Regarding this are the words of the Almighty—Majestic is His Grandeur: {Muhammad is not but a messenger; [other] messengers have passed on before him. So if he was to die or be killed, would you turn back on your heels? And he who turns back on his heels will never harm God at all; but God will reward the grateful.}1 That is: from Him the messengers came and of Him they spoke; He is the One who sent them throughout the cycles and ages.
If someone says there is a difference between the Meaning and the Name, it becomes mandatory that he be a "person" if he is a monotheist. For there is no disagreement among the monotheists that the Worshipped Meaning, the existing God, manifested as a person; and that He manifested His Name as a person and His Gate as a person. Likewise, Time is a person, the Sun is a person, the Moon is a person, the Day is a person, the Night is a person, the Hours are persons, the Year is a person, the Months are persons, and the sovereignty in its entirety consists of persons.
We say: This statement is by the consensus of the People of Oneness. It is mandatory for him to demonstrate that this "difference" is a person and that he is other than the Name. He shall find no path to that. For had that been the case—and I ask God's forgiveness for what I have said—they would both be ancient. That cannot be, nor does the intellect allow it, nor does the transmission support it. Exalted is the High, the One, above having a likeness, a similarity, a peer, or an equal. Glory be to Him and Exalted is He far above what they say.
Rather, we say: The Meaning—exalted be His mention—invented the Name as He willed. He is entirely hearing, entirely seeing, entirely face, entirely knowledge—the House of the Meaning and His Veil. None knows him in his perfection except his Master who established and manifested him, entrusting to him the command of His sovereignty. He then disposed it and originated His creation, performing as He commanded him.