said: “Having understood what light is, people have held six different views concerning it. The first is that it means ‘Guide,’ as stated by Ibn 'Abbās. The second is that it means ‘Illuminator,’ as stated by Ibn Mas'ūd; it is reported that his copy of the Quran read, ‘Illuminator of the heavens and the earth.’ The third is that it means ‘Adorner,’ which comes back to the meaning of ‘Illuminator’; this was stated by Ubayy ibn Ka'b. The fourth is that He is manifest. The fifth is that He possesses light. The sixth is that He is Light unlike other lights, as stated by Shaykh Abū al-Hasan al-Ash'arī.”

He said: “The Mu'tazilites say that He may be called Light only in relation to something else.”

He said: “The correct view, in our judgment, is that He is Light unlike other lights, for this is the literal meaning. Departing from the literal meaning to say that He is a Guide, an Illuminator, or the like is a figurative interpretation without evidence and is therefore invalid. Moreover, the authentic report supports it. On this understanding, it may be an attribute of His essence, and it may be an attribute of action in the sense that He is manifest, for the essence of light is clarity and manifestation.”