nor does He address anyone or speak. No one beholds Him in this world or the Hereafter. He is not described by any attribute or act, has neither limit nor end, and cannot be apprehended by reason.” He quoted the remainder of his statement, which we have transcribed earlier, continuing until he said: “At that point, it became clear to some people that they affirm nothing, but merely ward off condemnation by what they profess publicly.” He then quoted the rest of the passage.

The point is that he explained that describing Him as imperceptible to any of the senses is the foundation of his argument, which necessarily entails negation, and that he affirms nothing, since anything so described would be nothing.

This is firmly rooted in the believers’ innate disposition: they do not doubt that Allah Most High is able to show Himself to them. Their only doubt concerns whether this will happen or not. Thus, the believers asked the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, “Will we see our Lord on the Day of Resurrection?” He replied, “Yes. Do you have any difficulty seeing the sun?” This is established in authentic, widely transmitted hadiths that reach the level of mass transmission. Their doubt concerned only whether they would see their Lord; they did not doubt His ability to show Himself to them. Likewise, concerning the Hereafter, they know that they are powerless to see Him, just as they are powerless to