“(Some) faces, that day, will be radiant. Looking towards their lord.” (Qur’an 75:22-23)
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May Allah (swt) reward brother Assad, the servant of Allah (swt) who did the translation from our noble Shaykh and teacher.
From his book “Bughyat al-Rāqī fī Sharḥ Khulāṣat al-Marāqī” By Shaykh Rashid bin Salim Al-Busafi (h)
The Impossibility of Seeing Allah (SWT): Evidences and Analysis.
1. Qur’anic Evidence: The Permanence of Non-Perception
Surah al-An’am 6:103
{لَّا تُدْرِكُهُ الْأَبْصَارُ وَهُوَ يُدْرِكُ الْأَبْصَارَ وَهُوَ اللَّطِيفُ الْخَبِيرُ}
“Vision perceives Him not, but He perceives [all] vision; and He is the Subtle, the Acquainted.”
- Linguistic Analysis:
- “لَا” (Lā al-Nāfiyah): Implies permanent negation (“visions do not and will never perceive Him”).
- “الْأَبْصَارُ” (Al-Abṣār): Plural of baṣar (vision), emphasizing all types of sight fail to perceive Him.
- Divine Contrast: Allah’s complete perception of creation vs. creation’s inability to perceive Him underscores His transcendence.
- Context: The verse is a declarative praise, not a reproach, confirming Allah’s incomparability.
Surah al-A’raf 7:143: The Case of Prophet Musa (AS)
{قَالَ لَن تَرَانِي}
“[Allah] said, ‘You will never see Me.'”
- “لَن” (Lan) vs. “لَا” (Lā):
- “لَن”: Stronger negation, implying eternal impossibility (not just in this world but also the Hereafter).
- Context: A rebuke to the demand for visual perception, linked to the Israelites’ disbelief (Qur’an 2:55).
- The Mountain’s Destruction:
- Allah’s tajallī (manifestation) to the mountain reduced it to dust, proving physical creation cannot endure His manifestation.
- Logical conclusion: If a mountain cannot withstand Allah’s presence, how could human vision perceive Him?
3. Linguistic and Theological Principles
A. Meaning of “Idrāk” (الإدراك):
- Literally: “To catch up/comprehend fully” (e.g., “أدركته بيدك” = “You grasped it with your hand”).
- In the Qur’an: Used for complete perception, not mere sight (e.g., “إِنَّا لَمُدْرَكُونَ” [7:38] = “We are overtaken”).
B. The Three Parts of Ayah 6:103:
- Negation of Perception (لَّا تُدْرِكُهُ الْأَبْصَارُ).
- Allah’s Full Perception (وَهُوَ يُدْرِكُ الْأَبْصَارَ).
- Divine Attributes (وَهُوَ اللَّطِيفُ الْخَبِيرُ).
- “Al-Laṭīf”: The Subtle (beyond physical perception).
- “Al-Khabīr”: The All-Aware (knows creation’s limitations).
C. Muqābala (Contrastive Rhetoric):
- The juxtaposition of “لَّا تُدْرِكُهُ الْأَبْصَارُ” and “وَهُوَ يُدْرِكُ الْأَبْصَارَ” emphasizes asymmetry: Creation’s incapacity vs. Allah’s omnipotence.
Refutation of “Seeing Allah in the Hereafter”
A. Qur’an 75:22-23: {وُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ نَّاضِرَةٌ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهَا نَاظِرَةٌ}
- “نَاظِرَةٌ” (Nāẓirah): Does not necessarily mean “seeing”:
- Alternate meanings: “Awaiting” (e.g., Qur’an 3:77: “وَلَا يَنظُرُ إِلَيْهِمْ” = “He will not look upon them”).
- Context: Contrast between radiant faces (awaiting mercy) and gloomy faces (fearing punishment).
- The correct meaning is confirmed through the context it has been mentioned in, so the Al Nathar (النظر) comes with the meaning of waiting even if it was preceded by (Ila) إلى
“Indeed, those who exchange the covenant of Allah and their [own] oaths for a small price will have no share in the Hereafter, and Allah will not speak to them or look at them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He purify them; and they will have a painful punishment.” (Qur’an 3:77)
So is it said that, those who sell out Allah’s covenant and their own oaths for a small price, is it said that Allah doesn’t see them in the Akhira?!
This Ayah came in the context of describing the day of judgment, and the day of gathering to be exact. And that’s by the proof of its context {{On that Day ˹some˺ faces will be bright,() Awaiting the mercy of their lord ()And ˹other˺ faces will be gloomy,() ا ِض َرةٌ ُو ُجوهٌ َيْو َمِئٍذ } {.in anticipation of something devastating ن )22ٰ )ى َّ لَ ِإ َنا ِظ َرةٌ )23ِ )إ َرِّب َها َت ن ُظ َبا ِس َرةٌ )24ُّ )ن َوُو ُجوهٌ َيْو َمِئٍذ َأ َع َل َأ ُيف َها ْ ِ ٌرة َقِفا َب { so if (Nathira) (ناظرة (was of the meaning of seeing then it won’t be except on that day; because he described that by saying (on that day) (ذٍيومئ (and those who differ with us they have not agreed on it happening on the gathering, add to that, the ayah came with the style of comparison between two types of faces, so these are radiant, happy, waiting for the mercy of its lord, while the others are contorted and gloomy expecting what will break their backs from punishment. So, it’s in pity waiting for it to come. Add to that that the description by faces in this ayah means the known organ which the feelings appear on. What is in the soul. What the soul is feeling will be expressed on the face. As the contentment and happiness can be identified through his face, and fearful and frightened can also be identified by his face, and the face organ is not the organ responsible for seeing.
B. Hadith of the “Two Gardens”:
- Claim: The ridā’ al-kibriyā’ (Cover of Majesty) is the only barrier to seeing Allah.
- Rebuttal:
- The “barrier” is an eternal attribute of Allah’s majesty, not a temporary veil.
- Asserting its removal implies Allah changes His essence, which is impossible.
C. Theological Absurdity:
- If seeing Allah were possible, it would necessitate:
- Spatial limitation (violating His transcendence).
- Change in divine attributes (e.g., “pride” being removed).
5. Critique of Pro-Visual Perception Arguments
A. Misinterpretation of “نَاظِرَةٌ”:
- Error: Assuming it means “seeing” despite contextual evidence to the contrary.
- Qur’anic Precedent: “وَلَا يَنظُرُ إِلَيْهِمْ” (3:77) cannot mean “He does not see them,” as Allah is All-Seeing.
B. Anthropocentric Fallacy:
- Claiming “seeing Allah is the ultimate reward” reduces worship to physical gratification, contrary to the Qur’an’s emphasis on spiritual nearness (e.g., “قُرْبًا إِلَى اللَّهِ” [3:45]).
C. Quotes from Classical Scholars:
- Ibn al-Qayyim’s Attribution to al-Shafi’i:“If Muhammed ibn Idris [al-Shafi’i] knew he would not see his Lord in the Hereafter, he would not have worshipped Him.”
- Rebuttal: This contradicts the Qur’anic principle that worship is due to Allah’s lordship, not contingent on visual perception.
This is not acceptable to us. It is as if one links to Imam al-Shafi’i the belief of the Atheist!
And they hold that seeing Allah is the thing that made Allah the Exalted worthy to be worshiped, and that if he Allah Tabaraka wa Ta’ala was not seen in the Akhira then he was not worthy to be worshiped in this dunya, and to you some of what they said: we find ibn Al Qayyim links to Imam Shafi’e that he said “if Mohammed bin Idrees did not known that he won’t see his lord in the akhira then he wouldn’t have worshiped him” and he said “I oppose ibn Aliyyah in everything even in saying La Illaha Illa Allah, as I say: la Illaha Illa Allah that can be seen in the akhira, and he says: La Illaha Illa Allah that cannot be seen in the Akhira…” and in another narration he said “ If Mohammed ibn Idrees was not certain that he’ll see Allah Azza Wa Jal he wouldn’t have worshiped him”. And this is talk that makes bodies grasp, and minds flabbergasted, as this is the Quran within our hands, we do not find that that the worship of Allah the Exalted was conditioned in any position of it with seeing him swt!! This is the belief of the Atheist!
You may see for yourself!
Conclusion
- Qur’an 6:103 and 7:143 definitively negate the possibility of seeing Allah in any form.
- Linguistic, contextual, and theological analysis confirms “نَاظِرَةٌ” refers to awaiting divine reward, not visual perception.
- The idea of “seeing Allah” contradicts His transcendence, immutability, and incomparability.
Final Note: Worship is grounded in acknowledging Allah’s perfection, not in physical encounters.
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