The Scholar said: The resemblance only occurred with man, but He is not of their kind. The Questioner said: So does He appear *as if* He is His creation, or does He create a creation by which He is veiled and from which He speaks? The Scholar said: This is [not possible], He cannot change Himself from His state. The Questioner said: Then how did He come to have an image? The Scholar said: Due to the need of the creatures for it, just as their need for speech, because speech cannot be except from an image.

Our Master al-Rida (may his glory be exalted) said in his debate with 'Imran al-Sabi' (upon him is peace), in response to 'Imran's saying to him: 'Increase me, O my Master': He said: 'Beware of the saying of the ignorant, the people of blindness and error, who claim that God (may He be exalted and glorified) is present in the Hereafter for reckoning, reward, and punishment, but is not present in the world for obedience and contentment. The ignorant did not know that if God (may He be glorified and sanctified) is worthy of His presence in His creation in the Hereafter, He is (also) worthy of presence in the world. If the presence of God had in it any defect or detraction, He would never be present in the Hereafter. But the people went astray, became blind, and deaf to the truth, as they do not know. His saying (Exalted is He) in His Book sent down upon His sent Prophet: {And whoever is in this [life] blind - will be in the Hereafter blind and more astray in way.}¹ And the greatest of sayings is the saying of God Almighty: {Faces, that Day, will be radiant, looking toward their Lord.}^{2 3}

From Humran ibn A'yan (upon him is peace), I said to my Master Assadiq (may his glory be exalted): 'O my Master, when God unveils the eyes of creatures at the time of the Manifestation, will they see the reality of the Light?' He said: 'O Humran, the Light is not perceived except by the radiance of the hearts and the light of the intellects. As for the creation, they do not see Him by sight except through His luminous veils. Because the Meaning (may His mention be exalted) does not appear in human bodies. He only appeared to them and enabled them to look at Him, so they looked at Him from where *they* are, not from where *He* is. Since He is a Light in which there is no darkness,