24:40 An-Noor (The Light)

والمثل الثاني، لبطلان أعمال الكفار { كَظُلُمَاتٍ فِي بَحْرٍ لُجِّيٍّ } بعيد قعره، طويل مداه { يَغْشَاهُ مَوْجٌ مِنْ فَوْقِهِ مَوْجٌ مِنْ فَوْقِهِ سَحَابٌ ظُلُمَاتٌ بَعْضُهَا فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ } ظلمة البحر اللجي، ثم فوقه ظلمة الأمواج المتراكمة، ثم فوق ذلك، ظلمة السحب المدلهمة، ثم فوق ذلك ظلمة الليل البهيم، فاشتدت الظلمة جدا، بحيث أن الكائن في تلك الحال { إِذَا أَخْرَجَ يَدَهُ لَمْ يَكَدْ يَرَاهَا } مع قربها إليه، فكيف بغيرها، كذلك الكفار، تراكمت على قلوبهم الظلمات، ظلمة الطبيعة، التي لا خير فيها، وفوقها ظلمة الكفر، وفوق ذلك، ظلمة الجهل، وفوق ذلك، ظلمة الأعمال الصادرة عما ذكر، فبقوا في الظلمة متحيرين، وفي غمرتهم يعمهون، وعن الصراط المستقيم مدبرين، وفي طرق الغي والضلال يترددون، وهذا لأن الله تعالى خذلهم، فلم يعطهم من نوره، { وَمَنْ لَمْ يَجْعَلِ اللَّهُ لَهُ نُورًا فَمَا لَهُ مِنْ نُورٍ } لأن نفسه ظالمة جاهلة، فليس فيها من الخير والنور، إلا ما أعطاها مولاها، ومنحها ربها. يحتمل أن هذين المثالين، لأعمال جميع الكفار، كل منهما، منطبق عليها، وعددهما لتعدد الأوصاف، ويحتمل أن كل مثال، لطائفة وفرقة. فالأول، للمتبوعين، والثاني، للتابعين، والله أعلم.

قال قتادة: "لجي" هو العميق "يغشاه موج من فوقه موج من فوقه سحاب ظلمات بعضها فوق بعض إذا أخرج يده لم يكد يراها" أي لم يقارب رؤيتها من شدة الظلام فهذا مثل قلب الكافر الجاهل البسيط المقلد الذي لا يعرف حال من يقوده ولا يدري أين يذهب بل كما يقال في المثل للجاهل أين تذهب؟ قال معهم قيل: فإلى أين يذهبون؟ قال: لا أدري؟ وقال العوفي عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنه "يغشاه موج" الآية يعني بذلك الغشاوة التي على القلب والسمع والبصر وهي كقوله "ختم الله على قلوبهم وعلى سمعهم وعلى أبصارهم" الآية وكقوله "أفرأيت من اتخذ إلهه هواه وأضله الله على علم وختم على سمعه وقلبه وجعل على بصره غشاوة" الآية وقال أبي بن كعب في قوله تعالى "ظلمات بعضها فوق بعض" فهو يتقلب في خمسة من الظلم فكلامه ظلمة وعمله ظلمة ومدخله ظلمة ومخرجه ظلمة ومصيره يوم القيامة إلى الظلمات إلى النار وقال السدي والربيع بن أنس نحو ذلك أيضا وقوله تعالى "ومن لم يجعل الله له نورا فما له من نور" أي من لم يهده الله فهو هالك جاهل حائر بائر كافر كقوله "من يضلل الله فلا هادي له" وهذا في مقابلة ما قال في مثل المؤمنين "يهدي الله لنوره من يشاء" فنسأل الله العظيم أن يجعل في قلوبنا نورأ وعن أيماننا نورا وعن شمائلنا نورا وأن يعظم لنا نورا.

Two Examples of two kinds of Disbelievers

These are two examples which Allah sets forth of two kinds of disbelievers. Similarly He sets forth two parables of the hypocrites at the beginning of Surat Al-Baqarah: one involving fire and the other involving water. Similarly, in Surat Ar-Ra`d He gives two parables of the guidance and knowledge that are instilled in the heart, again involving fire and water; we have discussed each of them in the appropriate place and there is no need to repeat it here, praise be to Allah. The first of these two examples is that of the disbelievers who call others to their disbelief, thinking that they have good actions and beliefs, when this is not in fact the case. Their likeness is that of a mirage which is seen in a desert plain, looking from a distance as if it is a deep sea. The word Qi`ah refers to a vast, flat, level area of land in which the mirage may appear. There are different kinds of mirage, one which appears after midday, and another which appears in the morning and looks like water between heaven and earth. If a person who is in need of water sees the mirage, he thinks that it is water so he heads towards it in order to drink from it, but when he reaches it,

لَمْ يَجِدْهُ شَيْئاً

(he finds it to be nothing.); Similarly the disbeliever thinks that he is doing something good and that he has achieved something, but when Allah judges him on the Day of Resurrection, and brings him to account and examines his deeds, he will find that nothing has been accepted at all, either because of a lack of sincere belief or because he did not follow the proper ways of the Shari`ah. As Allah says:

وَقَدِمْنَآ إِلَى مَا عَمِلُواْ مِنْ عَمَلٍ فَجَعَلْنَاهُ هَبَآءً مَّنثُوراً

(And We shall turn to whatever deeds they did, and We shall make such deeds as scattered floating particles of dust.) 25:23. And He says here:

وَوَجَدَ اللَّهَ عِندَهُ فَوَفَّـهُ حِسَابَهُ وَاللَّهُ سَرِيعُ الْحِسَابِ

(but he finds Allah with him, who will pay him his due. And Allah is swift in taking account.) A similar view was also narrated from Ubayy bin Ka`b, Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Qatadah and others. In the Two Sahihs, it is reported that on the Day of Resurrection it will be said to the Jews, "What did you used to worship" They will say, "We used to worship `Uzayr the son of Allah." It will be said to them, "You have lied. Allah has not begotten a son. What do you want" They will say, "O Lord, we are thirsty, give us something to drink." It will be said to them, "Do you not see" Then Hell will be shown to them as if it is a mirage, parts of it consuming other parts, and they will go and fall into it. This is the parable of one whose ignorance is deep and advanced. As for those whose ignorance is simple, those who are uneducated and foolish and blindly follow the leaders of disbelief, knowing and understanding nothing, their parable is as Allah says: d

أَوْ كَظُلُمَـتٍ فِى بَحْرٍ لُّجِّىٍّ يَغْشَـهُ مَوْجٌ مِّن فَوْقِهِ مَوْجٌ مِّن فَوْقِهِ سَحَابٌ ظُلُمَـتٌ بَعْضُهَا فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ إِذَآ أَخْرَجَ يَدَهُ لَمْ يَكَدْ يَرَاهَا

(Or like the darkness in a vast deep sea, overwhelmed with waves topped by waves, topped by dark clouds, darkness upon darkness: if a man stretches out his hand, he can hardly see it!) meaning, he can hardly see it because it is so intensely dark. This is the parable of the heart of the disbeliever whose ignorance is simple, who merely follows and does not know the true nature of the one whom he follows or where he is going. He is like the ignorant man in the parable who was asked, "Where are you going" He said, "With them." He was asked, "Where are they going" He said, "I do not know."

ظُلُمَـتٌ بَعْضُهَا فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ

(darkness upon darkness) Ubayy bin Ka`b said: "He is enveloped in five types of darkness: his speech is darkness, his deeds are darkness, his coming in is darkness, his going out is darkness and his destiny on the Day of Resurrection will be darkness in the fire of Hell." As-Suddi and Ar-Rabi` bin Anas also said something similar.

وَمَن لَّمْ يَجْعَلِ اللَّهُ لَهُ نُوراً فَمَا لَهُ مِن نُورٍ

(And he for whom Allah has not appointed light, for him there is no light.) One whom Allah does not guide is ignorant and doomed, an utter loser and disbeliever. This is like the Ayah:

مَن يُضْلِلِ اللَّهُ فَلاَ هَادِيَ لَهُ

(Whomsoever Allah sends astray, none can guide him) 7:186 This is in contrast to what Allah says about the believers:

يَهْدِى اللَّهُ لِنُورِهِ مَن يَشَآءُ

(Allah guides to His Light whom He wills. ) 24:35 We ask Allah the Almighty to put light in our hearts and give us light on our right and on our left, and to increase us in light.

Or it is that those who disbelieve their evil deeds are as the manifold darkness on a deep sea covered by a billow above which that is above which billow there is another billow above which second billow there are clouds these being the manifold layers of darkness one on top of another the darkness of the sea the darkness of the first billow the darkness of the second together with the darkness of the clouds. When he an observer holds out his hand in such layers of darkness he can scarcely see it in other words he would not even come close to seeing it. And he whom God has not granted any light has no light that is to say he whom God does not guide cannot be guided.

After describing the two examples the next sentence says: وَمَن لَّمْ يَجْعَلِ اللَّـهُ لَهُ نُورً‌ا فَمَا لَهُ مِن نُّورٍ‌(And the one to whom Allah does not give light can have no light at all - 40).

This sentence about the disbelievers is like the one that appeared earlier for the believers: يَهْدِي اللَّـهُ لِنُورِ‌هِ مَن يَشَاءُ (Allah guides to His light whomsoever He wills - 35). It describes the deprivation of disbelievers from the Nur of guidance, which they lost by denying the injunctions of Allah, and when they have lost Allah's Nur of guidance how can they get any other Nur.

This verse also explains that no one can become a perspicacious scholar merely by having resource of insight and knowledge, rather it is bestowed by the grace of Allah only. It is for this reason that those who are regarded naive in mundane matters prove themselves very knowledgeable and scholarly in the cognizance of the Hereafter. And, vice versa, many who are regarded very intelligent and knowledgeable in worldly matters, prove themselves completely ignorant and foolish in the perception and comprehension of the Hereafter. (Mazhari)

As for those who disbelieve, their deeds are like a mirage.... Or like darknesses in a deep sea covered with waves, above which are waves, above which are clouds. Darknesses, one on top of another. When he stretches forth his hand, he barely sees it. And he to whom God assigns no light has no light. God strikes a likeness for the person of faith and the unbeliever. He makes the belief of the person of faith light, his activity light, and his final issue at the resurrection light, as He says: “Light upon light” [24:35]. He makes the belief of the unbeliever darkness, his activity darkness, and his final issue at the resurrection darkness, as He says: “darknesses, one on top of another.” Then He says, “And he to whom God assigns no light has no light.” WāsiṬī said, “God does not bring a poor man near because of his poverty, nor does He take a rich man far because of his wealth. Accidental things have no weight with Him such that someone would arrive or be cut off because of them. Were you freely to give Him this world and the next, He would not make you arrive by that, and were you to take it all, He would not cut you off by that. Whoever comes near to Him comes near without cause, and whoever stays far from Him stays far without cause. God says, 'And he to whom God assigns no light has no light.'”