B U S I N E S S N A M E
Reflections
From the Glorious Qur’ān
I S S U E N O .
Will Allah be Seen in the Hereafter?
‫ِض ٌة (*) إ َِىل َرهبَا‬ َ ِ ‫ُو ُجو ٌه ي َ ْو َمئ ٍذ َّنا‬
‫ََّن ِظ َر ٌة‬
Some faces will be radiant on that day.
Looking toward their Lord.
POINTS TO (al-Qiyāmah [75]:22-23)
PONDER
UPON
In the year 260 A.H. in the town of
 What are the Basra, was born Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali bin
Isma’il al-Ash’ari - a direct descendent
main arguments
of the companion Abu Musā al-Ash’ari
that Abu al-
Hasan al-Ash’ari (the one who was responsible for the
makes regarding failed arbitration between the two
the possibility of sides in the battle of Siffin). Since the
seeing Allah in theology of the day was that of I’tizāl,
the hereafter? Abu al-Hasan sought his religious
training from the great Mu’tazili
 In what way can
teacher al-Jubbā’i and remained a
his arguments
follower of this school of thought for
be countered?
forty years of his life.
 What about It was around about they year 300
vision of the A.H. when he is said to have
heart? Can the
‘converted’ to another school of
heart not per-
thought. The story of his conversion
ceive Allah?
has varying narrations. During the
month of Ramadhān, he is said to have
seen the Prophet (s) thrice in visions,
telling him to adhere to the ‘True
Tradition’. Since then, he abandoned
the Mu’tazili school and became a
follower of Ahmad b. Hanbal but con-
tinued to use some rational arguments
in order to counter the position of the
Mu’tazilis.
Abu al-Hasan al-Ash’ari became the
founder of the Ash’ari tradition and
among his beliefs was the belief that
Allah will, as is evidently mentioned in
the Glorious Qur’an, be seen by hu-
man beings in the hereafter. He held
the view that the vision of Allah in the
next world is a reality, though we do
not understand the manner in which it
will take place.
1 6 1 5 T H J U L Y 2 0 0 9
One of the verses of the Qur’an which
he used to prove his position was this
goes against the apparent and evi-
dent meaning of the verse and there
verse. In two of his writings (al-Ibāna
‘an Usul al-Diyāna and al-Luma’) he
is no justification for adding this into
the meaning of the verse.
gives the following argument: In explaining the meaning of Q6:103
The word nadhar in Arabic language which is quite clear that Allah can-
can have four meanings: not be perceived by sight, al-Ash’ari
1) Nadhar al-I’tibār (observation
says that this is applicable only in
this world but not in the hereafter.
in order to learn) - as in the
Another argument that works out in
verse Q88:17
Ash’ari’s favor is the fact that Musā
2) Nadhar al-Intidhār (looking in (‘a) asked Allah to allow him to see
anticipation and waiting) - as in Him (Q7:143). If this was an impossi-
the verse Q36:49 ble prospect, how could a prophet
3) Nadhar al-Ta’attuf (looking of Allāh even make such a request?
with kindness and mercy) - as In response to the last point, we
in the verse Q3:77 find that Musā (‘a) only made this
4) Nadhar al-Ru’yah (looking to request at the behest of his people
who were persistent that he do so.
see something) - as in the case
As for the other arguments made by
of this verse.
al-Ash’ari, they are all based on one
In this verse, he argues, the meaning
main point and that is the premise
cannot be Nadhar al-I’tibār because
that Nadhar al-Intidhār is not used
the hereafter is not a place of observ-
in the Arabic language with the
ing in order to learn. The meaning, he
preposition ‘ilā’.
continues, cannot be that of Nadhar al
In his Tafseer al-Kashshāf, Zamakh-
-Intidhār because if this was the case,
shari gives more than one example
then it would not be used with the
of how Nadhar al-Intidhār is used
preposition ‘ilā’, as seen in this verse,
with ‘ilā’. One of the examples he
since Nadhar al-Intidhār is not used
gives is from the words of a young
with ‘ilā’ in the Arabic language. At the
destitute girl who would cry out in
same time, Nadhar al-Ta’attuf is out
the alleys of Makkah:
of the question since it is not possible
that the creation may look at the
creator with mercy and kindness. This
‫عيينىت نويظرة إىل ّاّلل و إليمك‬
My little eyes are looking in anticipa-
leaves us with only the forth meaning
tion at Allāh and at you
which is looking in the literal sense.
Once this premise is proven wrong,
In this way, Abu al-Hasan Ash’ari tries
all of al-Ash’ari’s subsequent argu-
to prove that Allah will be seen in the
ments too, lose all value. We then
hereafter, though he concedes that
come to the one of the possible
the exact details of how this will hap-
correct meanings of this verse which
pen are not known. And in response
is that the people of paradise will be
to those commentators who explain
looking with anticipation at the
this verse to mean that the inhabi-
Grace and Mercy of Allah and their
tants of paradise will look at the
faces will be radiant as a result of
‘reward’ or the ‘grace’ of their Lord,
what they will witness.
he says that this is something that