• Third: Another flaw is that what they claim is, in one respect, common to all created beings and, in another, shared by all of His believing servants; the Messiah enjoys no special privilege in this regard. Every creature without exception was brought into existence by Allah’s will and power, and nothing can stand without Him—there is no might and no strength except through Him. All of them are dependent upon Him, in need of Him, while He is altogether free of need for them. Thus they serve as signs of His Lordship and proofs of His divinity.

Whoever therefore calls these beings “manifestations” or “epiphanies,” intending that Allah’s very essence appears within them, is fabricating a lie against Allah. But if by those terms he merely means that Allah has, through them, displayed His will, power, knowledge, and wisdom—treating such “manifestations” and “epiphanies” as signs and evidences—then he has spoken correctly.

The same holds for anyone who says, “They are the effects of His names and attributes.”

As for the believers, faith in Allah, knowledge of Him, love for Him, His light, and His guidance all take residence in their hearts; this is the highest likeness, the supreme intellectual exemplar, and the Messiah is not singled out by it. Likewise, His speech that settles in the hearts of His believing servants is not something unique to the Messiah.

• Fourth: The ray does not intermingle with the water and clay, nor with any other substance. It neither penetrates them nor unites with them; it merely rests upon their outer surface. Yet the ray heats whatever it touches, and once the exterior is warmed, the interior is warmed as well.