Pilot entry: source checked; awaiting review by readers from this tradition.
Original source · Historical tradition
Qur'an: Surah 24 (An-Nur), verse 35 (Ayat an-Nur, 'Verse of Light')
“Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The similitude of His light is as a niche wherein is a lamp.”Translation: Marmaduke Pickthall (1930)
The verse calls God the Light of the heavens and the earth and gives a parable: a lamp in a niche, inside a glass like a radiant star, lit from the oil of a blessed olive tree that belongs to neither East nor West, 'light upon light'. God guides to His light whom He wills and sets forth parables for people.
Read the full passage at the source.
Edition: Translation by Marmaduke Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran (1930). Any English rendering is a translation of meaning.
Historical context
Historical context
Surah An-Nur is generally classed as Medinan (from after the Hijra, 622 CE). The Verse of Light became one of the most commented-on passages in Islamic thought; al-Ghazali's 'Mishkat al-Anwar' (The Niche of Lights, c. 11th–12th c.) is a well-known example.
Interpretations differ
Within the tradition
Interpretations vary widely. Some exegetes read the light as divine guidance in the believer's heart, some as the Qur'an or the Prophet. Sufi and philosophical writers have read it as a map of the soul's illumination. Many Muslims treat it simply as a statement of God's guidance, without esoteric layering.
Respect and care
Cultural protocol
This is scripture, not folklore about olive oil. Its Arabic text is often used in calligraphy and mosque decoration; wherever it is reproduced, it should be taken from a verified text and never altered.
21 EFFECTS contemporary reflection · Enlightenment
A practice inspired by this text
This practice is a 21 EFFECTS reflection. It is not the tradition’s own teaching or its only meaning, and you do not need to share its beliefs to use it.
- Sit for a few minutes near natural light.
- Ask what your recent actions have brought into the light, and what they have kept hidden.
- Choose one truth you have avoided and act on it honestly.
What do my actions illuminate, and what am I keeping in the dark?
Does this speak to you?
Saved sources accompany your journey days as an extra reflection. Private, on this device only.
Further research
Go to the source
Qur'an: Surah 24 (An-Nur), verse 35 (Ayat an-Nur, 'Verse of Light'). Read the passage in full, in context, and with teachers from the tradition where possible. Spotted an error? Send a correction.