Darʾ Taʿâroud al-ʿAql wa-n-Naql - Ibn Taimiya - (8/42)

In the Sahih, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, is reported to have said:

“Know that none of you will see his Lord until he dies.”

We have discussed the question of seeing Allah at length elsewhere. We explained that the statements transmitted from Imam Ahmad and other imams accord with what is established from Ibn ‘Abbās: one may say, “He saw Him with his heart,” or, “He saw Him with his inmost heart.” As for specifying that this vision was with the eyes, that is not established from either Ibn ‘Abbās or Ahmad.

The report in the Sahih states:

“Abū Dharr asked the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, ‘Have you seen your Lord?’ He replied, ‘Light—how could I see Him?’”

Ahmad also narrated, through his chain of transmission from Abū Dharr, that the Prophet saw Him with his inmost heart. Ahmad relied on Abū Dharr’s statement because Abū Dharr had asked the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, about this very matter and received his answer. He therefore understood best what the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, meant by his answer. Thus, the established report that he saw Him with his inmost heart clarifies the intended meaning.

وفي الصحيح عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أنه قال: «واعلموا أن أحداً منكم لن يرى ربه حتى يموت» . وقد بسطنا الكلام على مسألة الرؤية في غير هذا الموضع، وبينا أن النصوص عن الإمام أحمد وأمثاله من الأئمة هو الثابت عن ابن عباس من أنه يقال: رآه بقلبه، أو: رآه بفؤاده. وأما تقييد الرؤية العين فلم يثبت، لا عن ابن عباس ولا عن أحمد. والذي في الصحيح «عن أبي ذر أنه سأل النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم هل رأيت ربك؟ قال: نور أنى أراه» !. وقد روى أحمد بإسناده عن أبي ذر أنه رآه بفؤاده، واعتمد أحمد على قول أبي ذر لأن أبا ذر سأل النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم عن هذه المسألة، وأجابه - وهو أعلم بمعنى ما أجابه به النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، فلما ثبت أنه رآه بفؤاده، دل ذلك على مراده.