04 Apr Live life with Noor
What does Noor mean?
The word noor means light and illumination. It is one of the attributes of Allah Ta’ala as He is the light and the only source of light. The Noor of Allah is the source of light for all the things in the heavens and the earth. Its substance increases until it appears on the faces, limbs, clothes and in the homes.
Our heart yearns for the Divine Light. He is always radiating light but it is upto us how much we allow to enter.
When the curtains are drawn in the morning, the sunlight is prevented from entering into our room and then as we start to open them, it begins to increase.
In the same manner we need to uncover our hearts and remove anything which is against the commandments of Allah in order to allow the light to access our heart. And it is upto us how much we allow.
How can we can cleanse our hearts?
The first step to cleanse our heart is Istighfar, seeking sincere forgiveness. The Prophet ﷺ would repent more than 70 times a day.
Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, “I swear by Allah that I seek Allah’s Pardon and turn to Him in repentance more than seventy times a day.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari)
People often forget the importance of this simple, yet powerful dua. In the Quran, Istighfar is seen as portraying the strength and support of Allah which leads to attaining closeness to Allah and redemption.
فَقُلْتُ اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ إِنَّهُ كَانَ غَفَّارًا
I said to them: “Ask forgiveness from your Lord; surely He is Most Forgiving.
يُرْسِلِ السَّمَاءَ عَلَيْكُم مِّدْرَارًا
He will shower upon you torrents from heaven,
وَيُمْدِدْكُم بِأَمْوَالٍ وَبَنِينَ وَيَجْعَل لَّكُمْ جَنَّاتٍ وَيَجْعَل لَّكُمْ أَنْهَارًا
and will provide you with wealth and children, and will bestow upon you gardens and rivers. (Surah Nūh 10-12)
From the above verse, we can conclude that we should always seek forgiveness and do our best to get the pleasure of Allah because Istighfar is one of the righteous deeds and we will become the recipient of countless blessings.
Allah Almighty says: “Truly, Allah loves those who repent, and He loves those who cleanse themselves.” (2:222)
We do not only do Istighfar after committing a sin or an act of disobedience to Allah but it also includes our shortcomings. It is also a means of building up that awareness of Allah and strengthening our relationship with Him.
After doing Istighfar a person becomes purified and so there’s more chance of noor entering into the heart as the noor doesn’t enter the sinful heart.
We will always be presented with temptations but it is upto us to reject these. It could be the temptations of the dunya, our own desires or the call of shaytaan. Staying away and rejecting these will make us stronger. It is not easy, so we need to turn to Allah for help and also seek forgiveness whenever we slip.
Ibn Ata Illah Askandari mentions that the heart will not be illuminated if it is full of dunya. The Light of Allah will not shine in that heart, as it has no space. So we need to clear it for the light to enter.
May Allah swt allow us to reach Ramadan and accept our worship. Ameen
Bring Noor into our hearts
There are many ways to gain the Noor of Allah in our lives
· Salaah
This is the best method as it is the best form of Ibadah. Most importantly we need to read with sincerity and devotion, concentrating on what we are praying and performing all gestures properly and calmly.
· Dhikr
The remembrance of Allah removes the rust of your heart and purifies the heart. It makes Muslims closer to Allah. And through this, a person makes direct connection with Allah.
It can be done at any time and anywhere without exerting any effort. This is the easiest method. It could be La ilaha illallah, Subhanallah, Alhamdulilah, Allahu Akbar or any others.
· External Purification
The same way it is important to cleanse our hearts it is equally important for us to remain clean externally also. This means our bodies, clothes, and environment should remain clean at all times.
· Dua
We need to talk to Allah and ask from Him. Specifically the duaa of Noor:
O Allah, Place light in my heart and place light in my eyes, place light in my hearing, place light on my right and place light on my left, place light in front of me and place light behind me and grant me light. (Sahih Al-Bukhari)
· Quran Tilawah
No matter how much it may be, set an amount to read daily. Remember consistency is key!
The Quran is light and you will see an immediate effect.
Especially during the month of Ramadhan, increase in your recitation as it is the month of Quran in which the Quran was revealed.
· Good company
Keep yourself in the company of good pious people, that will have a huge effect and their light will begin to reflect in us. Also, attend gatherings where there is the mentioning and remembrance of Allah.
As we can see, all of these things strengthen our Imaan. So the stronger our imaan is, the more Noor there will be and the stronger the light is. We need to become as close to Allah as possible in order for it to come directly to us instead of us being further and due to the distance receiving much less.
The more your heart responds to the light of the revelation (Quran and sunnah), the stronger your light will be on that dreadful day! So increase in doing good by seeing these deeds as a reason for light in the darkness of the Hereafter In Shaa Allah.
Aalimah department
If you found this useful, please consider making a donation to Noor Ul Islam. We need your help to complete our masjid expansion project.
The Prophet (Pbuh) has taught us the best of deeds are those that done consistently, even if they are small.