Introduction
This following article shall be divided into different parts, which shall make it easy to understand and comprehend. Proofs shall be given in light of Qur'an, Sahih Hadiths and great explanations of Classical scholars in order to satisfy those who deny sight of Allah .
Note: Before we continue and write over this article, it is important to clarify that the article is placed in "Main Menu" section of this website because It has to do with Tawhid. It has great relevance to creed because Qur'an puts forward a challenge to disbelievers in Surah an-Najm and then right after Verse # 18 Allah mentions the false gods revered supremely by Mushrikeen of Makkah i.e. al-Laat, al-Uzza. and Manaat (the three top most false deities of Mushrikeen of Makkah at that time). Thus our Prophet of Mercy (Peace be upon him) seeing Allah is a testimony to Tawhid in front of the Mushrikeen. [See Qur'an 53:17-22].
This topic is amongst those issues over which even Sahaba have differed within themselves, so we know that some ignorant people (Muslims and even non-Muslims) might dispute over this by saying: Did the Sahaba differ on concepts of Belief?
The answer to them is that there are certain aqida issues which are Qat'i/Absolute (like belief in Oneness of ALLAH, Belief in Prophets, Angels, Scriptures, day of judgement, Al-Qadr, Completion of Qur'an and etc... ) over which there is no room for difference, whereas there are others which are Zanni/flexible (such as Belief in allegorical verses, whether to take literal or metaphorical meanings of Istawa, Nazul, Yad-Ullah etc... belief in sight of Allah etc...).
Although the correct opinion is indeed of Ahlus Sunnah that such attributes of Lord Almighty are to be taken as they are without interpretation, rather at times metaphorical explanation becomes necessary, still If someone rejects the metaphorical explanation then such a person will not become Kafir until or unless he/she gives a very lay-person literal explanation like some extremest Salafis do when they say absurd things like Allah is touching the throne, Allah comes down "in person" to the lowest heaven in mid part of the night, Allah has 2 SHINS (LEGS), Allah has a shadow or He literally does jogging (hard to believe but to the amazement of our readers these weird concepts are attested by top notch authorities of Salafi sect including Muhsin Khan the official translator of Qur'an by Saudi kingdom and their giant Muftis like Ibn Uthaymeen, Bin Baaz and Company)
Did Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) see Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) on the night of ascension?
This article shall have abundant proofs from Qur'an but first we would like to reveal to the world a false translation of hadith in Sahih Muslim. Many people read translation of this hadith and start believing that it was actually what Prophet (Peace be upon him) said without verifying the original Arabic and how Muhaditheen read the word "أَنَّى "
False Translation of hadith in Sahih Muslim
Book 1, Number 0341: (Sahih Muslim - online version)
It is narrated on the authority of Abu Dharr : I asked the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him): Did you see thy Lord? He said: He is a Light, how could I see Him?
Next Hadith:
Book 1, Number 0342: (Sahih Muslim - online version)
Abdullah b. Shaqiq reported: I said to Abu Dharr: Had I seen the Messenger of Allah, I would have asked him. He (Abu Dharr) said: What is that thing that you wanted to inquire of him ? He said: I wanted to ask him whether he had seen his Lord. Abu Dharr said: I, in fact, inquired of him, and he replied: I saw Light.
First one (#0341) is a severely false translation. If we accept it on face value then the very next hadith (#0342) will contradict the previous one. Remember Imam Muslim (rah) was an expert in hadith sciences let alone he not knowing that he has narrated 2 totally contradicting hadiths adjacent to each other in his magnificent Sahih collection.
False translation of first hadith (#0341) states: “:He is a Light, how could I see Him?
Here the translation claims that Allah is a light so how could He be seen?!
Now the next hadith (#0342) says: "I, in fact, inquired of him, and he replied: “I SAW LIGHT”
Let us now move towards the Arabic of first hadith which actually proves without doubt that Prophet (Peace be upon him) actually said that "He saw Allah"
Translation of Matn: Narrated by Abu Dharr (RA): I asked the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him): Did you see your Lord? The Prophet (Peace be upon him) replied: He is Nur (نُورٌ) I Saw Him ( انى أَرَاهُ) [Sahih Muslim, Hadith # 351, Hadith number from Sharh Sahih Muslim by Allama Ghulam Rasool Sa’eedi – Damat Barkatahum Alia]
This is the perfect translation which actually proves that Prophet (Peace be upon him) did indeed see Allah.
We will show word by word translation over here:
نُورٌ = He is light
انى = I, me, myself
أَرَاهُ = saw Him
However if we do not take this translation then Sahih Muslim will contradict itself as right in the next hadith it says:
رَأَيْتُ نُوراً = I saw Light (i.e. for Sure I saw Allah)
Translation: (7): While he was in the highest part of the horizon.(8): Then he approached and came closer (9): And was at a distance of but two bow-lengths or (even) nearer. (10): So did (Allah) convey the inspiration to His Servant- (conveyed) what He (meant) to convey. (11): The (Prophet's) (mind and) heart in no way falsified that which he saw. (12): Will ye then dispute with him concerning what he saw? [Al Qur'an, Chapter 53, Verse 7-12]
In the 12th verse our Lord Almighty is challenging the whole world that “WILL YE THEN DISPUTE WITH HIM CONCERNING WHAT HE SAW”, had it been seeing Gabriel only then that would not have been a great challenge because previous Prophets like Musa Kaleem-Ullah (Peace be upon him) had the privilege to talk “DIRECTLY WITH ALLAH” and Ibrahim (alaih salam) was shown the kingdoms of Heaven which was a far superior thing than seeing Gabriel, hence from Nass of Qur'an it now becomes established that vision of Allah was finally reserved for Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) as hadith of Ibn Abbas (RA) and many others prove it (Which shall come in the hadith section of this article)
Let us see the detailed Tafsir of these verses by Imam Ibn-ul-Jawzi (rah), he explains the 8th and 9th verses in light of Sahih ahadith and Aqwaal
Translation: There are three famous sayings regarding the saying of Allah i.e. Then he approached and came closer
First: That is Allah Azza wajjal as it is narrated by Bukhari and Muslim in “Sahihayn” the hadith from Sharik bin Abi Numayr who heard from Anas bin Malik (ra) who said: The Irresistible, the Lord of Honor and Majesty approached and came closer till He was about two bow lengths or (even) nearer [Sahih Bukhari Hadith # 7518, Sahih Muslim Hadith # 162]
...and It is narrated by Abu Salama from Ibn Abbas (ra) that {He approached} refers to Allah coming near, this is adopted by Maqatil (rah) who said: Allah came near to Muhammad (Peace be upon him) on the night of Isra And was at a distance of but two bow-lengths or (even) nearer, however It is written in the book Al Mughni that this coming nearer does not refer to coming closer in sense of bodies nor distance as that is the case with bodily creations and Allah is High of such thing being attributed to him.
The Second: That It was Muhammad (Peace be upon him) who went near Allah, this is said by Ibn Abbas (ra) and Qurzi(ra) too.
The Third: It was Gibril and there is Kalaam in this Qawl.. (Then Ibn Jawzi shows the opinion of Sahaba like Sayyidah Aisha - RA who were of the opinion that Prophet - Peace be upon him did not see Allah, why Sayyidah Aisha - RA believed such and how other Sahaba differed with her shall be explained in detail Insha'Allah)
Reference: Imam Ibn Jawzi in Zad al Maseer fi Ilm at Tafsir, Volume No. 8, Page No. 65-66
Hence From Qur'an and Sahih hadiths of Bukhari and Muslim which give best sharh of 8th and 9th verses It is proven that Prophet (Peace be upon him) saw Allah (Anas bin Malik R.A who is claimed to have rejected sight of Allah is proving in these ahadith that Prophet - Peace be upon him did see Allah, It is fundamental Usool of Hadith that If same sahabi says 2 contrary things then “Masbat (proof)” takes over “Nafi (i.e. rejection)”, so according to this Usool itself it is soundly established that the Prophet Peace be upon him did indeed see Allah and the Nafi of this has to be rejected)
Qur'an states at another place:
Translation: And when Musa (Moses) came at the time and place appointed by Us, and his Lord (Allah) spoke to him; he said: "O my Lord! Show me (Yourself), that I may look upon You." Allah said: "You cannot see Me (Qur'an states: LAN TARANI NOT LAN URA), but look upon the mountain; if it stands still in its place then you shall see Me." So when his Lord appeared to the mountain , He made it collapse to dust, and Musa (Moses) fell down unconscious. Then when he recovered his senses he said: "Glory be to You, I turn to You in repentance and I am the first of the believers."[Al Qur'an, Surah 7, Verse no 143]
In the world renowned Tafsir al Jalalyn (written by 2 great scholars Imam Jalal ud-din Suyuti and Imam al-Muhalli) it states:
Translation: {You shall not see Me},which means you do not have the capability to see me THE USE OF THE WORDING (LAN TARANI) RATHER THAN LAN URA (I.E. I SHALL NOT BE SEEN) IMPLIES THAT IT IS POSSIBLE TO SEE ALLAH {But gaze at the mountain} which is stronger than you are, {And if it stands still in its place} then you shall see Me’, that is, [then] you shall remain fixed [able] to see Me, otherwise, you will not have the capacity [for it]. {And when his Lord revealed (His) glory to the mountain} i.e. When he manifested his light, equivalent to half a nail of little finger as this is mentioned in the sahih hadith of Hakim
Reference: Tafsir al Jalalyn, Page No. 167, Published by Dar Ibn Kathir, Damascus
In the Ayah Musa (a.s) said in the end: And Moses fell down in a swoon. When he recovered his senses he said: "Glory be to Thee! to Thee I turn in repentance, and I am the first to believe."(7:143)
Tafsir ul Qurtubi
Imam al-Qurtubi (rah) explains it as:
Reference: Tafsir-ul-Qurtubi, Under 7:143
Hence it is decisively proven from Qur'an itself that Anbiya never ask for something Impossible, had sight of Allah not been possible then Musa (a.s) would not have asked for it and nor would have Allah linked it to the condition of mountain staying at its place. So the Vision was reserved only for Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings be upon him) and not for Musa (alaih salam)
We have Qawl of Ummul Momineen (Mother of All Believers) Hadrat Ayesha Saddiqa R.A and Verdict of leading authority over Tafsir of Qur'an amongst Sahaba i.e. Ibn Abbas R.A who differed with Sayyidah Ayesha r.a in this regard. This difference has been wrongly understood by Salafis whereas in reality the rejection of Sayyidah Aisha (ra) is of "IDRAAK (COMPLETE COMPREHENSION OF ALLAH)" which we Ahlus Sunnah also reject, but rejection of Idraak does not mean Prophet did not see Allah at all.
Secondly Sayyidah Aisha (ra) was a child when al-Isra Wal Mi'raaj took place, remember it took place in the Meccan period before Hijrah and Sayyidah Aisha (ra) was married to Prophet (Peace be upon him) 1 year "AFTER HIJRAH" and the Marriage took place when she was only 6 (consummated when she was 9). Hence Sayyidah Aisha (RA) was less than 4 years of age when incident of Mi'raaj took place, hence the opinion of senior Sahaba shall be taken into account as they understood the incident more properly. We would like to clarify that we accept the valid difference of opinion over this issue but the Istadlal of Wahabiyyah is null and void because they are people of Hawa (desires) and they do not follow a school of Jurisprudence nor do they follow the schools of Ahlus Sunnah called Ash'ari/Maturidi, hence even if they reach a valid opinion It will for sure stand rejected in sight Allah and his Apostle (Peace be upon him)
Below is the Sharh of the hadith from Aisha (RA) in words of the great Imam Ahmed bin Hanbal (rah) whom the so called "Muqalid Salafis claim to follow. This is cited by the leading commentator of Bukhari i.e. Imam Ibn Hajr al Asqalani (rah)
Imam Ibn Hajr al Asqalani (Rahimuhullah) says in his magnificent Fath ul Bari Sharh Sahih ul Bukhari:
Reference: Best commentary over Sahih Bukhari called Fath ul Bari, Sharh Sahih ul Bukhari, Volume No. 8, Page No. 494
Imam an-Nawawi (rah) the leading commentator of Sahih Muslim sheds more light on this, as he explains:
Reference: Sharh Sahih Muslim, Kitab al Iman, Chapter in meaning of :He saw him at the second descent
Ibn Shihab said: Ibn Hazm told me that Ibn 'Abbas and Abd Habba al-Ansari used to say that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Thereafter he ascended with me till I was taken to such a height where I heard the scraping of the pens (of Taqdir) Ibn Hazm and Anas told that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Allah then made fifty prayers obligatory for my Ummah and I returned with that and passed by Moses. Moses, (peace be upon him) said: What has thy Lord enjoined on thy people? I said: Fifty prayers have been made obligatory on them. Moses (peace be upon him) said: Return to thy Lord(فراجع ربك), for thy Ummah would not be able to bear this burden. Then I came back to my Lord(فراجعت ربي) and He remitted a portion out of that. I then again went to Moses (peace be upon him) and informed him about it He said: Return to thy Lord(راجع ربك),, for thy Ummah shall not be able to bear this burden. I then went back to my Lord(فراجعت ربي) and He said: They are five and at the same time fifty, and what has been said will not be changed. I then returned to Moses and he said: Go back to thy Lord. whereupon I said: I feel ashamed of my Lord(قد استحييت من ربي) [Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 313 – Agreed upon]
This hadith decisively proves that Prophet (Peace be upon him) saw Allah because every time Musa (a.s) told him to “RETURN TO HIS LORD” and finally the Prophet said: “I FEEL ASHAMED OF MY LORD”
Translation: Ibn Abbas (ra) said that Muhammad (salallaho alaihi wasalam) saw his Lord, (Ikrama) asked: Hasn’t Allah said that Eyes cannot “COMPREHEND” him, at this (Ibn Abbas) replied: Strange (Arabic wording is more strict but we have translated it to Strange) that you have not understood, this is when Allah shows glimpse of his own Nur (which cannot be comprehended), so Prophet (Peace be upon him) indeed saw Allah twice
Reference: Sunnan Tirimdh, Tafsir of Surah al-Najm, Hadith No. 3201] – Imam Tirimdhi declared this hadith as “Hassan”
Sheikh Muhadith Haq Dhelvi (rahimuhullah) writes: Ibn Umar(ra) turned to Ibn Abbas (ra) regarding this matter and asked whether the Prophet (Peace be upon him) has seen his Lord, Ibn Abbas replied in affirmative, Ibn Umar (ra) accepted this and did not reject it [Ashaat ul Lamaat, Volume No. 4, Page No. 431]
Now It is proven from yet another Mujtahid Sahabi i.e. Ibn Umar (ra) that Prophet (Peace be upon him) saw Allah!
Imam Badr ud din Ayni (Rahimuhullah) the commentator of Bukhari said:
Taking an oath by Imam Hasan al-Basri (rah) is not a minor thing. Those who do not know the standing of Imam Hasan al-Basri (rah) in narrating hadiths does not understand even the basics.
Imam Badr ud din Ayni (rah) also explains:
Imam an-Nasai’i (Rahimuhullah) and al-Hakim (Rahimuhullah) narrate with Sahih Isnad:
Imam al-Hakim (rah) after narrating it said:
Imam Ibn Hajr al Asqalani (Rahimuhullah) said:
Translation: It is narrated by Nasai’i with “Sahih Isnad” and Hakim also declared it “Sahih” the narration with the chain from Ikrama (rah) who heard Ibn Abbas (ra) say (and he quoted the above hadith) [Fath ul Bari, Sharah Sahih al Bukhari, Volume No. 8, Page No 493]
So O Muslims do not be surprised after knowing this reality because the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) indeed saw his Lord and this is one of the major differences between us Ahlus Sunnah and misguided Mutazayli sect who used to reject it (today representation of Mutazayli sect is done by Shi'ites)
Imam an-Nawawi (Rahimuhullah) writes under the hadith of Ibn Masud (ra) that (Prophet Peace be upon him)’s heart did not lie of what it saw means that he saw Jibril (a.s)
Reference:Sharah Sahih Muslim by Imam Nawawi, under Kitab al Iman, The mention of Sidra til Muntaha, Hadith No. 254]
Imam an-Nawawi further states:
Imam an-Nawawi (rah) also said about Aisha (ra) hadith:
Imam Ibn Jarir (rah) writes under: The (Prophet's) (mind and) heart in no way falsified that which he saw. (53:11)
Imam Tabri proves from Prophet (Peace be upon him) himself as:
Translation: From Ata (rah) who narrated from Ibn Abbas (ra) who said that Prophet (Salallaho alaihi wasalam) said: I saw Allah in his best of form (which Allah and Apostle know best) [Tafsir at Tabri under 53:11]
We Would like to conclude with the detailed extract from the best book of Seerah ever written i.e. Ash-Shifa ash-Shareef of Imam al-Qadhi Iyaadh (rah)
Translation: Chapter about Sight of Allah and the difference of opinion on it from Salaf-as-Saliheen:
In regards to Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) seeing his Lord, the early Muslims differed on this. Sayyidah Aisha(ra) rejected it and when Masruq (ra) asked her: O Umm ul Momineen (Mother of believers) did Muhammad (Peace be upon him) see his Lord? She replied: “My hair is standing on end at what you have asked” and she reported it three times “Whosoever told you that has lied. Whoever told you that Muhammad (Peace be upon him) saw his Lord has lied. Then she recited: “The eyes do not comprehend Him but He comprehends (all) vision. He is the Subtle, the Aware (6:103), some people agree with what Aisha (ra) said and it is well known that Ibn Masud (ra) and Abu Hurraira (ra) said similar things, stating that it was Jibril (a.s) he saw. However this is disputed.
Jamaah (great group) of the hadith scholars, fuqaha and theologians reject this statement and the prohibition on the Prophet of seeing Allah in this world. Ibn Abbas (ra) said: He saw Him with his eyes, while Ata related from him that he saw him with his heart. Abu’l Aliyya said that he saw him with his heart (and mind) twice. Ibn Ishaq mentioned that Ibn Umar (ra) sent to Ibn Abbas (ra) to ask him whether Muhammad (Peace be upon him) had seen his Lord? He replied: “Yes” The best known opinion is that he saw his Lord with his eyes. This is related from him by various paths of transmission. He said that Allah singled out Musa (a.s) for direct speech, Ibrahim (a.s) for close friendship and Muhammad (peace be upon him) for the (direct) vision.
The Proof of it lies in the words of Allah: “The heart (and mind) did not lie about what it saw, What will you dispute with him about what he sees? He saw him another time (53:12-13)
Al-Mawaradi said: It is said that Allah divided his vision and His speech between Musa and Muhammad (Peace be upon them both). Muhammad (Peace be upon him) saw Him twice and He spoke to Musa (a.s) twice.
Abul Fath ar-Razi and Abul Layth as-Samarqandi relate this from Ka’b al-Ahbar (rah) and Abdullah ibn al Harith (rah) said that Ibn Abbas and Ka’b agreed on this point. Ibn Abbas (ra) said: As for us, the Banu Hashim, we say that Muhammad (Peace be upon him) saw his Lord twice., Ka’b said: Allah hu Akbar until the mountains echoed him. He further said: Allah divided his vision and speech between Muhammad and Musa (Peace be upon them both)
Sharik relates that when Abu Dharr (ra) commented on this ayat, he said: “The Prophet (salallaho alaihi wasalam) saw his Lord. Imam Samarqandi [of the Islaaf] relates from Muhammad bin Ka’b al-Qurdhi and Rabi’ Ibn Anas that the Prophet was asked: Have you seen your Lord? He said: I saw Him with my heart, but I did not see him with my eye (Footnote by A: This chain is not authentic and does not reach the Prophet plus it has been established above that Prophet saw Allah with his eyesight, we the Ahlus Sunnah do not fabricate classical literature like Salafis do so our honesty asks us to relate things as they are without altering them). Malik ibn Yukhamir related from Mua’dh bin Jabal that the Prophet said: I saw my Lord and he asked me, Muhammad about what did the higher Assembly disagree [Absolutly sahih hadith on criteria of Bukhari]
Abdur Razzaq ibn Hammam [The sheikh of Imam Bukhari, the best ever Muhadith as said by Imam Ahmed bin Hanbal] related that Hassan al Basri [He requires no introduction] used to take an oath (By Allah) that Muhammad (Peace be upon him) saw his Lord.
[End Quote , Ash Shifa by Qadhi Iyaadh, Chapter on "Sight of Allah"]