[28]This is just as Ibn Sinan, peace be upon him, and the rest of the monotheists have said: "His manifestation in the form is due to the need of the created beings for it, not due to any need of His own." 1
[29]Just as the questioner asked the Scholar, His glory is magnificent, in the Book of Foundations (Kitab al-Aswas): "How then does He possess a form?" He replied: "Due to the need of the created beings for it, just as they need speech, because there is no speech except from a form."
The form is not human (bashariyyah); rather, it is essential (dhatiyyah), and the need for configuration resides within creation, not within Him.
[30]This is just as it was stated by the group who visited Muhammad ibn Sinan, peace be upon him, asking: "For what purpose did He establish the humanity (al-nasut)?" He replied: "He established it because of the deficiency of your physical bodies. Thus, when power and knowledge manifested from Him, and the created beings fell short of matching them, you realized that this form has an underlying Meaning,