Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
When scholars say that seeing Allah in the Hereafter is “sensory,” they mean that the believers will truly see Allah Almighty with their eyes—that is, through the faculty of sight—and that this vision is not merely knowledge in the heart or an abstract awareness. This does not imply resembling Allah to created beings or describing Him with the characteristics of physical bodies. Affirming vision is one matter, while likening the One who is seen to created beings is another.
The texts of the Qur’an and Sunnah indicate that the believers will see their Lord with their eyes on the Day of Resurrection.
Allah Almighty says:
“Some faces that Day will be radiant, looking at their Lord.”
[Al-Qiyamah 75:22–23]
It is authentically reported that the Prophet ﷺ said to his Companions:
“Do you have any difficulty seeing the full moon?”
They replied: No.
He then said:
“You will see Him likewise.”
[Narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim]
The Prophet ﷺ also said:
“Indeed, you will see your Lord just as you see this moon, and you will have no difficulty in seeing Him.”
[Narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim]
It is also stated in Sahih al-Bukhari:
“Indeed, you will see your Lord with your own eyes.”
The meaning is a real and direct vision with the eyes.
No.
The Prophet ﷺ did not compare Allah to the moon. Rather, he compared the clarity of one vision to the clarity of another.
In other words, just as people see the full moon clearly and have no uncertainty about seeing it, the believers will see their Lord in the Hereafter with a real and clear vision.
Thus, the comparison is between the two acts of seeing, not between Allah Almighty and the moon.
The term “sensory” in this context simply means:
that the vision takes place through the faculty of sight.
Just as a person hears through the faculty of hearing, he sees through the faculty of sight.
When scholars speak of a “sensory vision,” they do not mean that Allah is a physical body like created bodies or that His Essence resembles the created things perceived by our senses.
Therefore, the term should be understood according to the context in which it is used.
The expression “sensory existence” is an ambiguous expression that does not occur in the Qur’an or Sunnah. Therefore, it should not be absolutely affirmed or denied without first determining what is meant by it.
If someone says, “Allah does not have a sensory existence,” intending that Allah cannot be seen with the eyes in the Hereafter, then this meaning is false because the revealed texts establish that the believers will see Him.
But if the person intends to deny that Allah resembles physical bodies and created beings, then the underlying meaning is correct, for Allah Almighty says:
“There is nothing like Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.”
[Ash-Shura 42:11]
It is therefore better to avoid ambiguous terminology and rely upon clear expressions derived from the revealed texts.
The word “place” is likewise a term that requires clarification.
One should not say absolutely, “Allah is in a place,” nor, “Allah is not in a place,” without first knowing what is intended.
If by “place” one means a created thing that surrounds or contains Allah, then this is false. Nothing from His creation contains Him, nor does He need anything from His creation.
However, if what is intended is to deny Allah’s exaltedness above His creation and His rising over His Throne, then this contradicts what the texts of the Qur’an and Sunnah indicate according to the position adopted by the original fatwa.
Therefore, affirming that Allah will be seen with the eyes has no connection with claiming that a created thing surrounds or contains Allah.
It is important to distinguish between seeing and encompassing.
A person may see something without fully encompassing its reality or all of its details.
Allah Almighty says:
“Vision does not encompass Him, but He encompasses all vision.”
[Al-An‘am 6:103]
Thus, affirming that the believers will see Allah in the Hereafter does not mean that they will encompass His Essence or comprehend His modality.
Rather, they will see Him as the revealed texts state, while His perfection and transcendence above resemblance to created beings remain fully affirmed.
Just as Allah will be seen in the Hereafter, the revealed texts also indicate that He speaks to whomever He wills among His servants and that they hear His Speech.
The servant hears Allah’s Speech through the faculty of hearing that Allah created for him, yet this does not imply that Allah’s Speech resembles human speech.
Likewise, the believer sees Allah with his sight, but this does not imply that Allah resembles the created things a human being normally sees.
No.
The methodology of Ahl as-Sunnah combines two principles:
affirming what Allah has affirmed for Himself and denying that He resembles created beings.
Just as He is the All-Hearing and the All-Seeing, while His hearing and sight are not like the hearing and sight of created beings, the believers will likewise truly see their Lord in the Hereafter without this implying resemblance to Allah or knowledge of how that vision occurs.
When scholars say that seeing Allah in the Hereafter is “sensory,” they mean that the believers will truly see Him with their eyes and through the faculty of sight, rather than merely knowing Him in their hearts.
This is established by the Qur’an and Sunnah and does not conflict with declaring Allah transcendent above resemblance to created beings.
As for expressions such as “sensory existence” and “sensory place,” they are ambiguous terms, so matters of creed should not be built upon them without first clarifying what is intended.
The clearer and more precise formulation is:
Allah Almighty truly exists; there is nothing like Him; and the believers will see Him with their eyes in the Hereafter, as the revealed texts have stated, without resemblance, without asking how, and without encompassing the reality of His modality.
And Allah knows best.