Hijab

Hijab (Arabic حِجَاب, ḥijāb — "veil", "cover", "barrier") in the Sufi and esoteric tradition is the veil between human consciousness and divine reality (Haqiqa, حقيقة).

Not to be confused. Here Hijab is a metaphysical concept, not an item of clothing. It is the ontological boundary between ordinary perception and Truth.

The 70,000 Veils

In Sufism (تصوف, taṣawwuf) there is a teaching about the 70,000 veils of light and darkness:

"Allah has seventy thousand veils of light and darkness" (hadith).

Each veil is a layer of illusion (Wahm, وهم) separating human perception from the Truth.

The Path of Removing the Veils

The Sufi path. The path of the Sufi (سالك, sālik — "the wayfarer") is the progressive removal of veils through Dhikr (ذكر), prayer and spiritual practice. Each lifted veil draws one closer to Haqiqa.

Hijab in Numerology

In Arabic numerology (#31), Hijab is a metaphor for the opacity of a number:

• Zahir (ظاهر) — the outer, manifest meaning of a number
• Batin (باطن) — the inner, hidden meaning of a number

Removing the Hijab. This is the process of penetrating beyond the literal numerical value to its spiritual essence.