Surah Al-An‘âm 6:1

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَجَعَلَ الظُّلُمَاتِ وَالنُّورَ

6:1 The chapter opens with a forceful declaration of the Divine Unity behind the entire multiplicity of creation, and refutes the dogma of Dualism - like the Zoroastrian faith that teaches the duality of godhead - of two separate gods - a god of good that is light, and a god of evil that is darkness. Allâh says He is the Creator of both. Darkness cannot co-exist with light. It perishes when light shines. The doctrine of Dualism is also refuted by using the plural form of darkness -Zulumât الظُّلُمَاتِ. The plural form stands for different kinds of darkness, including the darkness of spiritual and moral evils, of afflictions, hardships and dangers. The use of plural form signifies that sin and evil deeds, affliction and hardship do not stand alone. They multiply - one sin leading to another and one evil deed leading to may hardships and afflictions. In contrast to Zulumât, the Verse uses the word Nûr (light) in its singular form. Nûr is an attributive Name of Allâh. Nûr also stands for Allâh’s guiding Light. Unlike Zulumât, Nûr cannot be and is never used in plural Form.

Referring to the creation of “the heavens and the earth”, the word Khalaqa خَلَقَ is used, but for all kinds of darknesses and the Light, the word Ja‘ala جَعَلَ “brought into existence”, is adopted. The verse is an example of Divine Words, the beauty of which a reader can only imagine.

The inclination to do good and the readiness to follow evil are in reality two links of the same chain (95:4-6). The evils (“the darknesses”) and good (“the light”) are not independent of one another. Evil is nothing but the wrong use of God-given faculties. Sin is the yielding to primitive and evil impulses that remain uncontrolled. Both, impulses that lead us to evil (Nafs al-Lawwâmah), as well as positive impulses that prompt us to shun evil (Nafs al-Ammârah), are within us side by side, imbedded in our nature. Both are mentioned in the Holy Qur’ân. When we do evil, a kind of warning in our conscience accompanies them (cf. 91:7-8). These evil impulses and the accompanying warnings, that some people may call “conscience”, are the basis of Qur’ânic moral teachings. Thus, instead of pointing to the duality of the godhead, they constitute an argument in favour of the Oneness of the Creator (91:7-8). Nothing is evil and bad in and of itself. Things, in some instances can lead to evil, such as sexuality, are also things for which praise is due to Allâh. The ultimate origin of all objects is the Great Creator “of the heavens and the earth” and all perfect praise (الحمد) belongs to Him. Accepting the necessity of evil and darkness (as dualists do) is incompatible with the praise of Allâh, for whom comes all Light and Beauty. The existence of evils and of darknesses as a necessity is not compatible with the praise of Allâh Who is Light ( - Nûr نور) and Beauty ( - Jamâl جمال). Darkness has a hidden good in it. Besides, darkness only exists in very limited forms intended to foster the development of our free will, and ultimately in the realization of Divine Mercy. It is His Attribute of Mercy under which the entirety of creation moves in a process of continued evolution from "clay" to the "finest make" (95:4).