he replied, “Woe to you! That is His light—His very light. When He manifests Himself in His light, nothing can encompass Him.” Ibn ‘Abbās also narrated in the two Sahīh collections that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“O Allah, You are the Lord of the heavens and the earth and all who are in them; You are the Light of the heavens and the earth and all who are in them; and You are the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth and all who are in them.”

It is clear that if “Light” meant nothing more than “Guide,” guidance would be confined to animate beings. As for the earth itself, it is described as guided. Yet the hadith explicitly states that He is the Light of the heavens and the earth and all who are in them. Moreover, the Prophet described Him as the Sustainer and the Lord, distinguishing these descriptions from that of Light. But the customary practice of the early generations—the Companions and their successors—was for each of them to mention in