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The Notion of “Light” Interpreted … S. Khanabadi and M. Dehghani Firouzabadi/ 57
terms mentioned in the verse this famous scientist to explain
of the Light and the five levels the quranic notion of the
of human understanding, Light.In the first chapter,
referring to the order of the Ghazali determines the meanings
hierarchical disposition of the of the word “Light” among the
objects mentioned in this three categories of people;
mysterious verse. ordinary people, elites and
In the third chapter, Ghazali elites of the elites.
interprets a statement (hadith) With regard to ordinary
from the Prophet concerning people, the word Light is used,
the veils of light and darkness; according to Ghazali, in the
But the subject of this last sense of the apparition (Zohour).
chapter does not fit into the The popular meaning of the
problematic of this article, word Light is based on the
which wants to study the faculty derived from the five
quranic notion of Light in the human senses, especially the
verse of the Light. sense of sight. In relation to
In this essay of less than the question of visibility,
100 pages, the great Ghazali Ghazali divides the objects of
addresses also many other this world into three categories:
themes in gnostic, exegesis 1. Objects devoid of light,
and wisdom. The subjects which are not visible,
addressed in this book are like dark objects.
sometimes repeated in the 2. Objects that are visible
other works of Imam Ghazali, but cannot make visible
as the author himself testifies or illuminate other objects,
in certain passages of the book. such as distant stars.
Therefore, this article focuses 3. Objects that are visible
on Ghazali's definition of the and make visible and
term Light in “The Niche of illuminate other objects,
the Lights”. We will faithfully such as the Sun.
follow the approach taken by
