And another example with respect to the visible image and our seeing it as perceived is like the drawing of a person—meaning a photographic image—for this image is the person, yet the person is not it. It manifested through his face, his features, and his form, yet he is not it from the perspective of height, physical body, and movement; he is composed of flesh and blood,
enfolding a beating heart, perceiving senses, and a thinking intellect, while it is a stagnant drawing upon a paper small in size. And the likeness of the visible image and its total abstractness from matter is like the image of a person in a mirror. And these examples were only brought forth to bring [the matter] closer to minds and to enlighten intellects:[“And for Allah is the highest attribute,”] 1 , and He is the One who says:
in His decisive Book:[“Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The example of His light is like a niche within which is a lamp, the lamp is within glass, the glass as if it were a pearly [white] star lit from [the oil of] a blessed olive tree, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil would almost glow even if untouched by fire. Light upon light. Allah guides to His light whom He wills. And Allah presents examples for the people, and Allah is Knowing of all things.”] 2 .