Ahl al-Sunnah wa-al Jama’ah has presented numerous reasons and evidence to prove the vision of Allah Almighty in the Hereafter, which are based on the verses of the Holy Quran and the Prophetic Hadiths. They believe that the vision of Allah Almighty for the believers in the Hereafter is a fixed truth without need for interpretation. In this section, we will mention some of their most important reasons.
A) Quranic Verses
1. «وُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ نَاضِرَةٌ إِلَى رَبِّهَا نَاظِرَةٌ» (Faces on that Day will be fresh [and bright], looking at their Lord.) Imam Fakhruddin Razi, may Allah have mercy on him, states in his commentary on this verse: “The meaning of ‘looking at their Lord’ is that they will indeed look at their Lord, and not at anything else, because the preposition used here indicates limitation.”
2. «لِلَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا الْحُسْنَى وَزِيَادَةٌ» (For those who do good, there is goodness [Paradise] and increase [in it].) Imam Qurtubi, may Allah have mercy on him, supports this meaning by writing: “The Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, said in explaining this verse: ‘Goodness means Paradise, and increase means meeting Allah.’ This interpretation has been narrated from Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq, Hazrat Ali ibn Abi Talib, Huzayfah, Ubadah ibn Samit, Ka’b ibn ‘Ajrah, Abu Musa al-Ash’ari, Suhaib, and Ibn Abbas, may Allah have mercy on them.”
3. «قَالَ رَبِّ أَرِنِي أَنْظُرْ إِلَيْكَ» (My Lord, show me Your face so that I may look at You.) This verse describes the request of Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) to see Allah Almighty. The Sunnis argue that: “The prophets (peace be upon them) are infallible, and it is unlikely that they would ask for something impossible. Therefore, the request by Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) to see Allah indicates that it is indeed possible.”
4. «كَلَّا إِنَّهُمْ عَنْ رَبِّهِمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ لَمَحْجُوبُونَ» (No, that is not what they think; they will be deprived of [meeting] their Lord on that Day.) Imam Shafi’i (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “When the disbelievers are deprived of seeing their Lord, the opposite meaning implies that the believers will enjoy this blessing.”
5. «فَمَنْ كَانَ يَرْجُو لِقَاءَ رَبِّهِ فَلْيَعْمَلْ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا وَلَا يُشْرِكْ بِعِبَادَةِ رَبِّهِ أَحَدًا» (So whoever hopes to meet his Lord should do righteous deeds and not associate anyone with his Lord.) Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, wrote in his commentary on this verse: “Meeting the Lord in this verse refers to seeing Allah Almighty on the Day of Judgment, which the believers will experience.”
B) Prophetic Hadiths
1. Jarir bin Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated: “One day we were with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. He looked at the moon on the night of the fourteenth and said: ‘You will see your Lord just as you see this moon, and you will not be disturbed in seeing Him.’”
2. In a hadith narrated by Hazrat Suhaib (may Allah be pleased with him), the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “When the people of Paradise enter Paradise, Allah the Almighty will say to them: ‘Do you desire anything more than this?’ They will reply: ‘Our Lord, did You not make our faces white? Did You not admit us to Paradise and save us from the Fire?’ Then the curtain will be lifted, and they will see their Lord, and there will be no blessing greater for them than seeing Allah.” They will then recite the verse: «لِلَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا الْحُسْنَى وَزِيَادَةٌ» (“For those who do good and increase.”)
3. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The best blessing in Paradise is the vision of Allah, the Almighty.” (In this hadith, “Hosni” means Paradise, and “ziyada” means seeing Allah, the Almighty.)
These verses and hadiths clearly indicate that the believers will see Allah, the Exalted, on the Day of Judgment. The vision of Allah is the greatest blessing and honor that Allah has ordained for the believers.
C) The Consensus (Ijma) of the Ummah
The consensus of the noble Sahaba and scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah throughout history emphasizes the possibility of seeing Allah, the Exalted, in the Hereafter. They all agree that the believers will see their Lord clearly in Paradise.
1. Imam Ibn Khuzaymah (may Allah have mercy on him) stated: “The people of the Qiblah, including the Sahaba, the Tabe’een, the Followers of the Tabe’een, and the scholars who came after them up to our time, have no disagreement, doubt, or hesitation regarding the fact that the believers will see their Lord openly.”
2. Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) wrote: “The Sahaba, the Followers, and the great Imams of Islam known for their leadership in the religion, such as Malik ibn Anas, Thawri, Awza’i, Layth ibn Sa’d, Shafi’i, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Ishaq ibn Rahawiyyah, Abu Hanifa, Abu Yusuf, and other Sunni scholars and muhaditheen, all agree on the proof of seeing Allah Almighty in the Hereafter. Moreover, the hadiths that confirm this matter have reached the level of tawatur.”
3. Imam Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) writes in his commentary on Sahih Muslim: “The view of all Sunnis is that seeing Allah the Almighty is intellectually possible and that there is no transformation in it. They are united in their belief that believers will see their Lord on the Day of Resurrection, while disbelievers will be deprived of this blessing.”
4. Abu Shammah (may Allah have mercy on him) writes in Dhu’l-Sari’ Ila Ma’rifat Ru’yah al-Bari: “The Sunnis are unanimous that Allah the Almighty will be seen with the eyes in the Hereafter.”
5. Imam Ash’ari (may Allah have mercy on him) writes in his Kitab al-Ibaanah ‘an-Usool al-Diyanah: “It has been narrated from the Sahaba of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that the eyes will see Allah the Almighty in the Hereafter. None of them has denied this issue; therefore, the consensus of the Ummah on the possibility of seeing Allah in the Hereafter is firm, although there are differences regarding seeing Him in this world.”
D) Sayings of the Scholars
1. It was narrated from Hazrat Ikrimah (may Allah be pleased with him) that Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) was asked: “Will everyone who enters Paradise see his Lord?” He responded: “Yes, they will.”
2. Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “On the Day of Resurrection, the servants will look towards Allah Almighty with their own eyes.”
3. Wahab (may Allah have mercy on him) remarked: “If I were given the choice between seeing Allah Almighty and Paradise, I would definitely choose seeing Allah Almighty.”
4. Imam Shafi’i (may Allah have mercy on him) stated: “Whoever denies seeing Allah Almighty deserves to be deprived of this blessing.”
Note: The sayings of scholars on this subject are numerous. What has been mentioned here are examples from prominent scholars. For further study, refer to detailed sources on this topic.
E) Rational Reason
From a rational perspective, seeing Allah Almighty is possible because:
1. The Existence of Allah Almighty: Seeing is possible only for that which exists; seeing the non-existent is rationally impossible. Allah Almighty has absolute existence; therefore, seeing Him is rationally possible.
2. The Rule of Sight: Whoever can see can also be seen. Allah Almighty states in the Quran: «أَلَمْ يَعْلَمْ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ يَرَى» (Did he not know that Allah sees him?) and also: «الَّذِي يَرَاكَ حِينَ تَقُومُ» (He who sees you when you stand up.) Therefore, just as Allah sees all visible things, seeing Him is also possible.
