So contemplate—may Allah strengthen you and honor you, and inspire you toward the path of goodness—how the books arrived and the messengers spoke, and how they established that the Meaning [al-Ma‘nā] is within a place yet they deemed Him transcendent above place, and they established and clarified in their books that He is a form for manifestation and addressing, yet they deemed Him transcendent above forms."

[[The Creation of the Shadowy Light and Resemblance]]

And they mentioned that He has no likeness, no peer, and no example, yet they established that He mimicked His creation and that He resembles His name.

As it is said in the "Book of al-Haft"; al-Mufaḍḍal said: "I asked my master the scholar, [His glory is mighty], I said: 'My master, what is the first thing that Allah created?', he said: 'The shadowy light [al-Nūr al-Ẓallī],' I said: 'From what did He create it?', he said: 'From His volition,' I said: 'And upon what likeness did He create it?', he said: 'Upon the likeness of His form; do you not see, O Mufaḍḍal,