sources
he works with. It is also well known that weak traditions strengthen each other
so as to become acceptable. This is why those we have quoted here have been
accepted by leading scholars such as Ibn Kathir, Suyutiī, Qadi ‘Iyad, Bayhaqi,
and others.
Commenting on the verse of Qur’an,"There
has come to you a light from Allah and a clear Book,"[33.
Qur'an (5:15)] the
well-known scholar al-Alusi says that the light in question is no other than the
Prophet, may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him. He quotes the Follower,
Qatada, as an authoritative source for this opinion, as well as other well known
scholars, pointing out that this is the most logical interpretation of the
construction of the verse, Then he also quotes those whose opinion differs from
his in that they believe that both the light and the Book refer to the Qur’an.
This he does because real Muslim scholars, as opposed to pretenders and
impostors, always quote, along with their own opinions, the contrary opinions of
other reputable scholars, so weighing both in the most objective manner. Qadi
‘Iyad, the famous author of al-Shifa’, is of the same opinion as
al-Alusi, an opinion, an opinion shared by other famous commentators such as
Tabari and Qurtubi.
Although the Prophet’s light is the most
powerful in the universe, since he is the nearest created being to Allah, it is
not the only one. Angels are made of light, the Qur’an is light, the spirits of
human beings are light, faith is light, knowledge is light, the sun, the moon,
and the stars are also lights. The light of each human being depends upon his
faith, knowledge, and virtue. Thus the most powerful lights are those of Divine
Messengers, then those of Prophets, saints, virtuous believers, and finally
those of sinful believers. This is the hierarchy of human beings. Both the first
and the last are human, all have lights, and all are slaves of Allah, but the
distance between the top of the pyramid and its bottom is so great that those at
the bottom, in Paradise, will see those at the top as distant as, in this world,
we see the stars at night.[34.
Tirmidhi.]
