> … like a mirage upon a desert plain which a thirsty man supposes is water, till when he comes upon it, he does not find it to be anything, but finds God there.
Yes, relatively speaking, that is what al-Ghazali outlines in the first chapter; but in absolute terms there is only one light, that of God. He specifies, for instance, several imperfections of sensible light that place rational light at a higher level; and then follows this all the way up to the first light. Here it reminds me of the Gayatri mantra: “the true spiritual sun, now hidden by a vase of golden light.”
This is interesting Gil, maybe I’m incorrect but can there be levels of light
Yes, relatively speaking, that is what al-Ghazali outlines in the first chapter; but in absolute terms there is only one light, that of God. He specifies, for instance, several imperfections of sensible light that place rational light at a higher level; and then follows this all the way up to the first light. Here it reminds me of the Gayatri mantra: “the true spiritual sun, now hidden by a vase of golden light.”