Is it possible to say that within the speech of the Creator there is a contradiction—in some of it He negates the vision and in another part He affirms it? No, and far be it from Him! For His saying—Majestic is His praise—is the truth, and His speech is the decisive word. The contradiction only appears to those of weary eyesights and ailing insights. Indeed, within the saying of the Exalted:

“You will not see Me,” there is an indication of the absence of seeing Him entirely in the light of absolute divinity (lahut), as we have previously mentioned; whereas within His saying to Moses when he had seen the fire: “Indeed, I am your Lord,” there is a clarification regarding the possibility of beholding Him, the Exalted, through manifestation (al-tajalli) in a visible form. This is because fire possesses a form, and it is closer to the nature of matter; for that reason, He, Glory be to Him, did not say upon the tongue of Moses—His might was mighty—: “Indeed, I have perceived a light (nuran),” because the light of pure divinity cannot be seen by a creature in its abstract state. It is only witnessed by means of manifestation; He appears to him, and the light reflects upon his eyesight and his heart, so he sees a human image like himself—just as a person looking into a mirror sees himself—while He, meaning the manifesting Lord, transcends materiality and humanity.

The meaning of that is clarified by the saying of Sayyid al-Khasibi—may Allah brighten his face:

And He shows them the Essence as an image by His power

Exalted is the Shaper far above the shaping of a physical body