التَّأوِيلُ الإِسمَاعِيلِيُّ لِلمَنَار — المَنَار: كَيفَ تُقرَأُ صُوَرُ النُّورِ الإِلَهِيِّ فِي القُرآنِ [النُّور وَالسِّرَاجُ وَالمَنَار] تَأوِيلًا بَاطِنِيًّا بِوَصفِهَا إِرشَادَ الإِمَامِ الحَيَّ فِي كُلِّ عَصرٍ وَمِئذَنَاتُهَا الَّتِي تُشِيرُ إِلَى الإِمَامِ وَلِمَاذَا يَسِيرُ المُؤمِنُ فِي الظُّلمَةِ بِدُونِ الإِمَام
In Ismaili ta'wil, al-Manar (المَنَار — The Lighthouse, The Beacon, The Minaret; *manar* from *n-w-r*: light, illumination; a manar is a structure that holds light to guide sailors, travelers, and pilgrims; closely connected to the Quranic vocabulary of nur [light], siraj [lamp], and misbah [lantern]; the Quranic verses: 24:35 'God is the Light of the heavens and the earth — the likeness of His light is as a niche [mishkat] in which is a lamp [misbah], the lamp in a glass [zujaja]...'; 33:46 'and as a lamp spreading light [siraj munir]' [of the Prophet]; 5:15 'there has come to you from God a light and a clear Book'; in zahir reading: these verses describe: God as the ultimate Light; the Prophet as a brilliant lamp; the Quran as divine light; in Ismaili ta'wil: the light metaphors all point to a living, present reality: [1] God's light [nur Allah]: the transcendent source; [2] the Prophetic siraj [lamp]: the Prophet's transmission of revelation — this is now historical; [3] the Imam as present manar [beacon]: in each age, the Imam is the living lamp through whom divine light actually reaches the community; without the Imam, the divine light is like a lamp in a sealed room — present but inaccessible; the 24:35 niche metaphor in ta'wil: the mishkat [niche] is the Imam's body; the misbah [lamp] is the ta'wil; the zujaja [glass] is the walayah that carries and protects the light; the manar function: a manar [lighthouse] does not generate its own light — it reflects and amplifies the primary light to make it visible from a distance; the Imam is the manar who makes divine light visible to the soul that cannot reach the divine directly; why 'minaret' architecture is symbolic: the raised manar of a mosque calls the community to prayer; the Imam as human manar calls the community to ta'wil; the architectural form reflects the cosmological function; sailing in darkness without the Imam: 6:63 'Who rescues you from the darknesses of the land and the sea'; in ta'wil: the darknesses [zulumat] are the zahir world without ta'wil; the rescue is the Imam's active guidance in each age) is the Ismaili reading of divine light as present Imamic guidance.
The Quranic Light Vocabulary
The Quran’s use of light imagery is extensive and varied. God is described as “the Light of the heavens and the earth” (24:35). The Prophet is called “a lamp spreading light” (siraj munir, 33:46). The Quran itself is described as “a light” (5:15). These metaphors form a coherent picture: divine reality is light; the Prophet and revelation are its vehicles; the community should orient toward this light.
In classical tafsir, these metaphors are elaborated into theological discussions of divine attributes and the nature of prophethood.
The Imam as Present Beacon
The Ismaili ta’wil reads the same verses through a present-tense lens: the light is not only historical (the Prophet who lived centuries ago) but present (the Imam who lives now). The chain of light transmission:
Transcendent divine light → Prophet’s transmission of revelation → Imam’s living transmission of ta’wil → the prepared believer
Without the Imam’s current mediation, the community has access to the historical Quran but not to the living light that makes its batin intelligible. This is like having a lighthouse that hasn’t been lit: the structure is there, but the guidance function is not active.
The Verse of Light (ayat al-nur, 24:35) offers a detailed image: a niche containing a lamp, the lamp in a glass, the glass like a brilliant star. In the Ismaili reading:
- The niche (mishkat): the Imam’s physical form — the container that holds and focuses the divine light
- The lamp (misbah): the ta’wil — the actual light that illuminates the batin
- The glass (zujaja): the walayah — the transparent medium through which the light passes to reach the believer
The niche both contains and directs the lamp’s light. Without the niche, the lamp’s light scatters; without the Imam’s mediation, the ta’wil cannot be transmitted with clarity.
See also: Ismaili Tawil Of Al Talim, Ismaili Tawil Of Al Bayan, Bayah And Walayah, Ismaili Tawil Of Al Hujja, Tawil Esoteric Interpretation