Muhammad b. al-Hasan b. Ahmad b. al-Walid narrated to us. He said: Muhammad b. al-Hasan al-Saffar narrated to us. He said: Ahmad b. Abi `Abdillah al-Barqi narrated to us from Abi Hisham al-Ja`fari. He said: I heard `Ali b. Musa al-Rida say:

My God! Your power is apparent, even though You do not have a form. So, they become ignorant of You and they [try to] measure You, while the [true] measure is other than how they describe You. I dissociate, My God, from those who seek You by alikeness (tashbih). There is none like unto You. My God! They cannot comprehend You. If they [wanted to] recognize You, their indicator would be the apparent of Your blessings with them. Your creation, My Lord, is far removed from being used [as a similitude] to understanding You, but they compare You to Your creation, and thusly they do not recognize You. They have taken Your signs as a lord, and by that they describe You. You are exalted, my Lord, over what those who liken describe You by.