Allah is Light

 بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ 

In the Name of Allah, the Rahman, the Merciful

الصلاة والسلام عليك يا سيدي يا رسول الله

اَللّٰہُ نُوۡرُ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالۡاَرۡضِ

Allah is the Light of the Heavens and the Earth

(Surah 24, Ayah 35)

One of the ninety-nine Names of Allah is Al-Nur, the Light. But as Imam al-Nawawi has explained, this does not mean that Allah is literally light, but rather that He is the Guide, and Possessor of Light:

وَمَنَ الْمُسْتَحِيلِ أَنْ تَكُونَ ذَاتُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى نُورًا إِذِ النُّورُ مِنْ جُمْلَةِ الْأَجْسَامِ وَاللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى يَجِلُّ عَنْ ذَلِكَ هَذَا مَذْهَبُ جَمِيعِ أَئِمَّةِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَمَعْنَى قَوْلِهِ تعالى الله نور السماوات والارض وَمَا جَاءَ فِي الْأَحَادِيثِ مِنْ تَسْمِيَتِهِ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى بِالنُّورِ مَعْنَاهُ ذُو نُورِهِمَا وَخَالِقُهُ وَقِيلَ هادى أهل السماوات والأرض وقيل منور قلوب عباده المومنين وقيل معناه ذُو الْبَهْجَةِ وَالضِّيَاءِ وَالْجَمَالِ وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ

It is impossible for the essence of Allah the Exalted to be light, since light is a physical entity, and Allah, holy and exalted is He, is far above such a thing. This is the doctrine of all the Imams of the Muslims. The meaning of His saying, “Allah is the Light of the Heavens and the Earth” and what has come in the Hadiths about Him, holy and exalted is He, being named the Light means that He is the possessor of their light and their Creator. It has also been said that He is the Guide of the inhabitants of the Heavens and the Earth, and it has been said that He illuminates the hearts of His believing servants, and it has been said that it means He is the possessor of joy, radiance, and beauty, and Allah knows best (Sharh al-Nawawi ala Muslim, v.3, pp.12-13)

Regarding the Hadith in which Abu Dharr, may Allah be pleased with him, asked the Prophet, peace be upon him, if he saw his Lord, and the Prophet, peace be upon him, answered:

نُورٌ أَنَّى أَرَاهُ

“Light, how could I see Him?” (Sahih Muslim: Kitab al-Iman)

It is said that the Hadith could also be read:

نُورٌ إِنِّى أَرَاهُ

“(He is) Light, I saw Him.”

But Imam al-Nawawi has argued against such a reading:

قَوْلُهُ عَنْ أَبِي ذَرٍّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ سَأَلْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ هَلْ رَأَيْتَ رَبَّكَ فَقَالَ نُورٌ أَنَّى أَرَاهُ وَفِي الرِّوَايَةِ الْأُخْرَى رَأَيْتُ نُورًا أَمَّا قَوْلُهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ نُورٌ أَنَّى أَرَاهُ فَهُوَ بِتَنْوِينِ نُورٍ وَبِفَتْحِ الْهَمْزَةِ فِي أنى وتشديد النون وفتحها وأراه بِفَتْحِ الْهَمْزَةِ هَكَذَا رَوَاهُ جَمِيعُ الرُّوَاةِ فِي جَمِيعِ الْأُصُولِ وَالرِّوَايَاتِ وَمَعْنَاهُ حِجَابُهُ نُورٌ فَكَيْفَ أَرَاهُ قَالَ الْإِمَامُ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْمَازِرِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ الضَّمِيرُ فِي أَرَاهُ عَائِدٌ عَلَى اللَّهِ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى وَمَعْنَاهُ أَنَّ النُّورَ مَنَعَنِي مِنَ الرُّؤْيَةِ كَمَا جَرَتِ الْعَادَةُ بِإِغْشَاءِ الْأَنْوَارِ الْأَبْصَارَ وَمَنْعِهَا مِنْ إِدْرَاكِ مَا حَالَتْ بَيْنَ الرائى وبينه وقَوْلُهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ رَأَيْتُ نُورًا مَعْنَاهُ رَأَيْتُ النُّورَ فَحَسْبُ وَلَمْ أَرَ غَيْرَهُ قَالَ وَرُوِيَ نُورَانِيٌّ أَرَاهُ بِفَتْحِ الرَّاءِ وَكَسْرِ النُّونِ وَتَشْدِيدِ الْيَاءِ وَيَحْتَمِلُ أَنْ يَكُونَ مَعْنَاهُ رَاجِعًا إِلَى مَا قُلْنَاهُ أَيْ خَالِقُ النُّورِ الْمَانِعُ مِنْ رُؤْيَتِهِ فَيَكُونُ مِنْ صِفَاتِ الْأَفْعَالِ

His statement on the authority of Abu Dharr, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: I asked the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, ‘Have you seen your Lord?’ He said, ‘Light, how could I see Him?’ and in another narration, ‘I saw light.’ As for his statement, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, ‘Light, how could I see Him?’ it is with the nunation of ‘light’ and with the hamza in ‘how could I see Him’ pronounced with a fatha, and the nun is doubled and pronounced with a fatha, and ‘I saw Him’ with the hamza pronounced with a fatha. This is how all the narrators in all the narrations transmitted it. The origins and narrations and its meaning is that His veil is light, so how can I see Him? Imam Abu Abdullah al-Mazari, may Allah have mercy on him, said: The pronoun in ‘I see Him’ refers to Allah, Glory be to Him, the Most High, and its meaning is that the light prevented me from seeing Him, as is the custom of lights covering the eyes and preventing them from perceiving what came between the seer and Him. And his saying, may Allah’s blessing and peace be upon him, ‘I saw a light.’ Its meaning is: I saw the light and nothing else. He said: It was narrated as ‘I see a light’ with a fatha on the ra, a kasra on the nun, and a shadda on the ya. It is possible that its meaning is related to what we said, i.e., the Creator of the light who prevents seeing it, so it would be one of the attributes of actions. (Sharh al-Nawawi ala Muslim, v.3, p.12)

The heretical Mujassimah and Mushabbihah believed that God is literally a body of light, or that His Being is from the substance of light. For instance, the Rafidi Shiite heretic, Hisham bin Salim, believed:

وقال هشام بن سالم إنه تعالى على صورة إنسان أعلاه مجوف وأسفله مصمت وهو نور ساطع يتلألأ وله حواس خمس ويد ورجل وأنف وأذن وفم وله وفرة سوداء هي نور أسود لكنه ليس بلحم ولا دم

Hisham bin Salim said that the Most High is in the form of a man. His upper part is hollow and lower part solid. He is a bright radiant light and has five senses, a hand, a foot, nose, ear, mouth, and he has black hair, which is black light, but is not flesh and blood. (al-Milal wal-Nihal, p.188)