The Ruling on a Person Seeing His Lord in a Dream

The following message was received by the program from Amman, and its sender is one of the brothers from there. He says: The sender is Ali al-Atarsh. Our brother says: What is the ruling on one who claims that he has seen the Lord of Majesty in a dream? And is it true, as some claim, that Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal was able to see the Lord of Majesty and Glory in a dream more than a hundred times?
Answer: 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; because nothing resembles Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) . Allah the Exalted said: [Surah al-Shura: 11]. So nothing resembles Him. It is possible that his Lord speaks to him, and he sees in his sleep that his Lord is speaking to him, but whatever image he sees, any image, the image of a human or the image of an animal, it is not Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He), because nothing resembles Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) . He has no like and no equal, (Exalted and Majestic is He).
And Shaykh Taqi al-Din (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned in this that the states differ according to the state of the seeing servant. So the more righteous a person is, and the closer he is to good, the closer his vision is to correctness and validity, but not in the manner he sees it or the attribute he sees it in; because the fundamental principle is that nothing resembles Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) . It is possible that he hears a voice saying to him: "Do such and such, and do such and such," but there is no specific image he sees that resembles any of the created things. He has no like and no counterpart (Glorified and Exalted is He) .
And it has been narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he saw his Lord in a dream. And Mu'adh narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he saw his Lord. And it has come 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, or between his breasts until he felt its coolness between his shoulders. This has come in the hadith, and al-Hafiz Ibn Rajab wrote a treatise on it titled Ikhtiyar al-Awwala fi Sharh Hadith Ikhtisam al-Mala' al-A'la. And this indicates that the prophets may see their Lord in sleep. As for seeing the Lord in this world with the naked eye, no. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed that no one will see his Lord until he dies. He said: Narrated by Muslim in al-Sahih. And when he was asked (peace and blessings be upon him): And in another wording: Narrated by Muslim from the hadith of Abu Dharr. And likewise, Aisha was asked about that, and she informed that no one sees Him in this world; because seeing Allah is the highest pleasure of the people of Paradise, the highest pleasure of the believers, so it is not attained except by the people of Paradise, the people of faith in the Hereafter. And this world is the abode of trial and testing, and the abode of the wicked and the good is shared, so it is not the place of seeing; because seeing is the greatest pleasure for the seer, and Allah has reserved it for His believing servants in the abode of honor on the Day of Resurrection.
And as for this vision that people claim of their Lord; it differs, as Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) said, according to their righteousness and their mindfulness of Allah. And it may be imagined to some people that they saw their Lord, and it is not so. For Satan may imagine to them and delude them that it is their Lord, as it is narrated that it was imagined to Abdul Qadir al-Jilani. Shaykh Abdul Qadir was on a throne above the water, and it said: "I am your Lord." So he said to it: "Be gone, enemy of Allah, you are not my Lord; because the command of my Lord is commands that are not fitting." Yes.
So the point is: that seeing Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is possible in this world, but in a manner in which it does not resemble the creation, (Glorified and Exalted is He). And if it commands him with something that contradicts the Shari'ah, it is a sign that he did not see his Lord, but rather saw a Satan. So if he saw it and it said to him: "Do not pray, I have dropped the obligations from you," or it said: "You have no zakah," or "You have no fasting of Ramadan," or "You have no dutifulness to your parents," or it said: "There is no blame on you in eating riba (usury or interest)," then all of these are signs that he saw a Satan and not his Lord, that this one who is speaking to him is not his Lord but rather a Satan.
So the summary is: that seeing is possible, but in a manner in which there is no resemblance to the created beings. Rather, perhaps he hears a voice; but there is no personality he sees that resembles the created beings; because Allah has no like and no equal (Glorified and Exalted is He) .
And among the signs of the validity of the vision: that the commands are in accordance with the Shari'ah, which he is commanded with. And if they are contrary to the Shari'ah, it is a sign that he saw a Satan and did not see his Lord. Yes.
The presenter: What was said about the vision of Imam Ahmad?
The Shaykh: I do not know its authenticity from him. It is narrated that he saw his Lord; but I do not know its authenticity from him.
The presenter: May Allah reward you.