Seeing the Unseen: Understanding God Through Light
At some point, you may find yourself questioning the unseen.
I remember a time I would often wrestle with questions like, “Why can’t I see God?, "Where is God?" and "How do I know if He really exists?"
We may fall into the trap of believing that something is only real if we can see it or sense it directly. But let's pause for a moment and reflect. Aren't there countless things we accept as real without ever sensing them?
Take a moment and think about the things you believe are real, even though you can't perceive them with your senses.
Maybe it's the love that binds your family, the justice you seek in society, or the hope that carries you through difficult times. These aren't detectable by our senses alone, yet they're very real and significantly shape our lives.
So, if we can't experience God through our senses, how can we begin to understand the Divine?
One powerful way our minds can beging God is through metaphors. And today, we're going to explore a particularly illuminating one: God as Light.
Let’s a look at this Sufi Comic:
Art by Charbak Dipta
“God is the Light of the heavens and the earth… (24:35)”
Imagine God as light—not just any light, but a light that doesn't fade or flicker. This metaphor isn't about turning God into a physical element, like photon particles, but about understanding His presence and influence in our world.
Here are some ways the metaphor of light helps us to understand God and how his presence influences the world:
1. How does light show our connection to God?
Picture sunlight shining through different colored glass windows. Each window casts a unique color and pattern. Yet, all the light comes from the same sun.
Similarly, we're all unique and diverse. But we all come from the same Divine Light. Despite our differences, we are all connected through God. We're part of His creation.
This connection is something beautiful to remember, especially when we feel alone.
2. How does the metaphor of light explain what is true knowledge?
Imagine you’re in a dark room, you can't see anything clearly.
Turn on a light, and everything becomes visible.
Similarly gaining true knowledge is not about memorizing information from books. It’s more like a flash of insight that lights up our minds and souls.
This inner light, or intuition, reveals truths directly to the soul, bypassing rational thought. Imagine suddenly seeing a flash of light in darkness, instantly recognizing your surroundings. That’s how Divine intuition works.
It’s a gift from God that allows us to grasp profound spiritual insights without the need for logical reasoning. To gain this knowledge, we seek God's guidance and strive to purify our hearts and minds.
It's like cleaning a dusty window to let more light in. The more we clean, the more we see. The more we open ourselves to this Divine light, the clearer our understanding becomes.
3. How does light illustrate different realities?
Consider a candle, a lamp, and the sun. Each gives light, but their intensity varies.
The candle is dim
The lamp is brighter
The sun is the brightest.
This is a way of understanding that they’re different levels of reality.
There's the material world we can touch and see. Then, there are higher spiritual realms closer to God. The closer we move to God's light, the more profound our understanding becomes.
Reality isn't just what we see. It's layered, with each level bringing us closer to the Divine.
4. How does light explain God's transformation of souls?
Think about a seed growing into a plant. Sunlight nurtures it, helps it grow. God's light does the same for our souls.
When we open ourselves to His light, we grow spiritually. We change from within. We develop virtues like kindness, compassion, and wisdom. God's light brings life and growth to our souls. It guides us to become better, more enlightened individuals.
5. How does light show our souls reflecting God's attributes?
Imagine a mirror reflecting sunlight. The mirror doesn't create the light. It reflects it. Our souls are like mirrors reflecting divine attributes.
The purer the mirror, the more clearly it reflects light. A clean mirror reflects perfectly, while a dirty one gives a distorted image. Our souls work the same way.
When we purify ourselves by removing ignorance, we reflect God's attributes more clearly. Love, mercy, justice - these shine through in our actions and character.
Just as a clear mirror best reflects the sun's light, a pure soul best reflects the divine qualities of God. The purer our souls become, the more we can perceive and embody higher truths.
Personally, I find the metaphor of God as Light deeply intriguing. It's not just about fully understanding God – it expands our spiritual imagination and challenges our preconceptions.
Just as light behaves as both particle and wave, defying full understanding, the nature of God may be beyond our complete comprehension.
Next time you see a ray of sunshine or flick on a light switch, pause. In that moment of reflection, you might experience the Divine mystery surrounding us all.
