Transliteration:( Aw kazulumaatin fee bahril lujjiyyiny yaghshaahu mawjun min fawqihee mawjun min fawqihee sahaab; zulumatun ba'duhaa fawqa ba'din izaaa akhraja yadahoo lam yakad yaraahaa wa man lam yaj'alil laahu lahoo nooran famaa lahoo min noor (section 5) )
"Or it is like the darkness in a deep sea, above which is a wave, above the wave another wave, and above which are clouds; there are layers of darkness one upon the other. When he puts out his hand, it seems not to be visible [110]. And to whom Allah gives not light, for him there is no light anywhere [111].”
This verse continues the comparison of the disbeliever’s spiritual state, but unlike the mirage in the previous verse, here the analogy is of utter darkness:
The deep sea symbolizes the soul submerged in ignorance and misguidance.
The multiple layers—waves upon waves, then clouds—represent:
Doubt over doubt
Confusion over confusion
Obstacles from guidance stacking endlessly
The man stretches his hand, but cannot see it—this means:
His own actions are unclear to him.
He’s lost in a state of blindness, without moral or spiritual direction.
This reflects the helplessness and confusion of one who lives without divine guidance.
The verse ends with a decisive statement:
"And to whom Allah gives not light, for him there is no light anywhere."
This emphasizes that:
Divine guidance (Noor) is not self-generated—it is granted by Allah.
Without Allah’s light, no knowledge, philosophy, or effort can illuminate the heart or lead to salvation.
It reinforces a profound spiritual truth:
Light (guidance) is not earned merely by intellect, but is a mercy bestowed upon those whom Allah chooses.
The tafsir of Surah An-Nur verse 40 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Nur ayat 39 which provides the complete commentary from verse 39 through 40.
(24:40) Or its similitude is that of depths of darkness upon an abysmal sea, covered by a billow, above which is a billow, above which is cloud, creating darkness piled one upon another; when he puts forth his hand, he would scarcely see it.[72] He to whom Allah assigns no light, he will have no light.[73]
72. This parable describes the condition of all the disbelievers and the hypocrites including those who perform good deeds for ostentation. It is being stated that such people are passing their life in a state of absolute and complete ignorance, whether they are the most learned people in the world and leaders in their respective fields of learning. They are like the man who is lost in complete darkness where no ray of light can reach him. They think that knowledge merely consists in producing atom bombs, hydrogen bombs, supersonic planes and moon rockets, or in attaining excellence in economics and finance and law and philosophy. But they little understand that real knowledge is something entirely different and they have no idea of it. Thus considered they are just ignorant, and an illiterate peasant who has gained some acquaintance of the divine truth is wiser than them.
73. Here is stated the real object of the discourse which began with: Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. When in fact there is no light in the universe except the Light of Allah and all manifestation of reality is due to that Light, where from can the one whom Allah does not give light have light? There exists no other source of light from where he can receive a ray.
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