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al-ḥamdu li-llāhi lladhī khalaqa s-samāwāti wa-l-ʾarḍa wa-jaʿala ẓ-ẓulumāti wa-n-nūra thumma lladhīna kafarū bi-rabbihim yaʿdilūna
All praise belongs to Allah who created the heavens and the earth and made the darkness and the light. Yet the faithless equate [others] with their Lord.
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah Al-‘An’am, Verse 1
1. "(All) praise belongs to Allah , Who created the heavens and the earth and appointed darkness and light; yet those who disbelieve hold (others) as equal with their Lord."
In the whole text of the Qur'an, the Arabic word /nur/ (light) has been mentioned in the singular form while its opposite term, /zulumat/ (darkness), has occurred in its plural form. The concerning reason is that the 'Truth' is only one, but the false ways are many. 'Light' is the secret of unity but 'darkness' is the cause of dispersion. Therefore, the first verse of this Surah points to the system of existence, the second verse hints to the creation of man; and the third verse refers to the deeds and behavior of human beings.
And, as Hadrat Ali (as) has said, this verse is an answer to three groups of the deluded people:
A) The materialists, who deny the creation and temporal contingency (phenomenally).
B) Dualists, who believe that 'light' and 'darkness' have two separate origins.1
C) Disbelievers, who associate others as partners and equal with Allah.2
Footnotes