[64]And on the authority of al-Mufaddal ibn 'Umar, peace be upon him, who said: I asked, "O my master, how did mankind look upon the spiritual stations (al-maqamat)?" He, majestic is his glory, replied: "God turns their eyes and shows them a form that He creates for them from their own deeds; thus, they look upon their deeds in a form that pleases them and brings them joy.
If, therefore, the form they witnessed was from their own deeds and constitutes the contingent cause of created beings, while the Creator is a substantial Essence, [and created beings do not perceive] 1 the Essence in its absolute perfection nor its ultimate light, how then could the contingent cause of a created entity be fitting for Him, or act as a veil for the Creator? Exalted is He far above that, with a sublime exhaltation.
[65] [Our Master al-Sadiq said] 2 , majestic is his glory, in one of his sermons: "Whosoever points to Him through a form has pointed to a likeness of Him, and whosoever points to a likeness of Him has merely worshiped a human being."