Did the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him see Allah in his dream or physically?
The Mi’rāj was a physical journey in a wakeful state and the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وصحبه وسلم) saw Allah ta’ala “with his physical eyes.” The verses, Aĥadīth and quotes of the scholars are many. We mention few below:
Qur’ān
1. “Purity is to Him Who took His bondman in a part of the night from the Sacred Mosque to the Aqsa Mosque around which We have placed blessings, in order that We may show him Our great signs; indeed he is the listener, the beholder.”
[Surah al-Isrā:1]
2. “So Allah divinely revealed to His bondman, whatever He divinely revealed. The heart did not deny, what it saw.”
[Surah Al-Najm: 10-11]
Aĥadīth
1. The Prophet of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وآله وصحبه وسلم) said, “I saw my Sublime Creator.”
[Muşannaf of Aĥmad Ibn Ĥanbal]
2. “Verily, Almighty Allāh blessed Sayyidunā Mūsā (عليهم السلام), with the privilege of dialogue and bestowed me with his Divine Vision and exalted me with the Crown of Intercession and the Fountain of Kauthar.”
[Kanz al-Ummāl]
3. The Beloved of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وآله وصحبه وسلم) states, “My Glorious Lord said to me, ‘I gave My friendship to Ibrāhīm (عليهم السلام), and spoke to Mūsā (عليهم السلام), and O Muĥammad (صلى الله عليه وآله وصحبه وسلم)! I blessed you with My Meeting (where you saw My Divine Being without any obstacles)’.”
[Tārīkh al-Damishq al-Kabīr]
4. Sayyidunā ‘Abdullāh Ibn ‘Abbās rađiyAllāhu ánhumā said, “We, the Banū Hāshim, say that undoubtedly, Sayyidunā Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وآله وصحبه وسلم) saw Allāh twice.
[Tirmidhī]
5. Sayyidunā ‘Abdullāh Ibn ‘Umar (rađiyAllāhu ánhumā) inquired from Sayyidunā ‘Abdullāh Ibn ‘Abbās (rađiyAllāhu ánhumā) to find out whether the Prophet of Allāh saw Allāh. He replied saying, “Yes.”
[Al-Durr al-Manthūr]
Scholars
1. Imām al-Ţabarī states: “Mi’rāj was done with both body and soul. If a person says that it was only soul who did the Mi’rāj or it was only a dream then this will be an insignificant charge.
If it were so then what would be the evidence of prophet hood in it?
How can one name it as a miracle of Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وصحبه وسلم)?
Why did the disbelievers of Makkah refuse to accept it because everything is possible in dream?
They actually argue on the possibility of completing a journey of months in little part of night.
In the above verse the Almighty said, ‘carried His bondman’ not ‘carried His bondman’s soul’
‘Abd’ is a composite of both body and soul.”
[Jāmi al-Bayān]
2. Imām Muammar (rađiyAllāhu ánhu) narrates from Imām Ĥasan al-Başariī who swore an oath in the Name of Allāh that the Prophet of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وآله وصحبه وسلم) positively saw his Creator. [al-Shifā]
3. Imām Shi’hāb al-Khafājī writes: “The most correct and pure decision is that the Prophet of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وآله وصحبه وسلم) on the night of Mi’rāj saw Allāh with his naked eyes as it is the decision and consensus of the illustrious Saĥāba.
[Nasīm al-Riyāđ]
4. Imām Aĥmad al-Qasţalānī writes: “It was the exclusivity of the Beloved Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وصحبه وسلم) that he saw Almighty Allāh with his physical eyes in wakefulness and this is the preferable Madhab (creed)…”
[al-Mawāhib al-Ladunniya]
Allah knows best.
Answered by Mawlana Mohamed Husein Qadri
