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SEEN such as a sun is external the former belonging to the seen world, while UNSEEN is an internal,
belonging to the world of the realm celestial namely the Qur’an and other inspired books of Allah.

2.4 The Light Verse and the Veils Tradition. (Gairdner 2015).

2.4.1 Symbolism

The culmination of Al-Ghazali's discourse in "The Light Verse and the Veils Tradition" and the
associated symbolism revolves around a profound exploration of the human soul and its connection to the
divine. Al-Ghazali delves into the symbolism associated with the five faculties or spirits within the human
soul, drawing a parallel between these spiritual elements and symbolic elements like the niche, glass,
lamp, tree, and oil. Within this intricate symbolism, Al-Ghazali unearths layers of meaning. He begins by
highlighting the interplay between the inner nature of the material world and the supernal realm. This
interplay is illustrated through the symbolism, portraying a world of senses and material existence existing
alongside a world of higher intelligence and spirituality. This duality is reminiscent of the seen and unseen,
emphasizing the coexistence of these two worlds.

The exploration then delves into the human soul, which Al-Ghazali breaks down into five distinct
faculties or spirits. These spirits range from the sensory spirit, which acts as the recipient of sensory
information, to the transcendental prophetic spirit, associated with prophets and possessing luminosity
beyond external sources. These faculties are interconnected, and their progression mirrors the hierarchy
of spiritual development as illustrated in Table 2.

Table 2: Human Luminous Spirits by al-Ghazali (c. 1056–1111)
No Spirits Description
1. Sensory Spirit this is the recipient of the information brought in by
senses.
2. Imaginative Spirit recorder of the information conveyed by senses
3. Intelligential Spirit apprehends ideas beyond the spheres of sense and
imagination.
4. Discursive Spirit this takes the data, arranges them as a premises and
deduces from them informing knowledge.
Multiplying ad infinitum.
5. Transcendental Prophetic this is the property of prophets, which the
Spirit. intelligential and discursive spirit cannot compass by
sciences or other.

And thus, we have revealed to you an
inspiration of Our command. You did not
know what the Book is or [what is] faith, but
We have made it a light by which We guide
whom We will of Our servants. And indeed,
[O Muhammad], you guide to a straight
path (Qur’an 42:52)

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