Al-Asharī (1) said:
“All the corporealists (2), with only a few exceptions (3), affirm (4) that Allah will be seen, although some who do not espouse corporealism also affirm it.”
I say: As for the Companions, the Followers, and the imams of Islam recognized for their leadership in religion—such as Mālik, al-Thawrī, al-Awzāī, al-Layth ibn Sad, al-Shāfiī, Ahmad, Ishāq, Abū Hanīfa, Abū Yūsuf, and others like them—as well as all the people of the Sunnah (5) and hadith, and the groups affiliated (6) with the Sunnah and the Muslim community, such as the Kullābiyya, the Ashariyya, the Sālimiyya, and others, they all agree that Allah, Most High, will be seen. The hadiths concerning this are mass-transmitted from the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—according to those well versed in his hadiths.
[The reports concerning it are likewise mass-transmitted from the Companions and those who faithfully followed them. Imam Ahmad and other imams who were knowledgeable about the positions of the early generations stated that the Companions and those who faithfully followed them unanimously agreed that Allah will be seen with the eyes in the Hereafter. They also unanimously agreed that no one sees Him with his own eyes in this world. They differed on this point only with regard to our Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—specifically: some denied that he saw Him with his eyes in this world, while others affirmed it. I have set out these positions and the evidence of both sides at length elsewhere. The purpose here is to report the consensus of the early generations on affirming the vision