Allama Iqbal has said:
Explanation: Age of unveiling is upon us and beholding Allah will become conventional. Now, the time has come that masses behold the grandeur of this vision. As, once Sufis were silent both inwardly and verbally about the topic of Divine vision. The seal of silence kept it hidden but not any longer. The age of beholding the Divine vision in silence is gone. Now the entire world will become a witness of the Divine vision.
The grandest blessing of this entire universe is to behold Allah. In fact, this is the sole reason for the creation of man.
Allah Almighty says in a Qudsi Hadith:
کُنْتُ کَنْزًا مَخْفِیًا فَاَحْبَبْتُ اَنْ اُعْرَفَ فَخَلَقْتُ الْخَلْقَ
Why have Vision of Allah?
It is not possible to recognize Allah without beholding Him. Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani has said,
“The one who claims to worship Allah Almighty without beholding him is a hypocrite”.
It is indeed true that one can see Allah, however, this is possible only by Divine love. Moreover, spiritual endeavours and favour of the perfect spiritual guide must also accompany the seeker. As Allah Almighty has declared this blessing in the Holy Quran:
فَاَیْنَمَا تُوَلُّوْا فَثَمَّ وَجْہُ اللّٰہ
Meaning: wherever you turn your attention you will see the Face of Allah. (2: 115)
Furthermore, Allah declared admonition for those who remain deprived of it.
وَمَنْ کَانَ فِیْ ھٰذِہٖٓ اَعْمٰی فَھُوَ فِی الْاٰخِرَۃِ اَعْمٰی
Meaning: And whoever is blind (to the vision of Allah) in this (world) will remain blind in the hereafter as well. (17: 72)
Is it Possible to Have Vision of Allah?
Allah Almighty will be present before man on the Day of Judgement. However, a man’s biggest deprivation will be if he would not be able to behold or recognize Him. As he needs spiritual eyes to have Divine vision. Most importantly, man need to accomplish Allah’s proximity and vision in this world. As what we sow here is what we shall reap in the hereafter. Those whose spiritual eyes remain closed here will remain closed in the hereafter as well. The following Hadiths are also a proof that vision of Allah is possible.
Proof of possibility of Divine Vision in Hadiths
The following Hadiths are also a proof that vision of Allah is possible.
- Jarir ibn Abdullah narrated: Holy Prophet said, “Time is near when you will see Allah with your eyes.”(Bukhari 7435)
- On another occasion, Jarir ibn Abdullah related: Once we were in the company of the Holy Prophet on the night of full moon. He looked at the moon and said, “You will certainly see your Lord as you see this moon, and you will have no trouble and difficulty in beholding Him”. (Bukhari 4851)
- Abu Hurairah related that the Prophet Mohammad said, “If a man attains the knowledge of vision of Allah and then uses it to gain worldly benefit will be deprived of even the whiff of fragrance of paradise on the Day of Judgement.” (Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal 8438)
- Abu Sa’id al-Khurdi narrated that the Prophet Mohammad said, “You will certainly see your Lord. The Companions inquired, O Prophet! Is it really possible for us to see Allah? Prophet Mohammad responded, “Do you experience any difficulty in seeing the midday sun?” The Companions replied, “No”. He continued, “Do you experience any trouble in seeing the full moon of the fourteenth night? They answered, “No”. Thus, he affirmed, “Likewise, you will have no problem in seeing Allah.’ (Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal 11137)
- Abdullah ibn Abas said, “Do you like this that Allah befriend Abraham, converse with Prophet Moses and grants his vision to the Prophet Mohammad. (Mustadrak 216)
Three Ways of Attaining Vision of Allah
Sultan Bahoo says:
Beholding Allah and attaining to the level of Divine closeness is justified according to the Quran and Hadith. Allah can be seen in three ways based on the Divine favour;
- Firstly, it is justified to see Allah in dream. The dream which is like a seclusion to have unveiled vision and closeness of Allah. It is called the dream of Divine light and during it Allah blesses the beholder with Divine observations and vision in the state of presence.
- Secondly, one can see Allah during meditation which is like death (halting of physical senses and awakening of internal ones). Such a meditation takes the meditator to the court of Allah Almighty.
- Thirdly, it is also justified to see Allah visibly in such a way that the body of the beholder is in physical world and soul is at the station of no station.
All these levels of Divine vision are a great blessing and beneficence which are bestowed only by the perfect spiritual guide. (Nur-ul-Huda Kalan)
اسمِ اللہ رہبر است ہمراہ تو
جز لقا دیگر مبیں دیگر مجو
Denier of Vision of Allah
Sultan Bahoo says about the denier of vision of Allah:
ہر کہ منکر از خدُا دیدارِ شدُ
اُمت نبویؐ نہ باشد خوار شدُ
Quotes Providing Evidence of Divine Vision
Umar ibn Khattab says:
رَأَی قَلْبِیْ رَبِّیْ بِنُوْرِ رَبِّیْ
Meaning: My heart saw Allah through His light (i.e. Divine light of Ism-e-Allah Zaat). (Sirr al-Asrar)
Similarly, Ali ibn Abi Talib said:
لَمْ اَعْبُدْ رَبًّا کمْ اَرَاہُ
Meaning: I do not pray Allah Almighty unless I see Him. (Sirr al-Asrar- Section 9)
Moreover, al-Ghawth al-Azam Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani writes in Sirr al Asrar:
It is the saying of the Holy Prophet:
رَاَیْتُ رَبِّیْ عَلیٰ صُوْرَۃِ شَابٍ اَمْرَدَ
Meaning: I saw my Lord in the form of a beardless young man. From this, some conclude that Allah descends His theophany with the attribute of Providence on the mirror of the inward. This is the soul which (mystics) named as (Tifal Al-Maa’ni where Tifal means young and Al-Maa’ni means Reality). Certainly, this soul is mirror to the perfect spiritual guide which is medium between him and his Lord Allah Almighty.
As said by Ali ibn Abi Talib:
لَوْلاَ تَرْبِیَۃُ رَبِّیْ لَمَا عَرَفْتُ رَبِّیْ
Meaning: If my Lord, Allah Almighty, had not taught me Himself then I would not have recognized Him.
Medium of Divine Reach
The medium to reach Allah within oneself is the persuasion from the physical source i.e. Prophets and Saints. As they are the light to physical and spiritual self of a person. Moreover, through their training the Divine soul (ar-ruh al-qudsi) manifests. Like it is the saying of Allah;
یُلْقِی الرُّوْحَ مِنْ اَمْرِہٖ عَلٰی مَنْ یَّشَآئُ مِنْ عِبَادِہٖ
Meaning: (Allah) the Exalter of Ranks and the Owner of the Mighty Throne! He sends His Spirit (i.e., Revelation) upon whomever of His servants He wills by His command. So that He warns them (people) of the Day of Assembly. (23:15)
In reference to the medium of Divine reach, al-Ghawth al-Azam Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani says;
- It is obligatory on every man to seek the spiritual guide. As this is the soul (spiritual guide) which vivifies the soul, thus becoming the reason to gnosis of Allah. Hence, sought true understanding. (Sirr al-Asrar, section 22)
Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani writes in his book ar-Risala tul-Ghausia:
- Allah said, “O Ghawth al-Azam! Whoever saw Me, he became indifferent to questions in every condition and who does not see Me, cannot benefit from any kind of questions for he is lost in verbiage.”
Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani said,
- “I saw Allah.” Allah said, “O Ghawth al-Azam! He who questions My vision after its knowledge is veiled and who presumed My vision without its knowledge is in error as well.” Allah said, “O Ghawth al-Azam! He who endeavours towards Me, beholds Me whether he likes it or not.” (ar-Risala tul Ghausia)
Furthermore, Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani adds;
- “Whoever saw the beloved of Allah, he in fact beheld Allah. Additionally, the one who had His vision inwardly got the Divine presence. Indeed, our Lord, Allah is omnipresent and can be seen.”
The Holy Prophet says:
سَتَّرُوْنَ رَبَّکُمْ کَمَا تَرَوْنَ الشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ Meaning: Soon you will behold Allah like you see the sun and moon. (Al-Fath ar-Rabbani section 33)
Reference by Sultan Bahoo
According to Quran and Hadith, a man can see Allah in the following three ways:
- Firstly, a man can see Allah during dreams and it is justified to see Allah in the dream. The dream which is like a seclusion to have unveiled vision and closeness of Allah. (Sultan Bahoo) called such a dream as dream of Divine light. Moreover, it is such in which Allah blesses the vision of the Lord.
- Secondly, one can see Allah during meditation. He can liken the meditation with death (halting of physical senses and awakening of internal ones). Such a meditation takes the meditator to the court of Allah Almighty.
- Last but not the least, one can see Allah through the eyes of the core-the Divine secret (sirr). Such as this body is in physical world and soul is in the station beyond stations. In fact, in this case the soul flies in the realm of Divinity (alam al-LaHoot).
“However, the exalted blessing of the Divine vision is that beneficence and kind mercy which one achieves only from the perfect spiritual guide. Ism-e-Allah Zaat is with you everywhere to guide you. Therefore, your sole struggle should be the vision of Allah and hence, do not indulge in other toils.” (Nur-ul-Huda Kalan)
The Saints claim Division often, like Umar ibn Khattab says:
رَأَی قَلْبِیْ رَبِّیْ بِنُوْرِ رَبِّیْ
Meaning: My heart saw Allah through His light (i.e. Divine light of Ism-e-Allah Zaat).
Similarly, Ali ibn Abi Talib says:
لَمْ اَعْبُدْ رَبًّا کمْ اَرَاہُ
Meaning: I do not pray Allah Almighty unless I see Him.
Divine Vision Per Sultan Bahoo
Sultan Bahoo has said:
بہ ز ہر لذت بود لذتِ لقا
لذتی دنیا چہ باشد بی بقا
- Whoever gave his life to Allah, procured Ism-e-Azam. Moreover, whoever procured Ism-e-Allah beheld Allah with his open eyes. (Ain-ul-Faqr)
ہر کہ جانِ خود را فروخت اسمِ اللہ را خرید
ہر کہ اسمِ اللہ خرید بعین العیان دید
Meaning: Among all savours most savouring is the Divine vision and not at all compared with the desire of world. Indeed, this world is a trivial and mortal. (Nur-ul-Huda Kalan)
بجز دیدارِ حق مردار باشد
کہ عاشق طالبِ دیدار باشد
- Everything is carrion except the vision of Allah that is why true lovers only seek it. (Ain-ul-Faqr)
- In fact, human beings have two levels. One of them are the true human beings and others are just animals, worried and lost. The later kind just have the appearance of humans. So, how can one differentiate an elevated human from the animal having the appearance of human beings? Certainly, Allah blesses the true ones with the Divine vision eternally. In contrast, the animals having the appearance of human beings only run after this carrion material world. (Nur-ul-Huda Kalan)
Divine Vision Per Sultan-ul-Faqr VI
Divine Vision Per Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen
Spiritually Blind cannot have Allah's Vision
Those who trust and believe in His vision and desire it day and night are the ones who behold Him. Indeed, they are the true lovers of Allah. About such Divine lovers Sultan Bahoo has said:
کور مادر زاد کی بیند لقا
کور را باور نباشد بر نم
Vision of Allah is not the fate of a (spiritually) blind, for he is not convinced about the Divine vision. Only Allah! Everything other than Allah is lust. (Nur-ul-Huda Kalan)
Only a Sarwari Qadri can have Divine Vision
One can achieve the blessing of the vision of Allah by the medium of the perfect and accomplished spiritual guide. Not to forget, this beneficence is not present in any other order except Sarwari Qadri. As Sultan Bahoo has said:
Only the disciple of the Sarwari Qadri order has the right guidance. Also, he has accorded endurance for the Divine vision. Hence, after manifold firm spiritual experiences, (Allah) blesses him with it. If a seeker of any other order claims of Divine vision then he is boastful, a liar and veiled. (Nur-ul-Huda Kalan)
Sarwari Qadri Spiritual Guide Blesses Vision of Allah
The recognition and marvel of the Sarwari Qadri Murshid lies in the fact that he blesses the Divine vision. He grants vision of Allah without any hard endeavours to the seekers. Moreover, he does so by granting with his beneficence and the invocation and contemplation of Ism-e-Azam. Like Sultan Bahoo narrated:
The perfect spiritual guide is the one who first of all grant Divine presence to the seeker through the contemplation of Ism-e-Azam. Further, he lets him meet the souls of all the Prophets and Saints. Then carries him to the station beyond stations through power of Ism-e-Azam, thus bestowing the vision of Allah upon him. Hence, he remains in no need to perform mystic struggle or adopt forty days seclusion for his whole life. This is the first check of the level of spiritual guide. Comparatively, the spiritual guide who does not possess these powers and attributes is a waylayer. Moreover, his disciples are either the pears of Satan or foolish like cattle. Ignorance from gnosis of Allah, blinds them from the reality, thus they become unwise like children. (Ameer-ul-Kaunain)
Verification of Perfect Spiritual Guide
The spiritual guide who cannot take the seeker towards Divine vision is not worthy of being called a spiritual guide. As it is the duty of men of Allah to take His seekers towards Him.
اللہ اللہ کرنے سے اللہ نہیں ملتا
یہ اللہ والے ہیں جو اللہ سے ملا دیتے ہیں
Meaning: One cannot reach Allah only by invoking His name superficially or silently and through physical prayers. Unless the perfect spiritual guide takes His seekers to Him.
Indeed, Sultan Mohammad Najib-ur-Rehman can take the seekers of Allah to the grand status of those who behold Him. A seeker achieves this level by his beneficence and through invocation and contemplation of Ism-e-Azam. Verily, he blesses the ones who come with pure intentions to seek Allah. If Allah wills, then such seekers with bigotry achieve the Divine vision through his beneficence.
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