“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.”(al-Nur, 24/35)
We studied the light verse at the beginning of this course in the context of the Prophet, and how he is to carry the message of God throughout the world. In many Islamic pieces of art, the prophet is depicted as a carrier of this prophetic light, perhaps depicted as a lamp, or indicated with a halo. In my art above, I have included both: the light bulb, one form (modern) of a light source and the lamps (a more traditional light source), and the halo, indicating the prophetic light. However, in my image, I have also included some more passionate depictions of the flame, such as the raging fire and the streak of light, to represent a second level of enlightenment, one inspired by the week’s discussions of Sufism. In a video shown in class of men practicing Sufi prayer, one man entered into a state of ecstasy: this state could be considered a state of intense passion, so great that the human being is incapable of processing this enlightenment by God. If we revisit the light verse with this context in mind, we can see that perhaps the mysticism of Sufism is, in fact, Allah guiding his light to “whom he pleases.” In this way, we can tie the light verse to being essential to Sufism, since anyone ascribing to Sufism can be graced with a new level of enlightenment.
The state of ecstasy (wajd) is also mentioned in Sufi Music and Dance (pg. 182). If the divine beauty is so great, then it can overwhelm the senses and individuals can reach wajd. The author also makes a point of distinguishing between wajd and imitation: this state of imitation comes about when an individual is not granted this light from Allah but is trying to reach wajd.
This idea also lends itself to interesting discussions regarding gender equality as well: the light verse states that “Allah guides to His light whom He pleases,” which, when interpreted as God views all as equal opportunities for enlightenment, women can argue against the patriarchy. While I do not explore this side in my art above, it does lend itself into some pretty future exploration regarding gender roles and how the literature is unspecific regarding women versus men.