03. The Divine Veils

Thus, at their core, all means are nothing but transient appearances—thoughts and perceptions shaped by the mind and contingent upon Allah’s command. Understanding this leads to a higher conviction that we should not rely on these fleeting forms but rather on Allah swt, who is the true source behind every perception and every event.

The central message of La ilaha illa Allah is that there is no deity, no power, and no source of benefit or harm except Allah. The instruments of the world are contingent and dependent; they have no independent reality. Our attachment to them is a distraction from the ultimate truth that Allah alone is the doer of all things. The means we see in the world—whether financial, astronomical, biological, or psychological—are nothing but veils that obscure our understanding of Allah’s direct and unmediated power.

“And whatever strikes you of disaster, it is for what your hands have earned; but He pardons much” (Quran 42:30). Here, Allah reminds us that even the calamities we face—whether through financial loss, natural disasters, or personal hardship—are part of His divine decree. The world, with all its complexity and appearances of independent mechanisms, is merely an arena in which Allah’s will is being carried out.

The aim of life and of La ilaha illa Allah is to rid the heart of reliance on anything other than Allah.

When we perceive the world with the conviction that all things — be they wealth, power, celestial bodies, or personal emotions—are only instruments of Allah’s will, we free ourselves from false attachments.

We begin to see that everything is an opportunity to witness the divine power of Allah’ swt.

It is He who provides, He who takes, He who gives life, and He who causes death. Allah is the ultimate doer of all things.

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The Divine Veils: How Allah Acts Through Worldly Instruments

The aim of this piece is to ensure you understand that all the instruments of this world—whether financial, astronomical, biological, or even things like thoughts, sensations, emotions, seeing, thinking, hearing, and perceiving—are all instruments through which the Divine veils His activity and power. These instruments are mere veils over Allah’s actions, and they appear to us as mechanisms, but in reality, they are contingent on the will of Allah.

The idea is to remove the conviction that worldly instruments or means—which are merely forms or appearances of thoughts and perceptions—are acting independently or have any intrinsic power of their own. If we break them down further, we see that they are all contingent upon something else or dependent on a necessary being—Allah. Hence, we shouldn’t rely on or turn toward them for ultimate benefit or harm. Instead, we must recognize that all power, control, and sustenance come from Allah alone.

The aim or goal of La ilaha illa Allah is to make the consistent effort required to extract any attachment of the heart to anything besides Allah. This involves removing our attachment to the contingent forms, agents, channels, mechanisms, or instruments that appear to have the intrinsic ability to provide us with benefit or afflict us with harm. Allah describes these instruments as perishing and ephemeral, for they appear in space and last in time, but they are nothing more than channels through which Allah’s will is carried out. Allah acts through these mediums but is not in need of any of them because He’s Al-Samad. They are there as a test of faith or eman. The worldly mechanisms are merely veils for Allah’s Divine power.

These agents, instruments, or channels are referred to as Asbaab in Arabic, or means. These include:

These include wealth, money, influence, power, and status. We often find ourselves relying on wealth, believing that it has the ability to bring us success or security. However, wealth is merely an instrument through which Allah provides sustenance. As He says in the Quran, “Indeed, Allah is the [constant] Provider, the firm possessor of strength” (Quran 51:58). Money does not sustain us—Allah does. Wealth is a means, but it is fleeting and subject to loss. The conviction must remain that no wealth, status, or influence has any power except by Allah’s permission.

These include celestial bodies such as the sun, the moon, the stars, and the galaxies. Allah says, “It is not allowable for the sun to reach the moon, nor does the night overtake the day, but each, in an orbit, is swimming” (Quran 36:40). These celestial bodies are magnificent in their appearance, but they are not independent forces; they are in harmony because of Allah’s will. They serve as instruments through which He regulates the universe, but they are not to be relied upon. The sun and the moon are simply veils through which Allah’s majesty is reflected.

Weather phenomena such as rain, wind, storms, and clouds are also instruments through which Allah acts. He causes the rain to fall as a means of bringing life to the earth, as mentioned in the Quran: “And We have sent down blessed rain from the sky and made grow thereby gardens and grain from the harvest” (Quran 50:9). While we may perceive these weather patterns as natural occurrences, they are, in reality, manifestations of Allah’s will. He controls the forces of nature, and they act only by His command.

Natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions are awe-inspiring displays of power, yet they, too, are merely instruments of Allah’s will. Allah says, “Do you feel secure that He who [holds authority] in the heaven would not cause the earth to swallow you and suddenly it would sway?” (Quran 67:16). These forces remind us of Allah’s control over the earth itself, and they serve as reminders of the temporary nature of this world.

These include our bodies, our health, the processes of birth and death, and the intricacies of the natural world. Health and sickness, birth and death, are all in the hands of Allah. As He says: “It is He who created you from dust, then from a sperm-drop, then from a clinging clot; then He brings you out as a child; then He develops you that you reach maturity; then [further], that you become elders” (Quran 40:67). Our biological existence is a temporary veil over the reality of Allah’s power over life and death.

Even the thoughts, emotions, and perceptions we experience are not independent realities; they are veils through which Allah tests and guides us. Feelings of joy, sadness, fear, and hope are all instruments Allah uses to draw us closer to Him or to test our reliance on Him. Allah says, “And We test you with evil and with good as trial; and to Us you will be returned” (Quran 21:35). Our emotional and psychological states are thus not sources of power or harm in and of themselves but mechanisms through which Allah’s will is enacted.

Food, water, and medicine are essential elements that sustain life and heal the body. However, even these are mere instruments through which Allah provides His mercy and sustenance. “It is He who sends down for you from the sky, rain, from it is drink, and from it is foliage in which you pasture [animals]” (Quran 16:10). Water, food, and medicine do not heal or nourish by themselves; they are veils behind which Allah’s power and mercy operate. The nourishment we receive from food and the healing we experience from medicine are simply manifestations of Allah’s will. Just as Allah can provide without these instruments, He can also render them ineffective at any moment. We must remember that while we consume food or take medicine, it is ultimately Allah who brings healing and sustenance.

If we delve deeper into the essence of all the means we’ve discussed—whether financial, astronomical, biological, technological, or psychological—they can all be broken down into the fundamental experiences of thoughts and perceptions which are the human mind. Everything we experience in this world, including the so-called “means,” is filtered through our senses and made to appear by our consciousness or the Ruh or the Amr or Command of Allah. The sun, the moon, money, technology, food, and even emotions are all perceived phenomena, appearing as thoughts and perceptions, meaning appearing as mind.

These perceptions are not independent realities; they are fleeting, ephemeral, and contingent on Allah’s will. They serve as veils over the true power, which is Allah’s. For instance, when we observe the sun rising, what we are truly witnessing is not the sun as an independent entity but the perception of its movement, which exists within the framework of our mind. Allah says, “And Allah brought you out from the wombs of your mothers not knowing a thing, and He gave you hearing, sight, and hearts that perhaps you would be grateful” (Quran 16:78). Our ability to perceive the world through sight, hearing, and thought is a gift from Allah, but even these faculties are veils over His ultimate will.

Thus, at their core, all means are nothing but transient appearances—thoughts and perceptions shaped by the mind and contingent upon Allah’s command. Understanding this leads to a higher conviction that we should not rely on these fleeting forms but rather on Allah, who is the true source behind every perception and every event.

The central message of La ilaha illa Allah is that there is no deity, no power, and no source of benefit or harm except Allah. The instruments of the world are contingent and dependent; they have no independent reality. Our attachment to them is a distraction from the ultimate truth that Allah alone is the doer of all things. The means we see in the world—whether financial, astronomical, biological, or psychological—are nothing but veils that obscure our understanding of Allah’s direct and unmediated power.

“And whatever strikes you of disaster, it is for what your hands have earned; but He pardons much” (Quran 42:30). Here, Allah reminds us that even the calamities we face—whether through financial loss, natural disasters, or personal hardship—are part of His divine decree. The world, with all its complexity and appearances of independent mechanisms, is merely an arena in which Allah’s will is being carried out.

Thus, the aim of life and of La ilaha illa Allah is to rid the heart of reliance on anything other than Allah. When we perceive the world with the conviction that all things—be they wealth, power, celestial bodies, or personal emotions—are only instruments of Allah’s will, we free ourselves from false attachments.

We begin to see that everything is an opportunity to witness Allah’s divine power, names, and attributes. It is He who provides, He who takes, He who gives life, and He who causes death. Allah is the ultimate doer of all things.