It has often been closely associated with Sufi thought, primarily because of al-Ghazali's commentary on it, entitled Mishkat al-Anwar (Niche of the Lights).
The eighth Imam of the Twelver Imami Shiites Ali ibn Musa says in the interpretation of this verse:He is the guide of the people of heaven and the guide of the people of the earth.
[10]and the sixth Shiite Imam, Jafar Sadiq, has stated that:God first spoke of His light.
Al-Ghazali's reflections on this verse are collected in his Mishkat al-Anwar (the "Niche of Lights").
This verse is also the primary source of one of the 99 Names of God: an-Nur (النور), "The Light".