Allah Annur

سُوۡرَةُ النُّور

Sheikh Saad Al Ghamidi, Annur: 35

ٱللَّهُ نُورُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ

Allah yang menerangi langit dan bumi.
Allâh is the Light of the heavens and the earth.

commentary

The physical light is but a reflection of the true Light in the world of Reality, and that true Light is Allah. We can only think of Allah in terms of our phenomenal experience, and in the phenomenal world, light is the purest thing we know, but physical light has drawbacks incidental to its physical nature: e.g

(1) it is dependent upon some source external to itself;
(2) it is a passing phenomenon; if we take it to be a form of motion or energy it is unstable, like all physical phenomena;
(3) it is dependent on space and time; its speed is 186,000 miles per second, and there are stars whose light takes thousand of years before it reaches the earth.

The perfect Light of Allah is free from any such defects.

مَثَلُ نُورِهِۦ كَمِشۡكَوٰةٍ۬ فِيہَا مِصۡبَاحٌ‌ۖ

Bandingan nur hidayat petunjuk Allah (Kitab Suci Al-Quran) adalah sebagai sebuah “misykaat” yang berisi sebuah lampu;
The parable of His Light is as (if there were) a niche

ٱلۡمِصۡبَاحُ فِى زُجَاجَةٍ‌ۖ

lampu itu dalam geluk kaca (qandil)
and within it a lamp, the lamp is in glass,

commentary

The first three points in the Parable centre round the symbols of the Niche, the Lamp and the Glass.

(1) The Niche (Mishkat) is the little shalloways recess in the wall of an Eastern house, fairly high from the ground, in which a light (before the days of electricity) was usually placed. Its height enabled it to diffuse the light in the room and minimised the shadows. The background of the wall and the sides of the niche helped to throw the light well into the room, and if the wall was white-washed, it also acted as a reflector: the opening in front made the way for the light. So with the spiritual Light; it is placed high, above worldly things; it has a niche or habitation of its own, in Revelation and other Signs of Allah; its access to men is by special Way, open to all, yet closed to those who refuse its rays.
(2) The Lamp is the core of the spiritual Truth, which is the real illumination; the Niche is nothing without it; the Niche is actually made for it.
(3) The Glass is the transparent medium through which the Light passes. On the one hand, it protects the light from moths and other forms of low life and from gusts of wind, and on the other, it transmits the light through a medium which is made up o and akin to the grosser substances of the earth (such as sand, soda, potash, etc), so arranges as to admit the subtle to the gross by its transparency. So the spiritual Truth has to be filtered through human language or human intelligence to make it intelligible to mankind.

ٱلزُّجَاجَةُ كَأَنَّہَا كَوۡكَبٌ۬ دُرِّىٌّ۬ يُوقَدُ مِن شَجَرَةٍ۬ مُّبَـٰرَڪَةٍ۬ زَيۡتُونَةٍ۬ لَّا شَرۡقِيَّةٍ۬

geluk kaca itu pula (jernih terang) laksana bintang yang bersinar cemerlang; lampu itu dinyalakan dengan minyak dari pokok yang banyak manfaatnya, (iaitu) pokok zaitun yang bukan sahaja disinari matahari semasa naiknya
the glass as it were a brilliant star, lit from a blessed tree, an olive, neither of the east (i.e. neither it gets sun-rays only in the morning),

commentary

The glass by itself does not shine. But when the light comes into it, it shines like a brilliant star. So men of God, who preach Allah’s Truth, are themselves illuminated by Allah’s Light and become the illuminating media through which that Light spreads and permeates human life.

The olive tree is not a very impressive tree in its outward appearance. Its leaves have a dull greenish-brown colour, and in size it is inconspicuous. But its oil is used in sacred ceremonies and forms a wholesome ingredient of food. The fruit has a specially fine flavour.

وَلَا غَرۡبِيَّةٍ۬ يَكَادُ زَيۡتُہَا يُضِىٓءُ وَلَوۡ لَمۡ تَمۡسَسۡهُ نَارٌ۬‌ۚ

dan bukan sahaja semasa turunnya (tetapi ia sentiasa terdedah kepada matahari); hampir-hampir minyaknya itu dengan sendirinya memancarkan cahaya bersinar (kerana jernihnya) walaupun ia tidak disentuh api; (sinaran nur hidayat yang demikian bandingannya adalah sinaran yang berganda-ganda)
nor of the west (i.e. nor it gets sun-rays only in the afternoon, but it is exposed to the sun all day long), whose oil would almost glow forth (of itself), though no fire touched it.

commentary

This Olive is not localised. It is neither of the East nor of the West. It is universal, for such is Allah’s Light. As applied to the olive, there is also a more literal meaning, which can be allegorised in a different way. An olive tree with an eastern aspect gets only the rays in the morning sun; one with a western aspect, only the rays of the western sun. In the northen hemisphere the south aspect will give the sun’s rays a great part of the day, while a north aspect will shut them out altogether, and vice versa in the southern hemisphere. But a tree in the open plain or on a hill will get perpetual shine by day; it will be more mature, and the fruit and oil will be superior quality. So Allah’s Light is not localised or immature: it is perfect and universal.

Pure olive oil is beautiful in colour, consistency and illuminating power. The world has tried all kinds of illuminants, and for economic reasons or convenience, one replaces another. But for coolness, comfort to the eyes, and steadiness, vegetable oils are superior to electricity, mineral oils and animal oils. And among vegetable oils, olive oil takes a high place and deserves its sacred associations. Its purity is almost like light itself; you may suppose it to be almost light before it is lit. So with spiritual Truth; it illuminates the mind and understanding imperceptibly, almost before the human mind and heart have been consciously touched by it.

نُّورٌ عَلَىٰ نُورٍ۬‌ۗ

cahaya berlapis cahaya.
Light upon Light!

يَہۡدِى ٱللَّهُ لِنُورِهِۦ مَن يَشَآءُ‌ۚ

Allah memimpin sesiapa yang dikehendakiNya (menurut undang-undang dan peraturanNya) kepada nur hidayatNya itu
Allâh guides to His Light whom He wills.

commentary

Glorious, illimitable Light, which cannot be described or measured. And there are grades and grades of it, passing transcendently into regions of spiritual height, which man’s imagination can scarcely conceive of. The topmost pinnacle is the true prototypal Light, the real Light, of which all others were reflections, the Light of Allah.

وَيَضۡرِبُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلۡأَمۡثَـٰلَ لِلنَّاسِ‌ۗ

dan Allah mengemukakan berbagai-bagai misal perbandingan untuk umat manusia
And Allâh sets forth parables for mankind

وَٱللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَىۡءٍ عَلِيمٌ۬ 

dan Allah Maha Mengetahui akan tiap-tiap sesuatu.
and Allâh is All-Knower of everything.

Teks dan terjemahan dari Quran Explorer.com