This statement cannot be correct among people of intellect and lofty gnosis except by either attributing lying to him or by affirming his divinity. For He who raised the heaven and spread the earth is Allah, as He informed regarding Himself by His saying: "I am Allah; there is no deity but I."

And He who is Allah never lies in His speech. No one can correctly believe in His divinity except by rejecting the Outward of his ambiguous statements (al-aqwāl al-mutashābiha) [marked] by concealment (talbīs) and affirming His Inward, decisive statements (al-muḥkama) [marked] by explicit declaration (taṣrīḥ) and believing in them—for their Inward [meaning] indicates that He is Allah. And the intent behind "Heaven" and "Earth" [is] [refer to] the Gate (al-Bāb) and the Orphan (al-Yatīm). The intent behind his saying: "I am the Heaven, I am the Earth" is: "I am the celestial Manifestation and the terrestrial Manifestation."

It has also been said: It refers to all the perceptions (naẓarāt) of the people of heaven and all the perceptions of the people of earth.

And it has been said: It is the perception of the Gate (al-Bāb) and the Orphan (al-Yatīm).

This indicates that He is the totality of all perceptions; for even though He displays multiple images, they are in reality [reflections] of a single Essence (Dhāt).

Among the contradictory statements is the saying of Muhammad ibn Sinān: "Whoever claims that Ali [the outward figure] is God has