“Once I asked Abu ‘Abdallah (AS), “How did you exist when you existed in the shadows?” The Imam (AS) said, “O Mufadhal, we were in the presence of our Lord and there was no one else in the green shadow. We spoke of His Glory, Holiness, acknowledged Him as the Lords and spoke of His Majesty. There was no angel even of the ones close to Allah or a living being except us in His presence until He decided to create all things. He then created whatever He wanted, in the way He wanted of the angels and others. He then made the knowledge of that to reach and come to us.”