The ruling on one who claims to have seen Allah in a dream

Q: What is the ruling on one who claims to have seen the Lord of Majesty in a dream? And is it true, as some claim, that Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal saw the Lord of Majesty and Glory in a dream more than a hundred times?

A: Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) and others mentioned that it is possible for a person to see his Lord in a dream, but what he sees is not the reality; for nothing resembles Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) . Allah the Exalted said: [Surah al-Shura: 11]. So nothing among His creations resembles Him. However, one may see in a dream that his Lord is speaking to him, and whatever images he sees, they are not Allah (Mighty and Majestic) , for nothing resembles Him, and He has no like or equal.
Shaykh Taqi al-Din (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned in this regard that the conditions differ according to the state of the seeing servant. The more righteous the seer is among people and the closer he is to good, the closer his vision is to correctness and truth, but not in the manner or attribute in which he sees it; for the established principle is that nothing resembles Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) .
It is possible to hear a voice and be told to do such and such, but there is no specific image that one sees resembling any of the created things; for He (Glorified and Exalted is He) has no equal or likeness . It was narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he saw his Lord in a dream, in the hadith of Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) , from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he saw his Lord. It came in several chains that he saw his Lord, and that he placed his hand between his shoulders until he felt its coolness between his breasts. Al-Hafiz Ibn Rajab authored a treatise on this matter, which he titled: "Ikhtiyar al-Ula fi Sharh Hadith Ikhtisam al-Mala' al-A'la" (The Choice of the First in Explaining the Hadith of the Dispute of the Highest Assembly). This indicates that the prophets may see their Lord in sleep, but as for seeing the Lord in this world with the naked eye, that is not the case.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed that no one will see his Lord until he dies, as narrated by Muslim in his Sahih.
When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked, "Have you seen your Lord?" he said: And in another wording: Muslim narrated both from the hadith of Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) . Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) was also asked about this and informed that no one sees Him in this world; for seeing Allah in Paradise is the highest pleasure of the believers, so it is not attained except by the people of Paradise and the people of faith in the Hereafter. Likewise, the believers in the standing on the Day of Resurrection. This world is the abode of trial and testing, and the abode of the wicked and the righteous, so it is shared and is not a place for the vision; for the vision is the greatest pleasure for the seer, so Allah reserved it for His believing servants in the abode of honor and on the Day of Resurrection.
As for the dream vision claimed by many people, it differs according to the seer—as Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) said—according to their righteousness and piety. It may be imagined to some people that they saw their Lord, but that is not the case, for Satan may imagine to them and delude them that it is their Lord. It was narrated that it was imagined to Abdul Qadir al-Jilani on a Throne above the water, and it said: "I am your Lord, and I have removed the obligations from you." So Shaykh Abdul Qadir said: "Be gone, O enemy of Allah, you are not my Lord; for the commands of my Lord do not fall off the obligated ones," or as he said (may Allah have mercy on him).
The point is that seeing Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) while awake is not attained by any person in this world, not even the prophets (peace and blessings be upon them), as mentioned earlier in the hadith of Abu Dharr, and as indicated by the saying of the Exalted to Musa (peace be upon him) when he asked his Lord for the vision. He said to him: the verse [Surah al-A'raf: 143]. But the vision may be attained in a dream for the prophets and some of the righteous in a manner in which He (Glorified and Exalted is He) does not resemble the creation, as mentioned earlier in the hadith of Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) . And if he orders him to do something that contradicts the Shari'ah, that is a sign that he did not see his Lord but rather saw a devil. So if he saw him and he said to him: "Do not pray, I have removed the obligations from you," or said: "You have no zakah," or "You have no fasting of Ramadan," or "You have no dutifulness to your parents," or said: "There is no harm in you eating riba (usury or interest)... all of these and their like are signs that he saw a devil and not his Lord.
As for the vision of Imam Ahmad of his Lord, I do not know its authenticity. It has been said that he saw his Lord, but I do not know the truth of that.