40 – Muhammad narrated to us; Hamd reported to us; Abu Nuʿaym (1) related to us; likewise, Sulayman ibn Ahmad narrated to us; al-Miqdam ibn Dawud narrated to us; Asad ibn Musa narrated to us; Yusuf ibn Ziyad—from ʿAbdul-Munʿim ibn Idris, from his grandfather (2) Wahb ibn Munabbih, from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) (3)—who said:
A man from the Jews came to the Prophet ﷺ and asked, “O Messenger of Allah, has Allah concealed Himself from His creation by anything other than the heavens?” He replied, “Yes. Between Him and the angels who circle the Throne there are seventy veils of light, seventy veils of fire, seventy veils of darkness, seventy veils of rafārif al-istabraq (embroidered hangings of heavy brocade), and seventy veils of rafārif al-sundusī (embroidered hangings of fine silk) (4); seventy veils of white pearls, seventy veils of red pearls, seventy veils of yellow pearls, seventy veils of green pearls; seventy veils of radiance, a brilliance drawn from the light of fire and light itself; seventy veils of ice, seventy veils of water, seventy veils of cloud, and seventy veils of…"