Seeing Allah in Paradise The Messenger (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said, “When the inhabitants of Paradise enter Paradise, Allah will say to them, ‘Do you want Me to give you anything more?’ They will reply, ‘Have You not made our faces bright? Have You not brought us into Paradise and moved us from Hell?’ Allah will then remove the Veil and they will feel that they have not been awarded anything dearer to them than looking at their Lord.” [Sahih Muslim] Commentary: The blessings which Allah bestows upon His slaves cannot be counted. Allah has singled out the believers for additional blessings in this world, as He has blessed them with Islam, and chosen them to be guided by the Qur’an, and He will bless them exclusively in Paradise with the greatest blessing that He can bestow, which is the honour of looking upon His holy Face in Paradise, as He says (interpretation of the meaning): “Some faces that Day shall be Naadirah (shining and radiant). Looking at their Lord (Allah)” [al-Qiyaamah :22-23] i.e., the faces of the believers will be beautiful and radiant, joyful because they are looking at the Face of their Lord. Al-Hasan (may Allah have mercy upon him) said: “They will look at their Lord and their faces will become radiant with His Light.” It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbaas (radi Allahu anhu) said: “[The phrase] ‘Some faces that Day shall be Naadirah (shining and radiant)’ means, because of the blessing. ‘Looking at their Lord’ means, looking upon the Face of their Lord.” This is the opinion of the mufassireen (commentators on the Qur’an) among the scholars of the Sunnah and Hadith. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “There they will have all that they desire and We have more (for them, i.e. a glance at the All-Mighty, All-Majestic” [Qaaf 50:35] What is meant by “more” here is looking upon the Face of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, as that was interpreted by ‘Ali and Anas ibn Maalik (radi Allahu anhum). Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “For those who have done good is the best reward and even more (i.e. having the honour of glancing at the Countenance of Allah)” [Yoonus 10:26] The “best reward” is Paradise, and “even more” is looking upon the Face of Allah, as that was explained by the Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam), as was narrated by Muslim in his Sahih from Suhayb (radi Allahu anhu), according to whom the Prophet (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “When the people of Paradise enter Paradise, Allah will say, ‘Do you want anything more?’ They will say, ‘Have You not brightened our faces, admitted us to Paradise and saved us from Hell?’ Then the veil will be lifted and they will not have seen anything more dear to them than looking upon their Lord, may He be glorified and exalted. This is what is meant by ‘even more.’” Then he recited the verse (interpretation of the meaning): “For those who have done good is the best reward and even more (i.e. having the honour of glancing at the Countenance of Allah)” [Yoonus 10:26] So once you know that the people of Paradise will not be given anything there that is more dear to them than looking upon the Face of their Lord, it will become clear to you just how great is the deprivation and loss that awaits the sinners whom Allah warns with the words (interpretation of the meaning): “Nay! Surely, they (evil doers) will be veiled from seeing their Lord that Day” [al-Mutafiffoon 83:15] We ask Allah to keep us safe and sound. How beautiful are the words of Imam al-Shaafa’I (may Allah have mercy upon him), which were narrated from him by ar-Rabee’ ibn Sulaymaan (may Allah have mercy upon him) – who was one of his students – who said: “I was with Muhammad ibn Idrees [i.e., al-Shaafa’i], who had received a letter from Upper Egypt in which it said, ‘What do you say about the aayah, “Nay! Surely, they (evil doers) will be veiled from seeing their Lord that Day” [al-Mutafiffoon 83:15]?’ Imam Al-Shaafa’i (may Allah have mercy upon him) said: ‘Because they will be veiled by the wrath (of Allah), this indicates that the friends of Allah will see Him because He is pleased with them.’” This is some of the evidence from the Qur’an which proves that the believers will see their Lord in Paradise. With regard to the evidence in the Sunnah, there is a great deal of it. For example: 1. Al-Bukhari and Muslim narrated from Abu Hurayrah (radi Allahu anhu) that some people said: “O Messenger of Allah, will we see our Lord on the Day of Resurrection?” The Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said, “Do you doubt that you see the moon on the night when it is full?” They said, “No, O Messenger of Allah.” He (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said, ‘Do you doubt that you see the sun when there is no cloud?” They said, “No, O Messenger of Allah.” He (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said, “You will see Him likewise…” According to a report narrated by Al-Bukhari: “you will not have any doubts or disputes concerning seeing Him,” and seeing Him will not cause you any hardship or make you tired. And Allah knows best. [Summarised from Sharh Muslim] 2. Also in al-Saheehayn (Al-Bukhari and Muslim), it is narrated that Jareer ibn ‘Abd-Allah (radi Allahu anhu) said: “We were sitting with the Prophet (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam), looking at the moon on the night of the fourteenth (of the month). He said, ‘You will see your Lord with your own eyes just as you are looking at this (moon), without any doubt that you are seeing Him.’” The comparison in this Hadith is between seeing and seeing, i.e., just as we see the sun in all clarity on a cloudless day, and no one prevents anyone else from seeing it despite the large numbers of people looking at it, and just as we see the moon completely on the night when it is full, and we see it so clearly, despite the large numbers of people who are looking at it, so too the believers will see their Lord on the Day of Resurrection, so fully and clearly. But there is no comparison in the ahadith between what is seen in one case and the other, may Allah be exalted far above such a thing, for there is nothing like unto Allah, and He is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing. 3. Al-Bukhari and Muslim narrated from Abu Musa (radi Allahu anhu) that the Prophet (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “Two gardens of silver, their vessels and everything in them, and two gardens of gold, their vessels and everything in them. And there will be nothing between the people and their seeing their Lord, may He be blessed and exalted, except the veil of pride concealing His Face in the Paradise of ‘Adan.” The ahadith about seeing Allah were narrated by nearly thirty Sahaabah (radi Allahu anhum). Whoever learns them will have certain knowledge that the Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said them. So whoever claims after this that no one will see Allah in the Hereafter is rejecting the Qur’an and the message with which Allah sent His Messengers, and he is exposing himself to the stern warning mentioned in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning): “Nay! Surely, they (evil doers) will be veiled from seeing their Lord that Day” [al-Mutafiffoon 83:15] We ask Allah to keep us safe and sound, and we ask Him to bestow upon us the joy of looking upon His Holy Face. Ameen! And Allah knows best!
Posted on: Sun, 22 Sep 2013 04:15:32 +0000
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