a messenger,’ leaving other kinds of beings outside the verse’s scope. What we have mentioned thus indicates that He singled out human beings to the exclusion of others.

He, Almighty and Majestic, said:

“Then they are returned to Allah, their true Master.” [al-Anʿām 62]

“If you could but see when they are made to stand before their Lord!” [al-Anʿām 30]

“If you could but see when the criminals hang their heads before their Lord!” [al-Sajdah 12]

He, Glorified is He, also said:

“They will be presented before your Lord in rows: ‘You have certainly come to Us just as We created you the first time.’” [al-Kahf 48]

He said: All this indicates that Allah is not within His creation, nor is His creation within Him, and that He, Glorified is He, is established over His Throne. Exalted and mighty is He, far above what the wrongdoers say. Exalted is He above what is said by those who affirm no reality for Him in their descriptions and establish no oneness for Him when speaking of Him. Their words ultimately amount to denying His attributes, and all their descriptions, when interpreted, imply negation. They intend thereby to affirm His transcendence and deny any likeness to Him. We therefore seek refuge in Allah from an affirmation of transcendence that entails negation and denial of His attributes.

Allah Most High said:

“Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The example of His light” [al-Nūr 35]

Thus He called Himself Light. In the understanding of the Muslim community, light can only be one of two things: either light that is heard or light that is seen. So whoever