He said: "Indeed, Ali1 is a Name for the Meaning, and the Meaning is other than the Name."
We said: "Is the Meaning the Goal [al-Ghaya]?"
He said: "The Meaning is the One Veiled by the Goal, and the Goal is the Ancient Eternity, because Allah does not appear in any time except by a Goal. And the Meaning is the Speaker [Natiq] from the Goal, and the Goal is the One Veiled by the human, Adamic Veil."
Then Muhammad ibn Sinan—peace be upon him—said: My Master and Lord—may His might be exalted—said to me: "Allah is Inner, not perceived2; and Apparent, not comprehended3.
Footnotes
1The Name of that Meaning is: Ali. And the Meaning is other than the Name. The function of the Name is to indicate the Named; we worship Ali, and we do not worship the name "Ali." They said: "The Meaning is the Goal" (meaning: the Meaning is the Visible Form). He said: "The Meaning is the One Veiled by the Goal" (meaning: the Meaning is the One Veiled by the Visible Form—((It is He, and it is not He))—because He, the Exalted, is not described by any of its sensory attributes). He returned to emphasize that the Goal (the Visible Form) is in the Ancient Eternity, because He, the Exalted, does not appear by other than His Essence. The Form is in the Essence in reality and substance (i.e., min haythu hu / from the perspective of what He is), and because it is described with all His Spiritual Attributes; so from it appeared Knowledge and Power. Our Master Al-Ridha—may his might be exalted—said: ((Indeed, what you witnessed with your eyes is Allah by His relation to Power, and it is not Allah by His relation to the Form)). "And the Goal is the One Veiled by the human, Adamic Veil": This confirms that the Worshipped Meaning has no relation to the human appearance. Here comes the Law of Negation [Qanun al-Nafi], because negation relates only to sensory objects. One negates the sensory, localized Form after affirming the One existing within it. The Allamah (Q) said: "Negating the Form while affirming the existence of the One appearing in it through Power is the very essence of Tawhid." Negating the Form means not affirming it upon the Essence as the eyes see it in terms of configuration and shape.
2"Allah is Inner, not perceived": In language: Adraka al-shay': he caught up with it. Adraka al-mas'ala: he knew/learned it. Adraka al-shay' bi-'aynihi: he saw it.
3His Apparent is not comprehended [La Yu'qal]": Meaning the Intellect does not encompass Him.