In a post on yanabi.com, Dr. GF Haddad dismisses the hadith about the creation of twelve veils as a “Shia forgery” (see his critique of Shaykh al-Islam Dr. Muhammad Tahir ul-Qadri posted at http://www.yanabi.com/forum/Topic333186-24-1.aspx wherein GF Haddad states, “This is yet another forgery which unknowns threw on Sufyan and Ibn al-Mubarak’s doors just as you do with us here on the pretext that Shaykh Dr. Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri cites it in what you call his 1,000 page masterpiece. You say he (Dr. Qadri) did not reference it but this is because it is taken exclusively from the books of the Shi`is, the 12 veils being a reference to… etc. He most probably culled it from volume 25 of al-Majlisi’s (d. 1111) Bihar al-Anwar which begins with the forgeries on the creation of the Nur of the twelve Imams (specifically 25:21 but also 15:4, 54:170-175, 55:41, 108:198 etc.) although the original fabrication is in Ibn Babuyah’s (d. 381) Khisal (p. 482) and Ma`ani al-Akhbar (p. 306, p. 351).”
Here is the hadith in question from Shaykh al-Islam’s book, “Undoubtedly, Allah (tabâraka wa ta`âlâ) created the light of Muhammad (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) before creating the skies, earth, Kursî, Qalam, Paradise, Hell. Before creating Âdam, Nûh, Ibrâhîm, Ismâ`îl, Is-hâq, Ya`qûb, Mûsâ, `Îsâ, Sulaymân and Dâwûd. Before creating the Prophet mentioned in the verse, `wa wa hab nâ lahû is-Hâqa wa ya`qûb – and We gave him (Ibrâhîm) Is-hâq and Ya`qûb (as a son and grandson)’ till the verse `wa hadaynâhum ilâ Sirâtim-mustaqîm – We chose him and gave guidance towards the right path’ and before all of the other Prophets by 424,000 years and with him were created 12 veils” (Shaykh Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, Mîlâd-un-Nabî (saw) (Pakistan, Lahore: Minhaj-ul-Qur’an Publishers, 2004), pp. 116-7).
Q. What is Mawlana Shaykh Nazim’s view regarding the hadith about the twelve veils?
A. We confirm belief in the Twelve Veils. The following passage about the Twelve Veils appears in the book “Muhammad: The Messenger of Islam” by Hajjah Amina Adil (rah), wife of Mawlana Shaykh Nazim Adil al-Haqqani, in the chapter titled, The Creation of the Light of Muhammad (S): The Twelve Veils:
On page 3 of her beautiful book, “Muhammad: The Messenger of Islam”, Hajjah Amina Adil writes, “The Twelve Veils: After this the Lord Almighty, blessed be He, created Twelve Veils. The first of these was the Veil of Power…The second was the Veil of Grandeur…(The third was) the Veil of Kindness…The fourth veil was the Veil of Mercy…The fifth veil was the Veil of Bliss…The sixth veil was the Veil of Munificence..Then followed the seventh veil, the Veil of Rank…Next, He veiled him in the eighth veil, the Veil of Guidance…Then followed the ninth veil, which was the Veil of Prophethood…Then came the Veil of Eminence, the tenth veil where this enlightened soul remained…The eleventh veil was the Veil of Light…The twelfth veil was the Veil of Intercession…” . (“Muhammad: The Messenger of Islam” By Hajjah Amina Adil, published by the Islamic Supreme Council of America (ISCA) 2002, Creation of the Light of Muhammad (S): The Twelve Veils, p.3).
The preface to his book was written by Mawlana Shaykh Nazim himself, who endorsed its contents and wrote,
“Islamic teachings are based on the divinely revealed Quran, on the Hadith (examples of the Prophet Muhammad (S), and on the legal judgments of trained jurists. It is also a religion largely open to interpretation, which allows for consensus, discussion, and disagreement…’Muhammad: The Last Prophet’ embodies the timeless teachings of holy souls through the ages, whom Allah subhana wa ta’ala has endowed with immense wisdom. May we benefit from what they offer, that these lessons help us evolve to higher stations, becoming truly in tune with the spiritual dimension of life, achieving a state of genuine peace ‑ with ourselves and the world around us. Wa min Allah at Tawfiq‑and Allah knows best. Shaykh Nazim Adil al-Haqqani, Cyprus, January 2002.” (“Muhammad: The Messenger of Islam” By Hajjah Amina Adil, published by the Islamic Supreme Council of America (ISCA) 2002, Preface, p. VII).
Here is a scan of the page from Hajjah Amina Adil’s book “Muhammad: The Messenger of Islam” mentioning the Twelve Veils for your reference,