The Quranic Hijab
The cosmic barrier: In 7:46, between the people of paradise and the people of hell, a hijab separates them — each can see the other but cannot cross. This cosmic veil is ontological: it marks a boundary in the structure of reality itself, not merely a physical screen. The Ismaili ta’wil: in the present life, the hijab between the mumin and the kafir is the recognition or refusal of walayah.
The epistemological veil: ‘And between us and you is a veil’ (41:5) — the unbelievers say this to the Prophet: they cannot hear his message because a hijab has settled over their hearts. This is the epistemic hijab: the condition of the unreceiving heart. Not an external obstacle but an internal closure. ‘Indeed, those who deny Our verses — there is a heavy curtain over their hearts.’ (6:25)
See also: Al Ghayb, Kashf, Iman And Islam, Al Ghaflah
The 70,000 Veils — The Mystical Hijab
The hadith of veils: A well-known hadith (in various forms in Sufi literature): ‘Allah has seventy (or seventy thousand) veils of light and darkness. If He were to lift them, the lights of His face would burn everything His sight reached.’ — The veils are Allah’s mercy, protecting creation from a divine reality too intense to bear directly. The mystic’s journey is not toward a God who is absent but toward a reality whose fullness is veiled for the protection of the seeker.
The hierarchy of hijabs: Ibn ‘Arabi and the Sufi tradition describe: gross veils (nafs ammara, material attachment, base desires), subtle veils (nafs lawwama, spiritual pride, self-congratulation on one’s own progress), and the veil of existence itself (hijab al-huwiyya) — the sense of separateness between self and divine. Each stage of spiritual development removes one set of veils.
See also: Kashf, Al Dhawq, Tasawwuf, Ibn Arabi, Fana, Al Qalb, Nafs The Soul
Hijab in Ismaili Context
The zahir as hijab: In Ismaili ta’wil, the zahir (literal meaning of religious practice) is itself a hijab — not a negative veil to be discarded, but a protective veil for the uninitiated. The batin is the reality behind the zahir; ta’wil is the careful lifting of the zahir veil to reveal the batin. Without proper guidance (the Imam’s authority through the Da’i), lifting the zahir-hijab improperly leads not to illumination but to misreading.
See also: Tawil Esoteric Interpretation, Ilm Al Batin, Sitr And Zuhur, Understanding Walayah, Imamah, Dai Al Mutlaq Institution
See also: Al Ghayb, Kashf, Iman And Islam, Al Ghaflah, Tasawwuf, Ibn Arabi, Fana, Al Qalb, Nafs The Soul, Tawil Esoteric Interpretation, Ilm Al Batin, Sitr And Zuhur, Understanding Walayah, Imamah, Dai Al Mutlaq Institution