to her that the verse affirms that Muhammad saw his Lord; rather, they had to answer her argument.

The Judge then said: “This is indicated by the words of Allah Most High: ‘Then He revealed to His servant what He revealed’ (10) [al-Najm 10]—that is, He said to him what He said, without any intermediary or interpreter. ‘The heart did not deny what he saw’ (11) [al-Najm 11]. The apparent meaning thus implies that when the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, saw Allah Most High with his physical eyes on the night of the Ascension at the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary, his heart did not deny what he had seen with his physical eyes.”

Others besides the Judge have also cited this as evidence. But it may be said that His words, ‘The heart did not deny what he saw’ (11) [al-Najm 11], do not specify what was seen. He subsequently says: ‘He certainly saw some of his Lord’s greatest signs’ (18) [al-Najm 18]. The reports of Ibn Masʿūd and ʿĀ’ishah in the two Sahīh collections state that he saw Gabriel.

The Judge said: “This is also indicated by the report narrated to us by Abū al-Qāsim ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz