The Esoteric, Archetypal Dimensions Of Veiling

In the tradition of the followers of the Holy Household of the Prophet, Fatimah was more than the daughter of the Holy Prophet. She was a being who was born in heavenly circumstances, who had about her the scent of Paradise, who transmitted the esoteric knowledge of the religion down through her purified progeny. She is the mother of the diviny selected leaders who came after her father.

We can see the respect shown to women in the Imams' choice of wives, too. Many of them were women who served in the household of the Imam, who were seen as having the stature and nobility of character to bear the weighty responsibility of being the mother of the next Imam.

The issue of covering with a scarf or dressing modestly has been turned into something controversial by the media. It is amazing how it provokes such extreme reactions. Covering does have many dimensions to it, and one cannot say that women wear it for all the same reasons.

My turning back to a primordial way of being has included an inward connection. The inner nurturing of the soul is facilitated by establishing a gentle outward barrier against the market of the world. Western women have tried to find other such barriers, as I said, the wearing of war paint or sharp masculine suits. I myself, in my struggle to be treated with respect in the workplace in my 20s and on the street, found that wearing a pinstriped suit was quite effective.

But then why should I have to dispense with my femininity in order to survive? Women have asked me why I can seal my femininity with a scarf, but I find, on the contrary, that hijab is very feminine. It definitely marks a woman out from a man, and ironically, this is what often displeases some Western feminists, too.

Hijab is a smart, feminine garment that transcends materialistic corporate culture. Covering is archetypal. It It is part of going back to the primordial Self. The primordial Self is connected to and integrated with the sacred dimensions of the creation.

The Muslim woman is a reminder, in a desacralised world, of the sacred dimensions of being, and of that Divine Transcendent Entity that brought existence into being as a way of knowing it and as a means back to it.

She is on an internal journey to the infinite that will continue to unfold in pathways of light, long after she has left this world.