communal affairs such as prayer, jihad and the like. At its centre He placed the mention of light, which is the source of all goodness and sets everything right. This light arises from obeying Allah’s commands, avoiding His prohibitions, and patiently persisting in doing so, for patience is radiance. Allah grants light to whoever observes His limits out of fear of Him, as He Most High says:

“Fear Allah and believe in His Messenger; He will grant you a double share of His mercy, give you a light by which to walk, and forgive you.”

The opposite of light is darkness. Thus, after mentioning light and the deeds of the believers in this surah, He mentioned the deeds of the disbelievers and the people of innovation and misguidance, saying:

“As for those who disbelieve, their deeds are like a mirage in a desert,”

up to His words:

“Layers of darkness, one above another. If he stretches out his hand, he can hardly see it. Whoever Allah does not grant light has no light.”

Likewise, wrongdoing will be darkness on the Day of Resurrection, and a servant’s wronging himself is a form of wrongdoing. An evil deed brings darkness to the heart, blackness to the face, weakness to the body, diminished provision, and hatred in the hearts of others, as has been reported from Ibn Abbās.

This is further clarified by Allah’s likening the believers’ faith to light and the disbelievers’ deeds to darkness. “Faith” is a comprehensive term for everything Allah loves and is pleased with. And “disbelief”