ভূমিকা

"(All) praise belongs to Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth and appointed darkness and light; yet those who disbelieve hold (others) as equal with their Lord." In the whole text of the Qur'an, the Arabic word /nur/ (light) has been mentioned in the singular form while its opposite term, /zulumat/ (darkness), has occurred in its plural form. The concerning reason is that the 'Truth' is only one, but the false ways are many.

'Light' is the secret of unity but 'darkness' is the cause of dispersion. Therefore, the first verse of this Surah points to the system of existence, the second verse hints to the creation of man; and the third verse refers to the deeds and behavior of human beings.

"(All) praise belongs to Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth and appointed darkness and light; yet those who disbelieve hold (others) as equal with their Lord." And, as Hadrat Ali (as) has said, this verse is an answer to three groups of the deluded people: A) The materialists, who deny the creation and temporal contingency (phenomenally).

"He it is Who created you from clay, then decreed a term (for your life) and the term is fixed with Him, yet still you doubt." In the previous verse, extroversive phenomena and the creation of the heavens and the earth were mentioned. Here, in this verse, the creation of Man and the innate affairs are referred to. More than twenty times the term of /ajalin musamma/ (the appointed end) have been stated in the Qur'an.

Concerning the life's final term, Allah has appointed two kinds of time for humankind.