The Quantum Structure of the Universe

If we keep in mind the verse of Light (24:35) and it’s meaning then we can see how close the scholars of Islam came to explaining the universe in relation to modern physics.

This verse is a representation of the quantum world and the manner by which subatomic particles exist. “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) 

Allah says the example of his light is like a niche (this is the particle existing in the field), a crevasse or something like a hole in the middle of a wall (the wall being the similitude of the field). In this hole is a lamp (this is the particle), the lamp is in glass (this is the particle creating its own outer shell or field), the glass is like a pearly white star (this is caused by its excitation), lit from the blessed oil (these are the forces in the universe, particles are created because of them) of a blessed olive tree (the hierarchy of particles in the universe, particles are created from smaller particles and the oil comes from the tree), the source of this light is neither of the east or of the west, it is fueling itself, whose oil would almost glow even if unattached by fire. It has a depth, and it is light upon light (particles are created by smaller particles which in turn are created from smaller particles), through this reality Allah guides whom He wills (though this structure, as consciousness is a state of matter like a solid or liquid, but quantum, it is born from the same laws that govern the Universe and guided through it). And Allah presents examples for the people and Allah is Knowing of all things. 

The prophet (saws) said “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).

Imam Suhrawardi taught that all the universe is a successive outflow from the original Light of Allah, Light of Lights (Nur al-Anwar). The fundamentals of his teaching is pure light, that unfolds from the Light of Allah in a descending order of ever-diminishing intensity in relation to Allah’s splendor, and through complex interaction, gives rise to a “horizontal” array of other lights. In other words, the universe and all levels of existence are but varying degrees of Light—the light and the darkness.

In the Niche of Lights (Mishqat al Anwar), Imam al-Ghazali (d.1111) discussed this using Qur’anic terminology of light, whereas Imam Suhrawardi, in his Wisdom of Illumination, according to western academics who could not trace his sources, “developed a truly original light ontology”, in other words he proposed a unique structure to the quantum nature of the universe. 

Allah says about the first moments of creation, “And the heaven We created with might, and indeed We are (its) expander.” (Quran 51:47), “Have those who disbelieved not considered that the heavens and the earth were a joined entity, then We separated them, and made from water every living thing? Then will they not believe?” (Quran 21:30)

“In the previous verse (21:30), the Arabic words ratq and fataq are used.  The word ratq can be translated into “entity” “sewn to” “joined together” or “closed up”.  The meaning of these translations all circulate around something that is mixed and that has a separate and distinct existence.  The verb fataq is translated into “We unstitched” “We clove them asunder” “We separated” or “We have opened them”.  These meanings imply that something comes into being by an action of splitting or tearing apart.  The sprouting of a seed from the soil is a good example of a similar illustration of the meaning of the verb fataq”. 

Today physicist have coined the term the big bang, the universe came into being from a singularity, matter and time both unfolding as the universe we know today, implied in this is the idea that we can trace the origins of matter and particles by there earlier states in the universe, as they developed to the forms we know today. For example Iron did not exist at the first moment of creation rather Iron is created by extremely large, extremely hot (over 2.5 billion kelvin) stars through the silicon burning process, meaning the stars that created Iron had to form first.

The Imam explained that while light always remains in itself identical, its proximity (depth as we go deeper into the quantum aspects of the universe) or distance from the Light of Allah (its origin) determines the ontic (real) light reality of all beings (referring to the origin of matter from the light of Allah). Light operates through the activities of dominion (the way successive lights, like the generations of particles, interact with each other) of the higher ‘triumphal’ or ‘victorial’ lights, as well as the desire of the lower lights (lower generation of particles) for the higher ones (referring to a hierarchy of varying types of lights and their nature), operating at all levels and hierarchies of the universe. 

Reality proceeds from the Light of Lights (Allah’s light) and unfolds via the First Light (the lowest generation of particles) and all the subsequent (generations of) lights whose exponential interactions bring about the existence of all entities. As each new (generation of) light interacts with other existing lights, more light and dark substances are generated. Light produces both immaterial and substantial lights, such as immaterial intellects (Angels), human and animal souls. 

Light also produces dusky substances, such as bodies. Light can generate both luminous accidents (Aradh), such as those in immaterial lights, physical lights or rays, and dark accidents, whether it be in immaterial lights or in bodies (similar to the Ashrari conceptualization of the universe, through the Aradh, accident, and Jawhar, substance).

With the notion of intensity of light, Imam Suhrawardi then develops his two-fold process of light production. A vertical hierarchy (generations) and a horizontal hierarchy of pure immaterial light structure (termed) his “Illuminationist” quantum physics. From the Light of Lights proceeds a first vertical hierarchy (generation) of lights from which is created a Second Light (generation), and from which the all-encompassing barzakh, unseen quantum world is created, (this order here is referring to the big bang and how the universe was created from the first light), from the Second level of lights a Third Light level (generation) of lights is created, and the Second (level of) barzakh (the unseen quantum world has levels of existence and depth), or the Sphere of Fixed Stars, and so forth. The vertical hierarchy (generation) of lights interacts with a horizontal hierarchy (generation) of lights (not unlike the hierarchy of elementary particles). 

Out of the interaction of the vertical and the horizontal lights, the bodies of the lower physical world are generated. These horizontal or vertical lights are all structurally interrelated.

The two dimensional hierarchy of lights introduces a new non linear notion of quantum causation. The multiplication of quantum entities serves to increase the ontological distance that exists between the Light of Lights (in the quantum world) and the sublunar world (that resulted from it), while simultaneously providing a greater holistic view of reality, since light lies at its core.

The Imam in his tafsir of what the Quran (such as 24:35) and Sunnah mention of Light, makes mistakes in relation to what Light is in this process, while Allah says “the similarity of Allah’s light is…”, it wasn’t clear to what extent he though of light as literal in the creation of the universe because he eventually says from this light matter and the world is created. But essentially he is accurate in the quantum structure of the universe. 

The Imam states that from energy matter can be created and quantum particles create other quantum particles which in turn creates everything in the universe in a hierarchy, and in descriptive terms such as the verse of light the similitude of energy and quantum particles is that of light. 

The Imam’s work regarding matter being created from light is much more accurate than previously presumed. Scientists have long been able to convert matter to energy, an example is a nuclear explosion, where a small amount of matter creates tremendous energy. Physicists have recently succeeded in doing the opposite, converting energy in the form of light into matter. Researchers have worked out how to make matter from pure light, the theory underpinning the idea was first described 80 years ago. 

At the time due to the state of technology the conversion of light into matter was considered impossible in a laboratory. Two particles of light, or photons, could combine to produce an electron and its antimatter equivalent, a positron. Electrons are particles of matter that form the outer shells of atoms in everyday objects around us. Scientist considered this the most elegant demonstrations of the famous relationship showing matter and energy are interchangeable currencies, E=mc^2.

“Photons are massless particles which don’t interact with each other, because they have no mass, if we shine two laser beams at each other, they simply pass through one another, but “Photonic molecules,” behave less like traditional lasers and more like something you might find in science fiction – the light saber”.

“Scientists created a special type of medium in which photons interact with each other so strongly that they begin to act as though they have mass, and they bind together to form molecules. When these photons interact with each other, they’re pushing against and deflecting each other. The physics of what’s happening in these molecules is similar to what we see in the movies”. 

The verse of light is a metaphor for the subatomic structure of the universe, it begins by Allah relating the metaphor to all creation then ending it by relating it to Allah’s knowledge of all things created and uncreated, meaning this is the form He has chosen to reveal himself through. This wisdom in the nature of creation is mentioned by the Ulumah, essentially it is so all beings can know each other through our human nature and Him, despite our vast difference in bodies and location in the Universe. 

It would be fair to say that man could not have understood the universe if he didn’t understand the light spectrum he studied on earth, different colors in space would tell man the composition and nature of what was occurring, thus through similarities he already understood he began to unravel the mysteries of space and creation.

The Wisdom Behind a Quantum and Physical Universe

“AND LO! Thy Sustainer said unto the angels: “Behold, I am about to establish upon earth (a Khalifah)  one who shall inherit it.” They said: “Wilt Thou place on it such as will spread corruption thereon and shed blood – whereas it is we who extol Thy limitless glory, and praise Thee, and hallow Thy name?” [Allah] answered: “Verily, I know that which you do not know.”(2:30)

When Man was created and before he had been placed on earth and performed a single act good or bad, the Angels said about him “Wilt Thou place on it such as will spread corruption thereon and shed blood”, this wasn’t an accusation, Angels don’t have imagination they know and speak from pure knowledge, this was said because they witnessed mans creation and understood his nature and the nature of the place Allah was sending him to. 

It is a place of limited light, the lowest aspect of creation, the physical world, where the light Man’s heart needs to sense the world around it is only attainable through mans actions, it isn’t given freely like in Jannah (Heaven) which if we can imagine it’s existence is in the quantum universe behind a barzakh a place of light and energy, the Angels understood man through his nature because they are created from Light and asked Allah, Why. 

To which Allah responded “Did I not say unto you, `Verily, I alone know the hidden reality of the heavens and the earth, and know all that you bring into the open and all that you would conceal’?”(2:32-33). Allah said to them i know more about the Laws of the Universe and how Man will be on earth than you, and this was said in relation to mans ability to know all of the universe and everything in it. 

“And He imparted unto Adam the names of all things; then He brought them within the ken of the angels and said: “Declare unto Me the names of these [things], if what you say is true. They (the Angels) 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.”(2:31-33)

The hearts of the Angels don’t see like ours, they don’t see with the imagination as we do, they are made from light, hence they don’t have an imagination, they only know what they are given knowledge of. The Angels who are created from the same quantum particles as the universe and one of the four fundamental forces governing it, can see what is occurring from a quantum level, the Jinn who are on a similar nature to Angels have a heart that is something in between a Humans and an Angels, they are created from thermal energy (heat), have less perception than an Angel but more than a humans and are on earth being tested like Man. Man was created with Allah’s two hands, his immediate perception is not the same as Angels and Jinn, but his Heart can encompass more than theirs, something man was given freely by Allah, hence he can surpass both in wisdom and perfection.

Allah then Said: “O Adam, convey unto them the names of these [things].” And as soon as [Adam] had conveyed unto them their names, [Allah] said: “Did I not say unto you, `Verily, I alone know the hidden reality of the heavens and the earth, and know all that you bring into the open and all that you would conceal’?” (What is in your Hearts) (2:31-33)

The heart of man, like Adam, has the capacity to know all creation (by its manner of existence), Allah gave Adam revelation of all the names but we have to gain knowledge of them by other means. 

The first step to knowing something is to know its name, so while Adam was given the names of all things, the Prophet Muhammad (saws) was given the keys to their knowledge, and we are discovering that knowledge. 

Abu Huraira related that Allah’s Apostle said, “I have been sent with the shortest expressions bearing the widest meanings, and I have been made victorious with awe, and while I was sleeping, the keys of the treasures of the world were brought to me and placed in my hand.” Abu Huraira added: Allah’s Apostle has left the world and now you, people, are bringing out those treasures. (Bukhari) 

That treasure is the knowledge of everything Adam was given, and this is reflected in the history of man and our recent advancement in knowledge compared to mans previous ages. its often stated while previous prophets where given clear miracles like Isa (as) who could raise the dead in front of people and heal the sick the miracle of the prophet Muhammad (saws) was the Quran itself, and this refers to the knowledge contained in it and it’s role in life evident by the Muslim Ummah it produced which lead the world in knowledge for the past 1400 years. 

One of the primary effects of it’s existence was the unparalleled sharing and development of knowledge from one side of the earth to the other, it lifted Europe from the dark ages it was in and by comparison China at that time chose to close it’s borders and keep it’s advanced knowledge to itself. 

Imam Ali in saying that “The vision of the eye is limited; (while) the vision of the heart transcends all barriers of time and space” understood all this about the nature of man existence on earth, as well as many scholars through out history like Imam al Ghazali. 

That connection in the heart of man relating to time and space is made because particles can be entangled regardless of space and distance, and as Imam al Ghazali and Imam Ibn al Arabi among many others explained, the Quran is the “Sun” for mans imagination (inner sight). 

It is its guide to the real things in the universe because it is Allah’s literal words, not mans words describing what He said and taught, this is the Quran’s significance in relation to this vision of the heart which other religious text’s don’t have, usualy they are historical accounts of the lives of these prophetic figures and by comparison that is the Seera (biography) of the prophet, not revelation itself (the literal words of Allah the creator). 

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, or a blackened, deviant heart that knows no good and rejects no evil except what it absorbs of its desires” (Reported by Muslim). 

The Quran directs the heart and its vision to the things in the unseen world and what it sees is true, only his imagination distorts his perception. Hence the Angels have no imagination, or need of it, they only know from direct knowledge and experience. 

In one narration the prophet (saws) asked Jibril (as) about the extent of his knowledge to which He answered, i can see to the extent of the number of leafs on this tree.

All this 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.” 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 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.” (Narrated by Tabarani, Suyuti, al-Haythami in Majma` al-zawa’id in the “Chapter on the Reality of Belief and its Perfection“, al-Askari, Ibn al-Mubarak, Abd al-Razzaq, Bayhaqi and Imam Abu Hanifa mentions it in his al-Fiqh al-Akbar, among others.)

This hadith was recorded by Imam Ibn Rajab al Hanbali in his famous Compendium of Knowledge and Wisdom, a Tafsir to Imam Nawawi’s famous 40 hadith under his Tafsir of the Hadith of Jibril (hadith no.2), where the Prophet of Allah (saws) says Human Perfection (Ihsan) is “That you worship Allah as if you see Him, for if you don’t see Him then truly He sees you.” (Bukhari and Muslim)

The most famous and most Important hadith in all Islam is the hadith of Jibril which occurred 86 days before the prophets (saws) death and was witnessed by many companions who reported it. The Prophet was sitting with a group of companions when Jibril came to Him in the form of a man wearing extremely white cloths showing no sign of travel through the desert and having exceedingly black Hair.

Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “While we were sitting with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless with him and grant him peace, one day a man came up to us whose clothes were extremely white, whose hair was extremely black, upon whom traces of traveling could not be seen, and whom none of us knew, until he sat down close to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, so that he rested his knees upon his knees and placed his two hands upon his thighs and said,

‘Muhammad, tell me about Islam.’

The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Islam is that you witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and you establish the prayer, and you give the Zakat, and you fast Ramadan, and you perform the hajj of the House if you are able to take a way to it.’

He said, ‘You have told the truth,’

and we were amazed at him asking him and [then] telling him that he told the truth.

He said, ‘Tell me about Iman.’

He said, ‘That you affirm Allah, His Angels, His Books, His messengers, and the Last Day, and that you affirm the Decree, the good of it and the bad of it.’

He said, ‘You have told the truth.’

He said, ‘Tell me about Ihsan.’

He said, ‘That you worship Allah as if you see Him, for if you don’t see Him then truly He sees you.’

He said, ‘Tell me about the Hour.’

He said, ‘The one asked about it knows no more than the one asking.’

He said, ‘Then tell me about its tokens.’

He said, ‘That the female slave should give birth to her mistress, and you see poor, naked, barefoot shepherds of sheep and goats competing in making tall buildings.’

He went away, and I remained some time. Then he asked, ‘Umar, do you know who the questioner was?’ I said, ‘Allah and His Messenger know best.’ He said, ‘He was Jibril who came to you to teach you your deen’.” (Muslim and Bukhari narrated it and has a grade Higher than Sahih and that is “Agreed upon”).

This hadith is described by Imam Nawawi as one of the hadiths upon which the Islamic religion turns. The use of the word Deen in the last line, “Atakum yu’aallimukum dinakum”, He “came to you to teach you your religion” entails that the religion of Islam is composed of the four fundamentals mentioned in the hadith: Islam, or external compliance with what Allah asks of us (Fiqh); Iman, or the belief in the Unseen that the prophets have informed us of (Aqeedah); Ihsan, or to worship Allah as though one sees Him (Attaining Human Perfection); and The Hour, or the remembrance of death and the afterlife (Remembering the Akhira).

The reason it is one of the most important Hadiths in all of Islam is because it summed up all the parts of the Deen (Religion of Islam) 86 days before the prophets (saws) death, at a time when Allah revealed the verse, “This day have I perfected your religion for you (sent down all it should be about), completed My favor upon you (decided your blessings and what you shall receive spiritually and materially), and have chosen for you Islam as your religion (All that is mentioned in the Hadith Jibril)” (5:3). 

Because Jibril (a.s) was the one who brought down this verse to the Messenger, Allah inspired him to prepare the Prophet (saws) and the Ummah for what it meant, by first visiting them and instructing them on all the aspects of the Deen so they wouldn’t be forgotten.

So there is no room to say the hadith is missing any part of what Islam is, and to deny any part of it is to deny what Allah revealed, which is Kufr of the Deen because the Prophet (saws) said “He was Jibril who came to you to teach you your deen” affirming its place and significance in the religion.

The holy Prophet Muhammad (saws) had four Prophetic duties mentioned in the holy Qur’an: “Certainly did Allah confer [great] favor upon the believers when He sent among them a Messenger from themselves, reciting to them His verses and purifying them and teaching them the Book and wisdom, although they had been before in manifest error.”(3:164)

His role to purify was to raise people to a state where they could worship Allah as if they saw him, and each companion achieved according to His capacity. The Prophet (saws) said, “Abu Bakr does not precede you for praying much or fasting much, but because of a secret that has taken root in his heart.”(Ahmad with a sound chain) 

“And restrain thyself with those who call upon their Lord at morning and evening, desiring His countenance, and let not thine eyes turn away from them, desiring the adornment of the present life; and obey not him whose heart We have made neglectful of Our remembrance so that he follows his own lust, and his affair has become all excess”. (18:28)

Imam Suhrawardi’s Islamic Sources

There is a body of Qur’anic verses and Aahdith, which the Imam clearly knew, that gave rise to this structure of particles in the universe such as the verse of light and the ahadith regarding the first thing Allah created, the pen and the intellect, to which the scholars explained the pen and the intellect are the same thing and both are Light. Some of these narration’s the imam relied upon, we have quoted, while many others we haven’t for the sake of being brief.

Ibn `Umar narrated that the Prophet said: “Allah the Exalted created creation in a darkness (fi zulmatin); 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. Therefore I say that the Pen is dry (and all is) in Allah’s foreknowledge.” (Narrated by Tirmidhi, Ahmad, Tabarani, al-Hakim and Bayhaqi )

Abdullah ibn Amr narrated: I heard Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) saying: Verily Allah created the elements of man in darkness and then He “infused” into them His light. He who received this light (and then made use of it) received the right guidance and he who erred was led astray. That is why I say that the Pen has no more to write about Allah’s knowledge. (Ahmad and Tirmidhi).

Imam Nawawi said in Sharh Sahih Muslim, in his commentary on the Prophet’s du`a which begins: “O Allah, you are the light of the heavens and the earth and yours is all praise…” (Book of Salat al-musafirin #199): The scholars said that the meaning of “You are the light of the heavens and the earth” is: You are the One who illuminates them and the Creator of their light. Abu `Ubayda said: “Its meaning is that by Your light the dwellers of the heavens and the earth obtain guidance”. (“Allah guides to His light whom He wills”(24:35)) 

“Ibn `Arabi al-Maliki in his commentary on Tirmidhi entitled `Aridat al- ahwadhi (10:108) confirmed the latter’s grading of Hasan and comments on the hadith”: “It is clear from it that each one receives of that Light to the extent of what he has been granted out of the general and the specific… in the heart and in the limbs.”

The Prophet said: “The angels were created from light, the jinn from smokeless fire (Thermal energy), and Adam from what was described to you (i.e. in the Qur’an).”

Many sources can be quoted to illustrate the quantum structure the Imam mentioned but one hadith in particular mentions it literally. The judgments on this narration vary greatly among the scholars, it has received many different gradings, many prominent scholars said it is fabricated others said it’s chain (of narration) was merely Dai’f (weak) and other prominent scholars mentioned it was Sahih. To avoid a discussion on authenticity for the sake of being brief, we can simply take it is fabricated but different scholars relied upon it according to how they graded it. We are quoting it here to sum up in a few words the body of knowledge in Islam that alludes to what many of Islams major scholars mentioned over the centuries:

Shaykh al Islam Ibn Hajr al-Haythami, the Major Imam that later Mujtahid scholars of the Shafii Madhhab (rah) followed, narrates in his Fatawa al Hadithiyyah:

Undoubtedly Abdur Razzaq mentioned with his Sanad from Jabir ibn `Abd Allah who asked: “O Messenger of Allah, may my father and mother be sacrificed for you, tell me of the first thing Allah created before all things.” He said: “O Jabir, the first thing Allah created was the light of your Prophet from His light, and that light remained (lit. “turned”) in the midst of His Power for as long as He wished, and there was not, at that time, a Tablet or a Pen or a Paradise or a Fire or an angel or a heaven or an earth.  And when Allah wished to create creation, he divided that Light into four parts and from the first made the Pen, from the second the Tablet, from the third the Throne, [and from the fourth everything else] (Narrated by Imam Ibn Hajr al Haytami in Fatawa al Hadithiyyah Page No. 289)

فقد أخرج عبد الرزاق بسنده عن جابر بن عبد الله الأنصاري رضي الله عنهما قال: “قلت: يا رسول الله بأبي أنت وأمي أخبرني عن أوّل شيء خلقه الله قبل الأشياء؟ قال: يا جابر إن الله خلق قبل الأشياء نور نبيك محمد صلى الله عليه وسلّم من نوره فجعل ذلك النور يدور بالقدرة حيث شاء الله، ولم يكن في ذلك الوقت لوح ولا قلم ولا جنة ولا نار ولا ملك ولا سماء ولا أرض ولا شمس ولا قمر ولا إنس ولا جن، فلما أراد الله تعالى أن يخلق الخلق قسم ذلك النور أربعة أجزاء: فخلق من الجزء الأوّل القلم، ومن الثاني اللوح، ومن الثالث العرش، ثم قسم الجزء الرابع أربعة أجزاء: فخلق من الأول حملة العرش، ومن الثاني الكرسي، ومن الثالث باقي الملائكة

Imam Abd al-Razzaq narrates that Jabir (May Allah be pleased with him) said:  “I said: O Messenger of Allah, may my father and mother be sacrificed for you, tell me of the first thing Allah created before all things”. He said: “O Jabir, the first thing Allah created was the light of your Prophet from His light, and that light remained (lit or “turned”) in the midst of His Power for as long as He wished, and there was not, at that time, a Tablet or a Pen or a Paradise or a Fire or an angel or a heaven or an earth or a sun or a moon or a jinn or a man. 

And when Allah wished to create creation, he divided that Light into four parts and from the first made the Pen, from the second the Tablet, from the third the Throne, and then he divided the fourth [part] into four [other] parts and from the first he created the bearer of the Throne, from the second the Chair (Kursi), from the third the rest of the angels. Then He divided the fourth into four other parts and created from the first the heavens, and from the second the earth, and from the third the Paradise and the Fire, and then he divided the fourth into four parts and created from the first the Light in the believers visions, and from the second the light of their hearts which is knowledge of Allah, and from the third the light of their inner harmony (‘Uns) which is the Tawheed ‘There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, etc…”. (Abd al-Razzaq (d. 211) narrates it in his Musannaf according to Qastallani in al-Mawahib al-laduniyya (1:55) and Zarqani in his Sharh al-mawahib (1:56 of the Matba`a al-`amira edition in Cairo). There is no doubt as to the reliability of `Abd al-Razzaq as a narrator. Bukhari took 120 narrations from him, Muslim 400., We do not have the entire Musnad of Abd al-Razzaq in our hands, the 11 volumes presently published are not the entire work).

Essentially the first particles create other particles and so one, if we keep in mind the verse of Light and its similitude “Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The example of His light is like a…”(24:35) we can see how close the scholars of Islam came to explaining the universe and the existence of quantum particles, and the mistake of literalism in relation to the light of Allah. 

The fundamental forces of the universe carried by semi particles, and the elementary particles are essentially in descriptive terms “Light”.

Allah brought forth his creation from the darkness of non-existence out into the knowledge of existence so it could know him, our study of the universe is that knowing. “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) said “The first thing that Allah created was the Intellect,”[Tirmidhi]. He also said, “The first thing that Allah created was the Pen,” and “The first thing Allah created was my Light.” The scholars said this amounts to the same thing, by similitude, the Pen the Intellect, the Light, can be understood as the light of our intellect that imagines the sum of our knowledge, this relates to the fact Allah created man in his own image, and the understanding that Allah also created creation in the likeness of his attributes. Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said: The first thing which Allah created was the Pen. He commanded it to write. It asked: What should I write? He said: Write the Decree (al-Qadr). So it wrote what had happened and what was going to happen up to eternity. (Tirmidhi) basically for the remainder of existence.

The scholars understood it in this manner because the first intellect is the primordial (Ancient) light in its passive aspect as a recipient of Allah’s knowledge, of what is to be, essentially Allah created Light and placed with it His knowledge and commanded it to write/record that knowledge. While the Pen is the primordial (Ancient) light in its active aspect of writing this knowledge on the Guarded Tablet at Allah’s command (The “Pen” is always understood as a simile by the scholars). 

The Prophet (saws) said “The first thing that Allah created was the Pen and He said to it: Write! So it wrote what is to be forever.”(Tabarani and Abu Nu’aym) 

The Prophet (saws) said, “The first thing created by Allah was the pen, 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). 

This Hadith is narrated in another way by Imam Bukhari, the Messenger of Allah (saws) says, “Allah (swt) said to the pen write my knowledge about my creatures until the Day of Judgment.” When Allah (swt) commanded it to right it wrote the knowledge He gave it.

The Pen, Light, Intellect as well as the light of prophethood that shines from a prophets face all amount to the same thing in what they are (a the type of light from the first light’s Allah created), and from the light of the intellect, all of the universe, with all its varied forms and meanings unfolded as Allah willed. Imam al Ghazali said in his Mishkat al Anwar (Niche of Lights) Allah created the Angels from the Light of the Intellect.

They found that the big bang and Inflation theories continue to ring true. The contents of the universe include 4 percent atoms (ordinary matter), 23 percent of an unknown type of dark matter, and 73 percent of a mysterious dark energy. The new measurements even shed light on the nature of the dark energy, which acts as a sort of anti-gravity.] [Note 2: A full-sky map of the oldest light in the universe. Colors indicate “warmer” (red) and “cooler” (blue) spots. The oval shape is a projection to display the whole sky; similar to the way the globe of the earth can be represented as an oval.]

Shaykh Abd al-Qadir al Gilani, (d. 561) in his book Sirr al-Asrar fi ma Yahtaju Ilayh al-Abrar said: “Know that since Allah first created the soul of Muhammad (essentially the soul is a form of Light) from the light of His beauty, as He said: I created Muhammad from the light of My Face, and as the Prophet said: The first thing Allah created is my soul (not the literal human soul), and the first thing Allah created is the Pen, and the first thing Allah created is the intellect. What is meant by all this is one and the same thing, and that is the haqiqa muhammadiyya. However, it was named a light because it is completely purified from darkness, as Allah said: There has come to you from Allah a Light and a manifest Book. It was also named an intellect because it is the cause for the transmission of knowledge, and the pen is its medium in the world of letters. The Muhammadan soul (al-ruh al-muhammadiyya) is therefore the quintessence of all created things and the first of them and their origin, as the Prophet said: I am from Allah and the believers are from me, and Allah created all souls from me in the spiritual world and He did so in the best form. It is the name of the totality of mankind in that primordial world, and after its creation by four thousand years, Allah created the Throne from the light of Muhammad himself (saws), and from it the rest of creation.”

The “Haqiqa Muhammadiyya” is always referred to when mentioning the hadith of Jabir that Imam Suhrawardi used, and he was a person who practiced tasawwuf so no doubt he knew and understood it. Among the people of Tasawwuf the understanding and knowledge of the “Haqiqa Muhamadiya” is widely known, but Imam Suhrawardi in his works took this a step further and elaborated on the whole process of creation, meaning the extent to which he relied on original ideas from outside of Islam is not as extensive as academics have thought, most prominent scholars who practice Tasawwuf speak of it.

Regarding the Haqiqa (reality) in relation to man, Allah created man in his image which Imam Ibn al Arabi explained, but he chose specific perfected forms for aspects of it from various prophets (saws). 

The prophet (saws) said “The people of Paradise will enter Paradise in the most perfect and beautiful form, in the form of their father Adam (in the general sense), whom Allaah created with His own hand and perfected his form and made his shape beautiful (this doesn’t mean our faces will look the same). Everyone who enters Paradise will be in the form of Adam” (Bukhari). 

And in another narration, They will enter paradise the same age as Isa (as) 33 years old (Book of the End, Ibn Katheer), the scholars did not take the soul mentioned by Shakh abdul Qadir al Jilani in its literal sense as the human soul we know, (“The first thing that Allah created was my light”) the souls of humans where created later which Imam Suhrawardi stipulates, but this first created light is spoken of in the descriptive sense as a form of active light, not simply photons.

Regarding the prophets (saws) words “I am from Allah and the believers are from me, and Allah created all souls from me in the spiritual world and He did so in the best form”, the first light Allah created was not a literal Human soul it was a substance similar to light, as one quantum particle in descriptive terms is similar to another, light is this substances similitude, from it other matter was created and so on until eventually Allah created the human soul in the best of forms, on the form of the prophet Muhammads (saws) soul originating from the light it originated from, because in life He was the one who achieved the most nearness to him through his soul. 

The role of the soul is similar to the intellect, while the intellects role is to gain knowledge and know creation the soul’s role is to know Allah and the unseen quantum world, which it is constantly witnessing, and our hearts look at what it sees (Imam al Ghazali). The prophet (saws) was the best of creation, Adam was the first man and Isa (Jesus) was unique in his purity because he did not have a father, we will have the form of Adam when we enter jannah (heaven), be the same age as Isa (as), meaning in the best of paths, and our souls are originated from the light the prophet muhammad’s soul originated from, who achieved the most nearness to Him. The words “from me” essentially mean from what Allah granted “me”, Allah was its creator and this isn’t referring to lineage, the language is descriptive of the moments of creation.

“O people of the Book! There hath come to you our Messenger, revealing to you much that ye used to hide in the Book, and passing over much. There hath come to you from Allah a light and a perspicuous Book (Qur’an 5:15).

Imam Alusi (rah) said in his tafsir: 

وكونه صلى الله عليه وسلم رحمة للجميع باعتبار أنه عليه الصلاة والسلام واسطة الفيض الإلهي على الممكنات على حسب القوابل، ولذا كان نوره صلى الله عليه وسلم أول المخلوقات، ففي الخبر ” أول ما خلق الله تعالى نور نبيك يا جابر ” وجاء ” الله تعالى المعطي وأنا القاسم ” وللصوفية قدست أسرارهم في هذا الفصل كلام فوق ذلك،

Translation: “The Prophet being a mercy to all is linked to the fact that he is the intermediary of the divine outpouring over all contingencies [i.e. all created things without exception], from the very beginnings (wasitat al-fayd al-ilahi `ala al-mumkinat `ala hasab al-qawabil), and that is why his light was the first of all things created, as stated in the report that “The first thing Allah created was the light of your Prophet, O Jabir,” and also cited is: “Allah is the Giver and I am the Distributor.” (Tafsir Ruh al-Ma`ani, Volume 017, Page No. 105)

Among the scholars who said : “What is meant by a Light is: Muhammad, Blessings and peace upon him.” are, Imam Suyuti in Tafsir al-Jalalayn, Imam Fayruzabadi in the Tafsir Ibn `Abbas entitled Tanwir al-miqbas (p. 72), Shaykh al-Islam Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, the Mujaddid of the sixth century, in his Tafsir al-kabir (11:189), Imam al-Shirbini in his Tafsir entitled al-Siraj al-munir (p. 360), the author of Tafsir Abi Sa`ud (4:36), Imam Ibn al-Jawzi in Z’ad al Maseer fil Ilm at-Tafseer Under the verse 5:15. 

Imam Qurtubi and Mawardi (al-Nukat wa al-‘uyun, 2.22) mention that interpreting Nur as “Muhammad” (Allah bless him and give him peace) was also the position by the Imam of Arabic grammar Ibrahim ibn Muhammad al-Zajjaj (d. 311/923). [Ahkam al-Qur’an , 6.118]

This original light and “soul” is also said to be the light of prophethood that shone from each prophets face (saws), meaning this light wasn’t simply referring to photons but a more complex substance in the active sense which is why it was also called a soul (whose role was to know the unseen world). 

If we think of the light of Prophethood, the pen, and the light of the intellect, we can understand better what is being referred to, this type of light was similar to the light of the intellect we all see in our inner eye which “imagines” our knowledge as we think, it was shinning forth from all the prophets of Allah.

The scholars said the Ancient light is what is called the Light of the Prophet, may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him, since he is the created being who received the major share of it, and it is also the Light of Prophethood granted to each prophet by which the people know them. The prophets message was sent to all mankind not simply muslims, he was a prophet to all humanity, this Last religion Allah sent would have to guide man for his remaining time on earth, which is more than any previous prophets time on earth, 1400 years so far, so his receiving the vast majority of it was because of his perfection and his role in life.

Abdullah Ibn Abbas (RA) explains the “Parable” of Allah’s Nur as:

مثل نوره نور محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم في أصلاب آبائه على هذا الوصف إلى

The Parable of Allah’s Nur is the Nur of Muhammad (The light of Prophethood) which was present in the loins of his forefathers (Tanwir al Miqbas, Min Tafsir Ibn Abbas, Page No. 376, Published by Maktaba al Asriyyah, Beirut, Lebanon)

The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) said : “When my mother gave birth to me a Nur emerged from her which lit up the castles of Syria (By it she could see them from a distance) (Imam al-Bayhaqi in Dala’il an-Nubuwwa)

Abu Bakr al Baihaqi (rah) narrated from the mother of Uthman bin Abi al Aas (ra) that she witnessed the Haml (carying period) of Amina bint Wahb (ra) the prophets mother, and on the night of the birth she saw that there was nothing but Nur spread everywhere in the house and the stars had come so close to earth (because of it) that it was hard to comprehend (Al Bidayah Wal Nihayah, Volume 2, Page No. 164)

Sayyidna Arbaz Bin Sariyah (r.a) narrated that the Sahaba asked (about the reality of Prophet). The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) said: I was in front of Allah written as Khatam an Nabiyeen (seal of the prophets) in Umm ul Kitaab (the mother of books) when Adam (as) was intermingled between clay (and spirit) (while he was being created).  I am the prayer of Ibrahim (Peace Be Upon Him) and Isa (Peace Be Upon Him) gave glad tiding of my arrival to his nation. (The Prophet – Peace be upon him said): My mother saw such a Light (Nur) coming out from her body that it lit the castles of Syria. (Bayhaqi, Ahmad, Ibn Kathir in his tafseer, among others)

Abu Hurraira (ra) narrates from the Messenger of Allah (May Peace be upon him) that he said: When Allah created Adam (Peace be upon him) He informed him of his descendants, at this Adam (Peace be upon him) saw superiority of some over others, then he saw me towards the end in form of an “Illuminating Nur” (i.e. first to be created from Nur (light) but sent last to mankind), he (Adam) said: O my Lord who is this? The Lord replied: This is your son Ahmed who is the first and the last and (on the Day of Judgment) he will be the first to do intercession (for humanity). (Imam Bayhaqi in his Dalail an Nabuwwah: Volume 005, Page No. 483)

Imam Badr ud-din Ayni (rah) states in his Umdat al Qari, Sharh Sahih al Bukhari to the hadith “First of all, there was nothing but Allah, and (then He created His Throne). His throne was over the water” (Sahih Bukhari in English, Volume 4, Book 54, Number 414)

روى أحمد والترمذي مصححا من حديث عبادة بن الصامت مرفوعاً أول ما خلق الله القلم ثم قال أكتب فجرى بما هو كائن إلى يوم القيامة واختاره الحسن وعطاء ومجاهد وإليه ذهب إبن جرير وابن الجوزي وحكى ابن جرير عن محمد بن إسحاق أنه قال أول ما خلق الله تعالى النور والظلمة ثم ميز بينهما فجعل الظلمة ليلاً أسود مظلماً وجعل النور نهاراً أبيض مبصراً وقيل أو ما خلق الله تعالى نور محمد قلت التوفيق بين هذه الروايات بأن الأولية نسبي وكل شيء قيل فيه إنه أول فهو بالنسبة إلى ما بعدها

Imam Ahmed and Imam Tirimdhi have narrated the Marfu hadith with Sahih Isnad from Ibada bin Samit (ra) which proves that Allah first created the Pen and then told it to write and It wrote everything which would happen till day of Judgement. Hassan, Ata and Mujahid have adopted this too, Ibn Jarir and Ibn Jawzi also have this Madhab whereas Ibn Jarir has narrated from Muhammad bin Ishaq that “Allah created the Nur (light) and Darkness prior to everything” and then differentiated between them, There is also a saying that Allah first created “The Nur of Muhammad (saws)” so how could reconciliation be brought in these different narrations? I say that they could be reconciled by saying that everything has its “relative primacy” and they are first in relevance to things which came after them. (Umdat al Qari, Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume No. 15, Page No. 109)

Mullah Ali Qari (rah) beautifully said: Being first is amongst the matters of “Idhafiyah” hence the interpretation will be done that these things (i.e. Qalam, Aql, Nur, Ruh, Arsh etc…) are first according to their own “Jinss” (type or kind)… The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: “The First thing which Allah created was my Nur” and It has also come in another report that It was his “Ruh” (soul) and both of them “Have the same meaning because spirits (in general) are created from nur”(Mullah Ali Qari in Mirqat, Sharh al-Mishqaat (1/290))

“This (first) light was the origin of the lights of all other Divine Messengers, of the Angels, then of all other beings. This is how and why the Prophet, may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him, could say, “I was a Prophet when Adam was still between spirit and body.” (Tirmidhi, Ahmad, Hakim and Bukhari in Tarikh) The power of this light made the Prophet’s radiation (the light he radiated) so powerful, once he appeared on earth, that Allah calls him in the Qur’an “an illuminating lamp.”(33:46) “He is an Illuminating lamp for the intellect, and the Qur’an is like the Sun for it, directing man to the rest of creation” (unseen and seen) (Imam al Ghazali). Rubayyi (r.a), when asked to describe the Prophet (saws), said, “My son, had you seen him, you would have seen the sun shining.” (Tirmidhi)

Anas (r.a) reports: “The day the Nabi (saws) came (migrated) to Madinah, everything in Madinah became illuminated. (a natural illumination, was felt, when the anwaar increased, it could be felt. In the dark nights of Ramadaan many times because of the intensity of the anwaaraat (illuminations)). The day when Rasulullah (saws) passed away, ‘everything of Madinah became dark. We had not yet dusted off the dust from our hands after the burial of Rasulullah (saws) when we began to feel the change in our hearts.”(Tirmidhi, Ahmad, Ibn Maaja)

If we keep in mind all these definitions we can understand what Imam Abu Abdullah Ibn al-Haaj al-Maliki related about this matter, “The first thing Allah created is the light (Nur) of Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), and that light came and prostrated before Allah. Allah divided it into four parts and created from the first part the Throne, from the second the Pen, from the third the Tablet, and then similarly He subdivided the fourth part into parts and created the rest of creation. Therefore the light of the Throne is from the light of Muhammad , the light of the Pen is from the light of Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), the light of the Tablet is from the light of Muhammad , the light of day, the light of knowledge, the light of the sun and the moon, and the light of vision and sight are all from the light of Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). [al-Madkhal, Volume 002, Page No. 32-3]

The Light of Prophethood was seen on the prophets father Abdullah (r.a) when he was to marry Aminah (r.a) the prophets mother. On His way to Her tribe the Bani Zuhra, He passed by a Jewish soothsayer named Fatima, she propositioned him because she saw the light of prophethood shining from his forehead and she was hoping that she would conceive this honorable Prophet. 

Abdullah (ra) replied, “Regarding haram, death is better, And I don’t see any halal in sight,  And about what you are asking for, An honourable one must protect his honor and religion.” Abdullah (ra) married, Aamina (ra), who was then the best woman in Quraish, both in lineage and birth. They became husband and wife on Monday, and she conceived the Prophet (saw). The next day, Abdullah (ra) went out and passed by the woman who proposed to him earlier. He asked her, “Why don’t you offer me what you offered me yesterday?” She replied, “The light that you were carrying yesterday has left you; therefore I have no need for you today. I was hoping to have that light in me, but Allah (swt) willed it to be put elsewhere.” 

The sister of Waraqa bin Nawfal (ra), Umm Qatal similarly saw Light between the eyes of Abdullah (ra) before he had gone onto his wife Amina (ra), and she had proposed to him too, her brother (Waraqa bin Nawfal) had told her that a mighty Prophet would be born from Abdullah (ra) therefore it was a desire of Umm Qatal that the Nabi is born through her, however the Nur was transferred into Amina (r.a) (Ibn Kathir in Al Bidayah Wal Nihayah)

Abdullah Ibn Abbas narrated: That I said ‘O’ Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him), my mother and father be sacrificed for you, where were you at the time Adam was in heaven, He said that the Prophet (saws) smiled so that his teeth became clear then he said I was in the loin of Adam (this differentiates from the prophet himself from the Light Allah created and his being a prophet when Allah was creating Adam) and then in the loin of my father Noah (saws) then I was taken on a ship then my Light was put into the loin of Abraham (saws) my parents (lineage) were never given to me except through those who did Nikah (married) I was always transferred to pure people. In the Torah and the Bible was my name mentioned, every Prophet of Allah mentioned my blessings, With my Light (Nur) the morning would light up and the people (would) get clouds giving shadow due to me, and Allah granted me one of his names, He is Mehmood al Arsh, and I am Muhammad, and Allah promised me Hoodh al-Kowthar (river from Jannah) and he made me the first Intercessor and I will be the first person who’s Intercession will be accepted, and Allah gave me birth in the best time of mankind, the people of my Ummah are those who praise Allah, they ask to do good deeds and stop from sins. (Ibn Asakir, Tarikh Madina-Damishq Volume 003, Page No. 408, the original translation was not clear and some corrections where made).

The souls of all Humans where created much later than the beginning of the universe, the light of Prophethood intended for each prophet, was created before Adam was created, this is how the Prophet (saws) was a prophet before Allah finished creating Adam, referring to the light of prophethood. It was a reference to this light not him as a person, he mentioned it as “him” in the sense that its qualities of prophethood where his. The Quran says “he speaks nothing of his own desire”, telling us something about his personality and the degree to which it agreed with what Allah wanted, hence he used this language. But since All these things and the rest of creation where created from the first “light” in a successive order, different names where given to similar things according to their function (role).

Creation is the Veil of Form of Allah’s Attributes

Because one particle is created from another smaller particle and matter as well as the objects in the universe are created from these particles and ultimately life itself, and this all began with  Nur al Anwar (Light of Lights), if we keep in mind what Imam Ibn al Arabi said about Allah creating man in his image, it becomes clear that all objects and beings in creation are the veils of form, of Allah’s attributes. 

Seeing the sings of Allah in creation is to understand the meaning Allah has placed behind what is occurring in life.

Allah says: Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth; a likeness of His light is as a niche in which is a lamp, the lamp is in a glass, (and) the glass is as it were a brightly shining star, lit from a blessed olive-tree, neither eastern nor western, the oil whereof almost gives light though fire touch it not– light upon light– Allah guides to His light whom He pleases, and Allah sets forth parables for men, and Allah is Cognizant of all things.(Surah Nur, 24. Ayah 35)

The physical meaning and representation of this verse has been given but the meaning of this structure Allah placed in the universe which represents his attributes is also represented in the way Allah created man in his Image, His image is a totality of the attributes in creation, He ended the verse by saying “Allah guides to His light whom He pleases, and Allah sets forth parables for men” connecting the verse to mans guidance, through what He mentioned of the universe, in the form of a parable. 

Allah created the Universe in a manner that his creations could know it and each other through it, He created the jinn with one hand and created mankind with both as Imam Ibn al Arabi explained. 

Imam al Ghazali explained what Imam Ali meant when he said “The vision of the eye is limited; the vision of the heart transcends all barriers of time and space”, this is so the heart is not limited by what it sees and it’s vision can reach the furthest reaches of space (many prophet were given sight of the Arsh of Allah from earth). Both Imam Ibn al Arabi and Imam Ghazali said this vision is distorted in sinful people who don’t receive much light to see with, they explained that the reason why Allah created creation from his light as it “unfolded” in time after the first moment of the big bang, was because on a quantum level through the entanglement of particles (similarity of substances and nature of our bodies to distant objects) they could connect to each other spiritually regardless of distance (the explanation is stated in simple terms and may be falling short in some regards). 

Keeping in Mind that quantum entanglement (as the name describes) means that any two particles irrespective of distance in space can be connected to each other, and “Nonlocality” (which occurs because of entanglement) describes the apparent ability of objects to instantaneously know about each other’s state, even when separated by large distances (potentially even billions of light years, almost as if the universe at large instantaneously arranges its particles in anticipation of future events), this aspect of creation is spoken of in the works of Imam al Ghazali (r.a) and can be understood from the saying of Imam Ali “The vision of the eye is limited; the vision of the heart transcends all barriers of time and space”. 

More recently mathematicians are showing that entanglement between parts of large systems having thousands (or trillions) of particles is the norm, rather than being a rare and short-lived relationship, researchers are also suggesting the entanglement of the universe occurred at the time of the big bang, from this we know that Quantum Entanglement drives the arrow of time, and that Large-scale entanglement guides how our world evolves, often in crucial ways. Experiments are also showing that “Quantum Entanglement benefits” exist even after the links are broken, reasonable or not, entanglement indeed appears to be a part of reality.

What this points to is the deeper interconnectedness of the universe that this greater meaning in life is born from and can be understood, “and Allah is Cognizant of all things” (24:35) an attribute of his reflected in the universe. 

In relation to entanglement at the first stages of creation, the Prophet (saws) said: “Allah the Exalted created creation in a darkness (fi zulmatin); 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. Therefore I say that the Pen is dry (and all is) in Allah’s foreknowledge.” (Tirmidhi)

This ability to understand the greater meaning behind things which Imam Suhrawardi tried to explain in his works referring to the light of the hearts ability to see the Haq (reality) of something and it’s true nature, is taken from the hearts ability to encompass and know the reality of things in its vision which we know through what we sense and feel about moments and things in life. 

Allah in a Hadith Qudsi says: “My earth and My heaven do not encompass Me, but the heart of My servant who has faith does encompass Me.” (Ihya Ullum al Deen, Imam al Ghazali) Often this was summarized by Scholars in the briefer formula “The heart of the person of faith is the Throne of the All-Merciful”, Qalb al-mu’min ‘arsh al-Rahman. 

This is another way of understanding the hadith “Allah created man in his Image”. Allah said “He knows what is before them and what is behind them, while they cannot encompass Him with their knowledge.” (20.110) man can not encompass Allah with knowledge but his heart can encompass qualities and attributes from which he interprets the world around him and derives knowledge. 

There is a difference between information, knowledge, understanding and wisdom, wisdom comes from qualities we embody in our hearts. Knowledge is abundant in our time but it has been reduced to mere information and facts, a list of points about a topic. When one goes beyond facts and information they gain knowledge of an issue, after they have reached this point only then they can begin to have an understanding of the wider aspects of the topic in relation to the wider world, if the individual has wisdom, when this is combined with understanding they become sagacious and can see it in context with the greater picture of life. This is how man (such as the prophets) can surpass the Angels in perfection and wisdom but not knowledge.

To better understand this we have to refer back to the works of the scholars who spoke about it in more depth, but this explanation should be sufficient (insha allah). 

This meaning behind the structure of the universe Allah mentioned in the verse of Light (24:35) was spoken of and explained in relation to the prophet (saws) himself by the companions and the scholars, who was mankind’s perfect representation, as Man was created in Allah’s Image. The Key to understand what they said is to keep in mind that Allah mentioned in relation to the verse, at the end, that “Allah guides to His light whom He pleases” which was in part the reason He spoke about it. The companions Ka’b al-Ahbar (ra) and Ibn Jubayr (ra) said: By the second light He (Allah) means Muhammad (Peace be upon him). Allah said “The Likeness of his light” this refers to the Nur of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) (Ash-Shifa bi Tarif al Haquq al Mustafa, Page No. 6) (which is also in agreement with the origin of the light of Prophethood)

Sahl bin Abdullah (ra) said that (the metaphor) means that Allah is the “guide” of creation in the heavens and the earth, he then said: Like the Light of Muhammad (Peace be upon him) when it is lodged in the loins (of his forefathers) like a niche. By the Lamp he means his heart. The glass is his breast. It is as if it were a glittering star because of the belief and wisdom it contains, kindled from a blessed tree, i.e. from the light of Ibrahim (a.s). He makes a comparison with the blessed tree and He says: “Its oil would nearly shine” i.e. Muhammad (salallaho alaihi wasalam)’s prophecy is evident to the people even before he speaks just like the oil. (Ash-Shifa bi Tarif al Haquq al Mustafa, Page No. 6)

Imam Ibn Kathir (Rahimuhullah) says under this ayah in his Tafsir,

وقال شمر بن عطية: جاء ابن عباس إلى كعب الأحبار فقال: حدثني عن قول الله تعالى: { يَكَادُ زَيْتُهَا يُضِىۤءُ وَلَوْ لَمْ تَمْسَسْهُ نَارٌ } قال: يكاد محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم يبين للناس، ولو لم يتكلم أنه نبي؛ كما يكاد ذلك الزيت أن يضيء

Ibn Abbas (ra) went to Ka’b al-Ahbar (ra) and asked him to explain Allah’s saying: “whose oil is well-nigh luminous”, Ka’b (ra)  said: It is an (example of) Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) i.e. He is evident to people as a Prophet even if he had not declared his Nubuwah, just like the olive oil glows even without being lit. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Volume No.3, Page No. 490, under 24:35)

Imam al-Baghwi (Rahimuhullah) explains:

فقال بعضهم: وقع هذا التمثل لنور محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم، قال ابن عباس لكعب الأحبار: أخبرني عن قوله تعالى: { مَثَلُ نُورِهِ كَمِشْكَاةٍ } فقال كعب: هذا مثل ضربه الله لنبيه صلى الله عليه وسلم، فالمشكاة صدره، والزجاجة قلبه، والمصباح فيه النبوة، توقد من شجرة مباركة هي شجرة النبوة، يكاد نور محمد وأمره يتبين للناس ولو لم يتكلم أنه نبي كما يكاد ذلك الزيت يضيء ولو لم تمسسه نار.

Some (scholars) said: This similitude refers to Nur of Muhammad (salallaho alaihi wasalam), Ibn Abbas (ra) asked Kab al-Ahbar (ra) to explain Similitude of Nur, at which he replied: Allah has mentioned his Prophet (Peace be upon him) as a parable in this ayah, Mishkat refers to the chest of Prophet (saw), Glass refers to his heart, and Misbah refers to his Nabuwah and the wording “whose oil is well-nigh luminous” means that even if Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) had not declared himself a Prophet still his Nur would have glowed proving to people that he is a Nabi. (Ma’lim at Tanzil by Imam Baghawi, Under 24:35)

By similitude to the Prophet (saws) himself about who Allah said “Say, “I am only a man like you, to whom has been revealed that your god is one God.” (18:110) this verse in relation to Man means, Allah is the “guide” of creation, the heavens and the earth: Like the Light of Mankind when it is lodged in the loins (of his forefathers) like a niche. By the Lamp he means Man’s heart. The glass is his breast. It is as if it were a glittering star because of the belief and wisdom it contains, kindled from a blessed tree, i.e. from the light of Adam (a.s) and his ancestry. He makes a comparison with the blessed tree and He says: “Its oil would nearly shine” that is, Man’s vice-regency on earth is evident to the other beings in creation even before he speaks just like the oil.

Or: Man in his being is a parable in this ayah, Mishkat refers to his chest, Glass refers to his heart, and Misbah refers to his Vice-regency and the wording “whose oil is well-nigh luminous” means that even if Man had not declared himself a Vicegerent still his Nur (Light) would have glowed proving to the rest of creation that he is Allah’s vicegerent on Earth. 

This is how Allah guides man with his light through his physiology, “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)

Imam Ibn al Arabi elaborated on mans reality saying: So if you have understood, I have explained to you what is meant by “man”. Look at his grandeur through the Most Beautiful Names (of Allah, he was given), and the fact that they seek him (Allah’s other beings the Jinn and Angels) Through their seeking him (and their requiring his existence) you will come to understand his majesty, and through his appearance through them (as the Angels and Jinn support Him), you will understand his lowliness. So understand!

From this it is understood that he is a copy of the two forms Allah, and the Universe. (Imam Ibn al Arabi’s own summary of his work al Fusus al Ahkam).

Research Papers

1. Entanglement Threshold for Random Induced States.
2. Observation of Eight-Photon Entanglement.
3. Quantum Mechanical Evolution Towards Thermal Equilibrium.
4. Quantum Equilibration in Finite Time.
5. Extremely Quick Thermalization in a Macroscopic Quantum System for a Typical NonEquilibrium Subspace.
6. A Photon–Photon Collider in a Vacuum Hohlraum
7. Attractive Photons in a Quantum Nonlinear Medium

1) Imam Ibn al Arabi On True Knowledge:

(The following should be understood in the context of knowledge gained in the way of Allah, and in relation to the saying of Aisha about the Prophet (saws) “He was a Walking Quran” and is relevant to understanding this work and what Imam Suhrawardi explained in his.)

How can true knowledge be obtained? What do we usually depend on when we want to know things, especially the reality of existence, and what is the role of our sense perception and rational consideration? Can the seeker of deeper insight gain this insight by what is generally called independent reasoning? (Ijtihad, or deductive contemplation) 

Shaykh Al-Akbar Imam Ibn al Arabi shows that whatever knowledge is acquired, reason is always bound to follow an authority (it holds to be true), for it cannot do otherwise. So what then is the best course to follow, that is which authority (or what the mind considers authoritative) can be trusted above others?

Imam Ibn al Arabi said: “The eye is never mistaken, neither it nor any of the senses. . . . The rational faculty perceives in two modes: through an inherent (dhati) perception in which it is like the senses, never being mistaken; and by a non-inherent perception. The second is what it perceives through its instruments (ala), which are reflection and (our) sense perception. 

Imagination follows the authority (taqlid/imitation) of that which (our) sense perception gives to it. Reflection considers imagination and finds therein individual things (mufradat). 

Reflection would love to configure a form to be preserved by the rational faculty (its sense of what sanity is). Hence it attributes some of the individual things to others (it confuses between things to maintain its sense of sanity and rationality, in spite of what the truth may be). In this attribution it may be mistaken concerning the actual situation, or it may be correct. Reason judges upon this basis, so it also may be mistaken or correct. Hence reason is a follower of authority, and it may make mistakes (as our sense of what is more authoritative about a matter can be misplaced). 

Since the Sufis (people of Tasawwuf) saw the mistakes of those who employ consideration, they turned to the path in which there is no confusion so that they might take things from the Eye of Certainty (ayn al-yaqin) and become qualified by certain knowledge. (“And worship your Lord until there comes to you the certainty”(15:99) 

Reason is full of meddling because (human) reflection governs over it, along with all the faculties within man, since there is nothing greater than reason in following authority (and what is authoritative). Reason imagines it has God-given proofs, but it only has proofs given by reflection. Reflection’s proofs let it take reason wherever it wants, while reason is like a blind man. No, it is even blinder in the path of Allah. The Folk of Allah do not follow the authority of their reflections (they continue to reflect), since a created thing should not follow the authority of another created thing. Hence they incline toward following Allah’s authority. They come to know Allah through Allah (as Imam Ali said about Maarifa, i Know Allah by (the Maarifa of) Allah), and He is as He says about Himself, not as meddlesome reason judges (and fails to comprehend what it doesn’t yet know). 

How is it proper for an intelligent man to follow the authority of the reflectivtive faculty, when he divides reflective consideration into correct and corrupt? Necessarily, he has need for a criterion (fariq) with which to separate the correct from the corrupt, but he cannot possibly distinguish between correct and corrupt reflective consideration through reflective consideration itself (what he reflects on is limited by what He doesn’t know, and he isn’t considering all there is to know). Necessarily, he has need for Allah in that. 

As for us, when we want to discern correct reflective consideration from the corrupt so that we may judge by it, we first have recourse to Allah, asking Him to bestow upon us knowledge of the object without the use of reflection. The Ummah (community) depends upon this and acts in accordance with it. This is the knowledge of the prophets, the friends (of Allah, saintly men) and the possessors of knowledge among the folk of Allah. They never transgress their places with their reflective powers. 

No one can have knowledge unless he knows things through his [its] own essence. Anyone who knows something through something added to his own essence is following the authority of that added thing in what it gives to him. Nothing in existence knows things through its own essence other than the One (Allah). The knowledge of things and not-things possessed by everything other than the One (Allah) is a following of authority (perceived to be authoritative). Since it has been established that other than Allah cannot have knowledge of a thing without following authority, let us follow Allah’s authority, especially in knowledge of Him. 

Why do we say that nothing can be known by other than Allah except through following authority? Because man knows nothing except through one of the faculties given to him by Allah: the senses and reason. Hence man has to follow the authority of his sense perception in that which it gives (him), and sense perception may be mistaken, or it may correspond to the situation as it is in itself. Or, man has to follow the authority of his rational faculty in that which it gives to him, either the incontrovertible (darura) or consideration. But reason follows the authority of reflection, some of which is correct and some of which is corrupt, so its knowledge of affairs, is by chance (bi’l-ittifaq). Hence there is nothing but following authority (and what we perceive authoritative). 

Since this is the situation, the intelligent man who wants to know Allah should follow His authority in the reports He has given about Himself in His scriptures and upon the tongues of His messengers. When a person wants to know the things, but he cannot know them through what his faculties give him, he should strive in acts of obedience (ta’at) until the Real (Haq) is his hearing, his seeing, and all his faculties (Allah says in a hadith Qudsi: “My servant continues to draw near to Me with supererogatory works so that I shall love him. When I love him 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)). Then he will know all affairs through Allah and he will know Allah through Allah. In any case there is no escape from following authority, but once you know Allah through Allah and all things through Allah, then you will not be visited in that by ignorance, obfuscations (confusions), doubts or uncertainties. Thus have I alerted you to something which has never before reached your ear! 

The rational thinkers from among the people of consideration imagine that they know what consideration, sense perception, and reason have bestowed upon them, but they are following the authority of these things. Every faculty is prone to a certain kind of mistake. Though they may know this fact, they seek to throw themselves into error, for they distinguish between that within which sense perception, reason, and reflection may be mistaken and that within which it is not mistaken. But how can they know? Perhaps that which they have declared to be a mistake is correct. Nothing can eliminate this incurable disease, unless all a person’s knowledge is known through Allah, not through other than Him. Allah knows through His own Essence, not through anything added to It. Hence you also will come to know through that through which He knows, since you follow the authority of Him (Allah) who knows, who is not ignorant, and who follows the authority of no one. Anyone who follows the authority of other than Allah follows the authority of him who is visited by mistakes and who is correct only by chance. 

Someone may object: “How do you know this? Perhaps you may be mistaken in these classifications without being aware of it. For in this you follow the authority of that which can be mistaken: reason and reflection.” 

We reply: You are correct. However, since we see nothing but following authority, we have preferred to follow the authority of him who is named “Messenger” and that which is named “the Speech of Allah.” We followed their authority in knowledge until the Real was our hearing and our sight, so we came to know things through Allah and gained knowledge of these classifications through Allah. The fact that we were right to follow this authority was by chance, since, as we have said, whenever reason or any of the faculties accords with something as it is in itself, this is by chance. We do not hold that it is mistaken in every situation. We only say that we do not know how to distinguish its being wrong from its being right. But when the Real is all a person’s faculties and he knows things through Allah, then he knows the difference between the faculties’ being right and their being mistaken. This is what we maintain, and no one can deny it, for he finds it in himself. 

Since this is so, occupy yourself with following that which Allah has commanded you: practicing obedience to Him, examining (muraqaba) the thoughts that occur to your heart, shame (haya) before Allah, halting before His bounds, being alone (infirad) with Him, and preferring His side over yourself, until the Real is all your faculties, and you are (upon insight,12:108) in your affair (“Say, This is my way; I invite to Allah with insight, I and those who follow me. And exalted is Allah; and I am not of those who associate others with Him.”12:108). 

Thus have I counseled you, for we have seen the Real report about Himself that He possesses things which rational proofs and sound reflective powers reject, even though they offer proofs that the report-giver speaks the truth and people must have faith in what he says. So follow the authority of your Lord, since there is no escape from following authority! Do not follow your rational faculty in its interpretation (ta’wil)! 

By following the authority of Allah, the wayfarer thereby passes beyond mere following authority, for then the knowledge he has received through the revealed Law can be “verified” within himself. Thus “verification and realization” (tahqiq) (of what he has learned) completes and perfects following (taqlid). 

This Ummah (community) works toward acquiring something of what the divine reports have brought from the Real (Haq). They start to polish their hearts through invocations (Dhikr), reciting the Qur’an, freeing the locus (a center of activity, attention, or concentration, i.e the heart and self) from taking possible things into consideration, presence (hudur, being aware of your present self and behavior), and self-examination (muraqaba). They also keep their outward manifestation (the emotional states we fall into) pure by halting within the bounds (Fiqh) established by the Law (Deen), for example by averting the eyes from things such as private parts which it is forbidden to look upon and by looking at those things which bring about heedfulness (of Allah) and clear perception (Looking at unlawful things hinders perception). 

So also with the hearing, tongue, hand, foot, stomach, private parts, and heart (each unlawful thing hinders the faculty that carries it out). Outwardly there are only these seven, and the heart is the eighth. Such a person eliminates reflection from himself completely, since it disperses his singleminded concern (hamm, essentially his focus). He secludes himself at the gate of his Lord, occupying himself with examining his heart, in hopes that Allah will open the gate for him and he will come to know what he did not know, those things which the messengers and the Folk of Allah know and which rational faculties cannot possibly perceive on their own. 

When Allah opens the gate to the possessor of this heart, he actualizes (enlightens his iman as the prophet said to harithah) a divine self-disclosure which gives to him that which accords with its own properties. Then he attributes to Allah things which he would not have dared to attribute to Allah earlier. He would not have described Allah that way except to the extent that it was brought by the divine reports (He used to describe things from reading about them now He speaks from seeing them). He used to take such things through following (the written) authority. Now he takes them through unveiling which corresponds with and confirms for him what the revealed scriptures and the messengers have mentioned. He used to ascribe those things to Allah through faith and as a mere narrator, without verifying their meanings or adding to them. Now he ascribes them to Him within himself, with a verified knowledge because of that which has been disclosed to him. 

True knowledge cannot be other than unveiled by Allah to His creature, and this is a knowledge without the intermediary of reflection or any other faculty. It is a given, according to the saying, “Knowledge is a light which Allah throws into the heart of whomsoever He will.” 

Sound knowledge is not given by reflection, nor by what the rational thinkers establish by means of their reflective powers. Sound knowledge is only that which Allah throws into the heart of the knower. It is a divine light for which Allah singles out any of His servants whom He will, whether Angel, Messenger, Prophet, friend, or person of faith. He who has no unveiling has no knowledge (man la kashf lahu la’ilm lahu). (This was the way of Saydinah Khidr in guiding Musa (as) in the lessons mentioned in the Qur’an) (Futuhat al-Makkiyya by Imam Ibn `Arabi) 

2) Many sources where used in writing this work, at times quoted directly at others we have paraphrased, we have not cited them for spiritual reasons, this work was done feesabilillah.