Allah Most High creates in the eye a vision of Him.” This is the interpretation offered by his followers who affirm the vision of Allah but deny the veil, being positioned opposite Him, and the like. This is self-evidently false, for Allah Most High not creating a vision in the eye is a mere absence and requires no action to bring it about. It is comparable to Allah Most High not creating taste, colour, scent, movement, life, or anything else in a body—all of these are instances of absence. Thus, the statement, “They are veiled from Him by a veil He creates in them, namely the absence of perception in their eyes,” is false, because nonexistence is not created.

Fourth: He said in the authentic hadith, “His veil is light,” and in the other narration, “fire.” It is well known that the absence of vision is called neither light nor fire, whether literally or figuratively. Calling it darkness, however, would bear some relation to its meaning.

Fifth: He said in the hadith, “Then He removes the veil, and they look upon Him.” Unveiling something means removing or lifting it. This cannot be said of something nonexistent, for what does not exist can neither be removed nor lifted. Only something that exists can be removed or lifted. Examples of this usage include:

“If Allah touches you with harm, none can remove it but He.” [al-Anʿām 17]

And His words:

“and removes distress” [al-Naml 62]

And His words:

“then He removes what you call upon Him to remove” [al-Anʿām 41]