In language, noor is light, whatever its glow, rays, or reflection may be. It aids vision. There
are two kinds of light: a light related to the life of this world, and a light related to the life
hereafter. The first, let us say the secular, is also of two types: one is what the mind, the
intellect, can see; it is a Divine light, the light of reason, of the Holy Qura'n. The other is
related to the physical one, that of things which emit or reflect light such as the sun and the
moon. An example for the Divine light is implied in a verse such as this: "... there has come to
you light and a clear Book from Allah" (Qura'n, 5:15). Reference to the physical light exists
in the verse saying, "He it is Who made the sun a shining brightness and the moon a light (a
reflection)" (Qura'n, 10:5). Here, the sun is mentioned before the moon because its light is
more commonly associated with what we can see than the moon.
Al-Noor is the Apparent One Who has manifested Himself fully. The One Who is apparent on
His own and Who makes everything else apparent and visible is called al-Noor Who takes
things out of non-existence and brings them into the world of existence. Al-Noor, Glory to
Him, has filled our world with light and brought it into existence, Who determined it since
time immemorial, Who has illuminated the apparent existence through the sun and the stars,
Who illuminated the world of spirits through the Messenger of Allah, the master of the first
generations and of the last, and He illuminated the hearts through the light of His Divinely
revealed Books. He illuminated those endowed with knowledge with the light of Divine
manifestations. Al-Noor has illuminated the hearts of the truthful through His Unity, and the
conscience of those who love Him by His support for them. He beautified the complexions
and brought life to the souls of the pious through their adoration. He guides the hearts to
prefer and opt for what is right, Who guides the innermost conscience to silently address
Him.
Noor, light, then, has many meanings. One of them is the light of knowledge and scholarship,
which is the dawn of the truth as seen by the heart of a knowledgeable believer. The Attribute
"al-Noor" has been mentioned in the text of the Holy Qura'n and is attributed to Allah in
many places the best known of which is 24:35 cited above.
Ibn `Abbas says that the meaning of this verse is that Allah is the Guide of the residents of the
heavens and of the earth; the similitude of His guidance in the heart of a believer is like pure
oil which shines even before fire touches it; therefore, when fire does touch it, it intensifies its
light, so it intensifies and adds light to its light. The Attribute "al-Noor" is indicative of the
fact that Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth.
There are many other verses wherein reference to Allah's light is made; among them are the
following: