نور محمد
Nur Muhammad
The Light of the Prophet in Islamic Mysticism
An interactive exploration of the primordial light—from Tustari’s crystal column to the ecstatic poetry of Rumi, Hallaj, and Yunus Emre
The purpose of this zine is to explore the various ways in which the devotion for the Prophet Muhammad is expressed in Muslim communities. The main class text that has been relied upon is: And Muhammad is His Messenger by Annemarie Schimmel.
Introduction from Schimmel on Nur Muhammad
“One of the central themes of the mystical theology of Islam is the idea that illuminates the darkness of this world, the radiant candle round which human hearts thrive like moths, the light of Muhammad: the Light of Muhammad, which, according to the Hadith, God created before everything else and from which the whole universe came into being.”
The Primordial Light
Origins of the Nur Muhammad Concept
The Shining Lamp
The Quran itself (Sura 33:46) calls the Prophet sirajan munir, “a shining lamp.” The theologian Muqatil, in the eighth century, was the first to interpret the celebrated Light Verse (Sura 24:35) as referring to Muhammad:
“God is the Light of the heavens and the earth; the likeness of His light is as a niche wherein is a lamp—the lamp in a glass, the glass as if it were a glittering star— kindled from a Blessed Tree... Light upon Light.”— Sura 24:35 (The Light Verse)
The Prophet’s Prayer of Light
“O God, place light in my heart, and light in my soul, light upon my tongue, light in my eyes and light in my ears, place light at my right, light at my left, light behind me and light before me, light above me and light beneath me. Place light in my nerves, and light in my flesh, light in my blood, light in my hair and light in my skin! Give me light, increase my light, make me light!”
— Prophetic prayer (du’a), transmitted for centuries as one of the most treasured devotions
The Hidden Treasure
Central to this mystical tradition is the hadith qudsi: “If you had not been, I would not have created the spheres” (Lawlaka ma khalaqtu’l-aflaka). God, longing in His pre-eternal loneliness to be known and loved, created Muhammad as the first mirror for His light and His beauty—a mirror in which He could look at Himself full of love.
Divine light streaming through sacred architecture—a visual metaphor for the Nur Muhammad
Ibn Arabi’s Haqiqa Muhammadiyya & the Insan Kamil
The Perfect Man
“The first light appears out of the Veil of the Unseen, and from knowledge to concrete existence, it is the light of our Prophet Muhammad... The intelligences, the spirits, the intuitions, and the essences are nourished by the luminous essence of Mustafa the Elect, who is the Sun of Existence.”
— Ibn Arabi, Profession of Faith
Haqiqa Muhammadiyya
The Muhammadan Reality
The preexistent essence of the Prophet, the fountainhead of all prophetic activity. It manifests first in Adam, then in all prophets, until finding full expression in the historical Muhammad—the Alpha and Omega of creation. Al-Jili describes it as appearing in pre-eternity as a white chrysolite; God looks at it, and it dissolves into the waters from which creation emerges.
Insan Kamil
The Perfect Man
Muhammad is the Perfect Man in whom the pleroma of the Divine attributes and names is reflected. He is the barzakh—the isthmus between the Necessary and contingent existence. In the profession of faith itself: Muhammad is the “manifested principle,” rasul is the “manifesting principle,” and Allah is the “Principle in Itself.”
Seal of the Prophets
Khatam an-Nabiyyin
As the first thing ever created, he is also the last prophet to appear in the flesh. In this dual role he bears all the Divine Names. All the perfections of his predecessors are united in him “as the sum of an arithmetic series represents all numbers.” The message of any prophet who ever lived was but a fragment of Muhammad’s comprehensive message.
The Mirror of God
Mir’at al-Haqq
God, longing in His pre-eternal loneliness to be known and loved, created Muhammad as the first mirror for His light. “Who has seen me, has seen al-haqq.” The poets sang: “God made you the mirror of the Essence, a looking glass for the unique Essence” and “Your person is the mirror of the unqualified Light!”
Abdul Qadir al-Gilani (12th century)
“He is the central pearl in the necklace of prophethood and the gem in the diadem of messengers. He is the first according to the cause, and the last in existence. He was sent to tear the veil of sorrow, to make the difficult easy, to polish the mirror of the souls, to illuminate the darkness of the hearts, to make rich those who are poor in heart and to loosen the fetters of the souls.”
Quotes & Poetry
The Alchemy of Love
A tribute to the Prophet Muhammad by Rumi
You come to us from another world,
From beyond the stars and void of space.
Transcendent, Pure,
Of unimaginable beauty,
Bringing with you the essence of love.
You transform all who are touched by you.
Mundane concerns, troubles, and sorrows
dissolve in your presence,
Bringing joy to ruler and ruled,
To peasant and king.
You bewilder us with your grace.
All evils transform into goodness.
You are the master alchemist.
You light the fire of love
in earth and sky,
in heart and soul
of every being.
Through your love
existence and nonexistence merge.
All opposites unite.
All that is profane
becomes sacred again.
Masjid Nabawi — golden sunset over Medina
My Performance
Part 1
A personal offering of devotion to the Beloved Prophet, recorded in the spirit of the centuries-old tradition of praising the Light of Muhammad.
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My Performance
Part 2
Moments that shaped the journey — captured in time
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A cherished moment — receiving recognition with grace and pride
My Performance
Part 3
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