As-Salaam Alaikum,
I know that a few of you are opposed to my idea that the Gnostics and Gnosticism are linked to Islam, but I wanted to share something that I found tonight while I was studying that further confirms in my opinion that the idea of the two being linked or even one in the same is true.
From the Apocalypse of Adam (A Gnostic Text):
"But the generation without a king says that God chose him (the Illuminator) from all the eternal realms. He caused knowledge of the one of truth, who is undefiled, to reside in him. He said, 'Out of a foreign air, from a huge eternal realm, the great illuminator appeared. And he made the generation of those people whom he had chosen for himself shine, so that they should shine upon the whole eternal realm.'"
^Just to give some background about the above quote, it is Adam informing his son Seth of one who shall come in the future with knowledge of the true God (Allah). He is called "the Illuminator" because he will illuminate (enlighten, give knowledge, gnosis) the world about the true God (Allah) and he was chosen above all the eternal realms i.e. all of creation.
The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) perfectly fits this description for he brought the right knowledge of the true God (Allah) to the world in the form of the Qur'an, and he was also chosen above all of creation for such a task. The Qur'an says the following:
"Indeed, there has come to you from Allah a light (Prophet Muhammad SAW ) and a plain Book (this Quran)." - al-Qur'an 5:15
A number of classic Quranic exegetes have said the light mentioned in the above ayat is Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and it seems that the Mushin Khan translators (the translation I used) are also in agreement with this position.
Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti: "It is the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace)" (Tafsir al-Jalalayn, 139).
Ibn Jarir al-Tabari: "By Light He means Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace), through whom Allah has illuminated the truth, manifested Islam, and obliterated polytheism; since he is a light for whoever seeks illumination from him, which makes plain the truth" (Jami' al-bayan, 6.161).
Fakhr al-Razi: "There are various positions about it, the first being that the Light is Muhammad, and the Book is the Quran " (al-Tafsir al-kabir, 11:194).
al-Baghawi: "It means Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace), or, according to a weaker position, Islam" (Ma'alam al-Tanzil, 2.228).
Qurtubi (Ahkam al-Quran , 6.118) and Mawardi (al-Nukat wa al-'uyun, 2.22) mention that interpreting Nur as "Muhammad" (Allah bless him and give him peace) was also the position by [the Imam of Arabic grammar Ibrahim ibn Muhammad] al-Zajjaj (d. 311/923).
Also, while all the Prophets (may peace be upon them all) were chosen by Allah to bring light to their people, only Muhammad (pbuh) was chosen to be the Prophet and the light for 'Alamin (mankind, jinn and all that exist). The Qur'an also says this:
"O Prophet, indeed We have sent you as a witness and a bringer of good tidings and a warner. And one who invites to Allah , by His permission, and an illuminating lamp." - al-Qur'an 33:45-46
When thought about, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is the only person in history to perfectly fit the description given in the Gnostic text the "Apocalypse of Adam" and the ayats in the Qur'an reinforce the same idea. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is The Illuminator.
