Tha‘lab say, concerning His words—

“And He is ever Merciful to the believers”;

“Their greeting on the Day they meet Him will be, ‘Peace’”—

that the scholars of Arabic unanimously agree that meeting here can only mean seeing directly with one’s own eyes.’”

As for the first group, some of them maintained that the Quranic evidence that the believers will see their Lord is not His saying:

“Their greeting on the Day they meet Him will be, ‘Peace.’”

Rather, the evidence lies in other verses, such as His words:

“Faces that Day will be radiant, looking at their Lord”;

“For those who do good is the best reward—and more”;

“Indeed, the righteous will be in bliss, on couches, looking on”;

and “They will have whatever they wish therein, and with Us is more”;

and other such verses.

Among the strongest evidence cited by those who affirm this vision is the report recorded by Muslim in his Sahīh, from Suhayl ibn Abī Sālih, from his father, from Abū Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:

“People asked Allah’s Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, ‘O Messenger of Allah, will we see our Lord on the Day of Resurrection?’

He replied, ‘Do you have any difficulty seeing the sun at noon when no clouds obscure it?’

They said, ‘No, O Messenger of Allah.’

He said, ‘Do you have any difficulty seeing the moon on the night of the full moon when no clouds obscure it?’

They said, ‘No, O Messenger of Allah.’

He said, ‘By Him in whose Hand is my soul, you will have no more difficulty seeing your Lord than you have seeing either of them.’

He continued, ‘Then He will meet the servant and say, “O so-and-so, did I not honour you? Did I not make you a leader? Did I not give you a wife? Did I not subject horses and camels to you, and leave you to rule and take a quarter of the spoils?”

The servant will say, “Yes, my Lord.”

He will say, “Did you think that you would meet Me?”

He will say, “My Lord, no.”

He will say, “Today I will forget you just as you forgot Me.”

Then He will meet the second and say, “Did I not honour you? Did I not make you a leader? Did I not give you a wife? Did I not subject horses and camels to you, and leave you to rule and take a quarter of the spoils?”