Al-Qādī then said: “What we have narrated from Ibn ʿAbbās is to be preferred to what has been narrated from ʿĀ’ishah, because Ibn ʿAbbās’s statement accords with that of the Prophet, may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him. The Prophet, may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him, affirmed that he saw Him that night. Moreover, Ibn ʿAbbās affirms it, and one who affirms takes precedence over one who denies. Ibn ʿAbbās could only have affirmed this on the basis of authoritative transmission, since there is no scope for analogical reasoning in this matter.”

I say: His preference for Ibn ʿAbbās’s statement, on the grounds that he affirms the occurrence and that such a statement can only be based on authoritative transmission, is a long-standing argument invoked by the imams and other scholars of hadith who affirm that Muhammad, may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him, saw his Lord. There is no doubt that, in matters of transmission, one who affirms takes precedence over one who denies, just as precedence has been given to Bilāl’s report that the Prophet, may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him, prayed inside the House over Usāmah’s statement