he merely formulated a likeness before Mary and was imagined as such by her—and far be it from her [to be trapped within illusion]. Rather, it is we who perceived Gabriel, peace be upon him, as a human, whereas he is not human.

In this exact manner—just as the existence of certain matters that possess no reality in objective fact appears and is imagined by us—so it is with the Creator, glorified and exalted is He. For He is the Light of the heavens and the earth, yet we perceived Him in a human form like unto our own form.

Has His Sublime Essence, which is the Light of the heavens and the earth, transformed into a mortal confined within a human form? Exalted is our Master, the High, the Most High, far above that! Rather, it is entirely from the chapter of imagination and exemplification (al-tamthīl) that occurred within our eyes alone, exactly as the Sheikh, Allah sanctify his person, said:

"And Allah displays a manifestation within His Will inside every single genre of genres and numbers."

The commentator said: "‘Yūrī’ is in the meaning of ‘Yurī’ [He shows].