He—may Allah Most High have mercy on him—was asked:

What is meant by “meeting Allah, glorified is He”? He describes the humbly submissive as being assured of it in His words:

“Those who are certain that they will meet their Lord and that to Him they will return.”

He commands the God-fearing to know it in His words:

“Fear Allah and know that you will meet Him.”

He gives glad tidings to the patient who acknowledge it when calamity strikes, and indicates to those who hope for it that its appointed time will surely come, saying:

“Whoever hopes to meet Allah—indeed, the time appointed by Allah is surely coming.”

It is also frequently mentioned in the words of the foremost of the messengers, in numerous hadiths, such as his words in supplication:

“Meeting You is true,”

and his words:

“Whoever loves to meet Allah, Allah loves to meet him; and whoever hates to meet Allah, Allah hates to meet him”—to the end of the hadith.

Is the statement of some Quran commentators correct that this requires an omitted expression, understood as “the recompense of their Lord” or something similar, on the grounds that meeting cannot truly be ascribed to Allah Most High, so that its apparent meaning is impossible, something other than its apparent meaning must be intended, and a particular interpretation must therefore be adopted? Or does it have no need of this, since such a meeting is possible in itself?

How can we conceive of loving One whom we neither know nor behold? How can we yearn for Him, our hearts long for Him, and prefer Him over everything else that we know and that our hearts are accustomed to—things that bring us immediate benefit and pleasure we already experience?