My Master said to him: ‘The light which is its radiant exterior—is it the jewel itself or something else?’ The King said: ‘The light is its exterior and is only found by its existence. The jewel is the interior of its light, and its light is its specific veil (ḥijāb).’ My Master said: ‘Do you find between it and its light any separation or difference?’ The King said: ‘No.’ My Master said: ‘If the light were extended, expanded, spread out, personified, and manifested power—would the power manifested by the light be by the strength of the jewel or by its own strength?’ The King said: ‘This is impossible and not feasible, for all that appears of the light when it is a person—whether power or wisdom—is by the strength of the jewel.’
My Master said to him: ‘Then if this personified light, which is the exterior of this jewel, called unto itself and commanded the world to obey it and summoned them to its worship—would the one who responds be wrong in his response or correct?’ My Master added: ‘It is necessary for whoever responds to it to know the Meaning (Ma‘nā) of this manifest light.’ The King said: ‘The respondent is only required to know the manifest light, to acknowledge it, and to point to it from the aspect of the manifestation of power and wisdom from it. As for the interior of the light, there is no way to perceive it.’
My Master said to him: ‘If it spread over the face of the earth and took the form of many persons in scattered places, each person being distinct from the other and separate from it—would the light be distinct from that from which it emerged, and separate from that which was witnessed from it?’ The King said: ‘This is not permissible. If the light is self-subsistent and lights cannot be divided or partitioned, then the light and the illuminator are one essence (jawhar).’
My Master said: ‘And if this jewel were not existing, manifest, and established, would it be known, mentioned, or named?’ The King said: ‘No.’ My Master said: ‘Likewise is the Creator, Exalted Glory. Had He not been existing, manifest, and established, He would not be known, nor would the knowledge of Him be established. The one calling to the