How sound is the statement attributed to Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both): "How did you come to know your Lord? He replied: 'Whoever seeks his religion through analogy will remain in lifelong confusion, deviating from the straight path, straying into crookedness. I came to know Him by what He used to make Himself known, and I described Him by what He used to describe Himself'"?

There is no certain knowledge regarding the authenticity of the narration from Ibn Abbas, but Ibn Taymiyyah cited it, and its meaning indicates that the heart's knowledge of Allah is attained through Allah's self-disclosure and His light, and that the tongue's description is achieved through Allah's words and the light of the Qur'an. Indeed, Isma'il al-Kurani mentioned that Allah introduced Himself to us, so we came to know Him; He is the proof and the evidence, and the path of guidance and the way. So Allah is the Guide and the Helper, and He is the origin of all guidance and knowledge, and the origin of all help and strength, and the servant does not derive guidance and help except from Him.