Narrational Texts in the Books of the Inner
From al-Mufaddal (from him is peace), our Master Assadiq (may his glory be exalted) said: Indeed, the people of heaven say, 'Our God is on earth,' just as the people of earth say, 'Our God is in heaven.' So He appeared to the people of heaven in luminosity and appeared to the people of earth in humanity. His appearance in the Muhammadan Dome was as *Anza' Batayn* (the noble/bald and hidden/pot-bellied one), to establish the proof against creation, so they would not say, 'He called us to what we do not see,' and 'He appeared to us in what we do not know.' And this is the essence of justice.1
From Muhammad ibn Sinan al-Zahiri (upon him is peace), our Master al-Kazim (may his glory be exalted) said: Indeed, God (may His praise be glorified) created the creation and appeared among them, moving as they move—exalted is God above cessation, change, and movement. He created for Himself twelve veils and seven veils, by which He appears in every time, era, moment, and age. He appears by them and is known as Amir Al-Mouminine (may his glory be exalted). His outer is the Imamate, and His inner is the Lordship. The last of His persons is the Person who will rise with justice. There is no god but He, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.2
He said in the Book of al-Oussousse, narrated from our Master al-Rida (may his glory be exalted): Indeed, God willed, intended, and decreed. Then He spoke and manifested the creation. They used to see Him and affirm Him, and that is because they were spiritual, so it was possible for them to look at Him with the subtlety of their essences. It was then that the attributes came to be, and the need arose for gnosis and the attribution of places.
And He said in another chapter of this book: The Questioner said: Does the Lord appear from the tree, the stone, and the clay? The Scholar (may his glory be exalted) said: He appears as He wills. For the Power belongs to Him, that He may appear in the likeness of the form of man, because it is in His image. The Questioner said: Did He want to resemble the creation?