[al-Nūr 35], that Allah, glorified be He, is the Guide of the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth.

It has also been said that He is Light unlike other lights, having no rays and not being a luminous body, in accordance with the apparent meaning of the Quran. This accords more closely with the words of Ahmad—may Allah have mercy on him—in his Refutation of the Jahmiyyah, for he said: ‘We said to the Jahmiyyah, “Allah is Light.” They replied, “He is entirely light.” We said to them, “Allah says, ‘And the earth will shine with the light of its Lord.’ He—exalted be His praise—has thus declared that He has light.” We also said to them, “Since you claim that Allah is everywhere, and He is Light, why does a dark house not shine from the light within it, if you claim that Allah is everywhere?”’”

He said: “The apparent meaning of these words of Ahmad is that he affirmed this attribute for Him.”

I say: Ahmad’s words—may Allah have mercy on him—are explicit: His being Light entails that places with no veil between Him and them are illuminated by Him, as the Quran and Sunnah indicate, as in His words:

“And the earth will shine with the light of its Lord.”