THE KINGDOM OF GOD WITHIN
The sufi tradition of Islam makes frequent reference to the vision of a Divine Light. As a mystical tradition, sufism is that form of Islam that emphasizes the need for a direct experience with the God’s Kingdom. Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, received instruction from a revelation that occurred around the beginning of the turn of the seventh century CE. A voice came to him and said, “Read!” Muhammad, being illiterate, responded to the voice that he could not read. The voice said that “it is the Lord Most Bountiful who teacheth by the pen, [who] teacheth man that which he knew not” (Qur’an, Surah XCVI, 1-5). Then the voice said, on two separate occasions, “O Muhammad, thou art God’s messenger, and I am Gabriel.” The vision accompanying this voice was exceptionally bright, so much so that Muhammad had to turn away his face “from the brightness of the vision….”1
The Qur’an is quite specific about who would be the source of this kind of Light:
Allah is the Light
of the Heavens and the Earth…
Light upon Light,
Allah guideth unto His light
whom he will….(Qur’an Sur. XXIV, 35).
Often quoting this passage, the Sufi tradition of Islam makes frequent reference to the vision of a Divine Light. Sufis routinely describe an experience with a Light once a devotee reaches a certain level of contemplation, usually accompanied by intense feelings of joy, even ecstasy. As with the Qur’an, the poetry in this tradition is an exquisite expression of the Divine presence that the Sufi encounters. A few introductory examples will help illustrate:
Sufis frequently dwell on the identification of God (Allah) with the Light. For the 13th century Sufi Muhyiddin ibn ‘Arabi, “God is the Light of the Heavens and the Earth.”8 God is “the embodiment of light, and the source of all illuminations.”9 The Divine Light is not like any other light, however. It is unlike anything ordinary people see from day to day. Ibn ‘Arabi tells us that “His light is brilliant.”10 Even more than that though, the phenomenon is really beyond description.
Zakaria Mohamad 
