5. `Ali ibn al-Husayn ibn al-Salt said: Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn `Ali ibn al-Salt said, on the authority of his paternal uncle Abu Talib `Abd Allah ibn al-Salt, on the authority of Yunus ibn `Abd al-Rahman that I asked Abu al-Hasan Musa ibn Ja`far : “For what reason did Allah ascend His Prophet to the Heavens, from there to the Farthest Lote-Tree [Sidrah], and from there to the Veils of Light. He addressed him and entrusted a secret to him there. So, can Allah be described spatially?” Thus, he replied,

Verily, Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, cannot be subjected to space nor can He be subjected to time. However, He, the Mighty High, intended to honor His angels and the inhabitants of the heavens by giving them a chance to see the Prophet. He also wanted to show the wonders of His Sublimity to the Prophet so that he could describe it to his followers after his descent. It is not at all like the anthropomorphists profess. Glory be to Allah, and Exalted be He, from what they associate!