The Quran suggests that Muhammad saw Allah, that he had a vision in which Allah appeared to him visibly:
By the Star when it plunges, your comrade is not astray, neither errs, nor speaks he
out of caprice. This is naught but a revelation revealed, taught HIM by ONE terrible in
power, very strong; HE STOOD POISED, being on the higher horizon, THEN DREW NEAR
and suspended hung, two bows-length away, or nearer,then REVEALED TO HIS
SERVANT that HE REVEALED. His heart lies not of what he saw; what, will you dispute
with him what he sees?Indeed, he SAW HIM ANOTHER TIME by the Lote-Tree of the
Boundary nigh which is the Garden of the Refuge, when there covered the Lote-Tree that
which covered; his eye swerved not; nor swept astray. Indeed, he saw one of the greatest
signs of his Lord. S. 53:1-18 Arberry
The above refers to an unnamed comrade who hasnt gone astray and who doesnt
speak out of caprice. Muslims unanimously take this to be an obvious reference to Muhammad.
It goes on to say that he (Muhammad) was taught by one terrible in power, very strong (Allah),
and that he (Allah) stood poised and drew near and revealed to his servant (Muhammad)
the revelation. The expression "revealed to his servant" clearly shows that
this is speaking of Allah and Muhammad, that Allah appeared to Muhammad in order to grant
him revelation. The text cannot be saying that Gabriel appeared to Muhammad since this
would imply that the latter is the servant of Gabriel.
Lo! I swear by the slinkers, the runners, the sinkers, by the night swarming, the dawn
sighing, truly this is the word of a noble Messenger (rasoolin kareemin)
having power, with the Lord of the Throne secure, obeyed, moreover trusty.
Your companion is not possessed; he truly SAW HIM on the clear horizon; he is
not niggardly of the Unseen. And it is not the word of an accursed Satan; where then
are you going? It is naught but a Reminder unto all beings, for whosoever of you
who would go straight; but will you shall not, unless God wills, the Lord of all Being.
S. 81:15-29 Arberry
The above reference seems to be saying that Muhammad is the companion who is not
possessed, the noble messenger having power who is secure with the Lord of the throne,
i.e. Allah. There is even another text which identifies Muhammad as a noble messenger:
it is the speech of a noble Messenger (rasoolin kareemin). It is not
the speech of a poet (little do you believe) nor the speech of a soothsayer (little do you
remember). A sending down from the Lord of all Being. Had he invented against Us
any sayings, We would have seized him by the right hand, then We would surely have cut
his life-vein and not one of you could have defended him. S. 69:40-47 Arberry
If this is the case then S. 81:15-29 is another reference to Muhammad seeing Allah
on a clear horizon.
In fact, specific Islamic narrations understood that these texts, specifically Sura 53,
meant that Muhammad had actually seen his lord:
Chapter 78: THE MEANING OF THE WORDS OF ALLAH:" HE SAW HIM IN ANOTHER
DESCENT" (AL-QUR'AN, LIII. 13). DID THE APOSTLE (MAY PEACE BE UPON HIM) SEE HIS LORD
ON THE NIGHT OF HIS JOURNEY (TO HEAVEN)?
It is narrated on the authority of Ibn Abbas that he (the Holy Prophet)
saw (Allah) with his heart. (Sahih Muslim, Book 001,
Number 0334)
It is narrated on the authority of Ibn Abbas that the words: "The heart belied
not what he saw" (al-Qur'an, Iiii. 11) and "Certainly he saw Him in another
descent" (al-Qur'an, Iiii. 13) imply that he saw him twice with his heart.
(Sahih Muslim, Book 001,
Number 0335)
Carefully note here that Ibn Abbas understood Sura 53:11,13 to be referring to
Muhammad seeing Allah, not Gabriel.
Narrated AbdurRahman ibn Aish
Allahs Messenger (peace be upon him) said: I saw my Lord, the Exalted and
Glorious in the most beautiful form. He said: What do the Angels in the presence of
Allah contend about? I said: Thou art the most aware of it. He then placed HIS PALM
between my shoulders and I felt its coldness in my chest and I came to know what was
in the Heavens and the Earth. He recited: Thus did we show Ibrahim the kingdom of
the Heavens and the Earth and it was so that he might have certainty.(6:75)
Darimi reported it in a mursal form and Tirmidhi also reported. (Tirmidhi Hadith,
Number 237; ALIM CD-ROM Version)
Narrated Muadh ibn Jabal
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) was detained one morning from observing the dawn
prayer (in congregation) along with us till the sun had almost appeared on the horizon. He
then came out hurriedly and Iqamah for prayer was observed and he conducted it (prayer) in
brief form. When he had concluded the prayer by saying As-salamu alaykum wa Rahmatullah,
he called out to us saying: Remain in your places as you were. Then turning to us he said:
I am going to tell you what detained me from you (on account of which I could not join you
in the prayer) in the morning. I got up in the night and performed ablution and observed
the prayer as had been ordained for me. I dozed in my prayer till I was overcome by
(sleep) and lo, I found myself in the presence of my Lord, the Blessed and the
Glorious, IN THE BEST FORM. He said: Muhammad! I said: At Thy service, my Lord. He
said: What these highest angels contend about? I said: I do not know. He repeated it
thrice. He said: Then I saw Him put HIS PALMS between my shoulder blades till I felt
the coldness of HIS FINGERS between the two sides of my chest. Then everything was
illuminated for me and I could recognize everything. He said: Muhammad! I said: At Thy
service, my Lord. He said: What do these high angels contend about? I said: In regard to
expiations. He said: What are these? I said: Going on foot to join congregational prayers,
sitting in the mosques after the prayers, performing ablution well despite difficulties.
He again said: Then what do they contend? I said: In regard to the ranks. He said: What
are these? I said: Providing of food, speaking gently, observing the prayer when the
people are asleep. He again said to me: Beg (Your Lord) and say: O Allah, I beg of Thee
(power) to do good deeds, and abandon abominable deeds, to love the poor, that Thou
forgive me and show mercy to me and when Thou intendst to put people to trial Thou causes
me to die unblemished and I beg of Thee Thy love and the love of one who loves Thee and
the love for the deed which brings me near to Thy love. Allah's Messenger (peace be upon
him) said: It is a truth, so learn it and teach it.
Transmitted by Ahmad, Tirmidhi who said: This is a hasan sahih hadith and I asked Muhammad
ibn Isma'il about this hadith and he said: It is a sahih hadith. (Tirmidhi Hadith,
Number 245; ALIM CD-ROM Version)
These narrations obviously presuppose that Allah took the form of a man, a point
reiterated by the next traditions taken from another Muslim source:
The Prophet saw Allah before death as is the doctrine of the majority of Ah
al-Sunna thus related from al-Nawawi by al-Qari. The evidence for this is the
hadith of Ibn Abbas whereby the Prophet said: "I saw my Lord" (raaytu
rabbi). Ibn Kathir cited it in his commentary on Sura al-Najm and declared its chain
sound, but considered it part of the hadith of the dream cited below. Ibn Qayyim [see
excerpt below] relates that Imam Ahmad considered such sight to be in the Prophets
sleep but remains a true sight as the dreams of Prophets are true and that
some of the Imams companions mistakenly attributed to him the position that the
Prophet saw his Lord "with the eyes of his head."
Al-Bayhaqi also narrated the hadith "I saw my Lord" in al-Asma wa
al-Sifat with a sound chain but with the addition: "in the form of a
curly-haired, beardless young man wearing a green robe," a condemned,
disauthenticated addition and concatenation with another hadith that refers to Gibril.
Hence al-Suyuti interpreted it either as a dream or, quoting his shaykh Ibn al-Humam, as
"the veil of form" (hijab al-sura) (Islamic Doctrines and
Beliefs: Volume 1: The Prophets in Barzakh, The Hadith of Isra and Miraj, The
Immense Merits of Al-Sham, The Vision of Allah, Al-Sayyid Muhammad Ibn Alawi
al-Maliki, translation and notes by Dr. Gibril Fouad Haddad [As-Sunna Foundation of
America 1999], pp. 137-138; bold and underline emphasis ours)
In a footnote the translator mentions another narration that says Allah appeared
as a man!
and from Umm al-Tufayl by al-Tabarani (6:158 #3385). The latter chain actually
states: "I saw my Lord in the best form of a beardless young man" and was
rejected by al-Dhahabi in Tahdhib al-Mawduaat (p. 22 #22) (p. 139,
fn. 257)
How interesting. Some Muslims were forging narrations in which they had Allah appearing
as a young man!
The Quran also says that no one can see Allah:
Such is GOD your Lord, there is no god except He, the Creator of all things. You shall
worship Him alone. He is in control of all things. No visions can encompass Him,
but He encompasses all visions. He is the Compassionate, the Cognizant. S. 6:102-103 Khalifa
It is not fitting for a man that God should speak to him EXCEPT by inspiration,
or from behind a veil, or by the sending of a messenger to reveal, with Gods
permission, what God wills: for He is Most High, Most Wise. S. 42:51 Y. Ali
In light of this plain denial of anyone being able to see Allah it is therefore not
surprising to find conflicting views and narrations which deny that Muhammad saw his lord:
Narrated Masruq:
I said to 'Aisha, "O Mother! Did Prophet Muhammad see his Lord?" Aisha said,
"What you have said makes my hair stand on end! Know that if somebody tells you one
of the following three things, HE IS A LIAR: Whoever tells you that Muhammad saw his
Lord, IS A LIAR." Then Aisha recited the Verse:
No vision can grasp Him, but His grasp is over all vision. He is the Most
Courteous Well-Acquainted with all things. (6.103)It is
not fitting for a human being that Allah should speak to him except by inspiration or from
behind a veil.(42.51) Aisha further said, "And whoever
tells you that the Prophet knows what is going to happen tomorrow, is a liar." She
then recited:
No soul can know what it will earn tomorrow. (31.34) She added: "And
whoever tells you that he concealed (some of Allah's orders), is a liar." Then she
recited: O Apostle! Proclaim (the Message) which has been sent down to you from your
Lord (5.67) Aisha added. "But the Prophet saw Gabriel in his true
form twice." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 6, Book 60,
Number 378)
Narrated Masruq:
Aisha said, "If anyone tells you that Muhammad has seen his Lord, HE IS A
LIAR, FOR ALLAH SAYS: No vision can grasp Him. (6.103) And if anyone tells
you that Muhammad has seen the Unseen, he is a liar, for Allah says: None has the
knowledge of the Unseen but Allah." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 9, Book 93,
Number 477)
It is narrated on the authority of Masruq that he said: I was resting at (the house of)
'A'isha that she said: O Abu 'A'isha (kunya of Masruq), there are three things, and he who
affirmed even one of them fabricated the greatest lie against Allah. I asked what they
were. She said: He who presumed that Muhammad (may peace be upon him) saw his Lord
(with his ocular vision) fabricated the greatest lie against Allah. I was
reclining but then sat up and said: Mother of the Faithful, wait a bit and do not be in a
haste. Has not Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said: "And truly he saw him on
the clear horizon" (al-Qur'an, lxxxi. 23) and "he saw Him in another
descent" (al-Qur'an, liii. 13)?She said: I am the first of this Ummah who
asked the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) about it, and he said: Verily he
is Gabriel. I have never seen him in his original form in which he was created
except on those two occasions (to which these verses refer); I saw him descending from the
heaven and filling (the space) from the sky to the earth with the greatness of his bodily
structure. She said: Have you not heard Allah saying: "Eyes comprehend Him
not, but He comprehends (all) vision. And He is Subtle, and All-Aware" (al-Qur'an,
vi. 103)? (She, i. e. 'A'isha, further said): Have you not heard that, verily,
Allah says: "And it is not vouchsafed to a human being that Allah should speak
unto him otherwise than by revelation, or from behind a veil, or that He sendeth a
messenger (angel), so that he revealeth whatsoever He wills. Verily He is Exalted,
Wise" (al-Qur'an, xlii. 51) She said: He who presumes that the Messenger of Allah
(may peace be upon him) concealed anything from the Book, of Allah fabricates the greatest
lie against Allah. Allah says: "O Messenger! Deliver that which has been revealed to
thee from thy Lord, and if thou do (it) not, thou hast not delivered His message"
(al-Qur'an, v. 67). She said: He who presumes that he would inform about what was going to
happen tomorrow fabricates the greatest lie against Allah. And Allah says: "Say thou
(Muhammad): None in the heavens and the earth knoweth the unseen save Allah"
(al-Qur'an, xxvii. 65). (Sahih Muslim, Book 001,
Number 0337)
Here, Aisha recites Suras 6:103 and 42:51 to prove that Muhammad could not have seen
his lord, and explicitly stated that if anyone claims otherwise then he or she is a liar.
Thus, according to one of the mothers of the Muslim believers, one whom many even
recognize as being a scholar of Islam, men such as Ibn Abbas are liars for contradicting
the Quran!
There is more:
Al-Shaibini reported to us: I asked Zirr b. Hubaish about the words of Allah (the
Mighty and Great): "So he was (at a distance) of two bows or nearer"
(al-Qur'an, liii. 8). He said: Ibn Mas'ud informed me that, verily, the Apostle of
Allah (may peace be upon him) saw Gabriel and he had six hundred wings.
(Sahih Muslim, Book 001,
Number 0330)
Al-Shaibani narrated on the authority of Zirr who narrated it on
this authority of Abdullah that the (words of Allah): "The heart belied not what
he saw" (al Qur'an, liii. 11)imply that he saw Gabriel (peace be
upon him) and he had six hundred wings. (Sahih Muslim, Book 001,
Number 0331)
Zirr b. Hubaish narrated it on the authority of 'Abdullah (that the
words of Allah): "Certainly he saw of the greatest signs of Allah"
(al-Qur'an, liii. 18)imply that he saw Gabriel in his (original) form and he
had six hundred wings. (Sahih Muslim, Book 001,
Number 0332)
It is narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that the (words of
Allah): "And certainly he saw him in another descent" (al-Qur'an, Iiii. 13)imply that he saw Gabriel. (Sahih Muslim, Book 001,
Number 0333)
Moreover:
Chapter 79: PERTAINING TO HIS (PROPHET'S) WORDS: HE IS A LIGHT; HOW COULD I SEE HIM?
- AND HIS WORDS: I SAW THE LIGHT
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? (Sahih Muslim, Book 001,
Number 0341)
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. (Sahih Muslim, Book 001,
Number 0342)
The same source cited earlier that is translated by Haddad also records the views of
those who denied that Muhammad saw his lord, noting the contradictions:
Others considered Ibn Abbas narration to refer to a vision with the eyes of
the heart, as elucidated by Ibn Abbas other narrations in Sahih Muslim
and al-Tirmidhi (hasan): "He saw him with his heart." Another narration
from Ibn Abbas in Muslim states: "He saw him with his heart twice," in his
commentary on the verses <The heart lied not (in seeing) what it saw>
(53:11), <And verily he saw him, yet another time> (53:13)
Many sound reports show that the Companions differed SHARPLY whether the Prophet saw
Allah or not. Ibn Abbas related that he did, while Ibn Masud,
Aisha, Abu Hurayra, and Abu Dharr related reports TO THE CONTRARY, stating
that the verses of Sura al-Najm and other Suras referred to Gibril, and that the Prophet
said that he saw light. (Haddad, pp. 144-145; underline and capital emphasis ours)
And:
A narration by al-Tirmidhi from al-Shabi cites two positions in context:
Ibn Abbas met Kab [al-Ahbar] in Arafa and asked him about something,
whereupon Kab began to shout Allahu Akbar! Until the mountains answered him.
Ibn Abbas said: "We are the Banu Hashim!" Kab said: "Allah has
apportioned His vision and His speech between Muhammad and Musa. Musa spoke with Him twice
and Muhammad saw him twice." Masruq said: "Later I went to Aisha and
asked: Did Muhammad see his Lord? She replied: You have said something
that makes my hair stand on end. I said: Do not rush! and recited [the
verses which conclude with] the verse <Verily he saw one of the greater revelations
of his Lord> (53:18). She said: Where is this taking you? It was about
Gibril. Whoever tells you that Muhammad saw his Lord, or concealed something which he
was commanded [to reveal], or knew the five things which Allah mentioned <Lo! Allah!
With Him is knowledge of the Hour. He sends down the rain [and knows that which is in the
wombs. No soul knows what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul knows in what land it will
die. Lo! Allah is Knower, Aware]> (31:34) HE HAS TOLD AN ENORMOUS LIE.
Rather, he saw Gibril, who he did not see in his actual form except twice:
once at the Lote-Tree of the Farthest Boundary (sidra al-muntaha) and once in Jiyad
[in Mecca], with his six hundred wings, he had filled the firmament." (Ibid.,
pp. 147-148; underline and capital emphasis ours)
Finally:
Ibn al-Qayyim in Zad al-Maad said:
The Companions differed whether the Prophet actually saw his Lord that night [of isra
and miraj] or not. It is authentically narrated from Ibn Abbas that the
Prophet saw his Lord, and also authentically related that Ibn Abbas said: "He
saw Him with his heart." It is also authentically related from Aisha and
Ibn Masud THAT THEY DENIED SUCH VISION, saying that Allahs words <And
verily he saw him, yet another time, at the Lote Tree of the Farthest Boundary>
(53:13) refer to Gibril. It is also authentically related from Abu Dharr that the latter
asked the Prophet: "Did you see your Lord?" and he replied: "[I saw] a huge
light, how could I see Him?" (nurun anna arah?). That is: light came in
between myself and His sight, as stated in the wording: "I saw light" (raaytu
nuran). Uthman ibn Said al-Darimi said that the Companions all agreed that the
Prophet did not see Him. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyya may Allah sanctify his soul!
said:
Ibn Abbass[sic] statement that "He saw Him" does not
contradict that claim, nor his statement that "He saw Him with his heart." For
it is also authentically related that the Prophet said: "I saw my Lord- glorified and
exalted is He!" However, the latter was not during the isra but in
Madina, when the Prophet was occupied and could not be with the Companions at the time of
the dawn prayer, after which he told them about his vision of Allah during his sleep at
night. It is on that evidence that Imam Ahmad based himself when he said: "Yes, he
saw him in reality (naam raahu haqqan), for the dream-vision of
Prophets are real." This is absolutely true, but Ahmad did not say that he saw Him
with the eyes of his head while awake. Whoever said that he did, is mistaken. Ahmad said
one other time: "He saw Him" and another time: "He saw Him with his
heart." These are two statements narrated from him on the issue. The third statement
whereby "He saw Him with the eyes of his head" comes from the free paraphrase of
some of his companions. Ahmads texts are present with us, and nowhere are such words
found in them. (Ibid., pp. 148-150; capital emphasis ours)
To summarize the confusion and contradictions:
Did Muhammad see Allah or did he see Gabriel?
Were Ibn Abbas and the majority of the people of Sunna correct that Muhammad did see his
lord?
Or were Aisha, Ibn Masud, Abu Hurayra, and Abu Dharr correct that it wasnt his
lord that he saw, but Gabriel?
Can a believer see Allah in this life whether in a vision and/or in a visible form?
Or can a person only know Allah from revelation, through a messenger, and/or behind a
veil where Allah remains hidden?
If Allah can be seen, then was Aisha wrong for quoting Suras 6:103 and 42:51 to prove
the contrary?
Or was Aisha correct that Allah cannot be seen, which means that Ibn Abbas and the
others were all liars (according to her own words) for teaching the contrary?
And if even those closest to Muhammad couldnt figure this out, but contradicted
each other, how can any Muslim expect to be able to settle this confusion?
