Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. His light1 is like a niche in which there is a lamp, the lamp is in a crystal, the crystal is like a shining star, lit from ˹the oil of˺ a blessed olive tree, ˹located˺ neither to the east nor the west,2 whose oil would almost glow, even without being touched by fire. Light upon light! Allah guides whoever He wills to His light. And Allah sets forth parables for humanity. For Allah has ˹perfect˺ knowledge of all things.
Explanation
These readings represent linguistic options for this word and are identical in meaning. The last two (with hamzah) are derived from the root d-r-ʾ with the sense of 'driving off darkness'. The first reading may be a lightened form of the same, or it is an ascription to durr, 'pearl-like' [Makki].