■ The Veils on the Path to the Divine Presence:
Trials on the Journey to Allāh Almighty
The journey to the Divine Presence (al-Ḥaḍrah al-Ilāhiyyah) is not traversed merely by outward deeds, but by the purification of the heart.
The traveller (sālik) discovers that every step towards Allāh Almighty is accompanied by trials that expose the sincerity of his intention and refine the soul.
▪︎ Allāh Almighty says:
“Do people think they will be left to say, ‘We believe,’ and they will not be tested?”
(Qur’ān 29:2)
The masters of Tasāwwūf understood that every trial is a means of purification.
The seeker does not advance despite these obstacles, but through them.
▪︎ Imām Abū al-Qāsim al-Qushayrī (may Almighty Allāh sanctify his secret) writes:
“The beginning of every station (maqām) is trial, and its end is witnessing (mushāhadah).”
▪︎ Reference: Al-Risālah al-Qushayriyyah, Chapter on the Spiritual Stations (Bāb al-Maqāmāt).
The early Sufis frequently spoke of three great veils confronting every seeker: the opinions of people, the whisperings of Shayṭān, and the demands of the lower self (nafs).
■ The First Veil: Creation:
The Trial of People’s Opinions.
The first obstacle often comes from creation itself. When a servant turns sincerely
towards Allāh Almighty, he may encounter misunderstanding, criticism, ridicule, or isolation. The world rarely understands a
heart whose greatest concern is its Lord.
▪︎ Allāh Almighty says:
“…They do not fear the blame of any blamer.” (Qur’ān 5:54)
▪︎ Shaykh Dhū al-Nūn al-Maṣrī (may Almighty Allāh sanctify his secret) said:
“Whoever fears the blame of people will never attain the pleasure of Allāh.”
▪︎ Reference: Abū Nuʿaym al-Iṣfahānī, Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 9
The seeker learns that the heart cannot be attached simultaneously to the praise of creation and the pleasure of the Creator.
■ The Second Veil: Shayṭān:
The Trial of Doubt
When the servant persists, Shayṭān changes his strategy. Unable to prevent worship altogether, he seeks instead to corrupt it through despair, impatience, pride, or false hope.
▪︎ Allāh Almighty says:
“Indeed, Shayṭān is an enemy to you, so take him as an enemy.” (Qur’ān 35:6)
▪︎ Shaykh Sahl ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Tustarī (may Almighty Allāh sanctify his secret) said:
“Every act of obedience has a devil
seeking to corrupt it.”
▪︎ Reference: Tafsīr al-Tustarī and sayings collected in Abū Nuʿaym’s Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ.
▪︎ Among Shayṭān’s greatest whispers are:
“Why has Allah not answered you?”
“How much longer will you wait?”
The believer answers with patience (ṣabr)
and trust (tawakkul), knowing that every
Divine delay contains hidden wisdom.
▪︎ Shaykh Ibn ʿAṭāʾ Allāh al-Sakandarī (may Almighty Allāh sanctify his secret) writes:
“Do not let the delay in receiving what you seek make you despair, for He has guaranteed the response according to what He chooses for you, not according to what you choose for yourself.”
▪︎ Reference: Al-Ḥikam al-ʿAṭāʾiyyah
■ The Third Veil: The Nafs:
The Greatest Struggle
The most difficult struggle is not with the world nor with Shayṭān, but with one’s own soul.
The nafs loves reputation, comfort, recognition, and control. It resists surrender because surrender means relinquishing its imagined sovereignty.
▪︎ Allāh Almighty says:
“Indeed, the soul continually commands
to evil except whom my Lord has mercy.” (Qur’ān 12:53)
▪︎ Shaykh Abū Yazīd al-Bisṭāmī (may Almighty Allāh sanctify his secret) said:
“I struggled against my soul for thirty years, and I found nothing more difficult than sincerity.”
▪︎ Reference: Abū Nuʿaym al-Iṣfahānī, Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 10; also al-Qushayrī’s Risālah.
▪︎ Likewise, Imām al-Junayd al-Baghdādī (may Almighty Allah sanctify his secret) said:
“The paths are all closed to creation except for whoever follows the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ, adheres to his Sunnāh, and follows his way.”
▪︎ Reference: Al-Risālah al-Qushayriyyah, Chapter on Imām al-Junayd
The seeker gradually discovers that the greatest idol is often the self.
■ When the Veils Are Lifted
As these veils are removed through repentance, remembrance, patience, and sincere striving, the heart becomes receptive to Divine light.
▪︎ Allāh Almighty says:
“As for those who strive for Our sake, We shall surely guide them to Our ways.” (Qur’ān 29:69)
▪︎ Shaykh Dhū al-Nūn al-Maṣrī (may Almighty Allāh sanctify his secret) said:
“Whoever guards his inward with sincerity and vigilance, Allāh adorns his outward with the lights of obedience.”
▪︎ Reference: Abū Nuʿaym al-Iṣfahānī, Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ, vol. 9.
The unveiling (kashf) sought by the Sufis is not primarily the disclosure of hidden mysteries, but the removal of the veils separating the heart from intimate knowledge of Allah Almighty.
■ Conclusion: The Wisdom of the Veils
The trials of the path are not punishments but manifestations of Divine mercy. Every criticism endured with patience weakens attachment to creation. Every whisper resisted strengthens trust in Allāh Almighty. Every struggle against the nafs polishes the mirror of the heart.
▪︎ Shaykh Ibn ʿAṭāʾ Allāh al-Sakandarī (may Almighty Allāh sanctify his secret) writes:
“Nothing benefits the heart more than seclusion, wherein it enters the field of contemplation.”
▪︎ Reference: Al-Ḥikam al-ʿAṭāʾiyyah.
The traveller eventually discovers that the greatest distance was never between himself and Allah Almighty, but between his heart and its distractions.
As those veils are lifted one by one, the heart finds what it had always been seeking: nearness to the One who was always nearer than his jugular vein (Qur’ān 50:16).
And only with Almighty Allāh is true success.
Aal-e-Qutub Aal-e-Syed Abdullah Shah Ghazi 