And whoever affirms the human form but does not affirm or establish the existence of the luminous manifestation, he has blasphemed and associated with Allah that for which He has sent down no authority.

[97] And our Master, the Commander of the Faithful, His glory is mighty, said: "Indeed, behind me is another than me, and it is not binding upon you to know that other."

He intended by this emphasis; and "behind" [Al-Wara'] here means the inward [Al-Batin] which is other than His outward.

And his saying "another than me" [Ghayri] means: other than my outward which you ocularly witness.

"And it is not binding upon you to know that other": He intended by that: it is not binding upon you to comprehend the Eternal, because it is not within your capacity to comprehend the attribute of eternity, and Allah does not demand of His creation except the gnosis of the form through which He appeared, as a counterpart to the genus.

[98] And from the "Book of Veils and Lights" [Kitab al-Hujub wa-al-Anwar]: The Wise One, Muhammad ibn Sinan, said: I asked the Scholar, His glory is mighty, concerning the existence of the Lord, and he said: "Indeed,