Some scholars interpret the noble verse (The parable of His Light is like a niche) as the light of the believer. What is the correct view in this, given that they say if it is interpreted as the light of Allah, it involves likening Allah to creation?

The questioner : The questioner says: O honorable Shaykh, some scholars interpret the noble verse: as the light of the believer. What is the correct view in this, given that they say if it is interpreted as the light of Allah, it involves likening Allah to creation, and we know that the pronoun, as the linguists say, refers to the nearest mentioned antecedent?

The Shaykh : Yes, it is reported from the Salaf regarding the saying of Allah the Exalted: that it means the parable of the light that He grants in the heart of the believer is like a niche containing a lamp. This does not go beyond the scope of the Arabic language, for Allah may attribute a created thing to Himself in the sense of honor and distinction, as in the House of Allah, the she-camel of Allah, and the mosques of Allah. Thus, the meaning is that the parable of His light in the heart of the believer is like a niche containing a lamp, and so on. The niche is a recess in the wall, arched, in which the lamp is placed. This lamp is in a glass, the clear glass, as if it were a shining star. And this light is kindled from a blessed olive tree, neither eastern, which is shielded from the sun when it sets, nor western, which is shielded from the sun when it rises, but rather it is in a vast, open land, for this leads to its oil being of the finest oils. This is a clear interpretation with no problem in it. Yes.

The questioner : May Allah reward you and bless you. The questioner is from Yemen, Khalid Saleh. We reviewed some of his questions in a past session. This questioner says: