The Radiant Beloved Prophet ﷺ
Allah Almighty gave the Merciful Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم the honor of being a unique human being. He also blessed him with physical and spiritual light. Hakim-ul-Ummat Mufti Ahmad Yar Khan رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه
says: The Holy Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم is both a human and light; in other words, he is a luminous human. His physical body is human, but his reality is light.[1]
The Light of Muhammad (Noor-e-Muhammadi) was created first of all
When Sayyiduna Jabir رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَـنْهُ asked about the first thing created, the Holy Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم explained his own light in this way: "O Jabir! Allah Almighty created the light of your Prophet before creating all other things."[2]
Sayyiduna Imam Zain-ul-Abidin رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَـنْهُ narrates that the Holy Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said: "I was light with Allah Almighty fourteen thousand years before the creation of Adam عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام."[3]
The Holy Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said: When Allah Almighty created Adam عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام, He gave some of his sons more excellence than others. Adam عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام noticed this excellence. (Then the Holy Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said:) At the very end, Adam عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام saw me as a high light. He asked in the court of Allah: "O my Lord, who is this?" Allah Almighty replied: "This is your son Ahmad; he is the first, he is the last, and he is the first one who will intercede."[4]
The Light of Mustafa as told by his Companions
When the noble Companions رَضِیَ اللهُ عَنْهُم saw the wonders of the light of the Holy Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, they described it in their own ways:
(1) Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَـنْهُما said: There were gaps between the blessed teeth of the Holy Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, and when he spoke, light could be seen coming from them.[5]
Sheikh-ul-Islam Allama Abdul Rauf Munawi رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه explains this Hadith by saying: This light could be felt, and the entire being of the Holy Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم was light, both inside and outside. He used to give light to whichever of his Companions he wished, as he did for Sayyiduna Tufayl bin Amr ad-Dawsai رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَـنْهُ.[6]
(2) Sayyiduna Aisha Siddiqa رَضِیَ اللهُ عَنْهَا says: A needle that was lost at dawn was found by the ray of light from the blessed face of the Holy Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم.[7]
(3) Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَـنْهُ says: When the Holy Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم smiled, the walls and doors would become bright.[8]
Luminous Humanity
Remember! Light and humanity are not opposites that cannot exist together. For example, Angel Jibril عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام is a creature of light, yet he appeared in human form before Sayyiduna Maryam رَضِیَ اللهُ عَنْهَا. As mentioned in the Holy Quran:
فَاَرْسَلْنَاۤ اِلَیْهَا رُوْحَنَا فَتَمَثَّلَ لَهَا بَشَرًا سَوِیًّا(۱۷)
Then We sent Our Sacred Spirit (Jibrīl) to her, so he appeared to her in the form of a complete man.[9]
(Click here for further explanation of this verse)
Similarly, the Angel of Death (Malak-ul-Maut عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام) appeared in human form in the presence of Sayyiduna Musa Kalimullah عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام.[10]
The Belief of Pious Predecessors
Great Quran commentators, Hadith scholars, and saints have also explained that the Holy Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم is light. Regarding the verse of the Holy Quran:
قَدْ جَآءَكُمْ مِّنَ اللّٰهِ نُوْرٌ وَّ كِتٰبٌ مُّبِیْنٌۙ(۱۵)
Indeed there has come to you from Allah a light and a clear Book.[11]
(Click here for further explanation of this verse)
Many commentators, including Imam Abu Jafar Muhammad bin Jarir Tabari (died 310 AH), Imam Abu Muhammad Husain Baghavi (died 510 AH), Imam Fakhruddin Razi (died 606 AH), Imam Nasiruddin Abdullah bin Umar Baydawi (died 685 AH), Allama Abul Barkat Abdullah Nasafi (died 710 AH), Allama Abul Hasan Ali bin Muhammad Khazin (died 741 AH), and Imam Jalaluddin Suyuti Shafi'i (died 911 AH) رَحِمَهُمُ الـلّٰـهُ, have stated that the word "Light" in this verse refers to the blessed being of the Holy Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم Allama Qazi Iyad Maliki (died 544 AH) رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه says: The shadow of the Holy Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم did not fall on the ground in the light of the sun or moon because he is light.[12]
The Light of Mustafa Prevails
The commentator of Bukhari, Imam Ahmad bin Muhammad Qastallani (died 923 AH)
رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه says: When Allah Almighty created the light of our Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, He commanded it to look at the lights of all other Prophets. Then Allah Almighty covered the lights of all
other Prophets with the light of our Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم. They asked: "My Lord! Whose light has covered us?" Allah Almighty replied: "This is the light of Muhammad, the son of Abdullah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم."[13]
Dear Islamic brothers! To learn more details about the light of the Holy Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, it is very useful to study the booklet "Silat as-Safa fi Nur al-Mustafa"[14] by Ala Hazrat Imam Ahmad Raza Khan رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه and "Risala-e-Noor" included in Rasail-e-Na'imiyyah by Hakim-ul-Ummat Mufti Ahmad Yar Khan رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه.
[1] Risala-e-Noor ma’a Rasail-e-Na’imiyyah, p. 39
[2] Al-Juz al-Mafqud min al-Juz al-Awwal minal-Musannaf, p. 63, Hadith: 18, Mawahib Ladunniyah, vol. 1, p. 36
[3] Mawahib Ladunniyah, vol. 1, p. 39
[4] Dala'il al-Nubuwwah lil-Bayhaqi, vol. 5, p. 483
[5] Jami’ Saghir, p. 403, Hadith: 6482
[6] Fayzal-Qadir, vol. 5, p. 93 summarized
[7] Al-Qawl al-Badi’, p. 302 summarized
[8] Musannaf Abdur Razzaq, vol. 10, p. 242, Hadith: 20657 selected
[9] Al-Quran, Maryam, verse 17; translation from Kanz al-ꜤIrfān
[10] Bukhari, vol. 1, p. 450, Hadith: 1339
[11] Al-Quran, Al-Ma`idah, verse 15; translation from Kanz al-ꜤIrfān
[12] Al-Shifa, vol. 1, p. 368
[13] Al-Mawahib al-Ladunniyah, vol. 1, p. 33
[14] Fatawa Razawiyyah, vol. 30, p. 657
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