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 Mosque Lamp |
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The dark blue inscription on the neck of this lamp reads "Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His Light is as if
there were a Niche and within it a Lamp: The Lamp enclosed in Glass:" These are the opening lines of Ayat al-Nur (The Verse of Light) in
the Qur'an (24:35).
Light is the purest thing we know. It may be the physical light of the sun or the moon, or the intellectual light that illuminates the darkness
of ignorance with the light of knowledge. In Islam, God (Allah) is the true Light and His Light fills the material, intermediary and spiritual
worlds.
The glass is the transparent medium through
which the light passes - it does not shine by itself except when lit from within. Those who preach God's Truth become the media through
which the Light radiates and touches humanity. The inner light of each human being depends upon faith, knowledge, and goodness.
The calligraphic frieze around the body of this lamp reads "Glory to our lord the sultan al-Malik al Zahir Abu Sa'id, may God grant him
victory." He was the first in the line of Burji Mamluk sultans and ruled twice, between 1382-1389 and 1390-1399. It is thought that
this lamp was intended for the Madrasa he built in Cairo in 1384-1386.
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