When Allah chose selected human beings as His messengers, the obvious query that came to their mind was who is Allah and how does He look like? Even today, many non Muslims ask this question from Muslim scholars: Why Does Not Allah Show Himself in Islam?
Let us answer this question in the light of Qur'an. Surah 7. Al A'raf that mentions the meeting Allah with Prophet Musa (Moses, may peace be upon him) atop the Mt. Sanai and the revered Prophet asked Allah to show Him to him. The Divine reply is mentioned in verse 143 as mentioned herein under:
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
"In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful"
وَلَمَّا جَآءَ مُوۡسٰى لِمِيۡقَاتِنَا وَكَلَّمَهٗ رَبُّهٗ ۙ قَالَ رَبِّ اَرِنِىۡۤ اَنۡظُرۡ اِلَيۡكَ ؕ قَالَ لَنۡ تَرٰٮنِىۡ وَلٰـكِنِ انْظُرۡ اِلَى الۡجَـبَلِ فَاِنِ اسۡتَقَرَّ مَكَانَهٗ فَسَوۡفَ تَرٰٮنِىۡ ۚ فَلَمَّا تَجَلّٰى رَبُّهٗ لِلۡجَبَلِ جَعَلَهٗ دَكًّا وَّخَرَّ مُوۡسٰى صَعِقًا ۚ فَلَمَّاۤ اَفَاقَ قَالَ سُبۡحٰنَكَ تُبۡتُ اِلَيۡكَ وَاَنَا اَوَّلُ الۡمُؤۡمِنِيۡنَ
(7:143) And when Moses came at Our appointment, and his Lord spoke to him, he said: 'O my Lord! Reveal Yourself to me, that I may look upon You!' He replied: 'Never can you see Me. However, behold this mount; if it remains firm in its place, only then you will be able to see Me.' And as soon as his Lord unveiled His glory to the mount, He crushed it into fine dust, and Moses fell down in a swoon. And when he recovered, he said: 'Glory be to You! To You I turn in repentance, and I am the foremost among those who believe.'
When Prophet Musa (Moses) asked to see Allah, a profound and awe-inspiring event took place that highlighted the transcendence and incomparability of Allah. This incident is mentioned in the Quran in Surah Al-A'raf (7:143), where it is narrated that Musa requested to see Allah directly. Here’s a detailed account of what happened according to the Quran:
Explanation of the Event:
- Musa's Request to See Allah: Prophet Musa, who had been granted the honor of speaking directly to Allah (hence known as "Kalimullah," or the one who spoke to Allah), was filled with a desire to see Allah with his own eyes. In his deep longing and devotion, he made a humble request: "My Lord, show me [Yourself] that I may look at You."
- Allah’s Response: Allah responded to Musa by saying, "You will not see Me," indicating that it is impossible for any human being to see Allah in this worldly life due to their limited capacity and the overwhelming nature of Allah's essence. Allah's being is beyond physical form and cannot be perceived by the human eye.
- The Test with the Mountain: To illustrate the impossibility of seeing Him, Allah set a condition: He directed Musa to look at a nearby mountain. Allah said, "Look at the mountain; if it remains in place, then you will see Me." This statement implied that the mountain, a massive and solid structure, would serve as a test to demonstrate the immense and overpowering nature of even a glimpse of Allah’s presence.
- The Manifestation and the Collapse: When Allah manifested a tiny fraction of His glory to the mountain, the mountain could not withstand it and instantly crumbled to dust. The sheer magnitude of Allah’s presence caused a tremendous upheaval, demonstrating that even the most solid and steadfast parts of creation cannot bear His manifestation.
- Musa’s Reaction:
- Upon witnessing this, Musa was overwhelmed by the majesty and power of the event. He fell unconscious from the awe and shock of the sight. When he regained consciousness, Musa immediately recognized the limits of human capacity and the majesty of Allah.
- He exclaimed, "Exalted are You! I have repented to You, and I am the first of the believers." This was an acknowledgment of Allah’s greatness, his own limitations, and a reaffirmation of his faith and submission to Allah’s will.
Key Lessons from the Incident:
- Allah’s Transcendence and Majesty:
- The event emphasizes Allah’s absolute transcendence, indicating that His essence is beyond any form that creation can endure or perceive. Even the slightest glimpse of Allah's glory was enough to demolish a mountain, showing the limits of human and worldly capacity.
- Islam teaches about Emphasis on Allah’s Immanence and Transcendence and that Allah is both close to His creation and entirely beyond it. His presence is known through His signs, guidance, and the effects of His will rather than through physical appearance.
- Surah Qaf (50:16): "And We have already created man, and We know what his soul whispers to him, and We are closer to him than [his] jugular vein." That is Allah’s closeness is not a physical proximity but a spiritual and metaphysical nearness that transcends physical form.
- Humility and Recognition of Limitations: Musa’s reaction underscores the importance of humility and recognition of one’s own limitations when approaching the divine. Despite being a prophet with a special status, Musa understood that certain aspects of Allah’s nature are beyond human comprehension.
- Allah is Beyond Human Perception: Allah’s nature is beyond anything that human beings can comprehend or visualize. He is not like His creation and does not conform to the physical attributes that characterize created beings.
- Surah Ash-Shura (42:11): "There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing."
- This verse emphasizes the uniqueness and incomparability of Allah. Since He is unlike anything in existence, He cannot be perceived in any form that human senses could comprehend.
- Faith in the Unseen:
- The incident reinforces the Islamic principle of faith in the unseen. Allah’s existence and attributes are known through His signs, revelations, and prophets, rather than through physical sight. Believers are encouraged to have faith in Allah’s presence without needing to see Him physically.
- Faith in the unseen is a foundational aspect of a Muslim’s relationship with Allah. Believing in Allah without seeing Him tests and strengthens the believer's sincerity, trust, and devotion.
- Surah Al-Baqarah (2:3): "[This is] the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of Allah, who believe in the unseen..."
- Avoiding Idolatry and Misrepresentation
- One reason why Allah does not manifest Himself physically is to prevent any possibility of idolatry or the worship of forms. Islam strictly prohibits any depiction or representation of Allah to maintain the purity of monotheism (Tawhid).
- Surah Al-Ikhlas (112:1-4): "Say, 'He is Allah, [who is] One, Allah, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born, nor is there to Him any equivalent.'"
- By not showing Himself, Allah ensures that He remains beyond all forms and likenesses, preserving the concept of absolute monotheism.
- Allah’s Compassion in Teaching: Allah’s response to Musa was not a punishment but a compassionate teaching moment. It allowed Musa and, by extension, all believers to understand the profound reality of Allah’s nature in a way that respects human limitations while still affirming His unparalleled power.
- Reward of the Hereafter
- The ultimate reward for believers is the vision of Allah in the Hereafter, an experience that is promised to those who attain Paradise.
- Hadith: The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “You will see your Lord on the Day of Resurrection as you see the full moon; you will have no difficulty in seeing Him.” (Sahih Bukhari)
- This Hadith suggests that the vision of Allah is reserved for the Hereafter as a reward for the righteous, providing a powerful motivation for faith and obedience in this life.
- However, this grace will be only for those who are rewarded the highest level of Jannah, that is Jannah tul Firdous.
In the light of the above verse and its explanation, we can safely conclude that Allah does not show Himself in Islam because His nature is beyond human perception, and His invisibility serves as a test of faith. The belief in the unseen strengthens the believer’s trust in Allah and reinforces the core principles of monotheism. Allah’s presence is known through His signs, guidance, and attributes, and the ultimate reward of seeing Him is reserved for the Hereafter. This approach preserves the purity of worship and ensures that Allah remains unique, transcendent, and free from any form of misrepresentation or idolatry.
You may now like to listen to Dr Zakir A Naik explaining Why Does Not Allah Show Himself in Islam?:
As explained by Dr Zakir Naik, only those lucky ones will be able to see Allah who enter the highest level of Jannah, called Jannah tul Firdous. This means the those residing in lower levels of Jannah will be devoid of this honour. This thus gives the reason why Allah doesn't show himself is that he wants us to work hard in the unseen and believe in Allah and His commandments and live a life as perfectly as so commanded and try to endure every test that comes our way with steadfastness and Sabr / patience. Allah wants us to work hard into making our faith stronger in Allah, Islam or anything else in our lives. And if we pass all our tests be remaining steadfast, let us pray to be awarded an abode in Jannah tul Firdous and be a contender of seeing Allah, In sha Allah.
Reading the Holy Quran should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully.
An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs of the Holy Qur'an from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that:
- The plain translation has been taken from the Holy Quran officially published by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. [3]
- And the exegesis of the chapters of the Holy Quran are basically based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi. [1]
- In addition the references of other sources which have been explored have also been given above. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites.
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