perceive Him. Do the hearts know [only] a part or a fraction of Him? Or do they know Him in His entirety? Rather, the eyes see of Him only according to the measure of the knowledge they have earned. If knowledge of God varies in degrees, then the vision of Him must also vary; and if the knowledge of Him differs, the vision of Him differs accordingly.'

He says: 'Al-Sadiq—may His might be exalted—said: "Verily, God manifested to His creation as [one of] His creation. He showed the eyes what He willed to show them; He altered the sights in their vision of Him, yet He never changed from His own Being (Kiyan).

He [al-Sadiq] also said: 'Whoever worships that which he does not see is on the verge [of ruin], for he has effectively worshiped nothing.' The manifestation of the Almighty—exalted be His mention—is to steadfast the believers in His obedience and to alert the deniers to His gnosis. Although He—exalted is His majesty—is not affected by the attributes of His creation during His manifestation, His appearance in the Form is a sign for the seekers, and the Name by which He is called is a guiding signal for the aspirants.