Seeing Allah according to the Qur’an

Some have falsely asserted that it will be possible to see Allāh ﷻ in the afterlife as a reward for believers (i.e. the so-called ‘Beatific Vision’ doctrine). However, this misunderstanding is incompatible with a number of Qur’ānic verses, Allāh’s ﷻ absolute transcendence, and the understanding of the scholars of the Ahl al-Bayt ﷺ and others from the Salaf.

The main verse that is adduced in support of those who favour a literal رُؤْيَة (vision) is, ‘faces, on that Day, will be radiant, looking to their Lord’ (Qur’ān 75:22–23). As for the part of the verse that says, ‘looking to their Lord’, the assertion that has been levelled by some proponents of the aforementioned doctrine is that the verse in question must be interpreted literally because the verb ‘looking’ (نَاظِرَةٌ) is followed with the particle ‘to’ (إِلَى). But this argument lacks any real basis, as a simple matter of fact, because the phrase ‘looking to’ (نَاظِرَةٌ إِلَى) was used figuratively by the Arabs at the time to connote such concepts as ‘expectation’ and ‘anticipation’. The classical dictionary, Lisān al-‘Arab, states that one can say to someone from whom they expect something, *‘I only look to Allāh (يَنْظُرُ إِلَى اللهِ), and then to you’.*⁶²

Similar usages can also be found in lines of classical poetry. For instance, Ḥasan b. Thābit, a poet and Companion of the Prophet ﷺ, said, *‘some faces at Badr were looking at (نَاظِرَاتٍ إِلَى) the Most Gracious, waiting for success’.*⁶³ Another poet, al-Nābighah al-Dhubiyānī (d. 48 BH), once said, *‘I looked at you (نَظَرْتُ إِلَيْكَ) for a favour that you never performed’.*⁶⁴ Similarly, the poet Jamil b. Ma‘mar (d. 82 AH) said, *‘verily, I look to you (إِلَيْكَ نَاظِرٌ) for what you promised as the impoverished looks to the rich and prosperous’.*⁶⁵
This same figurative interpretation of the verse is also attributed to Mujāhid b. Jabr (from the Salaf), as reported in al-Ṭabarī’s Tafsīr, via numerous chains of transmission.⁶⁶

One verse that can be used as evidence to prove that Allāh ﷻ cannot be seen is, ‘vision does not reach Him; rather, He reaches all vision. He is the All-Subtle, the All-Aware’ (Qur’ān 6:103). This proves categorically that Allāh ﷻ cannot be seen or perceived with our eyes, as the use of the specific Arabic words used, i.e. ‘vision’ (أَبْصَار) and ‘reach’ (يُدْرِكُ), have no metaphorical or allegorical alternatives in this case. This is in contrast to the verse in Sūrah al-Qiyāmah, which contains the word ‘looking’ (نَاظِرَةٌ) and is thus open to both literal and figurative interpretation.

Proponents of the Beatific Vision doctrine, though, have asserted that Qur’ān 6:103 only applies to the vision we possess in this world. However, as such a specification is absent from the verse itself, it is therefore rejected.

A second verse that proves the impossibility of the Vision involves Allāh ﷻ saying to Mūsā ﷺ, ‘you shall never (لَنْ) see Me’ (Qur’ān 7:143). This verse serves as explicit proof that Allāh ﷻ will be seen in neither this world nor the hereafter, as the negative particle ‘never’ (لَنْ) is used, which indicates a negation in the future tense.

Now, proponents of this doctrine raise the objection that, if it were truly impossible for Allāh ﷻ to be seen, then Mūsā ﷺ would never have asked. But the response to this is that Mūsā ﷺ was merely asking on behalf of his people, the proof for which is in the verse, ‘verily, they asked Mūsā for something greater than that! They said, “show us Allāh clearly!” So, the thunderbolt seized them’ (Qur’ān 4:153). Consequently, Mūsā ﷺ was not seized by the bolt, which shows that he did not ask on his own behalf.

In summary, a figurative interpretation of this verse is preferred over a literal reading for several reasons. First, this interpretation remains in accordance with the Arabic language while also precluding any contradictions with other verses of the Qur’ān that prohibit seeing Allāh ﷻ. Second, it maintains the transcendence of Allāh ﷻ insofar as He is not confined to created space and does not consist of an image, body, or form. Third, all of the verses that are used by those in support of the Beatific Vision doctrine have been interpreted figuratively by at least some of the Salaf. Lastly, this approach is narrated as having been that of the Imāms of the Prophetic Household, upon them be peace.

Footnotes

⁶² Ibn Manẓūr, Lisān al-‘Arab, 7:73.
⁶³ Abū Bakr Muḥammad b. al-Ṭayyib al-Bāqillānī, Tamhīd al-Awā’il wa Talkhīṣ al-Dalā’il (Beirut: Muʾassasah al-Kutub al-Thaqāfiyyah, 1987), 312.
⁶⁴ Al-Nābighah al-Dhubiyānī, Dīwān al-Nābighah al-Dhubiyānī (Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah, 1996), 108.
⁶⁵ Abū al-‘Abbās Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Ibrāhīm b. Khallikān, Wafayāt al-A‘yān (Beirut: Dār Ṣādir, 1972), 1:367.
⁶⁶ Al-Ṭabarī, Tafsīr, 23:508.