Young Explorers · ages 7–11
Lights in the deep
Young Explorers · Lights in the deep
Next: Who holds the birds up? (children) →النُّورُ
an-Nūr · The Light
Imagine diving down into the sea. At first the water is blue and bright. Fish flash past in the sunlight.
Down, down you go. The water turns dark blue, then deep purple. Then black. Down here, far below the waves, there is no sunlight at all. It is the darkest place on Earth.
But wait. What was that? A tiny flash. Then another. A glowing blue spot drifts past. Then a creature covered in twinkling lights, like a little floating town at night.
The deep sea is full of animals that make their own light. A lanternfish has rows of glowing dots along its sides. Some jellyfish shimmer and sparkle. The anglerfish has a little glowing lamp dangling in front of its mouth, to bring tiny fish closer. Scientists who explored the deep sea off California found that most of the animals living there can glow.
They use their lights to find food, to find each other, and to hide. It is a whole world lit up in the dark.
Back on land, we need light too. Plants use sunlight to grow. Our eyes need light to see. Without any light at all, you could not see your hand in front of your face. You could not see the face of someone you love.
Muslims have a Name for God that is about light. It is an-Nūr, the Light. It does not mean God is a lamp, or the Sun, or a glowing shape. He is not like anything we could see. It means that God is the One by whom everything can be seen and understood. He brings light into the darkness, in the world and in our hearts.
The Qur’an says: “God is the light of the heavens and the earth.” Jewish people sing a Psalm that says: “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” And Jesus (peace be upon him) said, in the Gospel of John: “I am the light of the world.”
Jews light candles on Friday evening. Christians light candles in church. Muslims hang lamps in mosques. All three use light to remind them of God.
So the next time it is dark and you are a little bit scared, remember the lanternfish. It glows in the deepest sea. Even in the darkest place, there is light.
Wonder with us
When you feel a bit scared in the dark, what helps you feel safe?
Turn a room dark, or build a den under a table with a blanket. Take a small torch and some things that shine: a spoon, foil, a shiny button. Shine the torch on each one and watch how the light bounces back. What happens to the room when you switch the torch off, then on again?
Watch together
Glowing animals of the ocean, explained for young viewers.
For grown-ups
An-Nūr is in the Qur’an at 24:35, the Verse of Light (’Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth.’, Pickthall). Muslim scholars have read the Name in more than one way: as the One who illuminates and guides, and as the One by whom all things appear; all agree that God is not a physical light and has no light-body, so we never show Him as a glow or shape. The Jewish line is Psalm 27:1 (JPS 1917) and the Christian line is John 8:12 (WEB). In surveys off California, about three-quarters of deep-sea animals observed could make their own light (Martini and Haddock, Scientific Reports, 2017). A question to share: who brings light into your life?
Watch more: Lights in the deep
6 films and talks, chosen for this page. They play here.
Is The Deep Sea Dark? How Animals Use Bioluminescence In The Ocean | Into The Deep
Monterey Bay Aquarium · 4 min
Is the deep sea dark? Animals there make their own light.
Bioluminescence in the deep sea: How and why do animals create their own light?
MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute) · 4 min
Fireflies: Nature's Baffling Blinkers | Animal Science for Kids
SciShow Kids · 4 min
SciShow Kids: fireflies blink to talk to each other.
Glow On: Crash Course Kids #20.2
Crash Course Kids · 5 min
Bioluminescent Waves in Monterey Bay!
Monterey Bay Aquarium · 1 min
Waves glowing blue at night in Monterey Bay.
Humboldt Squid Communicate with Light | Into The Deep | BBC Earth Kids
BBC Earth Kids · 8 min