On the Hermeneutics of the Light Verse of the Qur’an

‘Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth. His light is like a niche, within it a lamp; the lamp enclosed in glass, the glass like a brilliant star lit from a blessed olive tree, neither of the east nor west, whose oil would almost glow though fire touched it not. Light upon light!…’ [Qurʾan, 24:35]

The ‘Light Verse’ has evoked numerous interpretations throughout the centuries. Here, Mulla Sadra devotes an entire book of his Qurʾanic commentary to this verse, exploring the meaning of the divine light through metaphysics, ontology, epistemology, psychology, spiritual wayfaring, and traditional Qurʾanic interpretation. Inspiring reading in and of itself, this spiritually uplifting book has also been used as a textbook in university courses on Qurʾanic exegesis and Muslim philosophy.