the essence of the Supreme Lordship, wherein no speaker has any premise, is other than the form witnessed by sights. This is the meaning of the Sheikh's saying she is He, yet He is not she; meaning: she is He from the aspect of Essence, reality, substance, manifestation, and existence; yet He is not she from the aspect of what the sights witnessed, because sights do not witness except what resembles their own bounded being."

And the Sheikh—Allah purified his person—clarified in the Epistle (al-Risalah) the states and conditions that are negated from the Creator and from which He, glorified is He, is transcended, by his saying—Allah purified his person:

"He said: 'What is the proof of His appearance in humanity (al-nasutiyyah)? How did He appear in it? By what did He appear? By what did He veil Himself? And what did He make manifest?'

We said to him: He veiled Himself by five, He appeared by five, and He made manifest five.

He said: 'Explain to us these three fives by which He veiled Himself, by which He appeared, and which He made manifest?'

We said: The five by which He veiled Himself are: 'The father, the mother, the spouses, the children, and the brothers.'