Light Upon Light

It's four in the morning and in a couple of hours or less, this city will turn into, in the auricular sense, a war zone. Everywhere fireworks will explode, clog the air with sulphur, disturb prayers, sleep, prayers for sleep. I don't like Diwali in the same way that I don't like Madras. I adore mythology, idealism, symbolism, spirituality, potential. I adore chaos, kitsch, old world nostalgia on every street corner, memory, humour, secret lives. But the mundane realities of both disappoint and frustrate me -- hypocrisies, somnolence, nonsensical requirements.

Diwali is supposed to be the festival of light. What it is in the terms of the prosaic, leave be. I greet it today with a Muslim prayer, the prophet's prayer of light.

This is one of the most beautiful prayers I have ever come across. I don't know what it sounds like, but the translation below is sheer poetry. Thank you, Baraka.

Allaahummaj’al fee qalbee nooran, wa fee lisaaanee nooran, wa fee sam’ee nooran, wa fee basaree nooran, wa min fawqee nooran, wa min tahtee nooran, wa ‘an yameenee nooran, wa ‘an shimaalee nooran, wa min ‘amaamee nooran, wa min khalfee nooran, waj’alfee nafsee nooran, wa ‘a’dhim lee nooran, wa ‘adhdhim lee nooran, wafal lee nooran, waj’alnee nooran, Allaahumma ‘a’tinee nooran, waj’al fee ‘asabee nooran, wafee lahmee nooran, wafee damee nooran, wa fee sha’ree nooran, wa fee basharee nooran. Allaahummaj’al lee nooran fee qabree wa nooran fee ‘idhaamee. Wa zidnee nooran, wa zidnee nooran, wa zidnee nooran. Wa hab lee nooran ‘alaa noor.

O God, place light in my heart, and on my tongue light, and in my ears light and in my sight light, and above me light, and below me light, and to my right light, and to my left light, and before me light and behind me light.

Place in my soul light.

Magnify for me light, and amplify for me light.

Make for me light and make me a light.

O God grant me light, and place light in my nerves, and in my body light and in my blood light and in my hair light and in my skin light.

O God, make for me a light in my grave and a light in my bones.

Increase me in light, increase me in light, increase me in light.

Grant me light upon light.