other kinds of beings outside the scope of the verse. What we have mentioned thus indicates that He singled out human beings to the exclusion of others.

Al-Ash‘arī thereby affirmed that the veil may apply specifically to some created beings rather than others. This establishes the existence of a veil separate from created beings, since a veil consisting in not creating vision would not be specific to one kind of being rather than another. He also used this to demonstrate that Allah is distinct from His creation, above the Throne, since some created beings can be veiled from Him only according to this view—not according to those who deny this and say that He is, in His Essence, everywhere, or that He is neither within the world nor outside it. For all created beings stand in the same relation to Him with respect to the presence or absence of this veil.

The words, “If He removed it from His Face,” mean: “If He withdrew His mercy from the Fire, it would burn the splendours of his face”—that is, it would burn the beauty of