is clear from what the Quran indicates and what has been transmitted from the early generations. Moreover, most hadiths concerning “seeing Allah” explicitly mention only the believers seeing Him; no explicit text stating that the disbeliever will see Him has reached them; and they have found that unqualified references to seeing Him have come to signify the utmost honour and the highest bliss.

As for those who affirm this vision, whether generally or with distinctions, I have already explained their grounds for being excused. They say that His words:

“No! Indeed, they will be veiled from their Lord that Day.”

refer to the veiling that follows the reckoning. For one may say, “I have barred so-and-so from my presence,” even though some form of seeing occurred before that exclusion. This veiling is general and uninterrupted, and it is this veiling that distinguishes them from the believers. For He, glorified and exalted, will manifest Himself to the believers on the gathering grounds of the Resurrection after the disbelievers have been veiled from Him, as the hadiths cited earlier indicate. Then He will manifest Himself to them in Paradise, both generally and particularly, continually, forever and without end.

They also say that the statements of the early generations accord with what is in the Quran. Furthermore, this form of “seeing,” which encompasses all creatures, may be a lesser form, unlike the “seeing” reserved exclusively for believers. For “seeing” takes forms so vastly different that its two extremes can scarcely be defined.

There are rules of conduct that must be observed here. Among them is that anyone who refrains from discussing this question and does not advocate any position may not lawfully be shunned, even if he holds one of the two views. For even with religious innovations graver than this, only those who promote them are shunned, not those who remain silent. This case is therefore all the more deserving of such restraint.