these are: the Imagination (Al-Mukhayyila), the Thought (Al-Mufakkira), the Memory (Al-Mudakkira), the Retention (Al-Hafidha), and the Reasoning (Al-Aqila). {And on the earth are signs for the certain [in faith], and in yourselves; do you not then see?} (Al-Dhariyat 20-21).

The visible powers are His parables in the world of the witnessed, and the hidden powers are His parables in the Unseen. The hair growing on the head is an indication of the Image of Concealment (Satar) by which He appears during occultation to the eyes of the deniers—Exalted is He who never truly disappears. Washing the face and wiping the head regarding Gnosis (Ma’arif) signifies the recognition of the manifestations of the Intellect (Aql) in its stations, affirming it, disavowing those who block His path, negating any image of incapacity from Him, and purifying oneself through His sciences from the filths of doubt and the likenesses of the people of polytheism.

Washing the hands before the ablution indicates the etiquette of the seeker in his Gnosis. The Right Hand is a proof of the Great Alif (Al-Alif al-Akbar), and the Left follows it. The fingers of the right hand are indicative of the five persons of the Hijab: Muhammad, Fatir [Fatima], al-Hasan, al-Husayn, and Muhsin.