Allah Is The Light Of The Heavens and The Earth

“Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The example of His light is like a niche within which is a lamp, the lamp is within glass, the glass as if it were a pearly [white] star lit from [the oil of] a blessed olive tree, [it’s Olive is] neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil would almost glow even if untouched by fire. Light upon light. Allah guides to His light whom He wills. And Allah presents examples for the people, and Allah is Knowing of all things”. (Qur’an 24:35)

Many classical tafsir’s (explanations) have been given for this verse, called the verse of Light, by the scholars, most of which can be said to be the spiritual significance of Allah’s words, the verse, just as it begins, is regarding the Light of Allah in the Heavens and the Earth. Allah though did not intend for it to be understood by mankind until the end of time, our time, because this was a promise by Allah in the Quran to the non muslims, that in time he would unravel the secrets of the universe for them, regarding which this verse speaks in very clear terms, the science itself was the thing missing from mans understanding 1400 years ago, and as man gained knowledge of the inner workings of space the promise of Allah to open this knowledge was fulfilled.

“In time We shall make them fully understand Our messages [through what they perceive] in the utmost horizons [of the universe] and within themselves, so that it will become clear unto them that this [revelation] is indeed the truth...”[Qur'an 41:53]

The prophet (saws) himself understood the meaning of the verse because as it is clearly shown in many narrations He had in depth knowledge of space, it’s expansion, the heavenly bodies, their rotation as well as the rotation of the stars and galaxies and the unraveling of it All towards the end of time.

The Sun and Earth follow a specific path, the earth is tilted on an angle as it rotates, and from our perspective “In winter, the sun is relatively low in the sky with its lowest arc through the sky on the winter solstice, on December 21st. In summer, the sun travels a high path through the sky and is at its highest angle on the summer solstice, on June 21st.” this is why to the North and South poles of the earth see extended days and nights lasting for months at a time, the sun is either continuously high in their sky or extremely low.

Hence the summer solstice marks a hemisphere's longest Days, while the Winter Solstice marks a hemispheres longest nights. “As a hemisphere is tilted away from the sun, the length of a day becomes shorter. As it is tilted towards the sun, the length of a day becomes longer”.

Abu Dharr al Ghifari related, “I walked hand in hand with the prophet around evening until the sun was about to set. We did not stop looking at it until it had set. I asked the Messenger of Allah where does it set?…

The Prophet (saws), in a lengthy answer, said regarding the movement of the sun and its path in space… “Every day and night the sun has a new place where it rises and a new place where it sets. (The prophet understood the earth was round and how the sun travels around it as well as what space looked like. He intrinsically said that the sun doesn’t set in the same place, and its orbit around the earth is always changing. Then referring to our perspective of it and this path which creates the summer and winter solstice, He said) The interval between them from beginning to end is longest for the day in summer and shortest in winter. This is (meant by) Allah’s word: “The Lord of the two easts (marking the extremes were the sun rises from on the horizon in relation to the winter and summer solstice) and the lord of the two wests (marking the two extremes on the horizon were the sun sets to in relation to the winter and summer solstice)”(55:17), meaning the last (position) of the sun here (on one side of the horizon) and the last there (on the other side of the horizon)… (referring now to the stars which he understood were other suns, said) All the other stars are suspended (floating) from Heaven (space) as lamps are from mosques (meaning there is more space above them, like the ceiling above the lamp), and circulate together with the heaven praising and sanctifying Allah with prayer (prayer is obedience to Allah, hence their orbit is their obedience and prayer, this is the prophets explanation). 

The Prophet then said: If you wish to have this made clear, look to the circulation of the sphere alternately here and there. It is the circulation of Heaven (The circulation of the Galaxy in the greater Universe) and the circulation of all the stars together with it except those five (it is significant that the prophet (saws) not only understood the stars move and orbit but the heavens (space) as well, both with each other which is the milky way with all the stars contained in it). Their (referring to space and the stars) circulation today is what you see and that is their prayer. Their circulation to the day of resurrection (the day when the Universe will end) is as quick as the circulation of a mill because of the Dangers and tremors of the Day of Resurrection (here the prophet (saws) ties their circulation and speed along with the expansion of the Universe to the end of the Universe, this has deeper scientific implications relating to the expansion which causes the circulation, He (saws) understood this as well because the Quran mentioned the expansion specifically). This is meant by Allah’s word: “On a day when the heaven sways to and fro and the mountains move (the day when the end of the Universe will first begin, its sway refers to the circulation of the stars on that day and hence the expansion will alter and stop, the mountains will move when the fundamental forces like gravity, holding all matter together, solids, liquids and gas’s, will begin to unravel and cease to exist, physics explains that these forces themselves only exist because of the Universes expansion). Woe on that day unto those who declare false (the Devine message). (52:9-11). (History of al Tabari vol 1, Pg 235-236). 

The Quran elsewhere describes the Mountains turning into dust, which will look like tufts of wool as they float by like the clouds, a description of matter coming apart, gravity coming to a slow end and the earth completely unraveling all of which will occur because the expansion will come to a stop. From here the hadith goes on to describe the spiritual existence of the sun and how the Angels are responsible for governing creation by Allah’s command, and how the unseen world, which is the old manner of saying the quantum universe, is connected to the physical world and impacts it, to understand the depths of these descriptions we have to understand the works of scholars like Imam al Ghazali and Imam Ibn Arabi who wrote about Barzakh (the unseen world) and the nature of its existence in this Universe, it isn’t the scope of this work to explain this topic, so we have only quoted the relevant parts. 

Mankind's time in creation, from his first days on earth, is a journey to discover and know Allah through all He created, this is done by what he can achieve in nearness to Him. Beginning with the prophet Adam (as) and ending with the prophet Muhammad (saws), each prophet brought Mankind a step closer to knowing Allah through out our existence in time. This is because each one of them earned with Allah what the previous prophet had not. In relation to this Allah said He would not have created this Universe if it wasn't for mankind, the Ullumah (scholars) explained this specifically meant that if it wasn’t for Muhammad (saws), because He is the person who earned for mankind the nearness to Allah that He wished for mankind, Allah would not have created creation otherwise.

In the Surah of the Star (Najm) Allah said regarding the Prophet (saws), “By the Star when it goes down (sets on the horizon), Your Companion is neither astray nor being misled. Nor does he say (aught) of (his own) Desire. It is no less than inspiration sent down to him: He was taught by one (Jibril) Mighty in Power, Endued with Wisdom: for he appeared (in stately form); While he was in the highest part of the horizon (The prophet asked Jibril to show him his true form, he appeared on the horizon of the earth covering the sky from east to west): Then he approached and came closer, And was at a distance of but two bow-lengths  or (even) nearer (the significance of this is similar to when Allah revealed himself to the mountain for Musa, the mountain crumbled and Musa fell unconscious, it was reported that the prophet similarly fell unconscious when Jibril came close, which can be understood as a simile between the effect of the Angels Light and the Light of Allah); So did (Allah) convey the inspiration to His Servant (conveyed) what He (meant) to convey, [The Prophet’s] own heart did not distort what he saw (of revelation and Jibril). Are you going to dispute with him what he saw with his own eyes? A second time he saw him (Jibril on his night of ascension into Jannah): by the lote tree beyond which none may pass (the tree is called the Lote tree of the Furthest limit, because of it’s nearness to Allah) near the Garden of Restfulness, when the tree was covered in nameless [splendor]. His sight (even at this nearness to Allah) never wavered, nor was it too bold, and he saw some of the greatest signs of his Lord. (He understood what the Universe was)” (53:1-18).

The Prophet (saws) when he gained the capacity (inner perfection) to travel to Jannah He was taken to it, He (saws) kept traveling through Jannah, from one level to another, until He (saws) finally reached the Lote tree of the furthest limit, then He saw Allah directly and spoke to him, Allah revealed to him some of his greatest signs in the Universe, meaning he gave him knowledge of the Universe. 

Abu Dharr asked the Messenger of Allah about his sighting his Lord. The Prophet (saws) said: “I saw the Light only”. Prior to this point in time He (saws) was not capable of handling the true from of Jibril (Musnad) when He approached him a distance of two bows length just as Musa was not capable of Handling the light of Allah when He revealed it to the mountain, but before this journey to Jannah Jibril (Gabriel) came to the Prophet (saws) and opened his chest and washed his heart with Zam Zam water, it was an operation that had to be done so he could travel on this journey, ZamZam is water from Jannah (Heaven), then he emptied from a container something else to wash his heart with, to increase the prophet’s (saws) wisdom as well as the strength of his Iman (inner sight, it can also mean faith), this gave him the capacity for the Journey and to handle the sight of Allah’s light. 

Here we see material things being used to benefit man on a spiritual journey, which shows how the unseen world is connected to the physical one, it isn’t something magic or unexplainable, Allah himself promised to explain it all by the time mans nears the hour, and it is in our time that science began to understand what the universe is and what the sub atomic world (the quantum universe) is.

To emphasis the significance of the Lote Tree of Furthest Limit, the commentators said it is a Tree that sits beside the throne of Allah which no Angel or being can pass, beneath which the rivers of Jannah begin to flow, it was understood that these rivers are a source of Happiness in Jannah most likely due to their origin beneath the Tree. The significance of this location can be gained from the saying of the scholars that what ever Allah does below his Throne He does through the causes of creation, the Laws of the Universe, but what ever He does above the throne He does with His command of “Be”, it is done instantly and is the moment it first comes into creation. The Lote tree is the limit, the last point, that created beings can reach in nearness to Allah. The prophet (saws) reached this limit and saw the Light of Allah.

If we ask what is significant of coming this close to Allah, the prophet (saws) himself said regarding the literal light of Allah, “Allah hath Seventy Thousand Veils of Light and Darkness: were He to withdraw their curtain (meaning they are physical and can be removed so people can see Allah’s light), then would the splendors of His Aspect surely consume everyone who apprehended Him with his sight” (Imam al Ghazali, Mishqat al Anwar), the prophet was capable of reaching the nearest possible place in creation to Allah, the light that He saw was one of the very last of these 70,000 veils and it is significant in physics that he mentioned veils of light and darkness because we now know that Dark matter and Dark energy, the stuff the blackness of space is made from is physical, it isn’t simply empty space, in fact most of the Universe is made from these two substances, so the prophet was saying if Allah removed these veils and we saw His light within the depths of the quantum universe people would be consumed (annihilated) just by his splendor.

The veil’s are the forms subatomic particles have come to take, in the physical world they make up the world and universe around us but Atoms are made of smaller particles and they are made up of even smaller particles, hence the prophet (saws) said if Allah took away these forms (veils) one after the other to a depth of 70,000 forms, some ahadith have 700 or 7000 veils, then man could see the splendor of Allah’s light, if he had the capacity like the prophet (saws). 

This capacity is determined by the purity of the heart to remain free from fault and sin, just as what we do causes the human body to create chemicals, eventually that act will impact the human body on a quantum level (subatomic level), and the acts which have the worst impact at this level of the universe Allah called sins, and some, are worse than others.

And as Allah praised His heart in the Quran during his Isra wal Miraj (ascension to heaven), His inner sight, because of his perfection did not swerve nor was it over bold and bewildered by the amazements that the Lote Tree was covered in. 

Allah was saying that the prophet’s inner perfection His degree of inner purity and His strength of character, was not distracted by the things found in the upmost limits of Jannah (heaven), that would overwhelm others in their joy and wonderment of them, his focus was entirely on Allah despite all these things around him, and this is a testament to how He (saws) lived his life before hand because had He had any bad habits, or distractions, He could to have withstood this nearness to Allah or been able to complete the Journey.

All of this was part of Allah’s plan for mankind, as He revealed Himself to His creation over time, the prophet’s were those being’s charged with knowing Him when He revealed Himself to his creation, even more so than the Angels.

Each Prophet in his life time would draw closer to Allah than the previous Prophets who had come before him and Allah would reveal to him what those before him did not receive, then mankind would have a share in knowing Allah and his universe because of and through the prophets achievements, at times marked by advances in knowledge that mankind would begin to perceive and discover at others by the achievements that the Awliyah (saintly men) would gain. 

Each prophet would “build” on what the previous prophet had achieved, “and that which the Prophets received from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them (they each benefited from the previous prophets work and Allah did not discriminate because the earlier prophets received the reward for the work of later prophets who learnt from them), and unto Him we have surrendered.” (2:136). 

Evidence for this advancement in knowing Allah can be found in the verse “Had We sent down this Qur'an on a mountain, verily, thou wouldst have seen it humble itself and cleave asunder for fear of Allah. Such are the similitudes which We propound to men, that they may reflect” (59:12) The Quran explains the Quran, and the simulated for this verse is when Allah spoke to Musa (as) directly. When Allah sent previous revelations this was not their case, that they could crumble the mountain, because they represented the knowledge Allah was reveling to Man up to that point in time, and the extent to which Allah was showing himself to the universe, it was only when Allah spoke to Musa directly and revealed himself to the mountain, crumbling at the sight of Allah, that this marked the point when Allah wanted us to know Him through the universe to such an extent by seeing him. 

Had it not been for Musa (as) Allah would not have sent the Quran with this quality, Allah says in the Quran that the Quran itself would have achieved this, the mountain would have crumbled “for fear of Allah” after being exposed to the light of it’s revelation. This then is the extent of His Light, that Allah revealed with the Quran and He often refers to the Quran as a light He granted mankind. 

What is the difference between the mountain and mankind, mankind can handle the light of Allah in his self, the human soul is something Allah gave us from himself and He created it in His own image so it can understand His “image”, the mountain which represents the largest strongest thing mankind knew of at that time does not have this capacity so Allah was teaching his prophets the significance of His light by saying to the prophets (saws) it’s force (light) would have crumbled the mountain while the human body can process that light to understand his knowledge. 

Implicit in the fact that the mountain did crumble when Allah revealed his light is the fact we are talking about material things and not something imaginary that can’t exist, and if it is material then science can comprahend it.

Imam al Ghazali as well as many other scholars often spoke about the significance of that light in inspiring man and the knowledge they would gain through it, this was seen clearly throughout Islamic history. With the establishment of the Islamic Khalifa the world saw the most advanced Empire up to that point in time, it was solely responsible for spreading knowledge from east to west lifting Europe from it’s slump and putting mankind on a path of scientific discovery by spreading methodologies like the scientific method which all science today is based upon. 

Allah stated the reality of the matter, “Man shall have nothing but what he strives for” (53:39), Hence the Islamic Empire even though it was relatively still advanced in knowledge, was eventually overtaken when other parts of the world it had lifted, endeavored more than it in acquiring knowledge and achieving what they aimed for.

Muhammad (saws) reached the Lote tree of the furthest Limit, this doesn’t simply represent a distance it represents a degree and extent in knowing Allah, “and he saw some of the greatest signs of his Lord”, He kept approaching until He saw one the last veils Allah veiled himself with, He then spoke to Him directly. 

Unlike previous revelations, Allah revealed in the Quran the full extent of His qualities because that is what our prophet (saws) achieved and this would be the last revelation that Mankind would see and need before the end. Hence the Quran it self would have cleft the mountain apart because it contains a more complete picture of Allah’s qualities and knowledge. 

Because of this all of mankind, whom the prophet (saws) was sent to, has a share in what He achieved, just like mankind had a share in what previous prophets achieved during and after their lifetimes. His achievement signaled mankind's ability to draw even closer in knowing Allah’s attributes through what He created, and that is the entire Universe, seen through our increase in knowledge and Allah’s promise in the Quran to reveal it’s mysteries to us, in time. 

This is what is significance about the verse “In time We shall make them fully understand Our messages [through what they perceive] in the utmost horizons [of the universe] and within themselves, so that it will become clear unto them that this [revelation] is indeed the truth...”[Qur'an 41:53], not only would mankind come to understand the Universe, but Man’s physiology as well, religion was sent to perfect human character by regulating what is good or harmful for man, all through his physiology which is his link to knowing Allah hence man by the end would come to know and understand the entire picture of the universe. 

It is even stated in Ahadith that by the time of the Dajjaal (Antichrist, Allah’s curse be upon him) man will know how to bring a person back to life, indicating we will even understand how the soul interacts with the body. 

The connection, between the two extremes being mentioned in the verse together, was that in order to understand the vastness of space we had to first understand the microscopic world, which eventually lead to our knowledge of the subatomic or quantum world (ghayb). 

If Muhammad (saws) had not reached the utmost part of the unseen horizon in Jannah (Heaven), the lote tree of the furthest limit, Allah would not have granted that to mankind, and if mankind was not capable of reaching that nearness to Allah by the time of the last messenger, through their achievements on earth, He would not have created the Universe to begin with (2:29), because it would not have been capable of knowing Him through all that He wished to reveal of Himself, in creation. 

Allah said to Adam (as) had it not been for Muhammad (saws) i would not have created you, and it was through Muhammad (saws) that Allah forgave Adam (as), when He committed His mistake and was seeking repentance He looked at the Throne of Allah and saw Muhammad’s (saws) name written on it, He then asked forgiveness by His rank with Allah, so Allah forgave him. 

The verse of light is a similitude for how Allah guides mankind to know him through the unseen world, He ends the example He gave mankind in this verse with this exact statement, “Allah guides to His light whom He wills”, and the unseen world (Ghayb) is the Quantum Universe. 

This understanding is clearly indicated by many scholars like Imam al Ghazali, Imam Ibn Arabi and Imam Suyuti (among many others) all of whom said that our imagination is made from matter, the imagination is what we see in our mind and because the word imagination is synonymous with unreal we think it is not real, but the image itself is made up of particles like light and so the scholars understood this was the ghayb, unseen world and that it was made from matter.

Imam al Ghazali even went as far as to say that Angels are made from the same light our intellect is made from, something indicated by Ahadith regarding their creation at the first moments of the Universe, so in this is another clear example of how the unseen world (ghayb) is the quantum universe and the verse of light explains this clearly through everything that it mentions and specifically by what Allah chose to end the verse with.

In literal terms Allah begins the verse of light (24:35) by saying He is the literal light of the heavens and the earth, He then strikes a similitude for how He is the Light of the Universe, the similitude though is not in relation to His “existence” only the “light of His splendor” that represents him and from which all creation is made, minds can not comprehend him and there is nothing like him. 

The prophet (saws) said regarding the literal light of Allah, “Allah hath Seventy Thousand Veils of Light and Darkness: were He to withdraw their curtain, then would the splendors of His Aspect surely consume everyone who apprehended Him with his sight” (Imam al Ghazali, Mishqat al Anwar), some ahadith read seven hundred veils others read seventy thousand veils.

It is significant that Darkness is mentioned along with Light as a veil of Allah, usually darkness, even the darkness of space, is perceived as a color and not a substance or veil, hence this Hadith is saying the dark matter of space is also a veil of Allah, had Allah removed His veil in space, rather than on earth as He did for Musa it would be the dark matter of space being unraveled instead. 

Ibn `Umar narrated that the Prophet (saws) said: "Allah the Exalted created creation in a darkness (fi zulmatin) (Hence the First veil of Allah is darkness); then He cast upon them from His Light (And his second veil is Light). Whoever was touched by that Light, he is guided, and whoever was missed by it is misguided. Therefore I say that the Pen is dry (and all is) in Allah's foreknowledge." (Narrated by Tirmidhi, Ahmad, Tabarani, al-Hakim and Bayhaqi )

We know this is literal because when He removed that veil for the Prophet Musa (as) the mountain crumbled to dust hence Allah is referring to a subatomic depth in the Universe.

Imam Suyuti writes in his tafsir to verse, 7:143, “And when Moses came at Our appointed time, that is, the time at which We had promised to speak to him, and his Lord spoke with him, without any intermediary, with speech which he heard from all directions, he said, ‘My Lord! Show me, Yourself, that I may behold You!’ Said He, ‘You shall not see Me, that is to say, you do not have the power to see me, the use of this expression [lan tarānī, ‘you shall not see Me’, instead of lan urā, ‘I shall not be seen’], implies that it is possible to see Allah, exalted be He; but behold the mountain, which is stronger than you are, and if it remains, stays fixed, in its place, then you shall see Me’, that is, [then] you shall remain fixed [able] to see Me, otherwise, you will not have the capacity [for it]. And when his Lord revealed Himself, that is, [when] He manifested of His Light the equivalent of half a nail of (the) little finger (by similitude to the human body, but even this much is only an allusion and not an indication of Allah’s totality), as stated in one hadith verified by al-Hakim, to the mountain He leveled it to the ground (read dakkan or dakkā’a, meaning madkūkan) and Moses fell down senseless, having lost consciousness at the awesomeness of what he had seen. And when he recovered his senses he said, ‘Glory be to You!, in Your transcendence. I repent to You, for having asked You what I was not commanded [to ask], and I am the first of the believers’, of my time” (Tarsir al Jalalayn).

The Mountain was stronger than Musa (as), what Allah was referring to in terms of strength is the heart, it means the Heart’s firmness in relation to the firmness of the Mountain would have wavered at the sight of Allah’s light and crumbled, this is how a comparison to the solid state of the mountain can be made with the human body, through similar qualities. When the prophet Muhammad (saws) saw Allah, Allah said about him that his heart did not waver, this was it’s firmness like a mountain is firm, nor was it over bold, meaning it didn’t move to want anything, it stayed focused on Allah.

Allah said regarding the mountains “And the earth We have spread it out, and set thereon mountains standing firm, and produced therein every kind of beautiful growth (in pairs)” (50:7), Allah said to Musa (as) when He wished to see Him “but look at that mountain: if it remains standing firm, you will see Me” (7:143) while Allah said regarding the prophet Muhammad (saws) when He saw Allah “His sight (of the spiritual world comes from the heart and it) never wavered (remained firm), nor was it too bold, and He saw some of the greatest signs of his Lord (in the Universe).” (53:17-18).

The prophet (saws) said every person on earth when they are born Allah places a small black dot inside their heart, referring to the “quantum” part’s (aspects) of man’s body (the word quantum is used as a label in this work and not by it’s strict definition), and through the permission of Allah this allows the shaytan (devils) to influence man, this is the test of Allah in this life to see which of us is best in Deed “He Who created Death and Life, that He may try which of you is best in deed” (67:2). That black spot was removed from the prophets (saws) heart when He was young and it was washed with Zam Zam water, this was the first time Jibril (Gabriel) performed a heart operation on him, hence from the start of His life Allah wanted His character to remain firm and it was never shaken or caused to waver by any shaytan (devil). His heart was washed a second time when he was older just before He ascended to Allah, this is how the Prophet’s (saws) heart was firmer than the mountain of Musa (as) when He reached the Lote tree of the Furthest Limit and saw the Light of Allah directly.

“and that which the Prophets received from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and unto Him we have surrendered.” (2:136), it will be Isa (Jesus) when He returns who will benefit from the prophets work and lead mankind in their last period on earth, through him the earth will receive more than it ever did before, but upon his death soon after Allah will take religion itself from earth along with the lives of every believer, and the hour will only come upon the worst of people who know nothing of Allah.

Allah created what is within the Universe from light and this is stated in many narration's, Light is a simile for quantum particles because light itself is one of the only visible quantum particles in the Universe, when the veils of the subatomic world are removed, meaning the forms that the quantum particles have taken are unraveled, His Light of the Heavens and the Earth (nur al samawati wal ard) mentioned at the beginning of the verse of light, no longer takes on the form of these particles. 

The particles are made of smaller particles, this is the same from the smallest one in an increasing hierarchy until we reach the Atom, so at a depth equivalent to what is intended by 70,000 veils, if we were to stare at Allah’s splendor that exists beyond it, it would consume us completely.

In relation to what Allah revealed of himself in the Universe, the heart of Man is the only thing that can encompass the qualities of Allah because it is the part of us that senses the quantum world around us, we can see this through it’s physiology and it’s role in the nervous system of the body, hence Allah said in the Quran, that when the veils upon man’s vision are removed on the day of judgment, “Some faces that Day shall be Nadirah (shining and radiant), looking at their Lord” (75:22-23), the Hearts will be allowed to see Him, meaning they won’t crumble like the mountain at that time. 

Allah in a Hadith Qudsi said: "My earth and My heaven (My Universe) do not encompass Me, but the heart of My servant who has faith does encompass Me." (Ihya Ullum al Deen, Imam al Ghazali), Allah created the universe to represent his qualities but the Universe can not know or represent all his qualities, while the heart of Man can know all of His qualities. 

The heart can perceive the qualities of things, and the quality of anything is a summation of it’s nature, the way it is, the heart encompasses what it looks at in terms of qualities we can perceive and understand, this influences man’s inner vision (his imagination) because mans heart through emotions influence mans mind and what he perceives of things.

Allah said the example of his light in the Universe is like a niche, a crevasse or something similar to a hole in the middle of a wall. In this hole is a lamp, the lamp is in glass, the glass is like a pearly white star, lit from the blessed oil of a blessed olive tree, the fruit of this tree is neither of the east or of the west, and it is fueling itself, whose oil would almost glow even if untouched by fire. This light has a depth and it is light upon light, through this reality in creation Allah guides whom He wills, and Allah presents examples for people, and Allah is Knowing of all things.

The Prophet (saws) said, “Indeed, there is an external meaning and an internal meaning to the Qur’an, a scope and a point.” `Ali, pointing to his breast, said, “Indeed, herein lies abundant knowledge; would that there were some to (comprehend and) transmit it.” The Prophet also said, “We prophets were ordered to communicate with everyone according to his ability to understand.”, and  “Indeed, knowledge has a branch which resembles a hidden thing; no one grasps it except those who know Allah.” He also said, “If you only knew what I know, you would laugh a little and weep much.”

It is significant that Allah ends the verse by saying, “and Allah presents examples for the people, and Allah is Knowing of all things” here Allah is directly connecting the example He just set with His knowing of all things in existence, this is a rule in the Tafsir (exegesis) of the Quran, that any two things are connected when mentioned together like this because Allah often uses descriptive imagery to convey an idea followed by a statement regarding it’s significance or nature, in other words the example He set in the verse of light relates to knowing all things in existence, and all things in existence are made from particles, Allah’s light before it takes on form physically.

The verse of Light is the literal representation of the quantum world and the manner by which subatomic particles exist. 

Physics has discovered that this Universe is made up of small particles called atom’s and these atoms are made up of even smaller particles and they in turn are made up of even smaller particle’s and this goes on and on.

Physics has also discovered that each of these particles exists in different fields spread out through space at each level (or deth), layered one upon the other, a more accurate description would be to say the fields are within each other spread throughout space since we are going deeper into the subatomic world.

There are also forces, very similar to gravity, acting at each level of these particles, they act upon them to bring them together to make up the larger particle’s until we reach the Atom, once matter forms solids, gas’s and liquids that is when the force of Gravity influences them.

This is how something small makes up something larger and eventually in this hierarchy atoms come together to make molecules and molecules and compounds come together to make up the world around us, but before this occurs particles are called Light in the Quran because that is the most descriptive term for a people living 1400 years ago, and Allah said He is the Light of the Heavens and the earth.

Allah’s Light has always been understood as a simile, and in fact he begins the verse of Light by saying “the example of His light is like a niche”, hence his light is structured like a niche in which is a lamp so from the start we know we are reading about an example of something that exists in the Universe. 

So Allah is teaching us his light isn't simply what we know about light by observing it, that simply it shines and allows us to see, He is saying there is an inner structure to it, and this verse describes that inner structure. 

His light has an inner structure that is like a niche in which is a lamp, the light or particle is like a lamp that is in a glass, and it shines like a pearly white star in the night sky. 

From here Allah tells us what it is made of, it is lit from a blessed tree, the tree is a simile for the hierarchy of particles in the Universe, the lamp is lit by Oil that fuels it, the tree is like an Olive tree that produces oil that lights the Lamp (the machinery of the universe). Olive oil comes from Olives hence Ibn Abbas (ra) and Imam Suyuti (among others) both said the words “neither of the east or of the west” refers to the trees Olive, the fruit it bears. 

Hence Allah is telling us He isn't talking about literal fruit, but the example of something (the fruit) that this Hierarchy (tree) produces, from which it’s oil (the forces) come from that fuels the Lamp which is the simile for His light.

Allah goes on to say the Oil would glow even if it isn't touched by fire, meaning this isn't normal oil that glows or burns because of fire, it glows or burns by itself, because this is how the Universe is created to work. 

Allah is again reinforcing the point He isn't talking about normal Oil but a simile for oil from which we would know it’s meaning by understanding it’s role. Real oil allows the lamp to burn hence the oil from the blessed tree allows the Light to glow or fuel the reactions in the Universe.

Allah then tells us the example for this Light is “Light upon Light”, showing us it’s complexity because a normal lamp is not light upon light, it is simply the light coming from the fire that is burning, so the light or particles have depth in space. 

Allah then says He guides to His light whom he wills, this proclamation is connected to the example of the Universe because Allah in His next words encapsulates and concludes the entire verse with the words “Allah presents examples for the people, and Allah is Knowing of all things” hence Allah guiding people to his light is part of the simile for his light in the universe, then the verse ends.

The verse begins by asserting that “Allah is the Light of the heavens (the Universe) and the earth” - The simile of the Particle is Light, both are quantum substances.

Allah then says “the example of his light is like a niche”, light is the particle existing in the field around it, this is like a sea of similar particles together, physics has discovered that particles in space become a “solid” particle, round, only when they interact with something, normally though they are all together like a sea wave spread out in space. A niche is like a crevasse in the middle of a wall, and the wall is the similitude of the field particles exists in, spread out in space as if a wall. 

“Within which is a lamp”, the particle itself, “the lamp is within glass", the particle creating its own outer shell or field as it spins, or becomes a round particle.

“The glass as if it were a pearly [white] star", it’s shine is caused by its excitation that causes it to react to other things around it, as well as want to make up larger particles in the universe.

“Lit from the blessed oil”, particles are created (Lit) from the fundamental forces (Oil) of the Universe, “of a blessed olive tree” the tree is the hierarchy of particles and essentially the Universe itself.

The Olive, (particle), of the Tree “is neither of the east or of the west”, the fruit the tree bears, is the source for the Oil (ibn Abbas), this is the process by which the Hierarchy of particles create larger particles, as the verse explains the fruit is not from any direction we know the east or the west they are created from the depths of quantum space. The smaller particles create the force’s (similar to gravity) that cause larger particles to come together in a hierarchy of particles until we reach Atom’s.

“Whose oil would almost glow even if unattached by fire”, the forces don't have a source causing them to react (glow or burn) like normal fire or anything else we know. The reaction comes from the way the Universe is created (the Tree) and it’s expansion, which causes or drives the reaction’s, basically the movement and expansion of the Universe creates what is in the Universe.

The particle has depth in space, and it is like “light upon light” layered on top of or within each other, each particle created from smaller particles in an ongoing hierarchy.

Through this reality of space “Allah guides to His light whom He wills”, through this blessed Tree Allah guides man to Him. 

As Man’s consciousness and imagination is a state of matter, like a solid or liquid is made from matter, it to is made of quantum particles, it is born from the very same laws that govern this Universe and Allah guides man through it to Himself, “Those who strive hard in Us, We shall most surely guide them in our Ways” (29:69), this is the significance of the verse of light to the nature of man and how Allah guides him, this is why Allah mentioned this at the end of the verse He was saying man is guided to him through the quantum universe and this is what that Universe looks like. 

“Allah presents examples for the people and Allah is Knowing of all things”, this is the simile of the Universe, how it works and how Allah guides man through his own self and physiology, Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth that we should connect our self to. 

Allah said “Consider the human self, and how it is formed in accordance with what it is meant to be, And inspired it (with) what is wrong for it and (what is) right for it. To a happy state shall indeed attain he who causes this [self] to grow in purity (Zakaha), and truly lost is he who buries it [in darkness].” (91:7-10)

The fact this similitude for the Universe exists in the Quran is mentioned by Allah elsewhere, “We have explained in detail in this Qur’an, for the benefit of mankind, every kind of similitude: but man is, in most things, contentious” (18:54) 

The Prophet (saws) said “Allah the Exalted created creation in a darkness (fi zulmatin)”, Hence the First veil of Allah is Darkness, “then He cast upon them from His Light” And His second veil is Light, the Particles, “Allah hath Seventy Thousand Veils of Light and Darkness, were He to withdraw their curtain (remove their form), then would the splendors of His Aspect surely consume everyone who apprehended Him with his sight”. 

Because we are talking about the first moments of the Universe in this narration the statement “Whoever was touched by that Light, he is guided, and whoever was missed by it is misguided” is referring (among other roles particles and His light have) to Allah decreeing the fate of every single particle in the Universe, from the first moments of it’s creation up to the time of each person’s life then what he will receive in life. The Prophet (saws) said, “The first thing created by Allah was the pen (from light, mentioned indirectly in other narration's), then, He ordered it to write, so it wrote everything that will happen till the Day of Judgment.” (narrated by Tirmidhi, Abu-Dawud, and Ahmad)… The pen can only write that fate after Allah has decreed it, or ‘the Light is cast’, “Therefore I say that the Pen is dry (and all is) in Allah's foreknowledge” right down to every particle in existence, this is the knowledge that was given to the pen to write.

This refers to the fate of man in relation to the Laws of Physics, the Laws governing the Universe, because this was the time the Laws of the Universe were being created, so Allah asked the Pen to record that fate, but his creatures were still given free will to act as they chose, which isn’t a contradiction rather we are lacking the picture the prophet (saws) was describing. 

Man is fated by the consequences of these Laws in life but he still has the ability to choose his path within the boundary of these Laws. Imam Ali (ra) asked the prophet (saws) about fate and free will, are we acting only according to what is written or can we choose, the prophet (saws) replied it is between the two, the Laws governing the universe fates man to act according to what is fated through them but then we decide and make choices in life that fate others by these same laws. 

When Imam Ali (ra) himself was asked about fate and if we can exercise free will the Imam said “You have the ability (only) by the will of Allah, While He has it independently. If he endows you with it that is His favor. If He takes it away from you, that means He is testing you. In any case, you should remember that what ever He bestows on you, He is still it’s owner. If He enables you to do a thing, that is still Within his power.”

“then He cast upon them from His Light” because this is occurring at the first moments of the Universe Allah here is referring to the moment in time particles first took on form from His light, this is the second “veil of form” Allah’s light took, the first being the Darkness of the Universe,  hence from the first moment the hierarchy of particles took form in the Universe that is when Allah decreed the fate of all things He created from them, He then asked the pen to record their fate.

It becomes obvious that, as the hadith is stating, the “Big Bang” began in Darkness, this is also a reference to the role of Dark matter and Dark Energy at the beginning of the Universe, after this Allah created the Particles (Light) of the Universe then they became fated as Allah willed. 

In physics this is not unlike what physicists are saying about the quantum entanglement of particles at the first moments of the Big Bang. Quantum entanglement is a law in physics, just like gravity is a Law. Quantum Entanglement means that multiple particles can link (entangle) together in space, because of the link, if we measure the nature of one particle we can know the nature of the other particles connected to it as well, but the matter doesn’t stop their, because of this connection if we influence on of these particles the connection they have will then change the state of the other particle as well to match what we changed, what is more impressive is that distance between the particles is not a factor, one particle can be on earth and the other on the moon or even the other side of space and they will still be connected and influence each other, quantum entanglement is now a well established law in physics. 

It may not be obvious at first but this property of all particles, as physicist are realizing, is what drives all reactions in space at the deeper levels, it cause all the chemical reactions we know about in chemistry and all the biological reactions we know about in biology. 

We have to keep in mind that because we are looking deeper into quantum space we re looking at what allows chemical reaction to occur in the first pace, and it is literally what moves the Universe because they think that all particles were entangled together at the first moments of the Big Bang and that this drives the underlaying causes behind things on a grand scale, they are today taking advantage of this law by building quantum computers which allow them to calculate anything very quickly because they can do many calculations at the same time, the linked particles do the work at the same time, while normal computers have to do things in a specific order. 

In the hadith the prophet (saws) mentions this entanglement in the terminology of the Arabs living 1400 years ago, “then He cast upon them from His Light. Whoever was touched by that Light, he is guided, and whoever was missed by it is misguided”, this is a reference to entanglement because even though he was talking about humans the prophet (saws) was referring to a point in time when the universe first began and almost nothing existed. 

Allah at the end of the verse of light speaks about inspiring man through the Universe, through it’s quantum matter, the celestial bodies such as the Sun and the Moon produce the strongest fields in space, this influence upon man and their connection to him is mentioned in other parts of the Quran, such as surah al Shams (the Sun), and relate to how Allah guids man through the quantum universe;

Allah speaking about the quantum effects of these bodies on human consciousness, say’s “BY the sun and its radiant brightness, By the moon as it reflects the sun! BY the day as it reveals the (sun to the) world, By the night as it veils it darkly! BY the sky and its wondrous make, By the earth and all its expanse! BY the human self, and how it is formed in accordance with what it is meant to be, And inspired it (with conscience of) what is wrong for it and (what is) right for it. To a happy state shall indeed attain he who causes this [self] to grow in purity (Zakaha), and truly lost is he who buries it [in darkness]. TO [THIS] TRUTH gave the lie, in their overweening arrogance, [the tribe of] Thamud”(91:1-11). 

In this verse Allah refers to the Sun’s brightness, it’s solar activity (it’s radiation and solar flares) that the Moon reflects, then the cycle of day and night or the cycle of increased and decreased solar activity that affects the earth’s atmosphere in this cycle (“the sky and its wondrous make”), and how these effects occur all over the earth and it’s expanse, Allah then directly connects this to the Human self (or soul) who through the quantum aspects of man’s physiology is influenced by this, because of quantum entanglement, man is influenced through them, all the fields and atmospheric cycles on earth are influenced by what is occurring in space and this cycle has the ability to lift man up or depress him. 

We only need to consider how differently we feel during the day from the night, or through different weather cycles or atmospheric pressure, the earth is a giant system that is connected to each other which is then influenced by what is occurring in space. All of this impacts mans consciousness and self to set his mood and influence his character, just as Allah knows the fate of every particle in existence he can inspire man through what to us seems chaos which is only our lake of ability to follow each particles path, and as it has been scientifically observed and recorded for the past few hundred years that when the sun is at it’s solar peak, every 11 years, man goes through periods of increased inspiration witnessed through his endeavors on earth and when it is at it’s lowest man experiences periods of decreased inspiration seen by less significant activity as recored in history and then correlated to these periods by scientists. 

Because Allah was referring to the self directly in relation to these things He was more specifically referring to the quantum nature of Man and it’s deeper connection with the quantum fields that exist in the Universe than the weather on earth. 

This inspiration through the quantum universe Allah decreed from the first moments of the Universe, He similarly inspires man through the quantum bodies such as Heaven and Hell and Quantum beings like the Angels and Jinn.

This entire reality of man being moved by the Universe and the bodies in it the tribe of Thamud, who Allah destroyed, knew about but refused to accept that He was behind this inspiration through these celestial objects. This is something which many ancient civilizations came to realize and similarly worshiped for this very fact, erecting elaborate structures in order to follow their complex movements and maintain a spiritual connection to them, but because they refused to acknowledge their creator who was the actual being responsible for inspiring man, they were destroyed.

The fact that the Soul is quantum and made of matter is mentioned indirectly in the Quran, when a person dies it is only their body that dies while their soul remain’s, Allah says in the Quran “Think not of those who are slain in Allah's way as dead. Nay, they live, finding their sustenance in the presence of their Lord”(3:169), Allah here literally says the souls are being provided sustenance (rizq) by Him, He tied the nature of the soul’s existence to the material world, requiring sustenance, and hence it is made subatomic particles. Another fact pointing to this is that Angels who we know are “quantum” beings because they are made from Light are the ones charged with removing the souls from the bodies, they literally interact with it picking up and taking it to it’s final place, hence this is an example of one quantum matter interacting with another. 

This relates to the surah of the Sun because the word Nafs (self) in the verse can have two different meanings depending on context, one is self the other is soul, some translators of the Quran translate verse seven as “By the Soul, and the proportion and order given to it” meaning the influence of the quantum world on Human character is through the soul, something all scholars agree with. All scholars agree that the soul is our connection to the unseen world (ghayb), and it is the function of the heart to look at the soul, take inspiration from it and then guide man, in the case of a sound and pure heart, or his heart can corrupt him in the case of a diseased dark heart used to committing acts that fill it with darkness. 

Mans heart can be corrupt or pure, listening or ignoring, or as Allah says be a heart of Kufr (disbelief) a hear that is Kufr can not accept the light of Allah in it, an explanation given by the scholars, literally it means when the heart is filled with dark matter it can’t accept light, we don’t intend the dark mater of the universe here but a matter that rejects light. The meaning of the word Kufr is too cover something up, hide it and lie about it, hence Kufr is the literal act of covering up the truth (inspiration) that is being shown to the heart in the literal sense, all of which refers to quantum matter similar to how the image in our mind is made from particles, this is another example of how the terminology Allah chooses is descriptive in literal terms of what is occurring, the word Kufr literally draws a picture of the physical act of disbelief as it is occurring in the human body.

But because quantum mechanics is a recent science scholars have not made that connection between the quantum universe and the unseen world (ghayb) the heart retrieves inspiration from.

Another clear example of quantum physics is the verse “And you threw not (O Muhammad) when you threw, but it was Allah who threw”(8:17), the prophet (saws) at the battle of badr threw pebbles at the enemy, who at some distance away, in a symbolic gesture, they were arranged in their ranks opposite the muslims at the time and Allah made those small pebbles hit the faces of every enemy in their ranks. The significance isn’t the multiplication of the pebbles, Allah has often multiplied food before for numerous prophets (as), but rather Allah made a point of revealing a verse regarding the matter and He highlighted the act of throwing and said it was His entirely. If we can imagine Allah’s light in the subatomic world at the end of the hierarchy of quantum particles, Allah was literally saying He acted through the quantum Universe and through the prophets (saws) action of throwing saying He (swt) was the one who threw. 

Many scholars have written commentaries regarding this fact and the point that Allah nullified the prophet (saws) entirely in this act.

Allah elsewhere in the Quran talks about the first moments of creation, the big bang, the expansion of the universe and many other things all relating to physics and the cosmology of space, as well as it’s eventual destruction in graphic and vivid detail from which we can see the physics of the Universe at play.

A newly emerging field in science is Quantum Biology, which is outlining how the Human body interacts with the quantum world and relies on it. One such example is the quantum mechanical basis of vision, how sight works on a quantum level, photoreceptors in the eye interact with the electromagnetic field that the body produces and is all around us allowing us to see, current outdated models of vision completely ignore the quantum effects at the neural level.  

Light is made from particles called photons, light is also an electro magnetic wave, a wave created from a magnetic wave that creates an electric wave which again creates a magnetic, this process is how light travels through space, when these particles are together we call the light we see the electromagnetic field. The human body through the brain and heart produce their own electro-magnetic field which scientists can measure and even picture through MRI machines, literally the human body creates it’s own light which is another reason why Light mentioned in the religious sense is a simile for the particles of space. 

We see light when photons, the particle light is made from, of an appropriate (specific) wavelength reach the photoreceptor cells in the retinas of our eyes. The energy from the photon is converted into chemical energy via a process in the body called photo-transduction, which sends an electrochemical signal to the visual cortex, the photons are absorbed by a chemical called retinal, which isomerizes the atoms. 

One of the Bodies main roles is to convert one form of energy into another, this is the most significant manner by which the body interacts with the quantum universe. Our body is using “metabolic energy” (chemical energy) converted and derived from the last meal we ate, energy is constantly flowing in the body and it changes forms as it passes between one system and another. For example if we take our “metabolic energy” and rub our hands together, we have turned it into “mechanical energy” (the sum of, potential energy and kinetic energy), our hands will then heat up and that is “mechanical energy” being turned into heat or “thermal energy”, in fact every cell in our body relies on the light in the universe to feel the reactions occurring in them. 

The Law of “Conservation of Energy” states that energy cannot be created or destroyed; however, it can be transformed or transferred, and the Universe is full of energy we use on daily basis, which the prophet understood entirely, seen in many of his actions, or sunnah. 

Science is interested in how each of these processes occurs at the molecular and quantum level, how one atom interacts with another atom to pass energy along and to trace that process in every step detailing the forces at work.

Light is broadly of two kinds, visible and invisible light, invisible light or Photons are in fact one of the most common particles in the Universe. We only see light when it’s wavelength is roughly between 400nm and 700nm in length because that is the length our eye receptors pick up. We can think of this in terms of a wave of light that is condensed to a specific length in space, anything outside this range is invisible to us. There is a relationship between how short or long a wave is and the amount of energy it has, short waves have higher energy, all the energy is condensed into a smaller area and long waves have less energy, all the energy is spread out over a larger area. Hence radiation has short waves with a lot of energy while radio has long waves with less energy.

The energy from the photon is converted into chemical energy by the body, Isomerization occurs and “it is a matter of nudging a chemical from one structural form to another, without actually changing the chemical formula. Molecules, have energy levels just like electrons in atoms, and in order to effect this change in the retinal via photo-excitation, the photon has to have enough energy to cause a transition between the isomers” this is why some type of light can cause the reaction while other types can’t, this is all a matter of quantum mechanics.

One ramification from quantum mechanics is the understanding of how humans experience vision’s in front of them, and in other instances mirages, we understand that they occur but only now can science explain how. If we can imagine the Angel Jibril (as) coming to the prophet (saws), His body is made from Light, Photons, and essentially vision is a matter of providing the energy necessary to cause the reaction in the human body and eye to occur, in turn the image in our minds eye, our imagination, is connected to our physical vision and relies on it. 

In normal vision light bounces of the objects around us and this is how we see the world from a normal source of light, hence there is no reason why the human body cannot see in other ways if the source of light is from something else, it is all a matter of physics.

If we understand that human consciousness is a state of matter and quantum (a finite structure) and that our inner eye (sight), what we understand as our imagination, are particles looking into the quantum world; Imam al Ghazali said regarding events on the day of judgment: “In that hour (it) shall be said unto (man), We have stripped from thee the Veil that covered thee and thy (inner) vision, this day is iron” (50:22). 

Meaning the veil stopping us from seeing the things Allah created from Quantum matter will be removed from our inner sight and we will see the quantum world completely, we will see both the physical world and the quantum world together in front of us, a world in which beings made from quantum particles exist, the Angels from light and the Jinn from thermal energy, Allah on the day of judgment has removed the veils He placed on our sight in this world, and will say to mankind ‘this day is iron’, meaning that ephemeral image from the quantum world can now be seen as solid as steel. 

Imam al Ghazali continues, “Now that covering Veil (on the inner eye) is that of the imagination and fantasy (what deluded man in life and distorted his imagination); and therefore the man who has been deluded by his own fancies, his false beliefs, and his vain imaginations (this is the distortion (veil) on our inner sight), replies: "Our Lord! We have seen Thee and heard Thee! O send us back and we will do good. Verily now we have certainty in knowledge!” 

Different types of human actions produce different chemical reactions in the body, which in turn impacts mans perception and that image accordingly. A scholar once said: O Sayyid! (Master) A gnostic of high degree used to say, ‘Being a dervish (an ascetic) is to correct the imagination.’ In other words, nothing other than the Real (Haq) should remain in the heart. In truth, he spoke well. O Sayyid! Since the veil is nothing but imagination, the veil must be lifted through imagination. Night and day you must dwell in imagining Oneness (Shaykh Baqi's son, Khwaja Khurd). Tawhid or oneness, in this context is to focus your inner sight so it isn't split between the thing’s you desire, love and chase after, the term unity is sometimes translated incorrectly in this context, it essentially means that relying on Allah focus’s the inner self and imagination to perceive were his signs are in creation.

Allah says about this in the Quran “We detail our signs for people who understand” (6:98), meaning knowledge and understanding are required to perceive the signs because our understanding directs our perception to them.

“Thus do We explain the signs in detail! Perchance they may turn (unto us)”.(7:174)

“And He shows you always his signs (they are always present for people to perceive); Then which of the signs of Allah will you deny?”(40:81)

About the universe the Quran says “Our Lord you have not created this without purpose! Glory be to thee! Give us salvation from the penalty of the fire.”(3:190-1)

Imam al Ghazali continues, (If the imagination leeds to something real then…) “Perhaps you will say, we see those who are Possessed of intelligence making mistakes (how can that vision be accurate and real) nevertheless, I reply, their imaginative and fantastic faculties often pass judgements and form convictions which they think are the judgements of intelligence. The error is therefore to be attributed to those lower faculties (of man, what we see is real because it’s created from particles but our judgment relies on the self which makes false interpretations and allusions). But when the intelligence is separated from the deceptions of fantasy and imagination (that produce false images), error on its part is inconceivable; it sees things as they are [Angels who are made of quantum particles, Light, don’t have imagination, it is only part of our physiology, they only see what is real, the prophets and Awliya have achieved something similar to them). This separation is, however difficult, and only attains perfection after death. Then is (our) error (in life) unveiled, and then are (the) mysteries brought to light, and each one meets the weal (a sound, healthy, or prosperous state ) or the woe which he has already laid up for himself (through his actions in life), and "beholds a Book (of accounts), which reckons each venial (small) and mortal sin, without omitting a single one” (Imam al Ghazali, Mishkat al Anwar).

If we consider our physiology which contains an imagination, the Angels which don’t have an imagination and the Jinn who are somewhere between the two, having a limited imagination while experiencing this world from almost the quantum level of light that Angels experience it from, we can understand our nature in comparison to theirs. Both Jinn and Angels are made of small particles the same particles as our imagination and both are described as ‘beings who inspire man’ to good or bad through his self, his “quantum imagination”, this is a complete picture of the world we live in and everything we experience in life, mans inner self is connected to the quantum universe and his imagination is manipulated by the Jinn or guided by the Angels. 

The Angels don’t have an imagination because they exist in the quantum world, the place of the imagination and are made from it’s particles, there is nothing to inspire them except Allah and the things He granted them, like the preserved tablet (Lawh al Mahfuz) from which they take instructions and govern things. 

If we consider how the quantum Universe is an inner universe whose depth is immeasurable we can understand that the Angels exist at the most fundamental (deepest) depths of the Universe that a being can exist, while the Jinn exist between us and the Angels on this earth, above the level of Atoms but they are not made from physical matter. 

Essentially this is the same difference between Light made from photons and Fire made by the reactions between atoms, Angels are created from Light a sub atomic particle, while the Jinn are created from Thermal Energy, Heat or fire, a mixture of particles that are larger than the Atom and humans by comparison are made from compounds and molecules. In their existence the Jinn are similar to sound waves moving around us while Angels are like the speed of light.

Imam Ali said “The vision of the eye is limited; the vision of the heart transcends all barriers of time and space”. 

If the Imagination is made from quantum particles then it is subject to the laws of quantum mechanics, Laws like quantum entanglement, quantum teleportation and quantum superposition, Laws which explain how the vision of the heart transcends both time and space, the heart’s emotions and what it senses encompasses what the mind knows and shapes the ultimate image it sees, something that is established physiologically.

Imam al Ghazali explained that, “while the intelligence of men does truly see, the things it sees are not all upon the same plane (from a single source). Its knowledge is in some cases, given (pre conceived), that is, present in the intelligence (and this can be explained by) the axiomatic truths (sayings) that ‘a thing cannot be both with and without an origin’ (a beginning); or ‘existent and non-existent’. This is the meaning of the Prophets (saws) words, “Beware the vision of the believer, for he sees with the light of Allah,” (the origin of his sight is the ‘light’ of Allah, contrast this to vision from a deluded imagination) then he recited the verse: “Therein lie portents for those who read the signs” (al-mutawassimin)” (15:75) (Tirmidhi).

Essentially everything we imagine has an origin and existence even false images and thoughts, our experience of the world comes from the superposition of our preconceived knowledge, sounds we hear, images we see and what we feel, our senses all superimposed on top of each other to make up our experience, if one of our senses is weak or mistaken then that entire experience is flawed and can become deluded, while the Angels whose sight is perfect and senses are always exact, their perfect attributes stop them from having an imagination. 

If imagination is likened to a sense of wonder about the world then they are not in need of it they always see the matter exactly as it is, they are only limited by the amount of knowledge they posses, as they said to Allah: "Limitless art Thou in Thy glory! No knowledge have we save that which Thou hast imparted unto us. Verily, Thou alone art all-knowing, truly wise”. While Allah said in reply to them “Did I not say unto you, `Verily, I alone know the hidden reality of the heavens and the earth (referring to physics itself), and know all that you bring into the open and all that you would conceal’?”(2:31-33) 

The words of Allah ‘all that the angels would bring into the open or conceal’ is a reference to their actions and role in the universe at the quantum level going to the physical one this is the bringing into the open (the physical world) and the concealment (going into the quantum world), Allah gave them the decisions to make about how things move between the two and in relation to this role Allah referred to the laws of Physics behind the heavens and the earth, the “hidden reality of the heavens and the earth”, regarding which the Angels understood that ‘they have no knowledge except what Allah has imparted to them’. 

These verses were a response to the Angels question to Allah regarding Adam’s Human nature, his heart and imagination specifically. “Behold, thy Lord said to the angels: “I will create a vicegerent on earth.” They said: “Wilt Thou place therein one who will make mischief therein and shed blood? (A reference to mans nature and his delusion in this place because man had not been placed on earth yet, hence they understood him from his physiology and the knowledge they had from witnessing his creation) - whilst we do celebrate Thy praises and glorify Thy holy (name)?” He said: “I know what ye know not.”(2:30)

Allah then “imparted unto Adam the names of all things”, just like any prophet would receive revelation in his heart, Allah revealed to Adam the names of everything in creation to his heart, except this was not revelation like verses in the Quran to be revealed to people for guidance, He was the first man, it was a gift an ability given to Adam, we know this because Allah wanted to show this ability to the Angels to prove something to them regarding Mankind’s vice-regency on earth, it is a faculty he would need and rely on whilst He lived there, and Allah was teaching the Angels a lesson regarding it. 

The significance of this ability is stated by Imam Ali when he said “The vision of the eye is limited; the vision of the heart transcends all barriers of time and space”, this is the ability of the heart to connect to anything in Allah’s creation, as the scholars explained, it is also a reference to quantum entanglement and how quantum particles can connect with each other regardless of distance, and what it means that Allah placed in Adams heart the names of everything, through these names the heart has the ability to see anything Allah created when focused upon it, which is something mankind inherited through Adam, and in part this is why Allah placed a Barzakh (veil) over mans inner vision in this life, to test his character on earth through faith, which He will lift on the day of judgment, “Behind them lies the intervening (Barzakh) barrier (stretching) to the day of their resurrection” (23:99-100)  this is why ‘the man who (is) deluded by his own fancies, his false beliefs, and his vain imaginations will say to Allah after faith is no longer required’: “Our Lord! We have seen Thee and heard Thee! O send us back and we will do good. Verily now we have certainty in knowledge!”. 

On a Quantum level Physics terms this ability of particles ‘Quantum Entanglement’, were two particles can be connected to each other (entangled) irrelevant of distance and considering the vastness of space irrelevant of the time normally required to travel to it’s location, something Imam Ali (ra) understood from experience and considering what he witnessed. 

This is a well established law being used in Quantum Computers and eventually we may even see things like Quantum Television. At the moment Science can entangle up to around 12 particles together, these particles share information and copy the state of the original particle they are entangled to. The image we see in the mind entangles much more than that, the Law of Quantum Entanglement states that distance and speed is not relevant, hence the heart and imagination can see distant things, we should keep in mind that we are essentially talking about quantum particles coming together to form an image of something, or more precisely to give us ‘information’ regarding it, this the term used by physicist for entangled particles sharing the same state regardless of distance.

Allah after giving Adam (as) the ability to name and hence know all things in creation, decided to test the Angels, to show them they did not have the same capacity as Adam (as), He said to the Angels “Declare unto Me the names of these [things], if what you say is true” a reference to their statement that Mankind would forget Allah, “whilst we do celebrate Thy praises and glorify Thy holy (name)”, because He couldn’t see in such a place, while Allah said “I will create a vicegerent (Allah’s representative) on earth” meaning not only won’t He be cut off from Me, but because of his ability to know distance things with his heart, He is giving him the responsibility of being His vicegerent and representative on earth. 

This ability would come to be most clearly displayed in the Prophets (as) and Awliyah all of whom received visions from Allah, many seeing the Arsh (throne) of Allah or Jannah (Heaven) from earth. The vice-regency of Man was over all other creatures on earth and most significantly this referred to the Jinn who lived on earth, Allah asked the Jinn along with the Angels to prostrate to Adam, this meant they where tasked with helping him on earth, lending them their ability and strength.

The Angels hadn’t yet seen what Allah meant so they wondered how Man could be Allah’s representative in such a place if He couldn’t even see Allah and would eventually cause trouble, from this we can see they similarly understood the nature of the place He was being sent to and it’s effects on his character. Allah created Adam in the best state possible then placed him in the lowest place in existence, earth, “We created man in the finest state then reduced him to the lowest of the low” (95:4-5), we can understand how earth is the lowest of the low if we consider the spectrum of matter from quantum particles to the physical world.

Physical matter is the lowest state of matter while the Quantum (spiritual) world is higher than it. This can be understood from the fact that Hell is a much far worse place than earth, and more deserving of being called low, in it exist the lowest states of existence that a human can reach, through it’s punishment, yet it exists in the quantum Universe along with Jannah (Heaven) and Allah did not label it as Low or the Lowest of the Low. The physical world is the furthest place from the particles of the Quantum Universe, that Allah describes him self with, often referring to his light. Matter in our world has solidified, mixed and formed Solids, Liquids and Gas’s, they are no longer in their purest form, while most things Allah created are still Quantum and invisible to us.

Allah asked the Angels to identify the things He was showing them but their hearts where not able to having no prior experience and no imagination to connect them to it, because they could not name or know anything they replied “Limitless art Thou in Thy glory! No knowledge have we save that which Thou hast imparted unto us. Verily, Thou alone art all-knowing, truly wise”. 

Hence the scholars, who wrote about this in their works, understood from this verse that the Angels don’t have an imagination, or a heart like mans, that allows them to know and see distant things that they have never encountered before, it is the faculty of the human heart to transcend time and space in order to know and see instantly, and it is his state of Human perfection (Ihsan) that determines the clarity of  his perception.

We can think of it this way, the sight of our eyes depends on the laws governing Light, how light bounces of objects and then travels to us determines the distance we see things at, so then how does the imagination see distance or see things at a distance when what it sees is envisioned by the self inside man, in part the law of quantum entanglement explains how how these particles are arranged rather than depending on being bounced of an object in the physical world, and this law states particles can be entangled at great distances thus giving man vision of something at a great distance, it is in this very manner that scientist speculate birds can navigate great distances during migration.

Allah in order to establish the matter firmly in front of the Angels said “O Adam, convey unto them the names of these [things]” that they couldn’t name, Adam then named them, He was able to know and name things He had never seen or encountered before, at a time Allah had not yet placed a Barzakh (veil) over His vision. 

The Barzakh isn’t something impenetrable in this life, rather it is the natural state of things, man can perceive through it as he rids himself of his delusions and persists in remembering Allah, akin to continuously cleansing the heart of rust that builds upon it, this is the significance of prayer for the heart, it allows it to receive more light so it can perceive more clearly.

“And as soon as [Adam] had conveyed unto them their names, [Allah] said [to the Angels]: “Did I not say unto you, `Verily, I alone know the hidden reality of the heavens and the earth (referring the matter back to physics, explaining to the Angels why this is), and know all that you bring into the open and all that you would conceal’?”(2:31-33) speaking about the Angels own capacity in the Universe in relation to their role, the work they do. 

Allah said to the Angels ‘Adam won’t be cut of’ because He knows the Laws of Physics, the Laws governing the Universe, “Verily, I alone know the hidden reality”, there is in fact an entire structure to the Quantum Universe, that our physiology interacts with, which we are steadily discovering. 

In relation to this the Prophet (saws) said: “Trials are presented to the heart (repeatedly) as a mat is woven straw by straw. So, whichever heart absorbs it, a black spot is blotched on it, and whichever heart deflects it, a white dot is spotted on it. (This continues) until hearts become one of two states: a whitened heart that is not harmed by any trial so long as the heavens and the earth remain (implying the Laws governing the Universe), or a blackened, deviant heart that knows no good and rejects no evil except what it absorbs of its desires” (Muslim). 

“so long as the heavens and the earth remain” is a reference to the Laws governing this Universe because it is explicitly stated that in the next life, after Allah destroy’s the Universe He will bring about another creation, it will be governed by different Laws, there won’t be any Sun’s or an Earth or the cycle of death and life, man will have a more direct connection with the quantum universe to sustain him.

“except what it absorbs of its desires” It is through desire that man comes to harm, and in fact desires invite trials into our lives. This speaks to the entanglement of particles and ultimately matters in a complicated manner, as particles are only the building blocks of mans consciousness. The trials being shown to mans heart are created by other people and man is absorbing them through his desire, while we at the same time we create trials that others sense, absorb then experience. This may seem surprising or difficult at first but physicists, referring to the quantum world, are all coming to the conclusion that quantum entanglement is the driving force behind the Universe and the arrow of time itself, something now being suggested in number of research papers. 

It is well established in Physics now, through experiments, that Time and Space are interwoven together in a mesh that is termed by physicist ‘Space-Time’, adding the tangible (4th) dimension of Time to our Universe. 

“Since the birth of thermodynamics in the 1850s, the only known approach for calculating the spread of energy (that would for example break an egg) was to formulate statistical distributions (guess the spread of energy) of the unknown trajectories of particles (moving in random directions), and show that, over time, the “ignorance” smeared things out (sarcastically speaking “hoped the maths worked itself out”). Now, physicists are unmasking a more fundamental source for the arrow of time: Energy disperses and objects equilibrate (become one with there larger surroundings, an example is a cup of coffee calling to room temperature), they say (this is) because of the way elementary particles become intertwined when they interact — a strange effect called “quantum entanglement” and because space is connected with time entanglement drives time forward in space.

“Finally, we can understand why a cup of coffee equilibrates in a room, Entanglement builds up between the state (temperature) of the coffee cup and the state (temperature) of the room.”

“The tendency of coffee, and everything else, to reach equilibrium is “very intuitive”,  But when it comes to explaining why it happens (at the quantum level), this is the first time it has been derived on firm grounds by considering a microscopic theory. It is the loss of information through quantum entanglement (information here refers to the information the particle is keeping to maintain a “hot state”, and then cooling as other particles at room temperature pass on the information they have to the hotter particles)… rather than a subjective lack of human knowledge, that drives a cup of coffee into equilibrium with the surrounding room. The room eventually equilibrates with the outside environment, and the environment drifts even more slowly toward equilibrium with the rest of the universe”. 

It shouldn’t be surprising that every aspect of man is subject to the laws of Physics and the fact that mans consciousness is quantum explains that the self entangles particles through actions man carries out in life and when a group of people engage in similar actions in a city that has a more substantive impact that influences others. 

Many other narrations and verses speak about this, the Messenger (saws) said: “If oppression or evil becomes widespread on Earth (the following is conditioned on oppression becoming widespread), the one who witnesses it and rejects it (in his heart) will be as if he were absent and whoever is absent at the time of the oppression but consents to it (in his self or heart) or is silent about it, it will be as if he witnessed it (i.e. participated in it)” (Abu Dawwud, Baihaqi), Allah created the Universe to show his qualities so He similarly said in the Quran “nor are we going to destroy a city except when its members (all intentionally) practice oppression” [28:59]. 

The Prophet not only understood this matter and the effects of how things are connected to each other in a quantum manner He advised people regarding it in very literal terms, the Prophet Muhammad (saws) said: “No one of you should fear people when he speaks the truth or addresses oppression because his saying will never make him near to his Ajal (appointed lifespan, i.e bring foward the cause of his death) nor will it distant him from his Rizq (livelihood, i.e distance him from his livelihood).”(Baihaqi, Ibn Najar) Meaning that Allah has decreed that speaking out against oppression won’t hurry the cause of a persons death or distance him from the source of his wealth, the prophet advised that “No one of you should keep silent about the truth out of fear of the people”, if death or poverty occur it is because of other matters that Allah has decreed. There are many more sayings of the prophet (saws) like this all relating to the entanglement of matters and fate, which is the greater picture being painted through quantum entanglement.

Allah said: "IS THEN - HE who was dead [in spirit, blind in his heart] and whom We thereupon gave life, and for whom We set up a light whereby he might see his way among men like one [who is lost] in deep darkness, out of which he cannot emerge? In this way the evil deeds of the disbelievers are made to seem alluring to them” (6:122) the darkness in their hearts makes their evil pleasing to them, this delusion is the punishment of Allah causing them to persist in their evil so it becomes their doom in the afterlife.

Mans heart through the nervous system and man’s electrical impulses naturally produces light, it is much stronger than the brains, this is the electromagnetic field by which man’s consciousness is guided, sees and senses the world around it, but when Allah wants to guide a person he adds to that light to show him what He wants to show him, this is why Allah (mighty and sublime be He) said…“When I love him (My servant) I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give it to him, and were he to ask Me for refuge, I would surely grant him it” (Bukhari). 

It was because of this that Allah addressed the Angels regarding Adam, while Angels have strength and capacity and move were they wish and know what they wish after traveling to it, Adam can know them with out having to travel to them in order to investigate them, to show them this Allah brought Adam in front of the Angels and in a single moment asked him to name things he had not seen before, while in contrast Allah described the Angels as the ones who move things about in the Universe and despite this they could not match Adam in his Knowing.

It was after this point that Allah said “And behold, We said to the angels: “Bow down to Adam” and they bowed down” (2:34) if this matter wasn’t significant and related to the Angels entire manner of existence Allah would not have asked them this, they are the ones responsible for carrying out Allah’s decrees, and Allah had just shown them something greater than them. 

By simile we can say that Angels do all the work, traveling from one place to another in order to know everything and earn it, while Adam was given knowledge of it instantly in his heart, this is revelation to the prophets (saws) and inspiration to the Awliya, the prostration was because Adam surpassed them in knowing Allah and his creation, his heart knew the names of everything including all of Allah’s attributes. 

Allah described man’s heart in the following way specifically in relation to this point, Allah said: “My earth and My heaven (My Universe) do not encompass Me, but the heart of My servant who has faith does encompass Me” because the Universe is Allah revealing His qualities to creation and He had just given man the ability to hold it in his sight. 

Axiomatic truths or ‘sayings’ of wisdom can inspire the imagination to see images, so then how is that image the turth, how does the mechanism of imagination work, what is the difference between real and false inspiration and what is the role of the Quran in this matter?…Imam al Ghazali regarding these questions said; 

“There are many other true propositions (than those mentioned earlier by the imam, that guide the imagination to see, but) some (are) necessary, some contingent (subject to chance), and some impossible. Other propositions, again, do not find the intelligence invariably (in every case or on every occasion) with them, when they recur to it (the mind), but (we) have to shake it up, arouse it (the imagination), strike flint on steel (we need to inspire it), in order to elicit its spark (the image). Instances of such propositions are (then) the theorems of speculation, to apprehend which the intelligence has to be aroused by the dialectic of the philosophers”. 

To see the image you now need to speculate, so the entire matter has become delusion as you are adding to the original sense of it from your self. Imagine looking at a tree and every time you describe it with words it changes to take on the shape of your description, by the end the image is what you described and not the original tree, the essence of the matter is that what the mind sees is based on something real but our “description of life” alters it. This is what is known as the self (nafs) and the prophet (saws) said we have to purify this nafs (self) to decrease the delusions in us so our judgment becomes accurate and is then based upon something straight and not crooked. 

In relation to this the prophet (saws) said treat women kindly, for woman was created from a bent rib, and the most crooked part of the rib is the top part, so treat women kindly”(Bukhari), this is seen in women’s emotions which makes it hard for them to see matter straight, these emotions are necessary so man can know mercy and compassion in life through women, it was because of this difficulty that the prophet (saws) advised they should be treated with kindness.

Imam al Ghazali continues,“Thus it is when the light of philosophy (first) dawns (here the imam is only referring to how the mind sees) that man sees actually, after (the clouded mind) having before (only) seen potentially (when man gains the capacity to understand philosophical or more accurately theoretical thought, that is when the mind first opens up). Now the greatest of philosophies (that opens up the mind to see) is the word of Allah in general, and the Quran in particular”. 

The majority of Islamic scholars, including Imam al Ghazali who wrote the famous “Incoherence of the Philosophers”, were all against the use of Philosophy to ascertain the truth of any matter, because it is the delusion of the mind, hence in this old translation of his work ‘Mishqat al Anwar’ the use of the word philosophy is a simile and limited in scope, the Imam is rather referring to the minds ability to entertain theoretical thought which is more grounded in fact than speculation because the mind is pondering things that exist rather than fancy.

Imam al Ghazali is stating that this is the similitude of the Qur'an to the ideational mechanism (formation of ideas) of philosophy to form images in the mind. The origin of Philosophical thought itself is conjecture and speculation and draws the mind to images from the self. While the Quran is the literal word of the Creator regarding what is actually there, what he created. The difference being pure speculation verse an image that is grounded in reality, even if the self distorts it.The Qur’an directs the mind to the things Allah himself created in the manner He created them, like Heaven and Hell, a person’s ability to see them is based upon the perfection of his character (Ihsan). If you say to someone look at that tree, you have directed his sight to that tree which he can now remember at will, this is the example of the Quran, if you say imagine a tree, He creates in his mind the distorted image of a tree, this is the example of philosophy and speculation.

The scholars said that both Heaven and Hell are bodies in the quantum universe that exert an influence on mans mind and consciousness, something similar to gravity, which affects and directs the self, there are many other examples of the unseen world influencing the physical world, mostly through the self, which perceives that level of creation.

All we have mentioned is clearly explained in the famous Hadith of Harithah, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, asked him, “Harithah, how are you this morning?” He said, “This morning I have become a true mu’min” (A person who has believed). He said, “Think about what you are saying! Because every statement has a reality”. He said, “Messenger of Allah, my self dislikes the world, so that it is sleepless at night and thirsty in the day, and it is as if I am gazing upon the Throne of my Lord appearing, and it is as if I am gazing upon the people of the Garden in the Garden and how they visit each other in it, and it is as if I am gazing upon the people of the Fire and how they howl in it”. He said, “You have seen, so remain firm. [You are] a slave whom Allah has illuminated the iman in his heart” (Meaning Allah has illumined the Light of his Heart so he can see). (Tabarani, Suyuti, al-Haythami, al-Askari, Ibn al-Mubarak, Abd al-Razzaq, Bayhaqi and Imam Abu Hanifa, among others.)

Imam al Ghazali continues, “Therefore the verses of the Quran, in relation to intelligence, have the value of sunlight in relation to eyesight, to wit, it is by this sunlight that the act of seeing is accomplished. And therefore the Quran is most properly of all called Light, just as the light of the sun is called light. The Quran, then, is represented to us by the sun, and the intelligence by the Light of the Eye, and hereby we understand the meaning of the verse, which said: “So believe in Allah, in His Messenger, and in the light We have sent down”(64:8) and again (Allah said); “convincing proof has come to you from your Lord, and We have sent a clear light down to you.”(4:174) 

“You have now realized that there are two kinds of eye, an external and an internal; that the former belongs to one world, the World of Sense, and that internal vision belongs to another world altogether, the World of the Realm Celestial (i.e heavenly, or the invisible quantum world); and that each of these two eyes has a sun and a light whereby its seeing is perfected; and that one of these suns is external, the other internal, the former belonging to the seen world, which is an object of sense perception, and the other internal, belonging to the world of the Realm Celestial (invisible quantum world), namely the Quran, and other books Allah revealed”. 

“If, then, this has been disclosed to you thoroughly and entirely, then one of the doors of this Realm Celestial (the invisible world) has been opened unto you. In that world there are marvels, in comparison with which this world of sight is utterly condemned. He who never fares to that world, but allows the limitations of life in this lower world of sense to settle upon him (this life traps him), is still a brute beast, an excommunicate from that which constitutes us men; gone astray is he more than any brute beast, for to the brute are not vouched the wings of flight, on which to fly away unto that invisible world. “Such men,” the Qur’an says, “are cattle, nay, are yet further astray!” (Imam al Ghazali, Mishqat al Anwar).

The Quran described itself as Light in a number of places but what Allah means by light isn’t metaphorical it is intended in the literal sense because He connected it to His light and it has a role to play. Allah says in the Quran “They aim to extinguish Allah's light with their utterances: but Allah has willed to spread His light in all its fullness, however hateful this may be to all who deny the truth”, other translations have “They want to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah will perfect His light, although the disbelievers dislike it”.(61:8) 

Imam Suyuti in his tafsir to this verse says “some have read this in the form of a genitive annexation” a noun being the possessor of another noun (a word used to identify any of a class or group of people, places, or things, or to name a specific one of these things). The Light in this verse is referring to the same thing in multiple roles of efficacy, Allah’s light as the Quran. 

Keeping in the mind what Allah meant by His light in the Verse of light, therefor Light in this verse is literal and referring to Light, or particles in the Quantum world acting to fulfill Allah’s decree, and the Quran is the physical mechanism by which that light is given to people when they recite it or act upon it.

The verse was revealed as a rebuttal to accusations against the revelations of the Quran, but the Quran is being named and referred to in its role as a source of light in the literal sense. A light for the Human being in his soul, mind, heart and body, his physiology. 

This is a reference to the Quran’s role in producing light through mans physiology, as man recites it, acts upon it and through Allah granting it to him. The heart and mind produce light regularly, we need it to survive, but when man prays or acts in the way of Allah, that light is increased and effects the world around him on a quantum level, keeping in mind every aspect of man has a consequence on every level of creation and is subject to the laws of physics, so in this verse Allah is referring to the quantum world entirely, other wise the efficacy (the ability to produce a desired result) of Allah’s promise would be non existent, “Allah will perfect His light” in the world.  

The prophet (saws) understood that Allah adds to a person light and this is established in a number of places, He (saws) would often pray and ask Allah for light in specific organs of the body including his blood, nerves and bones, because He (saws) understood the body required it, this understanding is also seen in His (saws) specific statement to Haritha “[You are] a slave whom Allah has illuminated the iman in his heart”, Iman (faith) in his heart is the light already present in a person, iman isn’t to believe in something without seeing it internally, this definition would negate the need of light often highlighted in Islam, in the context of this Hadith it was a reference to Haritha’s inner sight or imagination, so the Prophet (saws) literally said to Him ‘You are a slave whom Allah has illuminated his imagination’ with His light because they were talking about Allah granting spiritual sight.

“Allah will perfect His light”… Allah’s light is already perfect so this is referring to it’s role on earth, as it was revealed with each verse of the Quran, that will be perfected. This means Allah will perfect what his light will do on earth as it spreads, so His Will and Qadr (decree) will come about in creation. 

In fact the last verse of the Quran which Allah revealed before the prophets (saws) death reads, “This Day, I have perfected your Deen for you, completed My favor (Ni’mati) upon you, and chosen for you Islam as the System of Life” (5:3), Were the thing Allah perfected and the favor (Ni’ma) he gave mankind are separate from the System of Life He asked them to live by. 

This is because Allah in calling revelation Light instead of simply the Quran, as is often the case befitting His knowledge, is referring to multiple levels (or roles) of the single thing in relation to it’s full existence in life. For Example fish need water to survive but at the same time we could talk about waters chemical composition, H2O, and how it reacts with other chemicals, or how the earth and vegetation derive nourishment from it, or how it can be used as a fuel source if we separate Hydrogen gas from it, Water has a number of roles on earth so does the Quran and Allah’s light. 

This is because the Light of Allah that is spreading on earth and whose role is being perfected, essentially affecting peoples fate on earth, is tied to each point in time Allah revealed a verse in the Quran, over it’s 23 year period of revelation, if we can imagine Allah sending down light each time a verse was revealed, and in fact Allah in the Quran took an oath by the greatness of this matter in very literal terms. 

Allah said “Nay, I swear by the revelation of the Qur'an in installments (nujuman), a mighty oath, if you only knew – that this is truly a noble Quran, in a protected Record that only the purified can touch, sent down from the Lord of all beings” (56:75-77)

“Nay, I swear (fa-lā uqsimu: lā is extra) by the revelation of the Qur'an in installments” - Fa La is used at the beginning of an oath when the oath is a negation. Fala! I swear, ‘The matter is not as you people have claimed’, referring to the pagans of Makkah, whose claims it was negating (Ibn Kathir). 

Allah’s phrasing in the Quran, Nujuman, in arabic means the setting places of the stars, on the Horizon, in one context and parts or installments in another context, in fact many exegesis (Tafsir) debate which the verse is referring to. But when Allah uses a term that contains similar meanings in this manner, in the Quran, He is tying multiple things together because the matter could have been stated more directly and literally. The verse is regarding the Quran being sent down from Jannah (Heaven) in installments, this is the heavenly significance of the description. Visually this is likened to the setting places of the stars on the horizon, in their many locations, if we consider the role of the light of Allah this is referring to varied roles each verse has, like the varied setting places of the stars. 

Elsewhere Allah says in verse 3:3 that He sent down the Qur'an (in truth) from between His hands. The significance of What Allah has in his hands is mentioned in surah al Mulk (67:1) “Blessed be He in Whose hands is (the) Dominion (the Universe); and He over all things hath Power”.

At the same time that the Angels are taking revelation (specific verses) from the preserved tablet (Lawh al Mahfuth) to the prophet (saws), this is “protected Record that only the purified can touch”, Allah is perfecting it’s light in the Universe, this is the tremendousness of each time Allah revealed a verse to mankind, He was changing things in the Universe with each verse’s revelation “Allah has willed to spread His light in all its fullness”, “a mighty oath, if you only knew”. 

Islam on earth and throughout History was the role of that ni’ma (sustenance) and light , in other words so that Islam spread as Allah willed for all future generation’s, Allah decreed ahead of time how His Light and Ni’ma will interact with everything on Earth and the Universe so that nothing hinders it, this is the comprehensiveness of Allah’s words in the Quran “a mighty oath, if you only knew”. 

These verses are all an example of how multiple verse’s in the Quran can be connected to each other in their specific phrasing, as well as the topics and knowledge they contain, and why the scholars when they understood this about the nature of the Quran made it a rule in Tafsir (exegesis) that “the Quran explains the Quran”.

Allah said on the day that the last revelation was sent down, He had finished perfecting the role of His Light on earth, and completed his favor upon us, the word in arabic for favor is ni’mati, which is a literal reference to giving sustenance in the common usage of the word. A mother breast feeding a child is giving that child ni’ma, sustenance, so the Quran is a ni’ma for man, something that helps man from the unseen world, from the Quantum aspects of this Universe. 

All of this is an indication that what Allah means by the Unseen world, Ghayb, is the Quantum world and many things in the Deen, that once seemed impossible to some, can be easily comprehended after we come to this realization as Imam al Ghazali tried to indicate in his work ‘Mishkat al Anwar’.

Allah spoke to mankind about the Physics of the Universe and its Quantum nature often and very clearly, "Allah is He, Who is the only God, the knower of the Unseen and the Observed.”(59:22). 

After the fatiha, the opening chapter of the Quran these are Allah’s very next words, they are a mission statement for who the Quran is for, “Alif.Lam.Mim. This is the Book; in it is sure guidance, without doubt, to those who fear Allah, (and) Who believe in the Unseen, are steadfast in prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them.” (2:1-3)

Seeing Allah

The Prophet (saws) said: "When the people of Paradise enter Paradise Allah will say to them, 'Do you need something more?' They will say, have you not whitened our faces? Have you not entered us into Paradise and protected us from Hell? Then Allah will remove the veil. Looking at their Lord will be more lovely to them than anything else given to them. And then the Prophet (saws) recited this verse: “For those who have done good is the best and even more (i.e. having the honor of glancing at the Countenance of Allah (swt))”(10:26)

Imams Bukhari and Muslim narrated on the authority of Abu Hurairah that the companions said, "O Allah's Apostle! Shall we see our Lord on the Day of Resurrection?" The Prophet (saws) said, "Do you have any difficulty in seeing the moon on a full moon night?" They said, "No, O Allah's Apostle". He said, "Do you have any difficulty in seeing the sun when there are no clouds?" They said, "No, O Allah's Apostle". He said, "So you will see Him, like that." 

Our inner sight will see him as easily as our eyes see the Sun and the Moon.

The Prophet (saws) while mentioning the Antichrist (Allah’s curse be upon him) said: “Know that none of you shall see Allah until his death. The word كفر (disbelief) would be written between his two eyes” (Tirmidhi, Sahih).

The Ullumah (scholars) differed regarding the Prophet Muhammad’s (saws) vision of Allah on his Isra wal Miraj (the night he was taken to Heaven), did he look at his Lord on the night of his ascension or not? because the narration of Ibn Abbas (r.a) said that the Prophet (saws) saw his Lord, while Aisha (r.a) the prophets (saws) wife said He did not.

The most correct opinion is that the Prophet (saws) saw only the light, this is a Veil as narrated in Sahih Muslim from Abu Dharr, that he asked the Messenger of Allah about his seeing his Lord, the Prophet (saws) said: "I saw the Light only". 

This explains Aisha’s answer that he did not see Allah (swt), she meant He did not see him directly without a veil and what Ibn Abbas said that He did see him, referring to Allah from behind a veil. Ibn Abbas (ra) is considered one of the most knowledgeable companions regarding the Quran. There is another narration from Abu Dharr, who said: ‘I asked the Messenger of Allah, did you see your Lord? He said: 'He is a Light, how could I see Him?’ 

Light here is more than likely referring to it’s comprehensive meaning, its role to illuminate both the physical world and the mind, because in the prophets words is the understanding that there is no shape to see, as Allah has no form not even light, He isn’t bound by His creation and what He created Himself in it. 

There are other Ahadith which establish that Light is the Veil of Allah and not Allah himself, the Prophet (saws) said: "Verily the Exalted and Mighty Allah does not sleep, and it does not befit Him to sleep. He lowers the scale and lifts it. The deeds in the night are taken up to Him before the deeds of the day, and the deeds of the day before the deeds of the night. His veil is the light. If He withdraws it (the veil), the splendor of His countenance would consume His creation as far as His sight reaches".

Imam Nawawi said: “Know that all the people of Sunnah believe that seeing Allah is logically possible and they have agreed that it will happen in the life of the Hereafter”.

The Splendor Of Allah and The Perfection Of Man

The prophet (saws) said regarding the literal light of Allah, “Allah hath Seventy Thousand Veils of Light and Darkness: were He to withdraw their curtain, then would the splendors of His Aspect surely consume everyone who apprehended Him with his sight” (Imam al Ghazali, Mishqat al Anwar), some ahadith read seven hundred veils others read seventy thousand.

If we were to stare at that splendor it would consume us completely, but as Imam Suyuti said if Musa (as) had the capacity to stare at that splendor He would not have been rendered unconscious, hence the hadith is referring to mankind capacity and not the few people in it who were given the ability to draw very near to Allah.

Had the Light of Allah been likened to fire and Allah revealed it to creation, removed all the veils, as is the nature of fire and anything else that burns indiscriminately, it would have destroyed every thing in it's path without thought.

But we are talking about a quantum Light that represents Allah whose splendor consumes, our capacity to be able to handle staring at it is then tied to our physiology and its quantum aspects. It is mentioned in number of ahadith that the first thing Allah created was the Light of the Intellect, this is the same type of light we see in our mind or intellect, hence it’s name, Allah also called this Light the Pen, and in other narration's He similarly said the first thing He created was the Pen, which He then commanded to write everything that will be, the fate of everything in creation. 

We can understand from our own intellects and imagination how a Light can be called a Pen, a writing tool or an instrument of Knowledge and commanded to record, it isn’t to dissimilar to our own intellect, minds and memory and as we know from science light has the capacity to store knowledge. 

This Light, that is like the light of our intellects, is one of the most primordial substances in the universe and hence one of the closest things in creation to the Light of Allah itself.

In this relationship is the understanding regarding the Light of Allah and how Man’s consciousness could potentially look at the splendor of Allah and not be consumed, Allah’s light is not indiscriminate it represents Him and the first thing He created with it in the Universe was the light of the intellect, the light of our imagination and from that Light he created the Angels those who know his creation most intimately through knowledge of it, hence looking at the Light of Allah with knowledge will allow us to see through it and not be consumed as our understanding process’s it. 

Allah granted the Pen His knowledge of everything that will be which it wrote, hence through mans intellect could Man have the capacity to stare at Allah’s splendor. 

Allah similarly advised in the Quran regarding His knowledge “in a protected Record that only the purified can touch” Allah didn’t simply say the Angels, He specifically mentioned the Purified, it is without doubt that Angels are purified and Allah was not bringing this into question, He, as many scholars understood, was rather referring to More than a single type of being by simile to the purity of the Angels, because both Mankind and Jinn can reach their level of Perfection they can receive knowledge from the preserved tablet through the Angels, among mankind we know these people as prophets among Jinn Allah gave them the honorific of being called Angels which he did so in the Quran until they fell from that state (status) of perfection. 

Science tells us that around us chemical and physical reactions occur in consequence to our actions in the world but that is a false image of the world because it isn’t an image at all, it is a limited assumption about what is occurring in the world that makes us view entirely from a materialist level. It is limited because it is something written in a book about a limited number of reactions observed in a laboratory, it isn’t the full description of what is literally happening in front of us, so we superimpose that generalization on to the world and stop there based on assumptions. 

Quantum beings control the world from the Quantum level not the physical and chemical level, hence Allah created the Angels from light and not flesh and it is the quantum aspects of the human body that connects with them, the heart brain and the nervous system which is connected to the bodies major centers, together these faculties all make up mans consciousness and how he perceives the world around him.

In this life the prophets lead mankind in the purity of their hearts, that allowed them to connect to the Angels who were pure light and were given knowledge because of it, in this fact is the understanding that bad acts have bad quantum effects, physiologically stoping man from connecting with the Angels, while keeping the heart clean results in beneficial reactions in the Quantum world. This is famously stated by the prophet (saws) who said “When the believer commits sin, a black spot (essentially in the quantum world) appears on his heart. If he repents and gives up that sin and seeks forgiveness, his heart will be polished. But if (the sin) increases, (the black spot) increases. That is the raan (like a rust) which Allah mentions in His Book: ‘Nay! But on their hearts is the Raan (like a rust covering the heart because of sins and evil deeds) which they used to earn’.” (Tirmithi, Sahih). 

In this verse is clearest example of Allah talking about how our actions impact us on a quantum level, He is explaining in clear terms that bad acts harm the body “quantumly” and this will effect our perception of the world twisting our point of view.

This process is the same with every human, but Allah removed this from the prophets heart when He was young so it would always remain focused on light, only the prophet (saws) could handle such a degree of perfection other people would have crumbled under the pressure of always being this perfect, which is a “physical” (Literal) necessity to be in Allah’s presence at the nearness Allah intended for him, reaching the Lote Tree of the furthest limit.

Mankind will be granted perfection when they enter Heaven, Allah will say to mankind on that day Oh “soul at peace return to your Lord well pleased and well pleasing; go in among My servants (the Angels); and into My Garden” (89:29-30), Mankind will be commanded to enter among the throngs of Angels to be raised to their level of perfection by them after which they will receive knowledge as the prophets (as) received it, and it will be after this point that Allah will reveal his countenance to Mankind in Jannah (Heaven) when they are capable of receiving it.

The Prophet (saws) himself reached the Lote tree of the Furthest limit in regards to the splendor of Allah, meaning no human will be capable of approaching closer than this in this life, this is the extent to which the veils between Allah and his creation where removed because of the Prophet Muhammad (saws).

This nearness as Allah stated in Surah al Najm is relevant to the heart, “Your Companion is neither astray nor being misled. Nor does he say (aught) of (his own) Desire (His inner self is perfected)” this refers to the hearts quality of not deviating and remaining straight, the prophets heart did not swerve or falsify what it saw because it was pure and Allah praised him for it in the Quran. 

The heart is like a container that is filled with emotions and knowledge, at the same time it is the thing that produces the strongest electromagnetic field in the body, Man’s light, this field our consciousness along with every quantum part of our body interacts with it including the Soul. The heart as the scholars explained is the window between this world and ghayb (the unseen world) and it is the seat of the soul, the heart is always looking into the quantum world (ghayb).

Therefore if mans character is perfected and on top of that free from every past and future fault it will be possible for mankind to see Allah. 

This is understood from the fact that Musa (as), who was already perfect, was still not able to see Allah's light, but if we are as the prophet Muhammad (saws) was, whose future and past faults where all forgiven for him when he became a prophet, meaning his future and past where clear of anything that wavers in mans heart then it could encompass Allah's qualities more perfectly with knowledge.

This is tied to the fact that Allah is the first and the Last in time, He was at the beginning of time and will be at it's end. So to encompass everything that Allah revealed of himself through out time the heart has to be spotless from it's first moments in time to it's last. 

We can understand this from the fact that all of this is earned from Allah through what we achieve in our character, and what Allah grants man relates to specific qualities a person has earned, if Man is as Muhammad (saws) was, free from past and future faults, then Allah will grant him according to that quality, which we will be given upon entering Jannah (Heaven).

Allah in a hadith Qudsi specifically stated ‘He is Time’, hence Time is a quality of His to be known by the hearts, He also said He is the First and the Last, both qualities relating to the flow of time which He wished for us to know.

Prophets are by their nature sinless, from their first to their last, this is how Allah chose them from Mankind, but some make decisions which turn out to be incorrect or rather less than the utmost perfect choice regarding that matter, while not a sin. Each prophet had similar short sighted choices in life, these in comparison to us are not much in our sight, but in relation to the utmost perfected qualities, are an indication of something less than the most perfect among them, and that is the prophet Muhammad (saws).

This is indicated in the hadith regarding the intercession for mankind on the day of judgment, each prophet will be asked to intercede for mankind in turn and each will name a fault of theirs in life saying they are not worthy of it, Isa (as) will remain silent when He is asked and not accept the responsibility, but the prophet Muhammad (saws) will accept the request of Mankind to intercede.

On the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) who reported that the Prophet (saws) said:

The believers will gather together on the Day of Resurrection and will say: Should we not ask [someone] to intercede for us with our Lord? So they will come to Adam and will say: You are the Father of mankind; Allah created you with His hand He made His angels bow down to you and He taught you the names of everything, so intercede for us with you Lord so that He may give us relief form this place where we are. And he will say: I am not in a position [to do that] - and he will mention his wrongdoing and will feel ashamed and will say: Go to Noah, for he is the first messenger that Allah sent to the inhabitants of the earth (mankind). So they will come to him and he will say: I am not in a position [to do that] - and he will mention his having requested something of his Lord about which he had no [proper] knowledge (Quran Chapter 11 Verses 45-46), and he will feel ashamed and will say: Go to the Friend of the Merciful (Abraham). 

So they will come to him and he will say: I am not in a position [to do that]. Go to Moses, a servant to whom Allah talked and to whom He gave the Torah. So they will come to him and he will say: I am not in a position [to do that] - and he will mention the taking of a life for other than a life (Quran Chapter 28 Verses 15-16), and he will feel ashamed in the sight of his Lord and will say: Go to Jesus, Allah's servant and messenger, Allah's word and spirit. So they will come to him and he will say: I am not in a position [to do that]. Go to Muhammad (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), a servant to whom Allah has forgiven all his wrongdoing, past and future. So they will come to me and I shall set forth to ask permission to come to my Lord, and permission will be given, and when I shall see my Lord I shall prostrate myself. He will leave me thus for such time as it pleases Him, and then it will be said [to me]: Raise your head. Ask and it will be granted. Speak and it will be heard. Intercede and your intercession will be accepted. 

So I shall raise my head and praise Him with a form of praise that He will teach me. Then I shall intercede and HE will set me a limit [as to the number of people], so I shall admit them into Paradise. Then I shall return to Him, and when I shall see my Lord [I shall bow down] as before. Then I shall intercede and He will set me a limit [as to the number of people]. So I shall admit them into Paradise. Then I shall return for a third time, then a fourth, and I shall say: There remains in Hell-fire only those whom the Quran has confined and who must be there for eternity. There shall come out of Hell-fire he who has said: There is no god but Allah and who has in his heart goodness weighing a barley-corn; then there shall come out of Hell-fire he who has said: There is no god but Allah and who has in his heart goodness weighing a grain of wheat; then there shall come out of Hell-fire he who has said: There is no god but Allah and who has in his heart goodness weighing an atom. (Bukhari also by Muslim, at-Tirmidhi, and Ibn Majah).

The most perfect among Mankind earned the nearest place to Allah and He will be granted the right to intercede for All generations of mankind who Believed there is no God other than Allah, there will remain in hell only those who disbelieved in Allah entirely.

The Heart and The Brain

The ability for man to be guided by his heart is established by research and human physiology, the heart has its own special nervous system, “the heart has a complex intrinsic nervous system that is sufficiently sophisticated to qualify as a "little brain" in its own right. The heart’s brain is an intricate network of several types of neurons, neurotransmitters, proteins and support cells like those found in the brain proper. Its elaborate circuitry enables it to act independently of the cranial brain – to learn, remember, and even feel and sense”. When we feel love it can take on a life of its own leading us by our senses and what we feel, overruling what we think.

The hearts nervous system is composed of approximately 40,000 neurons, the type of neurons in the heart are the same type responsible for memory in the brain, in essence emotional memory is connected to intellectual memory in the brain. The Hearts rhythms directly impact physical and mental performance, the hearts signals especially affect the brain centers involved in social and situational awareness, the capacity to care, and the ability to self-manage. Regarding unborn infants, because of the hearts independence in the womb, the heart forms in the human body first and begins to regulate systems and life before the brain, a mothers brainwaves can synchronize to her baby’s heart beat. Man’s heart senses life before his brain knows it and research is showing life in the womb is critical for later development. The heart in fact sends far more information to the brain than the brain to the heart.

“These neurons are connected differently and more elaborately than elsewhere in the body and while they’re capable of detecting circulating chemicals sent from the brain and other organs, they operate independently in their own right. Having it’s own “mini-brain” is the reason why heart transplants work, given the fact that severed nerve connections do not reconnect in a different body (the heart knows what to do without the brain). Furthermore, this elaborate nervous centre in the heart has more functions than simply regulating the electrical activities of the heart to keep it pumping”.

Researchers describe the brain and nervous system as a distributed parallel processing system, it can compute multiple things at the same time and act on each simultaneously, it consists of separate but interacting groups of neuronal processing center’s distributed throughout the entire body.” 

The heart communicates with the brain and the rest of the body in four ways documented by scientific evidence: neurologically through transmissions of nerve impulses, biochemically through hormones and neurotransmitters, biophysically through pressure waves, and in addition, scientific evidence is beginning to show that the heart communicates with the brain through electromagnetic field interactions. Through these biological communication systems, the heart has a significant influence on the functions of our brain and body.

The human body produces an electromagnetic field which it depends on for life, this is produced through the brain, nervous system, heart and other organs and it affects every cell in the body. An electro-magnetic field is a physical field produced by electrically charged objects and affects the behavior of other charged objects in the vicinity of the field, so the heart can affect the brain and other parts of the body that are similarly generating this field (they are charged objects).

The Heart, generates by far the largest rhythmic electromagnetic field in the body, which is even stronger than the brain’s, “Compared to the electro-magnetic field produced by the brain, the electrical component of the heart’s electromagnetic field is about sixty times greater in amplitude (strength) and it permeates every cell of the body. The heart’s magnetic component is also approximately five thousand times stronger than the brain’s magnetic field and can be detected several feet away from the body with sensitive magnetometers.” Different laboratories have detected the electromagnetic field of the heart on a more sensitive quantum level from about 8 to 10 feet away, but using magnetometers it can be detected at 3 to 4 ft.

Researchers have discovered “that our emotions affect the heart’s electromagnetic field, which influences people around us, at both physiological and psychological levels”.

Taken from my work Who was Al Khidr.

The Quantum Universe

The world around us is primarily made from three particles: protons, neutrons, and electrons. Protons and neutrons form the nuclei of atoms, and electrons glue everything together and create chemicals and materials, along with the photon and the neutrino, these particles are essentially the main Particles of the Universe, these particles interact via the four fundamental forces of nature. 

Quantum theory is used to describe the (micro) subatomic world of atoms and other particles such as light (photons), while the General Theory of Relativity is used to describe the larger (macro) physical world we live in.

The term Standard Model is used by physicist concerning the fundamental forces in the Universe, the Electromagnetic force (essentially the force of light) and the Weak, and Strong nuclear interactions, which mediate the dynamics of the known quantum particles. Gravity is the other major force in the Universe but it only acts on the (larger) physical world and not the quantum world in any substantial manner. 

Keeping in mind the verse of light (24:35) this is the “oil” that comes from the “blessed tree”, the hierarchy of quantum particles, Gravity and the Electromagnetic force have an infinite range in the Universe while the weak and Strong nuclear force have a very limited range, (10-14 m and 10-15m respectively).

“Our best understanding of how these particles and three of the forces are related to each other is encapsulated in the Standard Model of particle physics. Developed in the early 1970s, it has successfully explained almost all experimental results and precisely predicted a wide variety of phenomena. Over time and through many experiments, the Standard Model has become established as a well-tested physics theory”.

All Particles are Excitations of Fields

Allah says “the example of his light is like a niche”, the light is the particle existing in the field around it. A niche is like a crevasse in the middle of a wall, and the wall is the similitude of the field it exists in, which is spread out in space, as if a wall. 

“Physicists now use a class of theories called quantum field theories, or QFTs, which were first postulated in the late 1920s and developed over the following decades. QFTs are intriguing, but they take some getting used to. To start, let’s think only about electrons. Everywhere in the universe there is a field called the electron field. A physical electron isn’t the field, but rather a localized vibration in the field. In fact, every electron in the universe is a similar localized vibration of that single field”. What was previously taught in schools was how a single electron looked like on its own, and not how it actually existed in the Universe.

“Electrons aren’t the only particles to consist of localized vibrations of a field; all particles do. There is a photon field, an up quark field, a gluon field, a muon field; indeed there is a field for every known particle. And, for all of them, the thing that we visualize as a particle is just a localized vibration of that field. Even the recently discovered Higgs boson is like this. The Higgs field interacts with particles and gives them their mass, but it is hard to observe this field directly. Instead, we supply energy to the field in particle collisions and cause it to vibrate. When we say “we’ve discovered the Higgs boson,” you should think “we’ve caused the Higgs field to vibrate and observed the vibrations.””

“This idea gives an entirely different view of how the subatomic world works. Spanning all of space are a great variety of different fields that exist everywhere, just like how a certain spot can simultaneously have a smell, a sound, and a color. What we think of as a particle is simply a vibration of its associated field”. 

Matter and Particles

“of a blessed olive tree” the tree is the hierarchy of particles and essentially the Universe itself.

Protons, neutrons, and electrons are made of even smaller particles, these particles occur in two types called quarks and leptons, each of these two groups consists of six particles, which are related to each other in pairs, physicists term them “generations”, similar to Human generations. 

The most stable particles are closest to the physical world and make up the first generation, whereas the less stable particles belong to the second and third generations (those deeper in subatomic space). All stable matter in the universe is made from particles that belong to the first generation; any less stable particles quickly decay to the next most stable level (generation), physicist have given them strange and unintuitive names. 

Quarks can exist in all three generations – the “up quark” and the “down quark” form the first generation, followed by the “charm quark” and “strange quark” in the second generation, then the “top quark” and “bottom quark” in the third generation. Quarks also come in three different “colors” and only mix together to form colorless (and invisible) objects in the Universe. 

Leptons can also exist in all three generations – the “electron” and the “electron neutrino”, the “muon” and the “muon neutrino”, and the “tau” and the “tau neutrino”. The electron, the muon and the tau all have an electric charge and a sizable mass, whereas the neutrinos are electrically neutral and have very little mass”.

Forces and The Particles That Cary Them

“Lit from the blessed oil”, particles are created (Lit) from the fundamental forces (Oil) of the Universe, 

“There are four fundamental forces at work in the universe: the Strong Force, the Weak Force, the Electromagnetic Force, and the Gravitational Force. 

They work over different ranges and have different strengths. Gravity is the weakest force but it has an infinite range. The Electromagnetic Force also has infinite range but is many times stronger than Gravity. The Weak and Strong Forces are effective only over a very short range and dominate only at the level of subatomic particles. 

Despite its name, the Weak force is much stronger than Gravity but it is indeed the weakest of the other three. The Strong Force, as the name suggests, is the strongest of all four fundamental interactions.

Three of these fundamental forces result from the exchange of “force-carrier” particles, which belong to a broader group called “bosons”. 

The larger Particles of matter transfer discrete amounts of energy by exchanging bosons with each other. Each fundamental force has its own corresponding boson – the Strong Force is carried by the “gluon”, the Electromagnetic Force is carried by the “photon” (Light), and the Weak Force is carried by the “W and Z bosons”. 

It is theorized that the “graviton” should be the corresponding “force-carrying” particle of gravity, but this is still a theory as the particle hasn't been discovered yet. 

The Standard Model includes the Electromagnetic, Strong and Weak Forces and all their carrier particles, and explains how these forces act on all of the Particles that make up matter. However, the most familiar force in our everyday lives, Gravity, is not part of the Standard Model, fitting gravity comfortably into this framework has proved to be a difficult challenge because gravity acts on large objects like planets and we are discussing the very small subatomic particles, so its influence on that world is very weak and almost negligible, it’s influence on the Quantum world is still being investigated. 

From Elementary Particles To Atoms

“The Atom is a basic unit of matter that consists of a dense central nucleus surrounded by a cloud of negatively charged electrons. The atomic nucleus contains a mix of positively charged protons and electrically neutral neutrons (except in the case of hydrogen-1, which is the only stable nuclide with no neutrons). 

The electrons of an atom are bound to the nucleus by the electromagnetic force. Likewise, a group of atoms can remain bound to each other by chemical bonds based on the same force, forming a molecule. 

An atom containing an equal number of protons and electrons is electrically neutral, otherwise it is positively or negatively charged and is known as an ion. 

An atom is classified according to the number of protons and neutrons in its nucleus: the number of protons determines the chemical element, and the number of neutrons determines the isotope (forms) of the element”.

“The Electron is a subatomic particle with a negative elementary electric charge. Electrons belong to the first generation of the lepton particle family, and are generally thought to be elementary particles”.

“The Proton is a subatomic particle with the symbol p or p+ and a positive electric charge of 1 elementary charge. One or more protons are present in the nucleus of each atom. In the Standard Model of particle physics, the proton is a hadron (a composite particle made of quarks held together by the strong force), and like the neutron, is composed of three kinds of quarks”.

“A Quark is an elementary particle and a fundamental constituent of matter. Quarks combine to form composite particles called hadrons, the most stable of which are protons and neutrons, the components of atomic nuclei”. 

“A Lepton is an elementary, particle that does not undergo strong interactions. The best known of all leptons is the electron, which governs nearly all chemistry and is directly tied to all chemical properties. Two main classes of leptons exist: charged leptons (also known as the electron-like leptons), and neutral leptons (better known as neutrinos). Charged leptons can combine with other particles to form various composite particles such as atoms and positronium, while neutrinos rarely interact with anything, and are consequently rarely observed”.

The Antiparticle is the oppositely charged particle, corresponding with most kinds of particles, they have the same mass of normal particles but the opposite charge. “For example the antiparticle of the electron, that is negatively charged, is the positively charged electron, which is termed the positron, it is produced naturally in certain types of radioactive decay. The Neutrino a massless uncharged particle, which travels at the speed of light, spins anti-clockwise, it has an anti particle called the anti-neutrino that spins clockwise”.

There are a total of 61 elementary particles:

Elementary Particles