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Is the light mentioned in His, the Almighty’s, saying: "Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The example of His light is like a niche," a characteristic of the essence of Allah, the Most High, and how can this be reconciled with His, the Almighty’s, saying: "There is nothing like Him"?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth, and this is an intrinsic attribute of His, as described by the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. Allah Almighty has given an example of His light in the heart of His believing servant, likening it to a niche in which there is a lamp, which is a metaphor for the light of faith and the Qur'an in the hearts of believers. The lamp is in a glass, as if it were a brilliant star, lit from the oil of a blessed olive tree, neither eastern nor western, whose oil would almost glow even if no fire touched it, "light upon light." This parable illustrates that the pure nature (fitra) of the believer is like the purity of oil, and when knowledge and faith reach it, their heart radiates a great light. Thus, the light of nature, faith, and knowledge combine, which is "light upon light," and Allah guides to His light whom He wills.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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