Answer: It is not said that Allah is light in the sense of physical illumination, because light and illumination are things He created — that is, they are created (mahlūq). A created thing cannot be the Creator (khāliq). It is not permissible to describe Allah by likening Him to something. Without knowing the proper interpretation of the word nūr in the verse from Surah An‑Nūr — (Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth) — it is wrong to call Allah “light”; this is explained in the book Mishkāt‑ul‑Anwār by Imam al‑Gazālī.
Al‑Nur is one of the Beautiful Names (Asmā’ al‑Husnā). However, this nūr is not light in the usual sense. It means that which makes all the worlds illuminated. Just as Allah has the name Nur, our Prophet ﷺ also has the name Nur. This is not like the nūr used for Allah; it refers to brightness, illumination.
The scholars’ explanations regarding nūr are as follows:
He is the One who created and manages the sun, moon, and stars, which are the sources of light for the earth and sky. Allah created all forms of light in all planets — He is not the light for them. If a spark from the lights around the Throne were to come to this world, the world would burn and turn to ashes. Nūr is an attribute that enables visible things to be seen. In this sense, Allah is not called nūr. However, it is used in a metaphorical sense. For example: a book that illuminates — i.e., guides to the right path. Similarly, saying “Allah illuminates the heavens and the earth” means that He is the One who commands and sustains them. For example, a cultured person is called the light (brightness) of his people.
In Arabic, “you lightened me” corresponds to the Turkish “you enlightened me”, meaning you informed me. Because of the relation between light and the eye, the eye is also called nūr. Later, nūr also came to mean insight (baṣīrah) — because with it, understanding becomes stronger.
Some Qur’anic verses regarding the word nūr (meaning of the translations in brackets):
- “Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth.” [Light‑giver] (An‑Nūr 35)
- “Those whom Allah does not give light (nūr) will never have light.” [those without enlightenment] (An‑Nūr 40)
- “Allah is the Guardian of the believers; He brings them out of darkness [disbelief] into light [guidance].” (Al‑Baqarah 257)
- “There has come to you a clear light [the Qur’an] from your Lord.” (An‑Nisā’ 174)
- “There has come to you from Allah a light [the Prophet] and a clear Book [the Qur’an].” (Al‑Mā’idah 15)
- “Praise be to Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth and brought forth darkness and light.” (Al‑An‘ām 1)
- “…It will be illuminated with the light of your Lord.” (Az‑Zumar 69)
- “…that Allah may bestow on you mercy and make for you a light by which you may walk.” (Al‑Ḥadīd 28)
- “…they want to extinguish Allah’s light, but Allah will complete His light.” (As‑Ṣaff 8)
As can be seen, the word nūr has various meanings. In the sense of a created thing, nūr is not said for Allah.
