This is a clear proof that the Meaning [al-Ma‘nā]—Blessed and Exalted is He—takes form, manifests, and assumes imagery; by the proof of His saying, the Exalted: {And a tree spring forth from Mount Sinai that produces oil and relish for those who eat} 1 , and it is the form of the Meaning, springing forth from Mount Sinai—meaning His manifestation in the heaven, which is Mount Sinai. And His saying: {And he has already seen him in the clear horizon} 2 , and the clear horizon is the heaven, and the manifestation of the Meaning within it.
And His saying: {And he certainly saw him in another descent * At the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary * Near it is the Garden of Refuge} 3 , and it is the heaven, and it is the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary, and it is the right side of the valley, and it is the blessed spot, and it is Sarmarā [Samarra], and it is Najd, and Karbalā, and Kūfah of splendor, and Makkah, and Ṭūs, and Egypt, and the Levant, and it is every city and monastery mentioned with praise.