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The Dodgy Noor Connection
We had planned to write on this more than a year ago; time and an absent mind got the better of us. However, a reader of our blog asked an excellent question and here is the answer in response to that.
When we were younger, the message of Sufism (and its association with love, devotion and tolerance) held much appeal. But then, we found out about the unity of three in Sufism (Ittehad-e-Salasa) and thought, this can’t be Islam. Further research yielded a very troubling noor connection.
It all starts with the declaration that Allah is Noor, which many mainstream sects believe in. Then, based on a fabricated hadith (tradition/riwayat), it is asserted that the first thing Allah created from his Noor was the Noor of Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Here are the exact words of this tradition:
It is related that Jabir ibn Abdullah said to the Prophet: “O Messenger of Allah, may my father and mother be sacrificed for you, tell me of the first thing Allah created before all things.” He said: “O Jabir, the first thing Allah created was the light of your Prophet from His light, and that light remained (lit. “turned”) in the midst of His Power for as long as He wished and there was not, at that time, a Tablet or a Pen or a Paradise or a Fire or an Angel or a Heaven or an Earth. And when Allah wished to create creation, he divided that Light into four parts and from the first made the Pen, from the second the Tablet, from the third the Throne, [and from the fourth everything else].”
This hadith is attributed to Musannaf Abdur Razzaq bin Hamam. For the criticism on this hadith, please read the chapter on the transfer of the Noor of Nabi (SAW) in the first volume of Habib-ur-Rehman’s Kaandhalvi’s book, Religious Tales: Fact or Fiction (available to download from e-books section on this blog). In a nutshell, this hadith is a fabrication of the worst sort.
This hadith is also darayatan (logically) flawed. We know from Tirmizi Kitab-ul-Qadr that Allah created the Pen first. The other major problem with this tradition is that it is disrespectful towards Allah. Logical analysis of this hadith tells us that (naudubillah) Allah’s being can be split into many objects and this ‘branching’ will continue until the Day of Judgement when the world will come to an end.
It is further asserted (again in weak traditions) that this Noor of Muhammad (SAW) stayed prostrated in front of Allah for millennia until it was transferred to Adam (AS); then he bestowed it on to the next prophet. Thus, this divine Noor (generally equated with knowledge of the Unseen and complete purity of being) travelled from prophet to prophet until it reached Abdul Mutallib, who was the grandfather of Muhammad (SAW) and who died a polytheist (see Sahih Bukhari 23:442). [The Shia assert that he was a Muslim because he is considered to be a bearer of this Noor].
From here, the Noor split into two: one bit went to Abdullah (Muhammad’s father and also a polytheist (see Sahih Muslim 01:0398) and the other to Abu Talib (Abdullah’s brother and Muhammad’s uncle, who also died a polytheist; see Sahih Bukhari 23:442).
It is said that when Muhammad SAW possessed this Noor, he became the Imam of all prophets and when Ali (RA) possessed this Noor from Abu Talib (who is a momin in Shia religion), Ali became the Imam-ul-Auliya (or the grand leader of all saints).
It is precisely due to this belief system that Sufism came into being. Sufism is the so-called Islamic version of mysticism. The trinity of Sufism (explained here) has similarities with Christianity. Christians believe that the Holy Spirit, Jesus and God are one and the same but Sufis extend this to all material reality. They say that everything around us has a little bit of divinity and it is possible for humans to climb the ladder back to Allah. To quote the above (fabricated) hadith again:
… he divided that Light into four parts and from the first made the Pen, from the second the Tablet, from the third the Throne, [and from the fourth everything else].”
Now, this Noor connection is dodgy. We know that Allah is not Noor ; rather noor is a creation of Allah. Angels are made of light and man is made of clay [see the Quran 6:2 and 15:26]. Secondly, if this Noor travelled from prophet to prophet, how can we justify the huge gaps in the lineages of prophets? In Ismail’s (AS) descendents, there is only one prophet and that is Muhammad SAW. And in Noah’s lineage, there are no other prophets until Ibrahim (AS). To cover this gap, Shias declared that all of Muhammad’s (SAW) ancestors were on Tauheed and so they use the title of respect ‘Hazrat’ with the names of polytheists like Abdul Muttalib and Abu Talib. This had to be done to prove the transfer of this Noor took place.
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Is Allah Noor (Light) and was Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) made of Noor?
Allah is NOT Noor, rather, Noor is a creation of Allah. The Quran states that Allah is an ineffable reality and human language cannot produce an adequate parable; therefore, there is no mithaal (example) of what Allah is like. We also know that angels are made of light. Hence, the Creator (Allah) and the creation (light) cannot be one and the same. If Allah is not Noor, what then is the guiding light that is frequently mentioned in the Quran? Here are some proofs from the Quran itself (we don’t need to go into hadith):
Praise be to Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth, and made the darkness and the light. Yet those who reject Faith hold (others) as equal, with their Guardian-Lord. [06:01]
“Surely We revealed the Taurat in which was guidance and light.” [05:44]
“and We gave him (Isa) the Injeel in which was guidance and light.” [05:46]
Allah is the guardian of those who believe. He brings them out of the darkness into the light; and (as to) those who disbelieve, their guardians are Taghoots who take them out of the light into the darkness; they are the inmates of the fire, in it they shall abide. [02:257]
“And thus did We reveal to you an inspired book (Quran) by Our command. You did not know what the Book was, nor (what) the faith (was), but We made it a light, guiding thereby whom We please of Our servants; and most surely you show the way to the right path: [42:52]
Noor, therefore, is a word used by the Quran to either denote guidance, true knowledge or Emaan (as an antonym to the darkness of Kufr).
Noor has also been used as a “parable” to describe the omnipresence of Allah and the fact that He is the source of all guidance (in Surah Noor, 24:35, the parable is light (guidance), without an outside source. So this means that Allah is the ultimate source of ALL guidance. This does not mean that He is physically made of Noor, because as we see above, He has actually created light). Notice in 24:35, that Allah Himself goes on to say: The parable of His Light. This means that Allah is explaining Himself using human language, and also making the concept understandable to us.
People who blindly follow their sects tend to rely more on the sayings and interpretations of their scholars, rather than read the Quran themselves. This is why they have taken [24:35] literally, claiming that Allah Himself or some of His creations among humans such as Prophet Muhammad (SAW) or Ali (RA) or other pious people are made of Noor.
The Saba’ee contribution in this regard cannot be ignored. They extended the concept of Ali (RA) being Noor to their Imams, who are supposed to be divine as well. In their enthusiasm for the person of Ali (RA), they elevated him and his descendants to a position above that of Muhammad (SAW). Saba’ees gave Ali (RA) and their Imams a near-divine status. The origins of this concept lie in ancient Persian paganism:
“The Shias, however, gradually evolved ideas that seemed even closer to Christian incarnation…(Regarding the divinity of Ali and the Imams) They (Shias) were drawing on ancient Persian tradition of a chosen god-begotten family which transmitted the divine glory from one generation to another.” [Karen Armstrong, ‘A History of God’ pp. 189]
To make the discussion even more interesting and to add to your knowledge, let me also copy the Nicene Creed, the official creed of Christians as decreed by Emperor Constantine in 325 AD, so you can see the similarities between the Christian Trinity and what is now alleged about Prophet Muhammad (SAW) being Noor:
We believe in one God,
The Father Almighty,
Maker of all things, visible and invisible,
And in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
The Son of God,
The only-begotten of the Father,
That is, of the substance of the Father,
God from God,
Light from light,
True God from true God,
Begotten not made,
Of one substance with the Father,
Through whom all things were made,
Those things that are in heaven and
Those things that are on earth,
Who for us men and our salvation,
Came down and was made man,
Suffered,
Rose again on the third day,
Ascended into the heavens
And will come
To judge the living and the dead.
And we believe in the Holy Spirit.
The Father Almighty,
Maker of all things, visible and invisible,
And in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
The Son of God,
The only-begotten of the Father,
That is, of the substance of the Father,
God from God,
Light from light,
True God from true God,
Begotten not made,
Of one substance with the Father,
Through whom all things were made,
Those things that are in heaven and
Those things that are on earth,
Who for us men and our salvation,
Came down and was made man,
Suffered,
Rose again on the third day,
Ascended into the heavens
And will come
To judge the living and the dead.
And we believe in the Holy Spirit.
The whole of Sufism and all other sects that believe in the transfer of esoteric knowledge (hidden knowledge) from wali (saint) to wali depend on this single hadith (which is not authentic):
It is related that Jabir ibn Abdullah said to the Prophet: “O Messenger of Allah, may my father and mother be sacrificed for you, tell me of the first thing Allah created before all things.” He said: “O Jabir, the first thing Allah created was the light of your Prophet from His light, and that light remained (lit. “turned”) in the midst of His Power for as long as He wished and there was not, at that time, a Tablet or a Pen or a Paradise or a Fire or an Angel or a Heaven or an Earth. And when Allah wished to create creation, he divided that Light into four parts and from the first made the Pen, from the second the Tablet, from the third the Throne, [and from the fourth everything else].”
This hadith implies that Allah first created the Prophet’s (SAW) Noor and from that everything else was created. This is why some sects claim that Muhammad (SAW) was the very first prophet, not Adam (SAW). They also use this hadith to prove the superiority of Muhammad (SAW) to other prophets.
It is a very famous hadith, but not a reliable one. We will see why it is important for sects (and especially Sufism) to believe in this legend. Please read the article titled ‘The Dodgy Noor Connection.’
To conclude, Allah, is a reality that cannot be described and we should refrain from attaching physical attributes to Him. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was a man, who was special because he was chosen by Allah to perfect the message of Islam. We will also discuss in greater detail that Muhammad (PBUH) was a Bashar (man), who suffered pain and experienced joy, lived a remarkable life and, after completing his mission, he died a natural death. His soul is now in Jannat, in a place closest to Allah.
Source: Real Islam Blog
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