"So if you said: What is the Originator (al-Bari')? A body (jism), or an accident ('arad), or an essence (jawhar), or a genus (jins)? So the answer, and by Allah is the success: Only the originated things (al-muhdathat) are limited, described, and conditioned [assigned modality]. Because they are existent, originated in entity (al-kiyan), essence, and genus. But as for the Originator, He is not described and not limited, and because He is ancient, and is not an essence, nor an accident, nor a body, nor a genus.

Rather, He is existent by the indication of His manifestation to the genus like the genus, without encompassment and without perception. Rather, He manifested to the creation like the creation so that they may understand from Him His command and His prohibition, and affirm His existence. Because he who was unknown is on the verge of not being a thing."

"So if you said: Every existent is restricted by witnessing (al-'iyan), and the air encompasses it, and it settles in place, and it speaks in time, and accidents enter upon it, and the six directions limit it and they are: above, and below, and behind, and in front, and right, and left. And these are the attributes of the originated (al-muhdath), and the originated does not perceive the ancient (al-qadim) because it is not within its capacity to perceive the eternal (al-azali)!'"

"So the answer is that we say: Indeed, the ancient has not ceased from the quiddity of perfection (mahiyyat al-kamal) in His manifestation to humans like humans. Rather, He manifested a form (surah) by which He manifested [as] a sign for existence and the negation of non-existence.