Zahir (Islam)

Ẓāhir () is an Arabic term in some tafsir (interpretations of the Quran) for what is external and manifest. Certain esoteric interpretations of Islam maintain that the Quran has an exoteric or apparent meaning, known as "zahir", but also an underlying esoteric meaning, known as "batin", which can be interpreted only by a figure of esoteric knowledge. For Shi'a Muslims, the Imam of Time alone can understand the esoteric meaning.
In Sufism, the actions of an individual are the "zahir", and the intention in the heart is the "batin". "Zahir" is the world of bodies whereas "batin" is the world of souls. Sufis believe in the purification of the "batin" by their spiritual guide to assure a "zahir" that follows Shariat.
"Zahir" is also the underlying principle of the Ẓāhiriyya, a school of thought in Islamic jurisprudence and theology that relies only on the manifest or apparent meaning of expressions in the Quran and the Sunnah.
According to the "Epistle of the Right Path", a post-Mongol Persian-Ismaili treatise, the "zahir" (exoteric) form and the "batin ("esoteric) essence co-exist, in that the "zahir" (exoteric) form is the manifestation of the "batin" (esoteric) essence. The "zahir" (outer form) without the "batin" (essence) is just like a mirage or an illusion.
Many Ismaili Muslim thinkers have stressed the importance of the balance between the exoteric ("ẓāhir") and the esoteric ("batin") in the understanding of faith, and have explained that spiritual interpretation ("ta’wil") entails elucidating the esoteric meaning ("bātin") from the exoteric form ("ẓāhir").