There is an allegory in the Quran of a lamp in a glass niche that is as bright as the shining star, burning from the oils of an olive tree, seen from the West and the East. The light from this lamp embraces the entire existence, the heavens and the earth, illuminating every corner of the cosmos; it is light upon light. This is famously known as the Light Verse of the Quran, one of the most sublime descriptions of Divine light, existence, and its’ varying degrees of intensity (Lari 2006). There are many hidden meanings and symbols encrypted in this verse which is why–over the centuries and until today– it provokes the creative intelligence of exegetes, mystics, artists and philosophers.
