Cognition of God is possible by way of knowledge of divine epiphanies. He who knows God finds God in himself and this is possible by way of self-disclosure or self-unveiling on his heart. To further explain, based on authentic traditions transmitted from the Infallibles (a.s.), the criterion in cognition of God is to avoid likening Him to anything and divesting God of His attributes. When it comes to likening God to anything and divesting God of His attributes, we must say:
Negation of divine attributes and likeness will practically lead to ta’til or negation of divine attributes for those who have no intellectual and intuitive knowledge of God. Negation of divine attributes means to divest God of His kingdom and attributes considering no relationship between the Creator and creatures. As for likening (tashbih), it is the opposite of ta’til in the sense that it is likening God to His creatures and believing that God’s features and attributes are the same as those of human beings. As it has been quoted, “gatheredness of God and creatures (jam’) amounts to disbelief and divesting Him of all attributes amounts to ‘ta’til’ and the combination of the two is tawhid (monotheism).[1], [2]
In a nutshell, we must avoid divesting God of His attributes which means we should not consider Him as deprived of all kinds of attributes. We must accept His glorious presence in the world of existence. To avoid likening God to anything also means that we must not associate anything with God by drawing similarity between God and things which are the expressions of divine attributes. We must, instead, be mindful of their Creator.
In other words, God is never imaginable and comprehendible through the mind and the right way to know God is the ‘way of heart’ in the sense that we must acquire knowledge of God through loving the epiphanies of God.
It is only in the state of real love that knowledge of the divine expressions and epiphanies lead to knowledge of God. That is because God is neither the epiphanies nor is He separated from them. Knowledge of God is perfected when one cognizes the perfect man.
For further information in this regard, refer to the following answers:
o        Possibility of Cognition of God, 15792 (site: 15628)
o        Cognition and Love of God 9344 (site: 9327)
o        Fitrah and Cognition of God 1041 (site: 1105)
o        Glorification (Tasbih) in Prayer with Divine Praise (site: 9773).

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