[181] And from Kitab al-Anwar wa-al-Hujub, the Sage Muhammad ibn Sinan said: I asked the Scholar—His glory is mighty: 'Inform me, how many times does the believer cycle through material recurrences [karrah] before achieving absolute purification [al-safa]?' He replied: 'That is something known to none save Allah. Rather, Master Muhammad informed me that the veil is lifted from the believer during each one of his manifestations [zhuhurat], and the Luminous Nature settles within him; yet this remains an esoteric letter [harf] that no one has ever discovered, and it is impossible for anyone to compute its count except for the Gate [al-Bab].'

[182] And he stated furthermore, the Scholar—His glory is mighty—stated: 'It is strictly incumbent upon the believer to ascend through the Luminous Realm seven distinct times, and he shall never be fully purified from material density [al-kadar] and doubt except during the seventh ascension. Subsequently, after the seventh ascension, he becomes entirely celestial [malakutiyyan]. Once he transforms into a Luminous Being, he returns back to his Supreme Substance [Jawhariyyatihi al-Kubra], beneath which there is no further veil.'