Did Rasulullah ﷺ See Allah? — Clarification from Ahadith and Sayings of the Companions
Source: Fatawa ʿUlama-e-Hadith
❖ Question
Did Rasulullah ﷺ see Allah? Some people claim that Rasulullah ﷺ saw Allah and they present the following narration as proof:
"Do you find it strange that Ibrahim عليه السلام was taken as a Khalil, Musa عليه السلام was honored with speech, and Muhammad ﷺ was granted the vision?"
(al-Mustadrak lil-Hakim 1/133; Sunan al-Nasa’i al-Kubra 6/472, Tafsir)
❖ Answer
الحمد لله، والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله، أما بعد!
This statement is not the saying of Rasulullah ﷺ but the statement of ʿAbdullah ibn ʿAbbas رضي الله عنهما. He was of the opinion of ru’yah bil-fu’ad (seeing with the heart). Even if the narration “Ra’aytu Rabbī” is accepted as authentic, it means seeing Allah ﷻ with the heart, as Ibn ʿAbbas رضي الله عنهما himself explained:
- بفؤادہ (with his heart)
- بقلبہ (with his heart)
Thus, Rasulullah ﷺ saw his Lord with the vision of the heart. (Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Iman, Bab Maʿna Qawl Allah Taʿala: Walqad ra’ahu nazlatan ukhra)
This does not contradict the verse:
﴿لَّا تُدْرِكُهُ الْأَبْصَارُ وَهُوَ يُدْرِكُ الْأَبْصَارَ ۖ (١٠٣)﴾ (al-Anʿam: 103)
"Vision perceives Him not, but He perceives all vision."
◈ View of Hafiz Ibn Kathir رحمه الله
In his Tafsir of Surah al-Najm, Ibn Kathir رحمه الله wrote:
Ibn ʿAbbas mentioned the vision in general, but it is restricted to seeing with the heart. Whoever narrated that he saw Allah with his eyes has erred, as no authentic narration from the Companions supports it. Imam al-Baghawi mentioned that some said Rasulullah ﷺ saw Allah with his eyes (such as Anas, Hasan, and ʿIkrimah), but this view is weak. Allah knows best.
◈ Statement of ʿA’ishah رضي الله عنها
Masruq asked her: “Did Muhammad ﷺ see his Lord?”
She replied:
- “Your words make my hair stand on end.”
- “Whoever claims that Muhammad ﷺ saw his Lord has lied.”
Then she recited:
﴿لَّا تُدْرِكُهُ الْأَبْصَارُ وَهُوَ يُدْرِكُ الْأَبْصَارَ ۖ (١٠٣)﴾ (al-Anʿam: 103)
And:
﴿وَمَا كَانَ لِبَشَرٍ أَن يُكَلِّمَهُ اللَّـهُ إِلَّا وَحْيًا أَوْ مِن وَرَاءِ حِجَابٍ (٥١)﴾ (al-Shura: 51)
She added:
- Whoever claims the Prophet ﷺ knew the unseen of tomorrow has lied.
- Whoever claims he hid part of revelation has lied.
And she concluded:
“Rather, Muhammad ﷺ saw Jibril عليه السلام twice in his true form.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Tafsir Surah al-Najm; Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Iman)
◈ The Incident of Kaʿb and Ibn ʿAbbas رضي الله عنهما
Kaʿb said: “Allah divided between Musa and Muhammad ﷺ: Musa spoke with Allah twice, and Muhammad ﷺ saw Allah twice.”
Masruq asked ʿA’ishah رضي الله عنها, and she again denied it, affirming that Rasulullah ﷺ only saw Jibril عليه السلام in his true form twice—once near Sidrat al-Muntaha and once in Makkah—with six hundred wings. (Tirmidhi, Tafsir Surah al-Najm, Hadith 3278)
◈ Other Reports
- Ibn ʿAbbas رضي الله عنه recited: ﴿مَا كَذَبَ الْفُؤَادُ مَا رَأَىٰ﴾ (al-Najm: 11), explaining that Rasulullah ﷺ saw Allah with the eye of the heart. (Tirmidhi, Tafsir)
- Abu Dharr رضي الله عنه asked: “O Messenger of Allah, did you see your Lord?” He ﷺ replied: “He is light; how could I see Him?” (Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Iman; Tirmidhi, Tafsir)
◈ Summary
- In this world, no human can see Allah with physical eyes.
- Rasulullah ﷺ saw Allah with the vision of the heart.
- The claim of seeing Allah with the eyes is not authentically established from the Companions.
- In the Hereafter, the believers in Jannah will see Allah ﷻ, as confirmed in authentic Ahadith.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
