Did the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) see his Lord (Mighty and Majestic)? And was the Night Journey and Ascension in a dream or in a waking state?

The questioner : The questioner:The questioner : He says: Did the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) see his Lord (Mighty and Majestic)? And was the Night Journey and Ascension in a dream or in a waking state?

The Shaykh : As for the Night Journey and Ascension, it occurred in a waking state for him (may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him). There is no doubt or issue regarding this, even though there are some weaker opinions that say it was in a dream, or between sleep and waking. However, the correct position, in which we have no doubt whatsoever, is that it occurred in a waking state.
There are many, and very many, things that indicate this certainty of ours. Among them is that this strange and unusual story, if it had been a dream and not a waking experience, would not have contained a miracle that caused some of the weak believers to doubt their religion, and that caused the polytheists to mock the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). All of this confirms that when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) rose in the morning and informed the people of the great signs of his Lord that he had seen, he was telling them that it had occurred in a waking state. From this came the miraculous nature of the event, which was a karamah (a miracle granted to a righteous person) in one aspect, and a trial for the weak in faith and the polytheists simultaneously in another aspect.
As for the second part of the question, which is: Did the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) see his Lord?
This issue has been a subject of scholarly disagreement since the earliest generations. The stronger position is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not see his Lord with his physical eye, but rather saw Him with his insight and his heart. What confirms this is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was explicitly asked: “Did you see your Lord?” He said: . This is a denial that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saw his Lord. He affirmed this denial by saying that there is a light that prevents a person from seeing his Lord. This also came in another hadith that says: , and were it not for this veil , or as he (may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him) said. Both the first hadith and this latter one are recorded in "Sahih al-Imam Muslim."
The stronger position is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not see his Lord. This is the apparent meaning of His saying (Blessed and Exalted is He): . With this verse, Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) refuted those who say that the Messenger (may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him) saw his Lord with his eyes. It is reported in "the two Sahihs" from the narration of Misraq (may Allah have mercy on him) that he came to Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) and said to her: O Mother of the Believers, did Muhammad see his Lord? She said: My hair stood on end from what you said. He said: O Mother of the Believers, have mercy on me and do not rush me; does not Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) say in His Book: ولقد رآه نزلة أخرى عند سدرة المنتهى ⁽¹³⁾ And he certainly saw him in another descent ⁽¹⁴⁾ At the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary -[An-Najm 53:13-14]? She said (may Allah be pleased with her): "I am the most knowledgeable of people about that. I asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and he said: 'I saw Jibril in the form in which he was created, twice, and he had six hundred wings,'" ولقد رآه نزلة أخرى And he certainly saw him in another descent[An-Najm 53:13] He said: "I saw Jibril in the form in which he was created, twice, and he had six hundred wings, and he filled the horizon with his greatness." Therefore, the pronoun in the verse about which Misraq asked Aisha refers to Jibril, not to Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He). For this reason, Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) continued her speech to affirm her answer and to inform the questioner and others of some of the knowledge she had received from her husband and Prophet, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). She said: "Three things: if anyone tells you about them, he has committed a great lie against Allah: if anyone tells you that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) saw his Lord, he has committed a great lie against Allah." Then she argued for what she said: " وَما كانَ لِبَشَرٍ أَنْ يُكَلِّمَهُ اللَّهُ إِلاَّ وَحْياً أَوْ مِنْ وَراءِ حِجابٍ أَوْ يُرْسِلَ رَسُولاً And it is not for any human being that Allah should speak to him except by revelation or from behind a partition or that He sends a messenger[Ash-Shuraa 42:51]" and she said: " لا تدركه الأبصار وهو يدرك الأبصار Vision perceives Him not, but He perceives [all] vision[Al-An'am 6:103]" Then she said: "And if anyone tells you that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) knew the unseen, he has committed a great lie against Allah, and then she recited His saying (Exalted is He): قل لا يعلم من في السماوات والأرض الغيبب إلا الله Say, "None in the heavens and earth knows the unseen except Allah[An-Naml 27:65]" Then she said: "And if anyone tells you that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) concealed anything he was commanded to convey, he has committed a great lie against Allah, and then she recited His saying (Blessed and Exalted is He): يا أيها الرسول بلِّغ ما أنزل إليك من ربك وإن لم تفعل فما بلغت رسالته والله يعصمك من الناس O Messenger, announce that which has been revealed to you from your Lord, and if you do not, then you have not conveyed His message. And Allah will protect you from the people[Al-Ma'idah 5:67]".

The questioner : What is a great lie?

The Shaykh : Lying.

The questioner : Lying.

The Shaykh : Yes.

The questioner : Regarding the hadith of the Night Journey and Ascension, you were kind enough to say that he saw his Lord with his heart. What does it mean to see his Lord with his heart?

The Shaykh : With his insight, meaning not with this physical eye. It is a spiritual vision, meaning you could say it is a cognitive vision that cannot be represented or depicted.