The Niche of Divine Light
2- The Niche of Divine Light
In the Noble Qur’an, a beautiful parable is given to illustrate the Light of God:
“Allāhu nūru al-samāwāti wa al-arḍ. Mathalu nūrihi ka-mishkātin fīhā miṣbāḥ; al-miṣbāḥu fī zujājah…”
“God is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His Light is as a niche wherein is a lamp; the lamp is in a glass…” (Surah al-Nūr, verse 35).
In this verse, the Divine Light is depicted through a profound and symbolic image: a niche containing a lit lamp, and that lamp enclosed within a transparent glass lantern.
It is narrated from one of the companions that he asked Imam al-Ṣādiq (peace be upon him), “To whom does this similitude refer?”
The Imam replied:
“The niche is Fāṭimah al-Zahrā (peace be upon her); the lamp is Imam al-Ḥasan (peace be upon him); and the glass lantern (zujājah) is Imam al-Ḥusayn (peace be upon him).”
(Manāqib al-Imām ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, by Ibn al-Maghāzilī, vol. 3, p. 361)
Thus, this Qur’anic verse—paired with the aforementioned narration—points to the exalted spiritual station of Lady Fāṭimah al-Zahrā and her noble sons, serving as a luminous symbol of divine guidance emanating from the Pure Household of the Prophet (peace be upon them all).
