LIGHT

In the bible, Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus spoke,

"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

This phrase since I have known it has inspired me to stay away from sin in my life so that God's light can shine through me and my good works so that others may glorify God and come to him too. I do not want to be a stone for others to trip on. Sin does not only affect the person sinning, it also affects people who might otherwise have been inspired to seek a better a life and relationship with God through the person's positive example.

One point I want to make about this verse in the bible is also about light. Light is used a lot in the bible in parables. I was curious to see if light was viewed in the same way in the Qur'an as it is in the bible.

One point I also wanted to make was about Jesus as a prophet (pbuh). Many Christians base his words in the bible as confirmation that he was God. However, the way I interpret them and what Jesus (pbuh) often said about his words is that he does not speak of himself. He only speaks of the word and law of God and of the messages from God sent through him. One thing he said was -

In John 8:12;"I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."

One commentary describes the scene in which these words were spoken: "In ‘the treasury' where it was spoken (see JFB for John 8:20) stood two colossal golden lamp-stands, on which hung a multitude of lamps, lighted after the evening sacrifice (probably every evening during the feast of tabernacles), diffusing their brilliancy, it is said, over all the city. ...amidst the blaze and the joyousness of this illumination, He proclaims, "I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD".

He obviously was using a parable of the lights there in the treasury (treasury is where money is managed and kept is it not), so he was stating to the Jews there that they look to material things, but they must look beyond these things because all those things pass away. The light can be material, but the light can also mean the word of Allah that illuminates our spiritual path and reveals the sin in our life so we can stomp on it. The darkness hides sin and keeps people from finding the path.
Some people, actually many, have interpreted this or have twisted this phrase "I am the light of the world, he who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life" to mean that Jesus is stating he is God. But if you see in another verse, he also states In Matthew 5:14-16,

"YOU are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. No do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

So as you can see, he also calls his followers the light of the world just as he referred to himself or anything else he may have been referring to, such as the word of God or His law. There are many verses in the bible about light that I absolutely love. But we'll leave it at that for now, because I'm a bit short on time I'm sad to say.

This is just one example to show that through true personal reflection one can come to learn things one may not just accepting things as people tell them without reflecting for themselves.

Now the Qur'an directly emphasizes the importance of thoughtful reflection -

"If we revealed this Quran to a mountain, you would see it trembling, crumbling, out of reverence for GOD. We cite these examples for the people, that they may reflect." [59:21]

I will close this post with that verse, so that YOU may reflect. ;)