It has been explained that Allah described Rasulullah ï·º as a shining torch or lamp, rather than as a sun or a star, because the light which shines from him, the Light of Islam, does not originate with him. Just as a torch does not light itself, it is lit by another source,
A torch is also not fixed, it can be passed from one person to another; it is carried. And our adherence to the Sunnah of Rasulullah ï·º, is like carrying that torch. From person to person, from generation to generation of this Ummah.
It is worth noting here also why and when and where that torch must be carried. It is carried in darkness. Implicit in the very description by Allah that Rasulullah ï·º is a torch “Sirajun-Muneera”, is the fact that darkness will continue to pervade this Dunya until the Last Day; that there will always be a conflict between the Light of Islam and the darkness of kufr, even if we have over a billion torch-bearers, and even if we have a state that claims to carry that torch. The darkness will always be there, but, al-Hamdulillah, we have what we need to provide light and warmth to all those around us.