Belief of the Pious Predecessors: Affirmation of the Vision of Allah on the Day of Judgment
Source: Fatāwā Arkān al-Islām
❖ Question
What is the belief of the pious predecessors (salaf ṣāliḥīn) regarding the vision of Allah? And what is the ruling about one who says that Allah cannot be seen with the eyes, and that the vision of Allah means only “perfect certainty”?
❖ Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
◈ Qur’anic Proof of the Vision of Allah
The Qur’an explicitly mentions the vision of Allah on the Day of Judgment:
﴿وُجوهٌ يَومَئِذٍ ناضِرَةٌ ﴿٢٢﴾ إِلى رَبِّها ناظِرَةٌ ﴿٢٣﴾
(Sūrah al-Qiyāmah: 22–23)
Translation:
“On that Day, some faces will be radiant, gazing at their Lord.”
- Here, Allah attributed “seeing” to the faces, and the faculty of sight in the face is the eyes.
- Thus, it is proven that on the Day of Judgment, the believers will see Allah with their eyes.
- However, seeing Allah does not mean encompassing Him, for Allah says:
﴿وَلا يُحيطونَ بِهِ عِلمًا﴾ (Sūrah Ṭāhā: 110)
“And they cannot encompass Him with knowledge.”
﴿لا تُدرِكُهُ الأَبصـرُ وَهُوَ يُدرِكُ الأَبصـرَ وَهُوَ اللَّطيفُ الخَبيرُ﴾ (Sūrah al-Anʿām: 103)
“Vision perceives Him not, but He perceives all vision, and He is the Subtle, the All-Aware.”
Thus, believers will see Allah without encompassing Him.
◈ Consensus of the Salaf
- The consensus of the salaf is that the believers will be granted the vision of Allah on the Day of Judgment.
- They considered this the greatest blessing for a servant in the Hereafter.
- The Prophet ﷺ used to supplicate:
«اَسْأَلُكَ لَذَّةَ النَّظْرِ اِلَى وَجْهِكَ»
(Sunan al-Nasā’ī, al-Sahw, Ḥadīth 1306; Musnad Aḥmad 5/191)
“I ask You for the delight of gazing upon Your noble Face.”
This duʿā’ is clear evidence that seeing Allah is a great blessing, granted only to those favored by Allah’s mercy.
◈ Refuting the Claim that Vision Means “Perfect Certainty”
- The claim that Allah cannot be seen with the eyes, and that ru’yah means only “perfect certainty,” is false and contrary to evidence.
- Even in this world, perfect certainty exists, as the Prophet ﷺ said:
«الأحسان اَنْ تَعْبُدَ اللّٰهَ کَاَنَّکَ تَرَاهُ فَاِنْ لَّمْ تَکُنْ تَرَاهُ، فَاِنَّهُ يَرَاکَ»
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Īmān, Ḥadīth 50; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitāb al-Īmān, Ḥadīth 8)
Translation:
“(Iḥsān is) that you worship Allah as though you see Him; and though you do not see Him, He surely sees you.”
- Here, the concept of iḥsān refers to a spiritual state of certainty in worship, not to seeing Allah.
- Thus, to reduce ru’yatullāh to “perfect certainty” is a distortion of Qur’anic and Sunnah texts, and a deviation from their true meaning.
Conclusion
- The vision of Allah is true, and the consensus of the salaf affirms it.
- On the Day of Judgment, believers will see Allah with their eyes, though not encompassing Him.
- To claim that ru’yah means only “perfect certainty” is false, contradictory to Qur’an, Sunnah, and the consensus of the salaf.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
