Let There Be Light

Dazzling light is a manifestation of the divine shared across many religions. We only need think of Diwali, the Hindu five-day autumn festival of lights or the Jewish holiday festival of Hanukkah held over the course of eight days and nights. Light also occupies a prime place in Christianity and Islam. The primacy of light in creation is manifest at the beginning of the Bible in which God brings light where previously there had only been darkness. In the Quran light is not just created by God but is identified with God’s presence: “God is the Light of the heavens and earth … God guides whoever He will to his Light.”