As we see, they are not [literally] persons; rather, they are bright days and dark nights visible to the eye—a renewal of manifestation (Zuhur) after occultation (Ghayba), and a renewal of occultation after manifestation.

As for the darkness of the night and the light of the day, they have no reality except from the aspect of the sun's setting and rising. In the core of reality, all days are a single reality existing through the radiance of the sun's light. Likewise, these dark nights are only due to the veil of darkness whose origin is doubt, confusion, disobedience, and opposition. If Allah wills to hide the sun's existence from us, or that of other stars, He veils us with the dark veil. If He wills to manifest them to us, He removes that veil from us, and we then see the existence of the sun and the stars, according to the saying of the Exalted: {Certainly you were heedless of this, so We have removed from you your veil, and your sight today is sharp} (Qaf 22).

{No! Indeed, from their Lord, that Day, they shall be veiled} (Al-Mutaffifin 15). Note that He did not say: "He is veiled from them."

As for this permanent duration—lasting as long as the Pre-eternal Ancient exists—it is neither night nor day, nor light nor darkness, nor width nor length, nor body nor smell nor color, nor heaviness nor weight.