Surah An Nur Tafseer

أَوْ كَظُلُمَاتٍ فِي بَحْرٍ لُّجِّيٍّ يَغْشَاهُ مَوْجٌ مِّن فَوْقِهِ مَوْجٌ مِّن فَوْقِهِ سَحَابٌ ظُلُمَاتٌ بَعْضُهَا فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ إِذَا أَخْرَجَ يَدَهُ لَمْ يَكَدْ يَرَاهَا

Or like the darkness in a vast deep sea, overwhelmed with waves topped by waves, topped by dark clouds, darkness upon darkness:if a man stretches out his hand, he can hardly see it!

meaning, he can hardly see it because it is so intensely dark.

This is the parable of the heart of the disbeliever whose ignorance is simple, who merely follows and does not know the true nature of the one whom he follows or where he is going. He is like the ignorant man in the parable who was asked, "Where are you going?"

He said, "With them."

He was asked, "Where are they going?"

He said, "I do not know."

ظُلُمَاتٌ بَعْضُهَا فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ

darkness upon darkness,

Ubayy bin Ka`b said:

"He is enveloped in five types of darkness:

his speech is darkness,

his deeds are darkness,

his coming in is darkness,

his going out is darkness and

his destiny on the Day of Resurrection will be darkness in the fire of Hell."

As-Suddi and Ar-Rabi` bin Anas also said something similar.

وَمَن لَّمْ يَجْعَلِ اللَّهُ لَهُ نُورًا فَمَا لَهُ مِن نُّورٍ

And he for whom Allah has not appointed light, for him there is no light.

One whom Allah does not guide is ignorant and doomed, an utter loser and disbeliever.

This is like the Ayah:

مَن يُضْلِلِ اللَّهُ فَلَ هَادِيَ لَهُ

Whomsoever Allah sends astray, none can guide him. (7:186)

This is in contrast to what Allah says about the believers:

يَهْدِى اللَّهُ لِنُورِهِ مَن يَشَأءُ

Allah guides to His Light whom He wills. (24:35)

We ask Allah the Almighty to put light in our hearts and give us light on our right and on our left, and to increase us in light