Light (al-nūr) is the source of all that exists, the wellspring from which everything flows. It is not the created world that gives rise to light, but rather, the created world bears the imprint, the trace (athar), of this primordial light. The first luminous trace of this divine radiance was the light of the Prophet ﷺ, as revealed in the sacred ḥadīth qudsī: "I grasped a handful of My light, and said: Be Muḥammad," [1] and again: "The first thing Allāh created was the light of your Prophet, O Jābir." [2]

The concept of light (nūr) invites both wonder and bewilderment. We encounter ḥadīths that seem to speak of two distinct lights: the light of the Prophet ﷺ as the first creation, and the light of the Divine witnessed by the Prophet ﷺ himself. This apparent paradox unveils a profound truth: there are indeed two lights—the Light of the Creator and the light of the created, which is the light of the Prophet ﷺ.

When one speaks of witnessing the light (nūr) of the Chosen One ﷺ, it is to speak of the highest exemplification of Allāh’s light. This light, the pinnacle of similitudes, takes the example of the niche, the lamp, the crystal, and the radiant star. As for the Light of the Almighty, it transcends all comparison, delimitations, and description. It is the boundless, absolute light of the Creator, the source of all illumination and being.

The Light (nūr) of Allāh JJJ is the light of al-ʿamāʾ (the heavy cloud), representing the primordial, pre-creation state of divine obscurity or formlessness. He was, and nothing existed alongside Him, as the Prophet ﷺ declared: "He was in al-ʿamāʾ, with no air beneath Him and no air above Him." [3] Yet, there are some who, having read a few scattered texts, mistakenly believe they have grasped the totality of truth and deny the created nature of light, even denying the very act of creation itself. We must strive for deeper understanding, discerning the distinction between the created light of the Prophet ﷺ and the uncreated, eternal light of Allāh JJJ.

When we speak of the light of the Prophet ﷺ, we refer to a created light—the first light brought forth by Allāh JJJ. From this light, all other creations emerged. However, when we speak of the light of the Creator, it is beyond the confines of createdness. The ḥadīth is clear. When the Prophet ﷺ was asked, "Have you seen your Lord?" he responded: "A light I am seeing!" [4]

As we walk the path of spiritual cultivation, we should strive to embody the supplication the Prophet ﷺ made when departing his house for the mosque: "O Allāh, place light in my heart, light in my hearing, light in my sight," [5] asking that our limbs be transformed from their physical nature into their original essence—the primordial light, the first light created by the Creator, which is the light of the Prophet ﷺ.

However, when he prays at the end of the supplication: "Magnify the light within me," [6] it is as though he is asking: "Veil me from the light from which I was created, through the vision of Your unmatched light. Draw me into Your Divine Presence, O Lord, and immerse me within it, for You have power over all things."

Indeed, when our Lord wills something, He simply says: "Be!" and it is. [7]

Footnotes:

[1] Al-Ṣafūrī, Nuzhat al-Majālis, Chapter on "The Birth of the Chosen One," vol. 2, p. 74.

[2] Al-ʿAjlūnī, Kashf al-Khafāʾ, vol. 1, p. 265, ḥadīth no. 827; Al-Ṣāwī, Bulghat al-Sālik, vol. 4, p. 778.

[3] Ṭayālisī, Musnad Abī Dāwūd, vol. 2, p. 418, ḥadīth no. 1189; Aḥmad, Musnad, vol. 26, p. 108, ḥadīth no. 16188; Ibn Mājah, Sunan, vol. 1, p. 64, ḥadīth no. 182; Tirmidhī, Sunan, vol. 5, p. 186, ḥadīth no. 3109.

[4] Nawawī, Sharḥ al-Nawawī ʿalā Muslim, vol. 3, p. 389, ḥadīth no. 178.

[5] Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, vol. 11, p. 116, ḥadīth no. 6316; Muslim, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, vol. 1, p. 526, ḥadīth no. 763.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Qurʾān 36:82.