The Second Angle
The Second Angle:
The second angle is the idaafah (relating) of the maf’uool (object) to its faa’il (active subject). Ibnul Qayyim said: “This is mentioned in the saying of Allaah, Most High: The parable of His Light is as (if there were) a niche and within it is a lamp, and the lamp is in glass, the glass as it were a brilliant star, lit from a blessed tree, an olive, neither of the east9 nor of the west10, whose oil would almost glow forth (of itself), though no fire touched it. Light upon Light! Allaah guides to His Light whom he wills. And Allaah sets parables for mankind, and Allaah is the All-Knower of everything.” [TMQ; An-Nur (24): 35] It means: The parable of Allaah’s Light in the heart of his believing slave. The one having the greatest share of this Light is His
Messenger Muhammad . This Light relates to Allaah being the One who grants and bestows it upon His slave. It is also related to the slave since he is its place (mahalluhu) and favorable recipient (qaabiluhu).This light has a:
1-faa’il (active subject),
2-qaabil (recipient),
3-mahal (place),
4-haamil (carrier), and
5-and maadah (substance). The aayah above comprises all of these mattters in detail: The faa’il (One Who does this) is Allaah, Most High, the One Who makes the lights to abound, Who guides to His Light whom He
Wills. The favorable recipient (al-qaabil) is the believing slave. The place of reception (mahal al-qubool) is the believer’s heart. The haamil (carrier) is his motivation, determination, and will.
The maadah (substance) is his sayings and actions.”11 “The light which Allaah puts in the heart of the submitting Muslim is faith in Him, knowledge and love of Him, and remembrance of Him. It is His light (the Qur’aan) which He brought down, the origin of which is in the hearts of the Muslims. Its substance strengthens and increases until it appears on their faces, their limbs and their bodies, even on their clothes and in their homes. On the Day of Resurrection, this light emerges and runs forward before them12 amidst the darkness of the Bridge (Siraat)13 until they cross over it. The (intensity) of their lights on the Bridge will correspond to the intensity (strong or weak) of the repective lights in their
hearts in the dunya (this life). The similitude of this Light and its place, its carrier, and its substance is as the niche which is like the chest [of the believer]. Inside the niche there is a glass, from the most crisp and clear kind. [In the aayah] it is even made to resemble brilliant star in its clarity and purity. This glass resembles the heart [al-mahal]. The similitude to the glass is because it embodies qualities present in the heart of the believer: clearity, smoothness, and firmness. It sees the truth by virtue of its clarity; kindness, mercy and affection originate from it because of its smoothness; it stands firm in holding to the truth and it makes jihaad against the enemies of Allaah, due to the firmness in its structure... In contrast with this enlightened heart, there are two other opposing and blameworthy hearts. One of them is stone-like, harsh, merciless, it lacks beneficience, reverence, and the clarity by which it can see the truth. In fact it is as an ignorant and a tyrant heart; it is neither aware of Allaah (the Truth) nor it is mercifull to the creation. Opposite to it, is a weak, watery, neither firm nor strong heart,… and everything (good, evil, wicked, etc.) that mixes with it,
affects it in its own way.
In the glass there is a lamp and it is the light (an-nur) that is in the wick. The wick in the lamp is the light carrier (al-haamil), and the substance of the light is the olive oil, extracted from the olives of a tree growing in the most suitable place by being exposed to the sun rays all day long. Its oil is from the purest of its kind, clear without turbidity, to the degree that it will almost glow forth of itself. Similar to the olive oil is the substance of the believing heart. It is from the “tree” of Revelation:14 it is the greatest blessed thing and most distant from deviation. It is intermediate and, indeed, it is the most just and best of all matters. It did not deviate like the deviation of Christanity and Judaism. In all things it is bound to a medium course between these two blameworthy extremes.Since the clarity of this oil is so intense such that it almost glows by itself, and then upon mixing with fire its illumination as well as that of the fire’s substance of light intensifes, then this becomes light upon light. Something similar happens to the believer. His heart is lit such that he almost knows the truth by means of his fitrah and intellect. His heart, however, has no maadah (substance) within itself. But when the maadah of the al-Wahy (Revelation) touches his heart and the latter rejoices in its company, its light [of fitrah] increases by the light of al-Wahy. The light of al-Wahy adds up to that of fitrah and it becomes a light upon light. So, the believer would almost speak the truth even though he may have not heard an evidence. He later became corrupt, or were led astray. If they do not repent, and clean their hearts and follow the way of Revelation, they may subject themselves to the punishment of Allah, which may manifest itself in different ways on the individual and (or) the society levels. When the way of uncontrolled lusts and desires takes over the heart of man, he will turn away from the Revelation and may choose for himself ways of “worship” or “religions” that ascribe best to his desires. The goal becomes the life of this world only, turning man to forget as to what occurs after death. He is overwhelmed by the “developments” taking place around him in all walks of life and wants to keep “on track”! Life turns to “drug stores” asking for “pills” to ease down the “rush”, or to “therapeutic clinics” to “relief” the worry and the sad heart! Or to suicide! Sometimes taking other lives with him.
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9It does not get sun-rays only in the morning.
10Nor it gets sun-rays only in the afternoon, but it is exposed to the sun all day long.
11Ibnul Qayyim in Ijtimaa’ al-Ju-yoush al-Islaamiyyah, pp.45-54.
12Allaah Says: (The believer’s) Light will run forward before them. (Qur’aan 66:8)
13Siraat: The Bridge over the midst of Hell; It is extremely slippery; On it there are hooks, claws, and bars; Over it mankind will pass. The believers, as the Prophet explained, “Will pass like the blink of an eye, like the lightning, like the wind, like the birds, and like the fast horses and camels. Some will be saved, some will be lacerated then set free, and some will be thrown into theFire...”. See Saheeh Muslim, V.1, Hadeeth # 352
14What Allah reveals in His Books and (or) inspires to His Messengers. The strength of its “roots” in the heart of the believer depends upon His compliance with its content. That is why there is a variation amongst the degree of faith amongst Muslims. Some are stronger than others in their adherence to the teachings of Islam. There are the obedient and disobedient Muslims. Those who mixed the substance (al-maadah) with ways not condoned by Islam, became corrupt, or were led astray. If they do not repent, and clean their hearts and follow the way of Revelation, they may subject themselves to the punishment of Allah, which may manifest itself in different ways on the individual and (or) the society levels. When the way of uncontrolled lusts and desires takes over the heart of man, he will turn away from the Revelation and may choose for himself ways of “worship” or “religions” that ascribe best to his desires. The goal becomes the life of this world only, turning man to forget as to what occurs after death. He is overwhelmed by the “developments” taking place around him in all walks of life and wants to keep “on track”! Life turns to “drug stores” asking for “pills” to ease down the “rush”, or to “therapeutic clinics” to “relief” the worry and the sad heart! Or to suicide! Sometimes taking other lives with him.
15Ibnul Qayyim’s al-Waabil as-Sayyib, verified by Saleem al-Hilaali (Ad- Dammaam, Saudi Arabia, Daar Ibnul Jawzi, 1415/1994), pp.100-103.
