In the Shade of the Qur'an by Sayyid Qutb

So far the sūrah has dealt with the most crude aspects of the human constitution in order to purify and refine them. It has dealt with sexual desire, including its different appeals, as well as the inclination to spread rumours and level accusations at people causing anger and distress. It has also dealt with indecency fermenting within people’s hearts, finding verbal expression and then spreading into actual life itself. In all these it laid down very stern punishments for adultery and for false accusation of committing it. It portrayed a horrid example of false accusations levelled at chaste women who are unaware of what is being said about them. It also provided prevention measures, such as seeking permission before entering other people’s homes, lowering one’s gaze when meeting others, and covering personal charms and adornments. It further warned against unnecessary sexual excitement, encouraged marriage and the freedom of slaves and prohibited prostitution. All these measures, varied as they are, help to control the physical impulse and strengthen the motives to maintain one’s chastity and aspire to higher standards of purity.

At the conclusion of its comments on the false story about `Ā’ishah the sūrah dealt with the lingering effects of that incident: in particular the distress, anger, distortion of values and anxiety. Thus we find the Prophet (peace be upon him) calm and reassured, `Ā’ishah herself well satisfied and happy, her father Abū Bakr kind and forgiving, and Şafwān ibn al-Mu`aţţal pleased with God’s declaration of his innocence, and the whole Muslim community turning back to God after realizing how they were lost in confusion. Now they are back on track, recognizing God’s favours and grace, and following His guidance.

With such directives, education and refinement the sūrah now deals with the human soul, how it suddenly lights up, aspiring to the great light that fills the heavens and earth. Muslims are now ready to receive the enlightenment that they need in a world full of light.

“God is the light of the heavens and the earth.” (Verse 35) No sooner does this remarkable statement impart its meaning than a bright light spreads over the whole universe and lightens up feelings and emotions, filling hearts and minds. The entire universe swims in a radiant light. Screens and curtains are removed, hearts radiate, spirits fly high, and everything is purified in a sea of light. All shed their burdens and join together in an atmosphere of pure happiness and delight. Indeed, the universe and all it contains break their fetters so as to let the heavens and earth meet, the distant and the near come together, as do the animate and the inanimate. What is hidden joins with what is apparent, as do people’s hearts and senses.

“God is the light of the heavens and the earth.” He is the light from which they derive their essence as well as their perfect system. He is the One who gives them their existence and the law that governs such existence. Man has recently been able to discover, through scientific achievements, a part of this great truth when what they used to call ‘matter’ was transformed, through nuclear fusion, into radiation that has no form or substance other than light. Thus, man discovered that an atom contains electrons that produce radiation. By contrast, the human heart was able to comprehend this great truth many centuries before science made its discoveries.

Every time the human heart attained a high level of purity, aspiring to the sublime light, it was able to understand this truth. It was fully comprehended by Muhammad, God’s Messenger, as he started his journey back from Ţā’if, when he gave up on people and sought refuge with his Lord. Appealing to God Almighty, he said: “I seek refuge in the light of Your face by which all darkness is dispelled and both this life and the life to come are put on their right courses.” His heart shined with this sublime light on his night journey which took him from Makkah to Jerusalem and then to heaven. When later `Ā’ishah, his wife, asked him whether he saw his Lord, he answered: “It is all light. How could I see Him?”

The human heart cannot take such abundant light for long; nor can it aspire to that great horizon for long. Hence, after this statement that opens up this endless scope, the sūrah begins to bring it closer so as to make it better understood. The example is at once tangible and practical:

His light may be compared to a niche containing a lamp; the lamp within a glass, the glass like a radiant star; lit from a blessed tree – an olive tree that is neither of the east nor of the west. Its very oil would almost give light even though no fire had touched it.

Light upon light! (Verse 35)

This comparison seeks to put the infinite right before a mind that has finite ability.

It simply portrays a miniscule picture to present it to man who cannot contemplate its great reality. It seeks to show the nature of light when the human imagination cannot entertain its endless spread.

The verse begins by stating the fact that “God is the light of the heavens and the earth,” but then it brings us fast from this great expanse to a niche, a small artificial wall recess in which a lamp is placed so as to focus its light and make it shine. “His light may be compared to a niche containing a lamp.” It adds one element of strength and concentration after another: “The lamp within a glass,” which protects it from the wind and purifies its light to make it stronger and more radiant: “The glass like a radiant star.” We see the glass painted here as bright, transparent, almost shining. At this point the verse links the example and the reality, the likeness and the original, the small glass and the radiant star. Thus we do not concentrate our reflection on the miniscule picture which is presented only to help us understand the great reality.

The sūrah immediately reverts to the small example of the lamp, which is “lit from a blessed tree – an olive tree...” The purest light known to the first people addressed by the Qur’ān was that of olive oil. But this is not the only reason for choosing this example. It is an example that has connotations of sacredness associated with the blessed tree. These connotations recall the image of the sacred valley, the nearest place to Arabia in which olive trees grow in abundance. The Qur’ān refers to this tree and gives it special significance: “We bring forth... a tree that grows on Mount Sinai yielding oil and relish for all to eat.” (23: 19-20) It is a tree that lives for ages, and it brings endless benefits to man through its oil, wood, leaves and fruit. Once again the text turns from the little example to remind us of the great reality. This tree is not a particular one, and it does not belong to a particular place or direction. It is merely an example given to make the reality easier to understand. Hence, it is described as “neither of the east nor of the west.” Moreover, its oil is not the one we see and know. It is different and far more remarkable: “Its very oil would almost give light even though no fire had touched it.” It is so transparent and bright that it almost gives light without burning. The example concludes with another remarkable statement: “Light upon light.” Thus, we are back with the original light that bears no comparison.

It is God’s light that dispels all darkness in the heavens and the earth. It is a light whose nature and scope are beyond our comprehension. The aim here is to make our hearts aspire to see this light: “God guides to His light him that wills [to be guided].” (Verse 35) Those who open their hearts to the light will see it because it spreads far and wide in the heavens and the earth. It is permanent, unending, unscreened, and it never fades. Whenever the human heart looks for it, it is sure to find it. In the midst of his confusion, man can always find it providing guidance and establishing a bond between him and his Lord.

This comparison is given by God so as to make our minds able to comprehend the nature of His light. He alone knows the full extent of our ability: “God propounds parables for all people, since God alone has full knowledge of all things.” (Verse 35)

This light which spreads in abundance in the heavens and earth is best seen in perfect clarity in the houses of God where people’s hearts look up to Him, remember Him, stand in awe of Him and dedicate themselves to Him in preference to all else:

In houses which God has sanctioned to be raised so that His name be remembered in them, there are [such as] extol His limitless glory, morning and evening – people whom neither commerce nor profit can divert from the remembrance of God, and from attending regularly to prayer, and from charity; who are filled with fear of the day when all hearts and eyes will be convulsed; who [only hope] that God may reward them in accordance with the best that they ever did, and lavish His grace upon them.

God gives to whom He wills beyond all reckoning. (Verses 36-38)

There is a close affinity between the scene of the niche in the first verse and the following scene of God’s houses. This is perfectly in line with the Qur’ānic method of putting together images that have close parallels. Likewise, there is close affinity between the lamp shining with light in the niche and hearts shining with the light of glorifying God in His houses.

When God sanctions something, it takes place just as He has approved. Since He has sanctioned the raising of these houses, they are there, functioning, purified and respected. The view showing them standing tall is in harmony with God’s light that radiates throughout the heavens and the earth. These houses are naturally noble which again fits perfectly with the brilliant light described earlier. Their special, venerated position makes them fit for the remembrance of God’s name: “In houses which God has sanctioned to be raised so that His name be remembered in them.” (Verse 36)

They are also in harmony with the radiant hearts of the believers who stand up in prayer, glorify God and extol His praises. They are “people whom neither commerce nor profit can divert from the remembrance of God, and from attending regularly to prayer, and from charity.” (Verse 37) Needless to say, trade and commerce aim to make a profit.

Yet although these believers are engaged in such enterprises, they are not diverted from their obligation towards God or their fellow human beings. Hence they attend regularly and properly to their prayers and pay their zakāt and charity. These people “are filled with fear of the day when all hearts and eyes will be convulsed.” (Verse 37) On that day, people’s hearts and eyes will be in turmoil, unsteady. It is a day of utter fear and distress. Hence, they fear what may happen to them then. In order to spare themselves, they are never diverted by their immediate concerns of business and profit from attending to their duties towards their Lord.

Yet despite their fear, they have high hopes “that God may reward them in accordance with the best that they ever did, and lavish His grace upon them.” (Verse 38) Their hopes will never be frustrated; for, “God gives to whom He wills beyond all reckoning.” (Verse 38) There are no limits to God’s favours and no restrictions on what He may wish to bestow on His devoted servants.

In contrast to this radiant light that shines throughout the heavens and the earth, focusing on the houses dedicated to God and enlightening the hearts of the faithful, the sūrah shows a different situation where no light can penetrate and no one is safe; a situation devoid of all goodness. That is the situation in which the unbelievers find themselves:

As for the unbelievers, their deeds are like a mirage in the desert, which the thirsty traveller supposes to be water, but when he comes near to it, he finds that it is nothing.

But he finds that God [has always been present] with him, and that He will pay him his account in full; for God is swift in reckoning. (Verse 39)

This is the first of two remarkable scenes the sūrah paints of the unbelievers and their destiny. Both are full of life and movement. In this scene their actions are shown like a mirage in an open space. It gives a false shine which attracts the thirsty traveller who moves towards it. He is totally unaware of what he might find there, other than the prospect of quenching his thirst. Suddenly, the whole scene moves swiftly, and we see the thirsty traveller arriving at this place but finding no water to drink. Instead, he is in for a great surprise, one which he could never have imagined.

It is awesome, striking fear into his heart and leaving him utterly bewildered. What he finds is the realization that God has always been present with him. He had denied God’s existence, turned his back on Him and adopted a hostile attitude to faith. In his state of total oblivion to anything other than the water he needs, should he find there a human adversary, he would be startled and confused. But he finds no human opponent. He finds God Almighty who takes him to account.

And then what happens? “God will pay him his account in full.” All this occurs very quickly, in line with the initial and sudden shock. The final comment on this scene is “God is swift in reckoning.” Again the comment perfectly suits the rapidity of the scene.

In the second scene layers of darkness gather on top of each other, to contrast with the false brightness of the mirage. Great fear is transmitted by the bottomless ocean engulfed in darkness, and waves upon waves moving in a never-ending motion.

Above all this, dark clouds gather. Thus, layers of darkness amass, to the extent that if someone were to hold out their hand, they would fail to see it in the engulfing darkness. Hence it is a darkness that spreads an air of fear and panic.

This is all a description of unbelief, which is shown as darkness totally isolated from the divine light that radiates throughout the universe. It is a deep error which prevents people from seeing even the nearest sign of guidance, a fear that leaves no trace of security. For, “indeed the one from whom God withholds light shall find no light at all.” (Verse 40) God’s light is guidance planted in people’s hearts, giving them an informed insight, and a bond between human nature and the laws that operate in the universe at large. It is the only true enlightenment. A person who is cut off from this light remains in a darkness that cannot be removed, in a fear without security, and in error without return. At the end he finds all his actions to be a mirage leading him to ruin. No action is valid unless it is based on faith. There is no guidance without faith, and no light unless it is God’s light.

This is an extraordinary scene of unbelief, error and darkness in human life. Yet it is followed by one of faith, guidance and light in the great universe. This is a scene showing the entire universe with all that lives in it, human and jinn, planets and stars, and all beings, whether animate or inanimate, sharing in God’s glorification.

We feel how awesome the scene is as we hear the glorification echoed everywhere in the heavens and the earth:

Are you not aware that it is God whose limitless glory all creatures that are in the heavens and earth extol, even the birds as they spread out their wings? Each of them knows how to pray to Him and to glorify Him; and God has full knowledge of all that they do. (Verse 41)

Man does not live alone in this universe. All around him, to his right and to his left, above him and beneath him, and in the expanse beyond, whether reached by his imagination or not, there are beings God has created with different natures, forms and shapes. All share in their belief in God, turn to Him and extol His praises. He “has full knowledge of all that they do.” The Qur’ān directs man to look around him: all is of God’s making and all living things everywhere in the heavens and the earth are His creatures, glorifying Him and singing His praises. The Qur’ān also directs our full attention to something we see every day without stirring any feeling in us because of its familiarity: it is the scene of birds lifting up their legs and spreading out their wings as they fly. They also glorify God. “Each of them knows how to pray to Him and to glorify Him.” (Verse 41)

Only man neglects to glorify his Lord when he is the one who should be most aware of the importance of believing in God and glorifying Him.

In this scene, the whole universe appears full of humility as it turns to its Creator, singing His praises, addressing its prayers to Him. This it does by nature. Its obedience to God is represented in its laws which operate by God’s will. When man refines his senses, he sees this scene as reality, as though he hears the rhythm of God’s glorification echoed throughout the universe. He shares with all creatures their prayers and appeals to God. Such was Muhammad, God’s Messenger, (peace be upon him). When he walked, he heard the gravel under his feet singing God’s praises. Such was David too for when he chanted his Psalms, the mountains and birds chanted with him.

“To God belongs the dominion over the heavens and the earth, and to God shall all return.” (Verse 42) No one should turn anywhere other than to Him, and no refuge is to be sought except with Him. Meeting Him is inevitable. His punishment, if deserved, cannot be averted except through His grace. To Him all shall return.

Next the sūrah portrays yet another scene which people pass by paying little attention to it. It is very pleasant to the eye, carrying a message to the heart and inviting the mind to reflect on God’s creation as well as the pointers to faith available everywhere in the universe. It provides an area to contemplate the only source of real light, right guidance and true faith.

Are you not aware that it is God who causes the clouds to move onwards, then joins them together, then piles them up in masses, until you can see rain come forth from their midst. He it is who sends down from the skies mountainous masses charged with hail, striking with it whom He wills and averting it from whom He wills. The flash of His lightning well-nigh deprives people of their sight. (Verse 43)

The scene is portrayed at leisure, slowly, with its component parts being raised up for reflection before they combine panoramically. All this is done deliberately, so that the very sight of these details touches people’s hearts and awakens their minds to reflection on God’s perfect design.

It is God’s design that drives the clouds from one place to another, before allowing these clouds to come together and pile up into a great mass. When this becomes heavy, it bears water that begins to ooze out and then pour down in heavy rain.

When piled up, the clouds look like great mountains, producing small pieces of hail.

No one sees the clouds look like mountains better than a passenger in a plane that flies higher than the clouds, or moves through them. The scene at this elevation shows the clouds just like mountains, their huge sizes, steep cliffs, as well as high and low peaks. It is a scene that shows a reality people could not have seen before they were able to fly.

These mountains are subservient to God’s orders, functioning in accordance with His law that governs the universe. It is in accordance with this law that God lets rain drop over any community He wants and diverts it from others as He wills. The scene is completed with this final statement: “The flash of His lightning well-nigh deprives people of their sight.” (Verse 43) It thus provides an element of harmony with the great light that fills the whole universe.

And yet there is another universal scene, showing the night and day: “It is God who causes night and day to alternate. In this too there is surely a lesson for all who have eyes to see.” (Verse 44)

When we reflect on the alternation of the night and day, in a perfect system that never fails or slackens, our senses are sharpened and we can better appreciate the perfection of God’s work and His law that governs the universe. The Qur’ān alerts our hearts to such scenes which we normally overlook because of their familiarity.

Yet they contain a clear message. Hence the Qur’ān helps our hearts to always Face the universe with sharpened sensitivity and fresh reaction. Many a heart has wondered at the alternation of night and day. Yet it is always the same, losing nothing of its striking beauty. It is only our hearts that have lost their interaction with this great phenomenon. Much indeed do we lose of the beauty of this universe when we look at such phenomena paying little attention to them only because they have become familiar.

The Qur’ān reinvigorates our blunted sensitivity, touches our cold hearts and awakens our tired minds so that we can look at the universe as though we see it for the first time. We thus stop at every phenomenon reflecting on how it works and enquiring about its secrets. We see God’s hand doing its work in everything around us, and we reflect on His wisdom and the signs pointing to Him.

Limitless is God in His glory. He wants to give us more of His favours. He wants to gift us the whole universe every time we contemplate one of its phenomena in a way that we appreciate it as though we are seeing it for the first time. Thus, we are alert to the universe and its message a countless number of times. We then enjoy it anew every time we look at it.

This universe is beautiful, awesome and has a nature that is harmonious with our own nature. Both are derived from the same source, subject to the same law. Thus when we relate to the universe we feel greater reassurance, and we experience the sort of happiness that we feel when we meet someone dear who has been absent for a long time. Besides, in the universe we see God’s light, for “God is the light of the heavens and the earth.” (Verse 35) We experience this light in the great expanse of the universe, as well as within ourselves, at the same moment at which we look at the universe with an open heart that wants to understand the secret of God’s elaborate planning.

Therefore, the Qur’ān reawakens us time and again, drawing our hearts and souls to a variety of great universal scenes, so that we do not pass by them with closed eyes and sealed hearts. If we do, we end our life journey with very little gain to show for our efforts.

The sūrah continues to portray scenes of the universe arousing our interest in them. It shows how all life, with its rich variety, originates from the same source, and has the same nature: “God has created every animal from water; and among them are such as creep on their bellies, and such as walk on two legs, and others yet on four. God creates what He wills. Surely God has power over all things.” (Verse 45)

Here the Qur’ān states in a very simple way a great fact that confirms that the origin of all creatures is water. This could mean that water is the basic component of all living species. It could also mean what contemporary scientists have been trying to prove, namely that life started in the sea, making water its first origin. Later, numerous species came into existence.

We, however, do not like to link any fact stated in the Qur’ān with scientific theory, because such theories admit change, modification, or abrogation. Hence, we take this statement at its face value, confirming its truth which makes clear that God has created all living things from water. This means that having the same origin, they present, as we clearly see with our eyes, a wide and rich variety: crawlers creep on their bellies, while man and birds walk on two legs, but most animals use all four limbs when they walk. All this takes place in accordance with the laws of nature God has set in operation. Nothing occurs by chance or coincidence. “God creates what He wills,” unrestricted by form or shape. The laws that operate in the universe have been established by God’s will: “Surely God has power over all things.” (Verse 45)

With the great variety that we see in all creatures, an almost endless range of shapes, sizes, colours and characteristics is set before us. Yet they all originate from the same source. This suggests that it is all intended as such, reflecting the elaborate planning in the universe at large.

It portrays as false the notion that life started by mere coincidence. What coincidence could give birth to such planning or such great variety? It is all the work of God who, in His wisdom, has given every living soul its shape and form and guided it to what suits it best in this life.