(230) Al-Hasan ibn Muhammad related it, saying: Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Khayran narrated to me, saying: Ishaq ibn Muhammad al-Basri narrated to me from Ja'far ibn Muhammad ibn al-Mufaddal, from Muhammad ibn Sinan—peace be upon him—from al-Mufaddal ibn Umar—peace be upon him—who said: I asked our Master al-Sadiq—exalted be his glory—regarding the Name and the Named? He replied: "The Name is originated while the Meaning is above it; the Name is the Mim and the Meaning is the Ain."

(231) By this chain of transmission from our Master the Sage—exalted be his glory—he said: "Whoever claims that God is in a thing has made Him confined. Whoever claims He is from a thing has partitioned Him, following one part and not the other. Whoever says He is upon a thing has made Him carried. But whoever says He manifests to whom He wills, by what He wills, and how He wills among His creation—neither limited, nor described, nor vanishing, nor subject to movement—and I have used Him as a proof for Himself and His form, rather than using His form and Himself as a proof for Him—he has thereby set upon the path of salvation."

(232) By this same chain of transmission from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khayran, he related: A man entered upon our Master al-Sadiq—exalted be his glory—while Abu al-Khattab Muhammad ibn Abi Zaynab—peace be upon him—was with him. The man fell prostrate, then raised his head and said: "O Lord of lords and Originator of clouds, O Ancient One who does not vanish." Our Master al-Sadiq—exalted be his glory—said: "I am that; I am God, there is no deity except Me. I created the heavens and the earth by My power and I am the One established in My primacy. I am God, there is no deity except Me, Master of My Paradise and My Fire; I am the Master of death and the Seizer of souls." He pointed with his hand toward Abu al-Khattab, then said: "I am God alone and this is My Name; I created him with My hand." The man said: "Relieve me, for I am bewildered in my affair; You are God, and this is God my Lord."