(537) And like His saying—exalted be his glory: "I am the Warner and the Caller, and Ali is the Successor and the Guide."
"So his Lord responded to him"—and Muhammad is his Lord here, the one through whom he is "lorded" (al-marbub bihi). He responded to him regarding what he invented, and that is the Intellect (al-Aql), when He said to it: "Approach," and it approached Him in connection; then He said to it: "Turn back," and it turned back and became distinct from Him in separation.
The Mim responded to the Ain, so He averted from him their plan; meaning: the Name averted from the believers the plan of the disbelievers, as the Almighty said: {And never will God grant the disbelievers a way over the believers}1.
The words of the Almighty: {Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Knowing}2 mean: I am the Hearing, the Knowing. For "He" (huwa) only points toward the Meaning. Even if the Mim [Muhammad] is the one speaking these words, their reality applies to the Meaning, just as the reality of the essence of speech is from the Meaning. However, He alluded without explicit declaration by His saying: [Indeed, he is my Lord].
(539) Like His saying—exalted be his glory: "My outward is Imamate and Successorship, and My inward is an Unseen that cannot be perceived."
(540) As our Master al-Sadiq—exalted be his glory—said: "Whoever recognizes the locations of the Attribute has reached the stable ground of recognition."
(541) He—exalted be his glory—said: "Whoever recognizes the locations of the trial upon the manifest personages recognizes the essence of Oneness."