The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) is Inseperable from the Quran: Part 1

The Quran is ‘Light upon Light’ and the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) is ‘Light upon Light.’

In Sura al-A’raf, the Divine says, ‘Those who believe in him, honor him, help him, and follow the Light [the Quran] that is sent down with him—it is they who shall prosper.’ (7:157)

And in Sura al-Ma'ida the Divine says, ‘Certainly there has come to you, from Allah, a Light [the Prophet] and a clear book.’ (5:15) The exegetes say this ‘light’ refers to the Holy Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace).

The Quran is luminous in itself and illuminated by the Prophet; and the Prophet is luminous in himself and illuminated by the Quran.

The verse in Sura al-A’raf tells us that the Quran was sent down with the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace).

This indicates that the Quran and the Prophet are inseparable and that the Quran is revealed to him at every stage. Therefore, the Prophet is light and is sent as light and with light, luminous in himself and illumined by the Divine Speech, and the Divine Speech is light and revealed upon the light and sent with the light and inseparable from him.

The meaning of Nur in both contexts is ‘Zahir fi nafsihi Muzhir li ghayrihi’—one who is visible/manifest and that makes others visible/manifest

A’isha (Allah be pleased with her) was asked about the Prophet’s character and she replied, ‘His character was the Quran.’ And it is stated famously in a hadith, ‘I leave among you two weighty things: the Book of Allah, in which there is guidance and light, and my Family.’ And in another narration, 'The Quran and my family shall never part until they meet me at the Pond (Hawd).’

Every positive character trait taught to us in the Quran is Muhammadan, as he exemplifies it, embodies it, and animates it. The Quran is the Divine Speech revealed to the blessed heart of the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace), beginning with Sura al-Fatiha and ending with Sura al-Nas. If a person has with him a page with Sura al-Asr, a page with Sura al-Falaq, and so on, it can’t be said that he is carrying the Quran. Rather, he is carrying papers on which parts of the Quran are written. This means that the Prophet’s character is not a reflection of a Sura here and a Sura there, an verse here and a verse there—rather his character is a reflection of the entire spectrum of the Quran: its realities, it overarching meanings, its broad indications, its allusions, its radiance, its themes and messages, embodied in the lived reality of the Prophet in his relationship with his Lord and with creation, as Quran and Furqan.