In the name of Allāh, Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy.
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All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all creation, may Allah extol the mention of our noble Prophet Muhammad in the highest company of Angels, bless him and give him peace and security―and his family, his Companions and all those who follow him correctly until the establishment of the Hour.
Added notes from Abu Khadeejah Abdul-Wāhid.
Imān in the Ru’yah (Seeing Allah on the Day of Resurrection)
The Imām of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamā’ah, Imām Ahmad bin Hanbal (rahimahullāh) continues in his Usool us-Sunnah saying:
والإيمان بالرؤية يوم القيامة كما روي عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم من الأحاديث الصحاح
“And to have faith in the Ru’yah (that Allah will be seen) on the Day of Judgement as has been reported from the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) in the authentic ahādeeth.”
The seeing of Allah on the Day of Resurrection (Yawm ul-Qiyāmah) with the eyes is established with Ahlus Sunnah – and in this matter, the people have divided into three groups: one is Ahlus Sunnah and the other two have deviated. The first of the deviated groups is the Mu’tazilah who deny the seeing of Allah in this world and the Hereafter.
The other deviated group are the Sufis who affirm the seeing of Allah in this world and the Hereafter.
Ahlus-Sunnah, however, is between these two groups and takes the middle path, as they do in every affair. They are always the moderate, balanced group in the middle way. So, they negate seeing Allah in this world and they affirm seeing Allah in the hereafter [only] for the believers.
There are many sects from the Jahmiyyah who deny the Ru’yah because they do not affirm the Face of Allah. However, Ahlus Sunnah affirms for Allah whatever Allah has affirmed for Himself and whatever His Messenger (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) has affirmed for Him without negating the Attribute (ta’teel), or distorting it (tahreef), or enquiring how the Attrbute is (takyeef), and without likening Allah’s Attributes with the creation (tamtheel).
Imām Ahmad said: ‘…as has been reported from the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam).” We should not refer to the Hadeeth of Seeing Allah as ‘it is reported,’ which, according to the scholars of Hadeeth, indicates that there may be a problem and that the reports may not be established as authentic. The Hadeeth of the Ru’yah are all thābitah (firmly established) as authentic, and there is no doubt concerning them.
Proofs from the Qur’ān and Sunnah Affirming the Ru’yah
From the evidence that the believers will see Allah on the Day of Resurrection is the statement of Allah the Most High:
لِّلَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا الْحُسْنَىٰ وَزِيَادَةٌ ۖ
“For those who have done good is the best reward (i.e., Paradise) and even more..” (Surah Yunus 10:26)
‘Even more’ that is mentioned in the ayah refers to the believers seeing their Lord on the Day of Resurrection, as occurs in the Hadeeth of Suhayb bin Sinān al-Roomi, Abu Yahya (radiyallāhu ‘anhu). The Hadeeth was reported by Imām Muslim in his Saheeh in Kitāb ul-Imān under the chapter: ‘It is established that the believers will see their Lord in the Hereafter.’
In this Hadeeth, Allah’s Messenger (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) said: “When the people of Jannah enter into Jannah, Allah the Most High will say to them, ‘Do you want something with which I can give you increase?’ So they will say, ‘Have you not already whitened and illuminated our faces? Have you not already entered us into Jannah and saved us from the hellfire?’ So then, Allah will remove the Hijāb (Screen), and they will not have been given anything more beloved to them than them seeing their Lord.” Then he (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) recited the ayah:
لِّلَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا الْحُسْنَىٰ وَزِيَادَةٌ
‘For those who did good is the best reward, and more.’”
So, the increase means that Allah will remove the veil between Himself and the believers, and they will look upon their Lord, the Most High.
In another narration, Allah’s Messenger (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam said: “Indeed you shall see your Lord on the Day of Resurrection just as you see the moon without being crowded from seeing it.” (Reported by Bukhāri and Muslim). There are also other ahādeeth that state that the believers will see Allah, the Most High, in the Hereafter.
Indeed, these narrations are so numerous that they have reached the level of al-mutawātir in meaning. This means they are so numerous with different wordings that they cannot be denied. They are of the highest level of authenticity such it cannot be denied that the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) stated that Allah will be seen on the Day of Resurrection.
The believers seeing Allah in the Hereafter will be just as they see the full moon on a cloudless night – and this is established in the Hadeeth of Abu Hurairah (radiyallāhu ‘anhu) reported in Bukhāri in Kitāb ut-Tawheed under the statement of Allah (the Most High):
وُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ نَّاضِرَةٌ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهَا نَاظِرَةٌ
“Some faces that Day will be shining and radiant, looking towards their Lord.” (Surah al-Qiyāmah 75:22-23)
Statements of the Scholars regarding those who negate the Ru’yah
Great scholars such as Abu Hātim, Abu Zur’ah, Ibn ul-Qayyum, Sheikh ul-Islām Ibn Taymiyah affirmed that Allah (the Most High) will be seen on the Day of Resurrection and that this fact is not denied except by an innovator.
Abu Sa’eed ‘Uthmān ad-Dārimi (d.280H rahimahullāh), from the early Salaf, said in his book Ar-Radd ‘alal Jahmiyyah, ”Whoever does not believe in the seeing of Allah (ar-Ru’yah) and does not wish for it, or hope for it, will be screened from Allah (the Most High) on the Day of Resurrection. and he will be from those about whom Allah (the Most High) has said:
كَلَّا إِنَّهُمْ عَن رَّبِّهِمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ لَّمَحْجُوبُونَ
‘Nay! Surely they (the evil-doers) will be veiled from seeing their Lord that Day.’ That is because it is said, ‘Whoever denies a virtue will not acquire it,’ and the Jahmiyyah deny this virtue with an outright and severe denial.”
Imām ad-Dārimi also said that “‘Ali bin Khashram wrote to me saying, ‘Whoever contends with the Hadeeth of Ru’yah, then he has made apparent that he is a Jahmi.’”
‘Abdullah ibn Imām Ahmad reported in Kitāb us-Sunnah from ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar Mashkadāni who said: I heard Hussayn bin ‘Ali al-Ju’fi narrating the Hadeeth of the Ru’yah, and then he said, ‘May the noses of Jahm and Bishr be rubbed in the dirt with humiliation.’ (A hasan narration).
‘Abdullah bin Ahmad also reported from Ishāq bin Bahloon al-Ambari who said: I heard Waqee’ say: “Whoever denies the Hadeeth of ‘Ima’eel ibn Abi Khālid from Qays from Jarir (radiyallāhu ‘anhu) from the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) regarding the Ru’yah of Allah, then consider him to be from the Jahmiyyah.”
The Meaning of the Hadeeth, “You will see your Lord on Judgement Day just as you see the moon…”
These ahādeeth prove the Ru’yah – i.e., that Allah (the Most High) will be seen in the hereafter (by the believers). As previously stated, Imām Bukhāri has a chapter in his Saheeh in Kitāb ut-Tawheed: ‘The saying of Allah (the Most High): ‘Some faces that Day will be shining and radiant, looking at their Lord’’ followed by the Hadeeth: ‘Amr bin Awn narrated to us that Khālid and Hushaym narrated to us from Isma’eel bin Qays from Jarir (radiyallāhu ‘anhu) who said: “We were sitting with the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) when he looked up towards the full moon and he said: ‘Indeed you shall see your Lord just as you see this moon, and you shall have no difficulty in seeing Him, so if you are able to avoid missing Fajr before the sun rises and avoid missing ‘Asr before the sun sets, then do so.” (Reported by Bukhāri and Muslim).
So, in this Hadeeth, the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) affirmed the Ru’yah. There are numerous other hadeeth in this regard. The believers will see Allah as they see the sun in the middle of the day when the sky is devoid of clouds. Imām Al-Bukhāri narrated from Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (radiyallāhu ‘anhu) who said: “We said, ‘O Allah’s Messenger! Shall we really see our Lord on the Day of Resurrection?’ He (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) replied, ‘Do you have any difficulty in seeing the Sun and Moon when the sky is clear, free of clouds?’ We said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘Likewise, you will have no difficulty in seeing your Lord on that Day, just as you have no difficulty in seeing the Sun and the Moon’”
The seeing of Allah (the Most High) is with the eyes because the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) made it clear that the seeing is just as you see the Moon and Sun – and both are seen with the eyes. This resemblance of seeing is the seeing of the Sun and Moon, and the seeing of Allah (the Most High) is the resemblance of the seeing and the resemblance is not of the thing that is seen. We are not making a resemblance of the Sun and Moon with Allah! Rather the resemblance is with the seeing, just as you see the Moon, you shall see Allah. The Sun and Moon are objects created by Allah, so the resemblance mentioned in the ahādeeth is the resemblance of the sights: your sight sees the Moon and your sight will see Allah. This is an important point because certain groups from Ahlul-Bid’ah such as the Jahmiyyah and the Ash’ariyyah claim that by affirming what is in these ahādeeth, we are resembling Allah (the Most High) to the Sun and the Moon! This shows their ignorance and deliberate distortion in order to deny the Hadeeth of the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam), even if they are reported in Bukhāri and Muslim!
Furthermore, when we see the Sun and Moon, we do not encompass the whole of the Sun and the Moon, rather a part of them is concealed from our vision, so there is no encompassment (ihāta) involved in this. So if this is the case with created objects, then even more so, the seeing of Allah (the Most High) is without encompassment – the sights cannot encompass Allah!
Allah Cannot be Seen in this World
There is a statement from Imām al-Barbahāri (rahimahullah) in point 43 of his ‘Sharh us-Sunnah: “Whoever claims that he sees his Lord in this world is a disbeliever in Allah the Mighty and Majestic.” Sheikh Al-Fawzān clarified: Whoever claims to have seen Allah in this world with his own eyes, not in a dream, then such a person is a disbeliever. This is because Allah (the Mighty and Majestic) cannot be seen in this world.
When the Kaleem of Allah, Musa (‘alaihis-salām) said “O my Lord, show me Yourself so that I may look at you.” Allah (the Most High) said to him:
لَن تَرَانِي
‘You will not be able to see me.’ So, Allah (the Most High) cannot be seen in this world. This is agreed upon (iijmā’) by the scholars. Imām al-Barbahāri stated that the seeing of Allah is in the Hereafter. Al-Fawzān explained: That is because, while the people are in this world, they are weak and unable to see Allah due to this weakness. This is why, when Musa (‘alaihis-salām) asked to see Him, Allah (the Most High) showed Himself to the mountain:
وَلَٰكِنِ انظُرْ إِلَى الْجَبَلِ فَإِنِ اسْتَقَرَّ مَكَانَهُ فَسَوْفَ تَرَانِي
“But look O Musa upon the mountain, if it stands still in its place, then you shall see Me.” (Surah al-’Arāf 7:143)
When Allah (the Most High) revealed Himself to the mountain, He made it collapse and turn to dust, and Musa fell-down, unconscious. When he recovered his senses, he called upon his Lord saying:
سُبْحَانَكَ تُبْتُ إِلَيْكَ وَأَنَا أَوَّلُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
“Glory be to You, I turn to You in repentance and I am the first of the believers.” (Surah al-Arāf 7:143)
Sheikh Al-Fawzān stated in the explanation of this verse that Allah made the mountain collapse and turn to dust when He showed Himself to it, so what about the children of Adam? Humans are flesh and blood, weaker than mountains? However, in the Hereafter, Allah will give them strength, and they will be able to see Allah and rejoice in seeing Him, the Most Perfect, the Most High.
In conclusion, the seeing of Allah for the believers in the Hereafter is established and reported in mutawātir ahādeeth – numerous narrators at every level of the chain of narration, such that it is not possible for them to have gathered and concocted a lie. As for the life of this world, then no person can see Allah with his eyes. This is the belief of Ahlus-Sunnah wal Jamā’ah. Anyone who denies this is an innovator, misguided and deviated in his creed, a Jahmi or a Mu’tazili, from those who deny that which Allah and His Messenger (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) have affirmed from the events that will take place on the Day of Resurrection (Yawm ul-Qiyāmah). May Allah the Most High make us of those who come under the statement of Allah the Most High in Surah Yunus mentioned previously:
لِّلَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا الْحُسْنَىٰ وَزِيَادَةٌ ۖ
“For those who have done good is the best reward (Paradise) and even more than that…” (Surah Yunus 10:26).
May Allah (the Most High) protect us from the misguidance of the people of innovation and desires.
والحمد لله رب العالمين وصلى الله على نبينا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين.
سبحانك اللهم وبحمدك أشهد أن لا إله إلا أنت، أستغفرك وأتوب إليك
Abu Khadeejah Abdul-Wāhid.
Copyright 2024.
This article was transcribed by Umm Maryam (may Allah reward her) from the classes of Abu Khadeejah (SalafiSounds.com). Please share it with others.
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