As for His word—the Almighty—recounting the speech of Moses—exalted be his glory: {And when Moses arrived at Our appointed time and his Lord spoke to him, he said, "My Lord, show me [Yourself] that I may look at You." [God] said, "You will not see Me, but look at the mountain; if it should remain in its place, then you will see Me." But when his Lord transfigured to the mountain, He rendered it as dust, and Moses fell unconscious. And when he awoke, he said, "Exalted are You! I have repented to You, and I am the first of the believers."}1
(366) It appeared regarding this that Moses—exalted be his glory—asked the Meaning—glory be to His majesty—to see Him in His Essential Unitary Form which is in pre-eternity. He is the Unique (al-Wahid) and His Meaning is the One (al-Ahad). The Sublime said: {You will not see Me, but look at the mountain; if it should remain in its place, then you will see Me}2. Its determination is: "You will not see Me while you are attached to the physical Mosaic Form—which is the Mountain. [But look at the Mountain, which is the Gate] and transfigure to him with the greatness of your majesty and the light of your perfection which is from the light of My Essence. If the Gate remains firm before your light, then your essence shall remain firm before My light when I transfigure to you with the greatness of Divinity." When Moses—exalted be his glory—appeared in his luminous essence to the Gate (the Mountain), it crumbled and did not remain firm before the greatness of his light, and it vanished.
That is His word: {But when his Lord transfigured to the mountain, He rendered it as dust, and Moses fell unconscious}3. "Falling" (al-khurur) is the dropping to the earth; it is the prostration of Moses when he witnessed the reality of the parable God the Almighty struck. Then he said: {Exalted are You! I have repented to You, and I am the first of the believers}4. It is right for Moses to glorify his Creator and repent to Him. His word: {and I am the first of the believers}5—meaning: "I am the first inception You produced, and I am a believer in You."