is not to be called a form (surah) nor a likeness (mithal). Rather, He is Singularly Besought (Samad), possessing no inner void into which anything can enter; nor is He a human (bashar), nor is He a light (nur)—because Light is His Name. Were He a light, He would possess a color and other lights would resemble Him; and were He a human, He would be restricted and other humans would resemble Him. Rather, He is:

[25]just as our master al-Sadiq, His glory is magnificent, said to al-Mufaddal, peace be upon him: "O Mufaddal, indeed the Essence is not to be called a light, for It is the illuminator of every light."

If the Essence is not to be called a light, how then could It be called a human? Were the Originator to possess a hand, a leg, a head, a back, a front, an above, a below, a right, and a left in reality, He would be bounded and restricted—the earth would bear Him and the sky would overshadow Him. Rather, when the Originator, the Exalted, wills to bring creation into existence, He unveils their sights so that every genus beholds Him according to its own genus: the luminous beings behold Him as luminous, and humans behold Him as human.