❖ The Issue of the Prophet ﷺ Seeing Allah ❖
Source: Fatawa Ulama-e-Hadith, Volume 09
Question
Did the Messenger of Allah ﷺ see Allah? Some individuals claim that he ﷺ saw Allah and present narrations such as:“In Sunan al-Nasāʾī, it is narrated from ʿIkrimah that Ibn ʿAbbās (رضي الله عنه) said: Do you find it astonishing that Allah made Ibrāhīm (عليه السلام) His friend, spoke directly to Mūsā (عليه السلام), and granted Muḥammad ﷺ the honor of seeing Him?”
(Al-Mustadrak of Al-Ḥākim, Sunan al-Nasāʾī al-Kubrā)
✔ Answer
This statement is not from the Prophet ﷺ himself but from ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās (رضي الله عنه), who believed in vision through the heart (رؤيت قلبی). If the narration “رَأَيْتُ رَبِّي” is accepted as authentic, it refers not to physical sight, but to spiritual vision through the heart, as Ibn ʿAbbās (رضي الله عنه) clarified that the Prophet ﷺ saw Allah with his heart. (Muslim: Kitāb al-Īmān)✿ Clarification from the Qur'an
The noble verse states:﴿لَا تُدْرِكُهُ الْأَبْصَارُ وَهُوَ يُدْرِكُ الْأَبْصَارَ﴾
("Vision perceives Him not, but He perceives all vision.") (Al-Anʿām: 103)
This confirms that Allah cannot be seen with the physical eyes, supporting the understanding that this vision was one through the heart.
✦ View of the Companions
Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Kathīr (رحمه الله) explains in his Tafsīr of Sūrat al-Najm that if any narration mentions the Prophet ﷺ seeing Allah, it must be understood as vision of the heart.There was disagreement among the companions:
❖ Some stated that the Prophet ﷺ saw Allah with his heart.
❖ Others denied the possibility of physical sight in this world.
✦ View of Sayyidah ʿĀʾishah (رضي الله عنها)
When Masrūq (رحمه الله) asked her, “Did Muḥammad ﷺ see his Lord?” she replied:“It is incorrect to say that he ﷺ saw Allah with his physical eyes,” and she cited the verse:
﴿لَا تُدْرِكُهُ الْأَبْصَارُ﴾ (Al-Anʿām: 103)
She further clarified that the Prophet ﷺ saw Jibrīl (عليه السلام) in his true form twice, not Allah. (Bukhārī: Kitāb al-Tafsīr)
✦ Other Companions' Opinions
Ibn ʿAbbās (رضي الله عنه) said the Prophet ﷺ saw Allah with his heart, not with his eyes.When Abū Dharr (رضي الله عنه) asked the Prophet ﷺ, “Did you see your Lord?” he replied:
“He is Light—how could I see Him?” (Muslim: Kitāb al-Īmān)
✔ Conclusion
From these narrations and Qur'anic verses, it is evident that:◈ Seeing Allah with physical eyes in this world is not possible.
◈ Vision through the heart (رؤيت قلبی) is affirmed by some companions.
◈ In the Hereafter, the righteous in Paradise will be blessed with seeing Allah, as confirmed in authentic Hadiths. (Bukhārī: Kitāb al-Tawḥīd)
وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
