Recordings › Br Muhammad MFG | Quranist Only Belief - A Dialogue | MindTrap #82 - Mufti Abu Layth · 18 Oct 2025 › Segment 13 of 32
Is the 'light' that came with the clear book in 5:15 the Prophet or the Quran itself?
muftis sunna sunnat sunan prophetic practice koran quraan al-quran mufassir mufasir mufassireen quran commentator ayah aya ayat ayaat aayah aayat wahy wahi waheeIs the 'light' of 5:15 the Prophet or the book? Pronouns in 5:16 and the waw of 33:7
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This segment1:01:24 to 1:08:12 · 6 min 48 sA view quoted in order to be discussed, not a position held
What this part covers
machinesummary, machine-writtenThe guest reads the light of 5:15 as an aspect of the book itself, arguing from the pronoun in 5:16 and the conjunction in 33:7; Mufti Abu Layth presents the view of the mufassirun that the light is the Prophet and accepts the guest's reading as one interpretation while objecting that the others are not negated.
In more detail
Before moving on from revelation, Mufti Abu Layth asks about the light that has come from God in 5:15, which the mufassirun identify as the Prophet Muhammad, and asks what the guest takes the light to be. The guest says the light has been given to the Prophet rather than being him, and that the light and the book need not be two different things; he asks why 33:7 names the prophets and then 'you and Noah' if the conjunction always marks separate things. Mufti replies that a conjunction can specify, as when one says one spoke to all the staff and to him and him as well. The guest says the book is a form of light, that God is specifying the type of light, and that in 5:16 the pronoun in 'by which Allah guides' refers to the nearest antecedent, the book; Mufti agrees that grammarians say a pronoun goes to the nearest antecedent, but notes that the Quran also uses a singular pronoun for 'Allah and his messenger' when the two come in tandem, and says nobody denies that Allah guides by the Quran. The guest says the verse continually points to a singular source and nothing outside the book, and Mufti accepts this as the guest's interpretation that the light is another aspect of the book; the guest objects that calling it his interpretation misses that the other readings are negated by the Quran, and Mufti asks him to stop.
Position stated
This segment presents a view in order to discuss or respond to it. It is recorded as quoted, never as held, and no position is attributed from it.
Kind: a view quoted in order to be discussed, not a position held Speakers: host and guest; guest speech is labelled and excluded from positionsTranscript
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A guest speaks in this segment. Guest speech is labelled and is excluded from the positions layer.
This segment states a view in order to discuss it. It is recorded as a quoted view, not as a position held.
No, but you kind of trapped yourself because the Quran needs to be >> the Quran, it's a mind trap. The Quran needs to to >> the believers. They need to do the Quran is believers. The believers are the ones who need the clarifications. They have other books as well that needs >> but that one says look L says people.
But anyway, we got your reflection on it which was what we wanted. Speaking about can I ask just about this verse so we don't lose the uh >> right because look what I want to do is from here now moving on from revelation I want to take it to the understanding of Islam without the sunnah but look just this point where you mentioned that
that a light has come to you from God and the light here is as the mufasin would highlight is the prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam. What would your thoughts be? So what are you saying? What is the light then? >> The light is prophet Muhammad. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> So why does it say So it's not Muhammad's N the has been
given to him. So that's >> so what is the so so the that is been given to him and then carry on. So what is the N but then what does it say? carry on. >> No, it says >> yes that it's okay to have the book has come and the light has come from God. So who what is the light?
>> It's explaining the light and the book. It does not necessitate for it to be two different things. It >> once again you're saying it's just the same thing. >> It's explaining I just wanted your reflection. >> One minute. One minute just because of what you're saying is prophet Muhammad a prophet or not? >> Sorry.
>> When it say So when we took the oath from the prophets and from you and from Noah is Noah and Muhammad are they not prophets? >> Of course they are. Yeah. >> Okay. So why did he say prophets and Muhammad and uh Noah? Why? So if you're asking look if you're asking right does wow come of course it comes but in a sentence that is just where you specify something.
So if I said look I've spoken to all the people all the staff and I've spoken to him and him as well. Now it doesn't mean there were members of staff but you're highlighting them. It's like you know you're getting a highlighter and putting it >> but in that verse where he says from Allah what has come to you is a light and a clarifying book. >> Perfect. So the light you per you said it. So the a book is a form of light and the light of God is much more grander.
So God is specifying the type of light he's talking about. >> So what is the light here? >> The light is the book that is being sent. That's why he's saying so what he's saying is >> come to you is a is the book and a clarifying book >> the he's explaining the book that it's a light and specifically it's a clear book so is the book light yes or no is the is the >> so so the is the no look the Quran here the Quran is being mentioned you know in Arabic you have a principle either right so the thing is nobody's denying that the Quran is a light but when the
Quran is being mentioned when the Quran is being mentioned as the clarifying book and a light which is in this case would say it's the prophet but fine okay just to say you're saying it's the book and the book but a certain aspect of the book is the light >> so can I ask you simply in the next verse in 16 what's the what's the pronoun is it the or the the clear Generally the grims say now ideally you could go to both but the grimarians what what do the grimarians say where does the
>> the the closest one wouldn't it be >> yeah that's what they say so generally speaking so the grians say whenever you have a pronoun it goes back to whatever is most close the antecedent that is most close >> so the prophet is not a >> no clear and it's easy to Because if they're two separate topics, but it's Allah or use the singular pronoun also to when he's telling you bringing you to guidance to Allah and the messenger in the famous where you say um where he uses a single pronoun.
But here look nobody is denying look nobody is denying that the Quran by saying wait just for a moment by saying that the pronoun is going back to the Quran that Allah guides by the Quran everybody would accept that as Muslims even if you said Allah guides by the prophet everybody accepts that >> so it doesn't really make respect with all due respect what the verses here continuously saying it's a singular source and it's not two different sources so there's nothing outside of the book the And when you're saying even when we're going to go as far as God and his messenger, God says
singular again. So is it the limits of the messenger now or is it the limits of God or is it because they're coming in tandom >> people? Yeah. According to certain people it's it's coming in tandem. They're coming in tandem. So it's when he's taking things that are two components and he's combining it combining it and he's putting a single pronoun then it's going back that same trying too hard to just explain the point which has been explained I accepted look you said I asked a simple question that look what do you say Allah has mentioned them both next to each other that from Allah has come to you a light which most Muslims say is the prophet here and a clarifying
book has come to you so your point was look here light is just referring to different aspect of the book. >> Perfect. You're negating the Quran. So, no, you you have your interpretation. Yeah. Yes. But then when >> But you're trying too hard to explain the simple point. >> The simple point is because I've already accepted you saying it's it's just another modality of the Quran. Fine. Okay. Okay. That's your interpretation. Okay.
>> But but it's not about one one minute. When you keep saying that that's your interpretation, it's your interpretation is negated by the Quran. That's the problem. This is where these differences where we don't appreciate it >> for a moment. Look, listen. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Please don't do that. Right? >> Don't look. I've told you already. Nobody is here. I'm not trying to set you up in your Arabic. I'm not trying to set you up in certain things.
Paragraphs overlapping 1:01:24 to 1:08:12. Full text on the recording page.
Cite this segment
Stable id, transcript version and tier are part of the citation. Every change to a transcript is logged.Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment 2025-10-18-S13, auto-transcribed, may contain errors. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/onzjd7xmdhe/s/13/ (accessed 1 November 2026)
- APA 7
Mufti Abu Layth. (2025, October 18). Is the 'light' that came with the clear book in 5:15 the Prophet or the Quran itself? [Video, segment 2025-10-18-S13, auto-transcribed, may contain errors]. Mufti Abu Layth Archive. Retrieved November 1, 2026, from https://muftiabulayth.org/r/onzjd7xmdhe/s/13/
- Chicago author-date
Mufti Abu Layth. 2025. "Is the 'light' that came with the clear book in 5:15 the Prophet or the Quran itself?" Video, segment 2025-10-18-S13, auto-transcribed, may contain errors. Mufti Abu Layth Archive. Recorded October 18, 2025. Accessed November 1, 2026. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/onzjd7xmdhe/s/13/
- BibTeX
@misc{abulayth-2025-10-18-S13, author = {Mufti Abu Layth}, title = {{Is the 'light' that came with the clear book in 5:15 the Prophet or the Quran itself?}}, year = {2025}, month = {10}, date = {2025-10-18}, howpublished = {\url{https://muftiabulayth.org/r/onzjd7xmdhe/s/13/}}, url = {https://muftiabulayth.org/r/onzjd7xmdhe/s/13/}, organization = {Mufti Abu Layth Archive}, urldate = {2026-11-01}, note = {Segment 2025-10-18-S13, auto-transcribed, may contain errors} }
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