and closely surrounding the Throne of the All-Merciful. Such is the abstract world of the Soul, directly connected to its Creator and fortified by the power of its Originator, functioning as a subtle grace and mercy for His servants so that they may not fall into doubt or lose their way.' Then he said: 'And the Masters have alerted [the initiates] to this by their saying: "Our world is the world of affirmative covenant [al-iqrar] and response [al-ijabah]."

[165] And al-Sadiq [Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq]—His glory is mighty—said: "The most difficult of all difficult matters [al-sa'b al-mustas'ab] is the recognition of the manifestation of the Divine through human form [zhuhur al-ilah bil-bashariyyah]."'

And by that, he intended the simple, subtle substance [al-basit al-latif] which contains no composition, and its lights [abstracted] from the dense, alterable matter [al-kathif al-mustahil] which possesses no structural permanence for its survival in this world.

[166] Then he—His glory is mighty—said: 'Our physical bodies [ajsamuna] were created from the clay of 'Illiyyin [the loftiest celestial realm], and the souls of our followers [shiatina] were created from the residue of that very clay.'