saw his Lord with his eyes, although He has said, “No vision can encompass Him” [al-Anʿām 103]. Rather, he saw Him with his heart, as indicated by His words, “The heart did not deny what it saw” (11) [al-Najm 11]. What he saw with his eyes was only the veil.’ She supported this with the words of the Most High:

“The sight did not waver, nor did it overstep. (17) He certainly saw some of his Lord’s greatest signs. (18)” [al-Najm 17-18].”

He said, “Thus, the two accounts reported from them—the statement of Ibn ʿAbbās and that of ʿĀ’ishah—are in agreement. Their statements establish that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, saw his Lord with his heart during the Night Journey.” He also said, “There is nothing objectionable or doubtful in this.”

I say: As for the unqualified reports from Ibn ʿAbbās, Anas, and other Companions and Successors, these too are numerous, as in the report transmitted by Ibn Khuzaymah: “ʿAbd al-Wahhāb ibn al-Hakam al-Warrāq, the righteous shaykh, narrated to us: Hāshim ibn al-Qāsim narrated to us, from Qays ibn