165. 1. Imam Ali (p): Recognize God through God Himself and recognize the Apostle through his Apostleship and recognize those vested with divine authority through their religious commands, justice and their good deeds.

Translator’s note: Imam Ali (p) says that God has created bodies and souls and He has no resemblance to them. He has no partners in His creation of things, persons and the law of causality. As God has neither body nor soul, He can be recognized through His Supreme Self only. If we attribute the slightest likeness of any of His creations to Him, then we have not recognized Him.

166. 2. Imam Ali (p) was asked: How did you recognize your Lord?
Imam Ali (p): I have recognized Him through what He had Himself recognized.
He (p) was further questioned: How has God recognized Himself?
The Imam (p): God has no likeness to any form, nor can He be felt through the senses, nor imagined by analogy with Mankind. He is near us in spite of our distance from Him. He is farthest in spite of being nearest. He is above everything and it cannot be said that there is anything above Him. He is in front of everything but cannot be said to be in the front (in the sense of direction). He is inside everything (has created and knows the essence of everything) but not like one (material thing) into another. He encompasses everything but not like one (material) thing encompassing another. Glorified is He who is like this and nothing else is like Him.