✍ By: Shaykh Abū Ḥudhayfah Muḥammad Jāwīd Salafī
Excerpt from the book: Āʾīnah Tawḥīd wa Sunnat — A Response to “What is Shirk?” and the Reality of Innovation
"قَدْ جَاءَكُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ نُورٌ وَكِتَابٌ مُّبِينٌ"
“Indeed, there has come to you from Allah a light and a clear Book.”
Sūrat al-Mā’idah: 15
Barelwi scholars claim that the word “nūr” (light) in this verse refers to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, and they even claim he is Allah’s eternal light (nūr dhātī), not a human being (bashar). They consider calling the Prophet ﷺ “a man” as disrespectful.
Those who base their belief on ambiguous verses (mutashābihāt), while ignoring the clear (muḥkam) verses, have fallen into serious theological error. Allah ﷻ warns in the Qur’an:
"هُوَ الَّذِي أَنْزَلَ عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ..."
“It is He Who sent down to you the Book. In it are clear verses—they are the foundation of the Book—and others are ambiguous. As for those with deviation in their hearts, they follow what is ambiguous, seeking misinterpretation and discord.”
Sūrat Āl ʿImrān: 7
The claim that the Prophet ﷺ is divine light, based on such an ambiguous verse, is an intentional distortion to mislead the masses away from the sound beliefs proven by hundreds of clear verses.
Most Mufassirūn (Qur'anic commentators) interpret "nūr" in this verse as an attribute of the "kitāb mubīn" (clear Book), not a separate entity. The wāw (and) between them is for explanation (ʿaṭf tafsīrī), not separation. Supporting evidence includes:
If "nūr" and "kitāb" were two distinct entities, the next verse should have used “بِهِمَا” (by both of them), not “بِهِ” (by it) — indicating only one subject is referred to.
The Qur’an interprets itself. Allah also says:
"وَأَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكُمْ نُورًا مُّبِينًا"
“And We have sent down to you a clear light.”
Sūrat al-Nisāʾ: 174
"وَاتَّبِعُوا النُّورَ الَّذِي أُنزِلَ مَعَهُ"
“And follow the light which was sent down with him.”
Sūrat al-Aʿrāf: 157
"فَآمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَالنُّورِ الَّذِي أَنزَلْنَا"
“So believe in Allah, His Messenger, and the light which We have sent down.”
Sūrat al-Taghābun: 8
Allah called the Tawrah and Injīl also nūr:
"نُورًا وَهُدًى لِلنَّاسِ"
Sūrat al-Anʿām: 91, Sūrat al-Mā’idah: 46
Thus, the "nūr" in Sūrat al-Mā’idah refers clearly to the Qur’an, not the person of the Prophet ﷺ.
Elsewhere in the Qur’an, wāw connects words that are not separate entities:
"تِلْكَ آيَاتُ الْقُرْآنِ وَكِتَابٍ مُّبِينٍ"
Sūrat al-Naml: 1
(Here "Qur’an" and "Clear Book" refer to the same entity.)
"تِلْكَ آيَاتُ الْكِتَابِ وَقُرْآنٍ مُّبِينٍ"
Sūrat al-Ḥijr: 1
So too, "nūr" and "kitāb" in the verse in question both refer to the Qur’an.
The Barelwi claim:
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“O Jābir! Indeed, the first thing Allah created was the nūr of your Prophet from His own nūr.”
(Allegedly in Muṣannaf ʿAbd al-Razzāq, cited in Nashr al-Ṭīb, p.6)
Authentic ḥadīth state that the first created thing was the pen:
"أول ما خلق الله القلم..."
“The first thing Allah created was the pen.”
Tirmidhī, Abū Dāwūd, Musnad Aḥmad (5/317)
Allah wrote all destinies 50,000 years before the creation of the heavens and the earth.
Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim
Also, ḥadīth state that Adam was created from clay, Jinn from fire, and angels from nūr — not from Allah’s own essence. Allah says:
"وَاللَّهُ خَلَقَ كُلَّ دَابَّةٍ مِّن مَّاءٍ"
Sūrat al-Nūr: 45
If the Prophet ﷺ was created from Allah’s own nūr, then he would have been a part of Allah — and Allah refutes such claims:
"وَجَعَلُوا لَهُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ جُزْءًا"
“And they attributed to Him a part from among His slaves. Indeed, man is clearly ungrateful.”
Sūrat al-Zukhruf: 15
The Prophet ﷺ was born to ʿAbdullāh and Āminah, descendants of Ādam عليه السلام. The Qur’an declares:
"إِنَّا خَلَقْنَا الْإِنسَانَ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ أَمْشَاجٍ"
“We created man from a mixed drop of fluid.”
Sūrat al-Insān: 2
Even Aḥmad Razā Khān Barelwī acknowledged the Prophet ﷺ was created from clay, not from divine light:
“I, Abū Bakr, and ʿUmar were created from one clay and will be buried in it.”
Fatāwā Afrīqah, p.83
Barelwi scholars such as Muftī Amjad ʿAlī in Bahār-e-Sharīʿat and Aḥmad Yār Khān in Jāʾ al-Ḥaqq also affirmed that the Prophet ﷺ was a human being.
A fabricated story claims:
The Prophet ﷺ asked Jibrīl عليه السلام about his age, and he replied:
“A star appears once every 70,000 years; I have seen it 70,000 times.”
The Prophet ﷺ replied:
“That star was my light.”
The verse says:
"وَتَمَثَّلَ لَهَا بَشَرًا سَوِيًّا"
“He appeared to her as a well-proportioned man.”
Sūrat Maryam: 17
There are two types of humanity (bashariyyah):
The Prophet ﷺ was of real human essence, not an angel disguised as a man.
Like the angels who visited Ibrāhīm عليه السلام:
Sūrat al-Dhāriyāt: 24–28
They came in human form but did not eat, showing they were not real humans.
If the Prophet ﷺ had been made of divine light, he too would not have eaten, married, or had children.
The title “Dhu al-Nūrayn” given to ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān رضي الله عنه has no authentic ḥadīth basis.
If taken to mean "light of guidance" due to his marriages to the Prophet’s daughters, it is acceptable.
But interpreting it as divine light is false.
"قُلْ إِنَّمَا أَنَا بَشَرٌ مِثْلُكُمْ"
Sūrat al-Kahf: 110
“May Allah guide us to adopt beliefs based solely on the Qur’an and authentic Sunnah, and grant us firmness upon the creed of the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ.” Āmīn.
Excerpt from the book: Āʾīnah Tawḥīd wa Sunnat — A Response to “What is Shirk?” and the Reality of Innovation
◈ First Argument: The Verse from Sūrat al-Mā’idah
"قَدْ جَاءَكُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ نُورٌ وَكِتَابٌ مُّبِينٌ"
“Indeed, there has come to you from Allah a light and a clear Book.”
Sūrat al-Mā’idah: 15❖ The Claim:
Barelwi scholars claim that the word “nūr” (light) in this verse refers to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, and they even claim he is Allah’s eternal light (nūr dhātī), not a human being (bashar). They consider calling the Prophet ﷺ “a man” as disrespectful.
❖ Response 1: Misinterpretation of Mutashābihāt
Those who base their belief on ambiguous verses (mutashābihāt), while ignoring the clear (muḥkam) verses, have fallen into serious theological error. Allah ﷻ warns in the Qur’an:
"هُوَ الَّذِي أَنْزَلَ عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ..."
“It is He Who sent down to you the Book. In it are clear verses—they are the foundation of the Book—and others are ambiguous. As for those with deviation in their hearts, they follow what is ambiguous, seeking misinterpretation and discord.”
Sūrat Āl ʿImrān: 7The claim that the Prophet ﷺ is divine light, based on such an ambiguous verse, is an intentional distortion to mislead the masses away from the sound beliefs proven by hundreds of clear verses.
❖ Response 2: "Nūr" Refers to the Qur'an
Most Mufassirūn (Qur'anic commentators) interpret "nūr" in this verse as an attribute of the "kitāb mubīn" (clear Book), not a separate entity. The wāw (and) between them is for explanation (ʿaṭf tafsīrī), not separation. Supporting evidence includes:
- The verse begins with:
"يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ قَدْ جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولُنَا"
“O People of the Book! There has come to you Our Messenger…”
If "nūr" and "kitāb" were two distinct entities, the next verse should have used “بِهِمَا” (by both of them), not “بِهِ” (by it) — indicating only one subject is referred to.
The Qur’an interprets itself. Allah also says:
"وَأَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكُمْ نُورًا مُّبِينًا"
“And We have sent down to you a clear light.”
Sūrat al-Nisāʾ: 174"وَاتَّبِعُوا النُّورَ الَّذِي أُنزِلَ مَعَهُ"
“And follow the light which was sent down with him.”
Sūrat al-Aʿrāf: 157"فَآمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَالنُّورِ الَّذِي أَنزَلْنَا"
“So believe in Allah, His Messenger, and the light which We have sent down.”
Sūrat al-Taghābun: 8Allah called the Tawrah and Injīl also nūr:
"نُورًا وَهُدًى لِلنَّاسِ"
Sūrat al-Anʿām: 91, Sūrat al-Mā’idah: 46Thus, the "nūr" in Sūrat al-Mā’idah refers clearly to the Qur’an, not the person of the Prophet ﷺ.
❖ Response 3: Examples of Wāw as ʿAṭf Tafsīrī
Elsewhere in the Qur’an, wāw connects words that are not separate entities:
"تِلْكَ آيَاتُ الْقُرْآنِ وَكِتَابٍ مُّبِينٍ"
Sūrat al-Naml: 1(Here "Qur’an" and "Clear Book" refer to the same entity.)
"تِلْكَ آيَاتُ الْكِتَابِ وَقُرْآنٍ مُّبِينٍ"
Sūrat al-Ḥijr: 1So too, "nūr" and "kitāb" in the verse in question both refer to the Qur’an.
◈ Second Argument: The Alleged Ḥadīth of Nūr Muḥammadī
The Barelwi claim:
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“O Jābir! Indeed, the first thing Allah created was the nūr of your Prophet from His own nūr.”
(Allegedly in Muṣannaf ʿAbd al-Razzāq, cited in Nashr al-Ṭīb, p.6)❖ Response:
- This ḥadīth is fabricated (mawḍūʿ).
- No reliable isnād exists for it.
- Shaykh al-Albānī رحمه الله commented:
“Its chain is unknown.”
Mishkāt, Bāb Bad’ al-Waḥy
- It does not exist in the actual Muṣannaf ʿAbd al-Razzāq.
❖ Conflict with Authentic Ḥadīth
Authentic ḥadīth state that the first created thing was the pen:
"أول ما خلق الله القلم..."
“The first thing Allah created was the pen.”
Tirmidhī, Abū Dāwūd, Musnad Aḥmad (5/317)Allah wrote all destinies 50,000 years before the creation of the heavens and the earth.
Ṣaḥīḥ MuslimAlso, ḥadīth state that Adam was created from clay, Jinn from fire, and angels from nūr — not from Allah’s own essence. Allah says:
"وَاللَّهُ خَلَقَ كُلَّ دَابَّةٍ مِّن مَّاءٍ"
Sūrat al-Nūr: 45If the Prophet ﷺ was created from Allah’s own nūr, then he would have been a part of Allah — and Allah refutes such claims:
"وَجَعَلُوا لَهُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ جُزْءًا"
“And they attributed to Him a part from among His slaves. Indeed, man is clearly ungrateful.”
Sūrat al-Zukhruf: 15❖ The Prophet ﷺ was a Human Descendant of Ādam
The Prophet ﷺ was born to ʿAbdullāh and Āminah, descendants of Ādam عليه السلام. The Qur’an declares:
"إِنَّا خَلَقْنَا الْإِنسَانَ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ أَمْشَاجٍ"
“We created man from a mixed drop of fluid.”
Sūrat al-Insān: 2Even Aḥmad Razā Khān Barelwī acknowledged the Prophet ﷺ was created from clay, not from divine light:
“I, Abū Bakr, and ʿUmar were created from one clay and will be buried in it.”
Fatāwā Afrīqah, p.83Barelwi scholars such as Muftī Amjad ʿAlī in Bahār-e-Sharīʿat and Aḥmad Yār Khān in Jāʾ al-Ḥaqq also affirmed that the Prophet ﷺ was a human being.
◈ Third Argument: Jibrīl’s Age and the Star of Nūr
A fabricated story claims:
The Prophet ﷺ asked Jibrīl عليه السلام about his age, and he replied:
“A star appears once every 70,000 years; I have seen it 70,000 times.”
The Prophet ﷺ replied:
“That star was my light.”
❖ Response:
- This is a baseless story, unsupported by any authentic narration.
- No chain of narration is presented.
- It is an invented fable, not a ḥadīth of the Prophet ﷺ.
◈ Fourth Argument: Angels Appearing in Human Form
The verse says:
"وَتَمَثَّلَ لَهَا بَشَرًا سَوِيًّا"
“He appeared to her as a well-proportioned man.”
Sūrat Maryam: 17❖ Response:
There are two types of humanity (bashariyyah):
- Real (ḥaqīqī) — includes all human characteristics: eating, sleeping, marriage, emotions, etc.
- Representational (tamthīlī) — temporary appearance in human form without human traits.
The Prophet ﷺ was of real human essence, not an angel disguised as a man.
Like the angels who visited Ibrāhīm عليه السلام:
Sūrat al-Dhāriyāt: 24–28They came in human form but did not eat, showing they were not real humans.
If the Prophet ﷺ had been made of divine light, he too would not have eaten, married, or had children.
◈ Misconception of Dhu al-Nūrayn (The Possessor of Two Lights)
The title “Dhu al-Nūrayn” given to ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān رضي الله عنه has no authentic ḥadīth basis.
If taken to mean "light of guidance" due to his marriages to the Prophet’s daughters, it is acceptable.
But interpreting it as divine light is false.
◈ Final Summary
- The Prophet ﷺ and all other Prophets were real human beings, born from parents, lived normal lives, and passed away like other humans.
- Believing that the Prophet ﷺ is “nūr min nūr Allāh” (light from Allah’s light) is a rejection of Qur’anic verses and authentic ḥadīth.
- The Prophet ﷺ clearly said:
"إِنَّمَا أَنَا بَشَرٌ مِثْلُكُمْ"
“I am only a human like you.”
Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim
"قُلْ إِنَّمَا أَنَا بَشَرٌ مِثْلُكُمْ"
Sūrat al-Kahf: 110✿ Closing Supplication
“May Allah guide us to adopt beliefs based solely on the Qur’an and authentic Sunnah, and grant us firmness upon the creed of the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ.” Āmīn.
