The Book of Affirming the Believers’ Vision of Allah, Mighty and Majestic

Muhammad ibn al-Husayn, may Allah have mercy on him, said: Praise be to Allah for His gracious beneficence and His unceasing blessings—the praise of one who knows that his gracious Master loves to be praised. To Him belongs all praise in every circumstance. May Allah bless Muhammad the Prophet and his Companions. Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best Disposer of affairs.

To proceed: Allah Most High—exalted is His remembrance and holy are His names—created His creatures as He willed and for whatever purpose He willed, making some wretched and others blessed. As for the people of wretchedness, they disbelieved in Allah Almighty, worshipped others besides Him, disobeyed His messengers, and rejected His scriptures. He caused them to die in that state. They are tormented in their graves; on the Day of Resurrection they will be veiled from looking upon Allah Most High; they are bound for Hell, where they will pass from one kind of torment to another, keeping company with devils and abiding therein forever.

As for the people of blessedness, they are those for whom the finest reward from Allah had already been decreed. They believed in Allah alone, associated nothing with Him, and confirmed their words through their deeds. He caused them to die in that state. They are granted bliss in their graves, given glad tidings at the Gathering, and, at the place of standing, they will look upon Allah Most High with their own eyes. Thereafter, they will proceed to Paradise, delight in its bliss, embrace its fair, wide-eyed maidens, and be served by youthful attendants. They will abide forever near their gracious Master, visit their Lord Most High in His abode, and take delight in looking upon His noble Face. They will speak to Him and be honored by Allah Most High greeting them and bestowing peace upon them.

“That is Allah’s bounty, which He grants to whomever He wills. Allah is the Lord of immense bounty.” [al-Hadīd: 21]

If an ignorant person devoid of knowledge objects—or one of these members of the Jahmiyya who have not been granted sound guidance, with whom Satan has toyed, and who have been deprived of divine aid—and says, “Will the believers see Allah on the Day of Resurrection?” he should be told, “Yes, and praise be to Allah Most High for that.”

If the Jahmī says, “I do not believe this,” he should be told, “You have disbelieved in Allah Almighty.” If he asks, “What is the proof?” he should be told, “Because you have rejected the Quran, the Sunnah, the statements of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, and the statements of the Muslim scholars; you have followed a path other than that of the believers and have become one of those concerning whom Allah Most High said:

“Whoever opposes the Messenger after guidance has become clear to him and follows a path other than that of the believers, We shall leave him to what he has chosen and burn him in Hell—what an evil destination!” [al-Nisā: 115]

As for the Quran’s explicit evidence, it is the saying of Allah Most High:

“On that Day some faces will be radiant, looking upon their Lord.” [al-Qiyāma: 23]

Allah Most High also informed us that the disbelievers will be veiled from seeing Him, saying—exalted is His remembrance:

“No indeed! On that Day they will surely be veiled from their Lord. Then they will surely enter the Blaze. Then it will be said, ‘This is what you used to deny.’” [al-Mutaffifīn: 15]

This verse thus indicates that the believers will look upon Allah and will not be veiled from seeing Him, as an honor bestowed upon them by Him.

Allah Most High also said:

“For those who do good there is the finest reward, and even more.” [Yūnus: 26]

It has been narrated that “even more” means looking upon Allah Most High.

Allah Most High also said:

“And He is ever merciful to the believers. Their greeting on the Day they meet Him will be, ‘Peace!’ And He has prepared for them a noble reward.” [al-Ahzāb: 43]

Know—may Allah have mercy on you—that according to scholars of the Arabic language, the meeting mentioned here necessarily entails direct beholding: Allah Most High sees them and they see Him; He greets them and speaks to them, and they speak to Him.

Muhammad ibn al-Husayn said: Allah Most High said to His Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him:

“We have sent down the Reminder to you so that you may make clear to people what has been sent down to them, and so that they may reflect.” [al-Nahl: 44]

Among what he explained to his community concerning these verses was his informing them in more than one hadith: “You will indeed see your Lord Most High.” A number of his Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, narrated these reports from him, and the scholars received them from the Companions with the fullest acceptance. Just as they accepted from them the teachings concerning ritual purification, prayer, zakat, fasting, pilgrimage, jihad, and what is lawful and unlawful, so too did they accept from them the reports that the believers will see Allah Most High, without doubting this. They then said, “Whoever rejects these reports has disbelieved.”