ٱللَّهُ وَلِىُّ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ يُخْرِجُهُم مِّنَ ٱلظُّلُمَٰتِ إِلَى ٱلنُّورِ وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ أَوْلِيَآؤُهُمُ ٱلطَّٰغُوتُ يُخْرِجُونَهُم مِّنَ ٱلنُّورِ إِلَى ٱلظُّلُمَٰتِ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ أَصْحَٰبُ ٱلنَّارِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَٰلِدُونَ
“Allah is the Protecting Guardian of those who believe. He bringeth them out of darkness into light. As for those who disbelieve, their patrons are false deities. They bring them out of light into darkness. Such are rightful owners of the Fire. They will abide therein.” — M. M. Pickthall
Taberî9-10. c.✓ Citation verified
According to this exegete, the 'light' (nur) mentioned in the verse corresponds to faith, while 'darknesses' (zulümat) correspond to disbelief as a representation; just as darknesses veil the eyes from perceiving and understanding things, so too does disbelief veil the heart's eye from perceiving faith truths and proofs. Allah is the guardian (wali) of the believers, bringing them out from the darknesses of disbelief to the light of faith; while the guardians of the disbelievers, the false gods (tagut—idols and deities), do the opposite, bringing them out from the light of faith to the darknesses of disbelief. Taberî notes that this 'bringing out' expression is interpreted in some narrations in the context of those who believed in Jesus but rejected Muhammad, but he also explains that it is possible to understand this as a figurative meaning (depriving of faith, cutting off the path to faith).
وإنما جعل الظلمات للكفر مثلا؛ لأن الظلمات حاجبة للأبصار عن إدراك الأشياء وإثباتها، وكذلك الكفر حاجب أبصار القلوب عن إدراك حقائق الإيمان والعلم بصحته وصحة أسبابه.
Zemahşerî12. c.✓ Citation verified
In this text, Zemahşerî conveys different views regarding the darknesses mentioned in the verse: according to some, these are the darknesses of the fish's belly, the sea, and the night; according to others, a larger fish swallowed the fish, thus bringing together the belly of two fish with the darkness of the sea. He also notes that the verb 'ittahaze' can be used transitively with one or two objects in the language, and he relates that in the reading of Abû Jafar al-Madanî, this verb is in the passive voice.
وقيل : ظلمات بطن الحوت والبحر والليل . وقيل : ابتلع حوته حوت أكبر منه ، فحصل في ظلمتي بطني الحوتين وظلمة البحر
Fahreddin er-Râzî12-13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to this text, by consensus of the exegetes, the 'darknesses' and 'light' mentioned in the verse refer to disbelief and faith; in this case, the verse explicitly conveys that Allah brings humans out of disbelief and into faith, from which the conclusion follows that faith comes through Allah's creation. The Mu'tazilites, however, object to this by interpreting the 'bringing out' as establishing proofs, sending prophets, and revealing scriptures. Regarding the reason for the verse's revelation, according to a narration transmitted from Mujahid, the verse was revealed about those who believed in Jesus and then believed in Muhammad, or those who did the reverse.
أجمع المفسرون على أن المراد هاهنا من الظلمات والنور : الكفر والإيمان فتكون الآية صريحة في أن الله تعالى هو الذي أخرج الإنسان من الكفر وأدخله في الإيمان ، فيلزم أن يكون الإيمان بخلق الله
Kurtubî13. c.✓ Citation verified
Kurtubî states that the word 'wali' (guardian) is in the pattern of 'fa'il' (agent) with the meaning of active agent, and the expression in the verse about bringing out from lights to darknesses or from darknesses to light is a figurative representation between disbelief and faith. According to some exegetes, the verse was revealed about a community that believed in Jesus and then rejected Muhammad, but according to Ibn 'Atiyya, this specification is not necessary and the ruling applies to every disbelieving community that becomes believing. He also relates that the words 'zulumât' and 'nur' are explained with various interpretations such as misguidance-guidance, innovation-Sunnah, doubt-certainty.
قال بن عطية : فكأن هذا المعتقد أحرز نورا في المعتقد خرج منه إلى الظلمات ولفظ الآية مستغن عن هذا التخصيص بل هو مترتب في كل أمة كافرة آمن بعضها كالعرب
İbn Kesîr14. c.✓ Citation verified
In this section, Ibn Kathîr relates narrations about the characteristics of the tree to which Moses was addressed; he mentions the narration of Abdullah b. Mas'ud in which he came to Medyan to find that tree and saw a green and fresh tree, and he cites the view of as-Suddî that it was a samur tree. He also notes that the reason revelation is called 'light' is because guidance is realized through it, just as the heart's receiving of life is why it is also called 'spirit'.
فسألت عن الشجرة التي أوى إليها موسى فإذا هي شجرة خضراء ترف فأهوى إليها جملي وكان جائعا فأخذها جملى فعالجها ساعة ثم لفظها فدعوت الله لموسى عليه السلام
Beydâvî13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Beydâwî, those whom Allah is the guardian of are the ones whose faith is intended and whom it is known from eternity that they will believe; He brings them out from the darknesses that lead to disbelief, such as ignorance, following desires, and being overcome by doubts, to the guidance which is the light that brings them to faith. The guardians of the disbelievers, however, are the false gods—namely the devils—and they drag humans out from the light given by nature, plunging them into disbelief and desire, or they drag them from the light of proofs into doubt and the darknesses of suspicions. The text also relates that this verse was revealed about a community that abandoned the faith, and it notes that attributing the 'bringing out' action to the false god does not prevent Allah's power and will from being involved in this matter.
وقيل: نزلت في قوم ارتدوا عن الإسلام
Comparison
Common ground
Taberî, Fahreddin er-Râzî, Kurtubî, and Beydâwî agree that the expressions 'zulümat' and 'nur' constitute a figurative representation between disbelief and faith; the theme of Allah bringing believers out from darkness to light, contrasted with what the guardians of disbelievers (the false gods) do in the opposite manner, is handled consistently. Additionally, more than one exegete (Taberî, Râzî, Kurtubî, Beydâwî) relates the narration that the verse was revealed about a community that believed in Jesus and then fell into rejection, or abandoned the faith.
Differences
Râzî moves from this verse into a theological discussion, conveying the dispute between Ahl as-Sunnah and the Mu'tazilites on whether faith is realized through Allah's creation or through establishing proofs and sending prophets; this does not appear with such clarity in other exegetes. Kurtubî, relying on Ibn 'Atiyya, emphasizes that the narration about the reason for revelation does not mean specification, and that the ruling applies to every disbelieving community that becomes believing, thus not restricting the narration. Beydâwî addresses the matter within the framework of eternal will and power, discussing how attributing the action to the false god does not remove Allah's will from operation. Zemahşerî and Ibn Kathîr, by contrast, offer explanations more focused on language and narrations in different contexts (the darknesses of the fish's belly, the tree in the story of Moses) rather than from this verse; this may stem from the fact that the provided excerpts focus on different verse passages.
Historical context
While the early exegete Taberî relies primarily on language and narrations from the Companions and Successors, in later periods Zemahşerî gives more emphasis to linguistic and qirâ'ah differences, and Râzî increasingly incorporates theological discussions. Later exegetes like Kurtubî and Beydâwî synthesize earlier transmissions and evaluate both linguistic and theological/jurisprudential dimensions together. While the basic figurative reading (light-faith, darkness-disbelief) remains stable across periods, the deepening of interpretation and the addition of theological discussions has increased over time.
Modern connection
This comparative reading reminds us that the representation of coming out from darkness to light may resonate as an allusion to a person's effort to free themselves from doubt and ignorance through knowledge and self-examination. In this context, an attitude that observes harmony between knowledge and faith, that approaches learning and understanding with patience, can correspond with the figurative meaning the verse carries. The multifaceted approaches that different exegetes brought to the same verse can also be considered a cautious reminder about the value of approaching knowledge and different interpretations with tolerance in our time.
AI analysis — not a fatwa or ruling, not yet reviewed by a scholar