In the Qur’an, paradise and hell are portrayed through images familiar to our daily perception: lush gardens for paradise and burning fire for hell. These depictions, while evoking tangible realities, also point toward truths that transcend our material experience. As the Prophet PBUH conveys, the paradise promised in the hereafter is “what no eye has seen and no ear has heard,” a reality beyond human comprehension. This concept of the unseen applies also to the Qur’anic light, which surpasses our physical understanding.

On earth, we approach light through science and the rational faculty. However, in spiritual realms, it is the heart—not the intellect—that can perceive the divine light. This dual approach—science and spirituality—intersects in the work of Dr. Fritz Albert Popp, a biophoton researcher, and in the teachings of Shaykh Mohamed Faouzi al-Karkari, a Sufi master, both of whom show that light, whether biological or divine, carries meaning and coherence.

Popp’s research on biophotons unveils an extraordinary internal coordination within cells. In an interview, Popp explains that photons, by transmitting precise information, synchronize thousands of chemical reactions per second, ensuring coherence and harmony in biological systems. He notes:

“These 100,000 reactions occurring within a cell every second are controlled by photons. Each photon follows a precise path in space and time, guided by an electromagnetic field in the background. The photon, absorbed and then released by the molecule, produces no heat but returns to the field, ready to initiate further reactions. A single photon can thus trigger up to 100,000 reactions.” [1]

This subtle coordination, where each photon acts as luminous information orchestrating vital functions, echoes an intelligence underlying life. In this intricate dance of biophotons, we find a powerful analogy for the ways in which even the smallest interactions in the universe are guided by an unseen order, a coherence that transcends our immediate perception. By studying this hidden illumination within cells, we edge closer to understanding how the material and immaterial weave together, hinting at a cosmos deeply unified in both form and function.

This biological concept of light resonates indeed with the spiritual understanding presented by Sufi masters like Shaykh al-Karkari. For them, divine light is not merely a metaphor; it is tangible and visible to those who reach a state of spiritual awakening. The verse, “Is he who was dead, to whom We gave life and granted a light by which he walks in the people (fi l-nās), like one who is in darkness, from which he cannot emerge?” (6:122), carries a critical linguistic subtlety relevant to our discussion. The choice of the word fī (in Arabic), instead of bayna (among), indicates that divine light does not merely shine externally but penetrates the being of the believers intimately and internally, guiding them from within rather than merely from without.

From a linguistic perspective, this distinction between fī (in) and bayna (among) might seem unusual, but it reveals an esoteric truth: in this context, divine light permeates souls, inspiring and guiding intimately, imperceptibly to the physical senses. It demonstrates how the person who is blessed with it by Allah bears a light that functions like biophotons, on both visible and invisible levels.

Just as physical light oscillates between wave and particle, this individual walks among people with divine light, touching both their hearts and minds. [2] The Qur'anic language in the verse expresses a reality that eludes conventional perceptions. Indeed, the influence of a prophet or spiritual master transcends simple social and outward interaction. It is a deep, inner transmission, like a subtle yet penetrating wave.

Divine light is not limited to mere figurative symbols; it is a divine science, ʿilm al-ladunī. Imam al-Shāfiʿī (RA) said: “I complained to Wakīʿ about my poor memory, so he advised me to leave sins and said: Verily, knowledge is a light, and the light of Allah is not gifted to a sinner.” This divine knowledge is transmitted with authenticity and swiftness, akin to the speed of light. This is clear in the verse from Sūrat Yā-Sīn (36:82), “When He decrees a thing, His command is, ‘Be,’ and it is (kun fa-yakūn).” This command illustrates the capacity of divine light to act immediately and directly, with an effect comparable to the instantaneous nature of light waves, capable of propagation without material constraints.

Just as photons coordinate cells beyond human intellectual comprehension, spiritual transmission in the Sufi path operates beyond words, as a “heart to heart” communication between the master and disciple. During the taking of the bayʿa, this divine light is transmitted directly to the disciple’s heart, even if the disciple is thousands of miles away. A true walī is indeed not confined to the physical realm. Their being has ascended beyond the chains of physicality to realize in the divine name al-Walī, which in its core reality is a subtle meaning subsisting within the divine essence. Allah Most High says: “Allah is the walī of those who have faith; He takes them out of darknesses into the light.” (Qur’an 2:257). The disciple thus experiences through the bayʿa of the Karkariya, via the intermediary of the luminous walī, an inner vision of light, witnessing the timeless nature of light and its role in maintaining true life. Since 2007, Shaykh al-Karkari’s disciples have reported this phenomenon, continuing the ancient tradition of spiritual awakening.

In a world where faith and science are often viewed as opposites, Popp’s work and al-Karkari Sufi teachings show that these two approaches can complement and enrich each other. Light, whether observed in the laboratory or experienced in the heart’s intimacy, emerges as a universal language, a bridge between the visible and invisible worlds. By delving into the mysteries of this light, both physical and spiritual, whose role is to reveal the concealed and make it apparent, we move closer to an intimate understanding of our own existence and our place in the universe and simultaneously the nature of our Lord and originator, Allah.

Footnotes:

[1] Dr. Fritz-Albert Popp, Biophotons, Institute Biophysics, YouTube video, 4:39, April 28, 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R30YKfEuyo0.

[2] Albert Einstein, "On a Heuristic Viewpoint Concerning the Production and Transformation of Light," Annalen der Physik 17, no. 6 (1905): 132–148.