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Luminosity: Lessons from the Full Moon

Yusra Owais (Amatullah)

Yusra Owais (Amatullah) | February 7, 2013 5:00 am

In the summer of 2010, my f riends and I went camping

during a f ull-moon in the f amous White Desert. As the
sun began to set, we made camp and had dinner under
the stars. It wasnt until later in the night that we really
saw the f ull-moon. For all the f ull-moons weve seen,
nothing compared to the one we were lying underaway
f rom the city lights and unobstructed by skyscrapers. It
was one of the f ew things in this world whose beauty
can only truly be appreciated in complete darkness.
T he moon, and specif ically the f ull-moon, has a
signif icance in our religion. Our calendar relies on the
cycles of the moon. It is a Prophetic tradition to f ast the
three white days, or the f ull-moon days of every
month. T here even is an authentically narrated Prophetic
supplication to be said upon seeing the new crescent.
T hat night, I noticed three specif ic f acets of the moon:
Beauty: I have not seen anything more beautif ul than
the f ull-moon on that night. I do not mean beauty in the
standard sort of way. It was a uniquely mesmerizing,
captivating, and soothing beautyA kind of beauty that leaves you speechless.
It was at that point that I understood why companion af ter companion compared the Prophets
be upon him) beauty to the f ull-moon.

(peace

Jabir radi Allahu `anhu (may God be pleased with him) was with the Messenger of God
on a night of a
f ull-moon. He had a moment of contemplation: which of these creations is more beautif ul? So he looked
to the f ull-moon, then he looked to the Prophet , comparing them both. He said then and there, I
f ound that f or me he was better than the moon.
Kab (ra) as well compared him to the moon. He (ra) said, When he was pleased, his f ace would shine so
bright that you would believe it was a piece of the moon.
His grandson Hasan (ra) commented on his beauty by saying, his blessed f ace shone like the f ullmoon.

His best f riend Abu Bakr (ra) composed a f ew lines of poetry about him : He is f aithf ul, chosen (by
Allah), and calls to f orgiveness. He shines like a f ull-moon when it is f ar f rom dark (clouds).
On one occasion, Umar (ra) was so captivated by the beauty of our Prophet , he spoke some lines of
poetry by a f amous Arab poet, Z uhair: Were you other than a human being, you would be the brightness
on the night of a f ull-moon.
T hese Companions chose to compare the Prophets countenance to the f ull-moon because it was the
height of beauty as they knew it. When explaining these narrations, the scholars say that the
Companions did not compare him
to the sun because, despite the suns beauty, the intense heat
makes it painf ul to stare at. T he beauty of the sun is a beauty based on its power and energy. Yet the
moons beauty is in its serenity and illumination. By using the moon, the Companions highlighted another
f acet of the Messengers beauty: looking at him was enjoyable and would bring one calmness. T his is
why Abdullah b. Salam, a Jew in Madinah, said: When the Holy Prophet
arrived in Madinah, the people
lost no time in arriving in his presence. I was amongst the people who had arrived to see him. When I
looked with thoughtf ulness at the Holy Prophets radiant f ace, I realized with certainty that this is no
f ace of a liar. Abdullah (ra) accepted Islam right then and there as he recognized the light and truth of
the Prophethood on his f ace (saws).
T he Prophets beauty was unlike anything we have seen in this lif e. In the next lif e, the believers will
have a share of this type of beauty. Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) says,
[Some] f aces, that Day, will be radiant. (Quran 75:22)
Radiance implies beauty, so their f aces will not only be joyous and smiling, but beautif ul and glowing.
Some Believers will be blessed with having the brightest of f aces. T he Prophet said, A group of my
Ummah (community) consisting of seventy thousand persons would enter Paradise; their f aces would be
as bright as the brightness of the f ull moon.
Unobstructed: T he moon was crystal clear that night. Nothing, not even clouds, obstructed our view.
On such a similar night many years ago, the Prophet looked to the clear, f ull-moon and told his f riends
around him, Undoubtedly, you will see your Lord just as you see this moon and you will have no dif f iculty
seeing Him.
T he Prophet used the moon again in another narration, Do you crowd one another in order to see the
moon on the night of a f ull moon? Do you crowd one another in order to see the sun? T hey said: No.
He said: Of a surety, you shall see your Lord as you see the moon on the night of a f ull moon, you shall
not crowd one another to see Him.
T he moon in the above narrations serves as a simile you will see your Lord unobstructed just as you
see the moon unobstructed. T he Prophet would draw comparisons and use imagery when teaching to
make a clear point. T he opportunity to see our Lord will be the greatest of gif ts in the hereaf ter. T his is
why the Prophet used to supplicate: My Lord, I ask You for the delight of gazing at Your Countenance
and the eagerness of meeting You.
Illumination: the light radiating f rom the moon was unlike the rays of light f rom the sun. T he f ull-moon
gave of f a light so much so that we could see each others f aces and read our books. T he moons
light was not like the intense brightness of the sun, rather it was like a glow. T his distinction is captured
in the Quran,
Blessed is He who has placed in the sky great stars and placed therein a [burning] lamp and luminous
moon. (Quran 25:61)
Allah (swt) uses two descriptive words to highlight the inherent dif f erence between these sources of
light. He (swt) calls the sun siraj, or lamp, to draw a comparison. Just as a lamp needs f uel to burn
bright, the sun is in need of f uel (hydrogen gas) to burn bright. When any f uel is burned and reaches a
certain level of heat, the f lame becomes bright enough to produce a glowing light.

On the other hand, Allah (swt) describes the moon as muneer, meaning luminous and bright. Muneer, a
derivative of the word nur, means a ref lective light. T he moon does not produce its own light, rather it
ref lects the light f rom another source: the sun.
Knowing the contrast between the meanings of siraj and muneer shows us how prof ound it is when Allah
(swt) distinguishes the Prophet by naming him with both words:
O Prophet, indeed We have sent you as a witness and a bringer of good tidings and a warner. And one
who invites to Allah, by His permission, and an illuminating lamp. (Quran 33:45-46)
He is an illuminating lamp. T he Messenger is siraj muneer, combining qualities f rom both the sun and
moon. While this description is an honor f or the Prophet , we also learn that light comes f rom Al-Nur,
T he Light. T he Prophet is a lamp who shines bright with the f uel provided by God. He is ref lecting a
light whose source is God. T he Prophet is not the source of the light, rather he is the lamp that
spreads the light of guidance and truth f rom the Source:
Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The example of His light is like a niche within which is a
lamp, the lamp is within glass, the glass as if it were a pearly [white] star lit from [the oil of] a blessed olive
tree, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil would almost glow even if untouched by fire. Light upon
light. Allah guides to His light whom He wills. And Allah presents examples for the people, and Allah is
Knowing of all things. (Quran 24:35)
T his was it. T hat night, in the middle of desert miles, away f rom home, the culmination of my ref lections
in understanding the beauty of the moon was a sign of T he Beauty of the Creator and Source of such a
beautyHe who is T he Light, T he Most Beautif ul, T he Absolutely Pure, T he Unique in Oneness, T he
Greatest.
Tags: Allah, Beauty, f ace, f ull moon, God, Islam, koran, luminosity, Messenger, mohammad, moon,
Moslem, Muhammad, Muslim, Prophet, Qur'an