It is out of the justice of the Truth—Glory be to Him—that He only manifests through an attribute as a subtle benevolence from Him, the Most High. That attribute is the veil of manifestation; it covers the sights of creation just as a fever covers human bodies. At that moment, the utterances of created beings are formulated according to the state of that veil which covers everyone's sight—and within that lies a secret and a momentous matter.

And Al-Raddad said in his treatise: "As for what I believe regarding the establishment of the Creator [Al-Bari] and His oneness: indeed, the Creator, in His Essence and His reality, is not said to have a form, nor a likeness. Rather, He is an Eternal Refuge [Samad] wherein there is no entry, nor is He a light; for if He were a light, He would have a color and other lights would resemble Him, and if He were a human being, He would be circumscribed [la-tuhsara] and other humans would resemble Him."

[115] Just as Al-Sadiq, His glory is mighty, said to Al-Mufaddal ibn Umar—upon him be peace: "O Mufaddal, indeed, the Essence [Al-Dhat] is not said to be a light, because It is the Illuminator of every light. And indeed,