Did Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal See Allah in a Dream? — Reality or Fabrication
Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah, Vol. 3 – Issues of Tawheed and Sunnah, p. 61
It is narrated from Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal رحمه الله that he saw Allah in a dream and asked:
“Which act of worship is most beloved to You?”
Allah replied: “Reciting My Book.”
Is this narration authentic?
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ʾAmma baʿd:
This narration is false and not proven authentically from Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal رحمه الله.
Chain:
Abū al-Ḥasan Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan ibn Yaʿqūb ibn Maqsim → ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Aḥmad al-Nahāwandī → ʿAbdullāh ibn Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal → Imām Aḥmad
In this chain, Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Maqsim is the primary narrator:
Other problems:
Due to multiple discredited and unknown narrators, the narration is mawḍūʿ (fabricated).
“By My honour, I will honour the abode of Sulaymān al-Taymī.”
(Kitāb al-Thiqāt, Ibn Ḥibbān — authentic chain)
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah, Vol. 3 – Issues of Tawheed and Sunnah, p. 61
Question:
It is narrated from Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal رحمه الله that he saw Allah in a dream and asked:
“Which act of worship is most beloved to You?”
Allah replied: “Reciting My Book.”
Is this narration authentic?
Answer:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ʾAmma baʿd:
This narration is false and not proven authentically from Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal رحمه الله.
Analysis of the Cited Source
- Often quoted from Sharḥ al-ʿAqāʾid al-Nasafiyyah and its footnotes — both unsourced and unreliable works.
- Referencing such unsourced books is of no scholarly weight.
- A detailed refutation of Sharḥ al-ʿAqāʾid al-Nasafiyyah can be found in Shaykh Shams al-Dīn al-Afghānī’s al-Māturīdiyyah.
One Chain Reported in Historical Works
Chain:
Abū al-Ḥasan Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan ibn Yaʿqūb ibn Maqsim → ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Aḥmad al-Nahāwandī → ʿAbdullāh ibn Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal → Imām Aḥmad
In this chain, Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Maqsim is the primary narrator:
- Declared unreliable by al-Khaṭīb al-Baghdādī: “Outwardly displayed piety, but not trustworthy in ḥadīth.” (Tārīkh Baghdād, 4/429)
- Criticised by Ḥamzah ibn Yūsuf al-Sahmī, al-Dāraquṭnī, and others.
- Abū Nuʿaym: “Weak in ḥadīth.”
- Abū al-Qāsim al-Azharī: “He was a liar.”
Other problems:
- ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz al-Nahāwandī — no reliable authentication found.
- In Ibn al-Jazarī’s version, an additional narrator Abū Bakr al-Rāzī appears — also majhūl (unknown).
Conclusion on the Chain:
Due to multiple discredited and unknown narrators, the narration is mawḍūʿ (fabricated).
Important Clarifications
- The Prophet ﷺ seeing Allah in a dream:
Authentically reported (Tirmidhī: 3235 — Ḥasan Ṣaḥīḥ; also in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and Musnad Aḥmad). - Example of a Tabiʿī seeing Allah in a dream:
Ruqbah ibn Miṣqalah رحمه الله narrated that Allah said in his dream:
“By My honour, I will honour the abode of Sulaymān al-Taymī.”
(Kitāb al-Thiqāt, Ibn Ḥibbān — authentic chain)
Shariah Ruling on Dreams
- After the Prophet ﷺ, all dreams of the Ummah are ẓannī (non-conclusive).
- They cannot be used as independent Sharʿī proof.
- They may be cited as good tidings (bushrā) or moral encouragement, if supported by a sound or ḥasan chain.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
