`Aqida at-Tahawiyya - Shaykh al-Ninowy

http://detrimentalstatements.com/20...he-night-of-meraj-and-its-refutation/#more-52

 

During the Miraaj

Some scholars mentioned that the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam, might have seen
Allah, yet not with his eyes, and without a place, nor a “how”.

Yet the majority of the scholars believe that Allah cannot be seen, and that is what the Prophet,
sallallahu alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam, himself said.

The Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam, said in what Al-imam Muslim narrated in his saheeh vol. 1/161, by way of Abi Tharr, radiyallahu anhu, said:

عن أبي ذر قال: سألت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم هل رأيت ربك؟ قال “نور أنى أراه.
قلت : و النور هنا في حق الله تعالى لا تعني الضوء وانما تعني الهادي أو الرب الجبار الخالق جل جلاله
. لأن الله تعالى هوخالق الظلمات و النور فلا يوصف بشيئ مخلوق ومن وصف الله بمعنى من معاني
البشر فقد آفر.ليس آمثله شيء وهو السميع البصير.

This saheeh hadeeth means:
“Narrated by the Noble Sahabi, Abi Tharr, radiyallahu anhu, said: I asked the Prophet of Allah,
sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, Did you see your Lord? The Prophet replied: He is An-Noor, It is
impossobile to see Him!!”

So the prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam, explicitly and clearly states that he did not see
Allah, because Allah Ta’ala, cannot be seen.
One important to be clearified here is the response of the Prophet, that Allah is An-Noor.

Know, may Allah keep us steadfast on the correct path of truth, that when Allah is ascribed with An-
Noor, it does mean light. Whosoever believes that Allah is light, has departed from the fold of Islam,
and became a blasphemer.

Light is a creation of Allah. Allah Ta’ala said in Surat Al-An’aam (6), ayah 1:

Now back to the Al-Mi’raaj and the alleged vision. Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim narrated in their
Saheeh, 8/606, and 1/159 respectively, by way of Masrooq said:

عن مسروق قال:
قلت لعائشة رضي الله عنها: يا أمتاه، هل رأى محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم ربه؟ فقالت: لقد قف شعري مم ا
قلت، أين أنت من ثلاث، من حدثكهن فقد آذب: من حدثك أن محمدا صلى الله عليه وسلم رأى ربه فقد
آذب، ثم قرأت: {لا ترآه الأبصار وهو يدرك الأبصار وهو اللطيف الخبير}. {وما آان لبشر أن يكلمه الله إلا وحيا أو من وراء حجاب}. ومن حدثك أنه يعلم ما في غد فقد آذب، ثم قرأت: {يا أيها الرسول بلغ م ا
أنزل إليك من ربك}. الآية، ولكنه رأى جبريل عليه السلام في صورته مرتين.

The meaning of this saheeh hadeeth is:
{“by way of Masrooq, he said: I told (the Lady) Aisha, radiya Allahu anha: O’ mother, did
Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, see his Lord? She said: my hair has chilled (goose
bumps) from what you just said. Where you are from three things whosoever tells you of then has
surely lied to you; whosoever tells you that Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam, saw
his Lord, then he has lied, then she recited the ayah 103 from Surat Al-An’aam (6):

“He cannot be seen, but Surely He sees”.
And she also recited the ayah 51 in Surat Ashura (42)

 

I think the subject of vision in the Dunya is exactly what the Shaykh (dba) mentioned according to the Maturidi/Ash'ari classical texts.
I have heard some Sufi scholars though mentioning the vision in the Dunya and accepting it.
But thats the beauty with scholars, may Allah bless them all. One does not have to agree with everything, as long as it is facilitated by the hadith and Qur'an.
Imam Suyuti said in his famous quote: " It is a lofy greatness for a scholar to have most of his sayings correct".

 

Assalamu ‘Alaikum Sidi,

Sorry for my ignorance, but I always understood that the ‘vision’ of Allah was ‘impossible’ for anyone except our beloved Prophet sallalLahu ‘alaihi wa sallam in this temporary world? Wasn’t that the reason why Sayyiduna Musa ‘alaihis salam fainted?

Can any knowledgeable brothers let me know what is the position of the Ahlus Sunnah (Ma’turidi and/or Ash’ari) regarding this issue?​

Much appreciated.

<O
Ma’salam.​

 

:s1:
Thank you for posting this generally excellent series of lectures. Very beneficial although one thing which surprised me and i do not agree with the Shaykh, respectfully, is his opinion that the stories about various awliya e.g. Imam e Azam having seen Allah in dreams are fabricated and impossible although right now on yanabi.com there is a talk by Shaykh Sayyid Muhammad al Yaqoubi in which he restates the position which I was always taught to believe that some Awliya HAVE had visions of Allah in dreams e.g. Imam Abu Hanifa and Imam Suyuti.