Did Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) See Allah?
Some Muslims have felt that an exception was made in the case of the last of the Prophets, Muhammad sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) whom Allah caused to travel up through the heavens and go even beyond the point where angels were allowed to go. But when his wife, 'Aisha [radhiallahu anha (RA)], was asked by Masrouq, if Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) had seen his Lord, she replied, "My hair is standing on end because of what you have asked! Whoever tells you that Muhammad saw his Lord has lied!" (Sahih Muslim 337 and 339)
And when Abu Dharr asked the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) if he saw his Lord, the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) replied, "There was only light, how could I see Him." (Sahih Muslim 341) The Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) on another occasion explained the significance of the light and that it was not Allah himself, saying,
"Verily Allah does not sleep nor is it befitting Him to sleep. He is the One Who lowers the scales and raises them. The deeds of the night go up to Him before the deeds of the day and those of the day before those of the night, and His veil is light." (Sahih Muslim 343)
Thus, it can be said with certainty that the Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) like the prophets before him, did not see Allah, Most Great and Gracious, in this life.
The meaning of Surah an-Najm
Some people use the following verses in Surah an-Najm to support the claim that Prophet Muhammad
saw Allah:
"When he was on the uppermost horizon. Then he came close and descended. Until he was two bows lengths away or closer. And He revealed to His slave that which He revealed. The he art did not lie about what it saw. Will you argue with him about what he saw? And verily he saw him yet another time. By the lote-tree of the uppermost boundary." (Qur'an 53: 7-14)
They assert that these verses are in reference to the Prophet Muhammad
seeing Allah. However, when Masruq asked the Prophet's wife 'A'ishah (radiyallu anha), about these verses she replied, "I was the first person from this Ummah (Muslim nation) to ask the Messenger of Allah
about that and he replied:
'Verily it was Jibreel (Gabriel), may Allah's peace be on him. I never saw him in the form in which he was created except these two times; I saw him descending from the heavens and the greatness of his size filled all that was between the sky and the earth.'" 'A'ishah radiyallahu anha then said, "Haven't you heard that Allah, the Most High, said,
"Eyes cannot catch Him but He catches all eyes. He is the Subtle, the Aware?" (6:103)
And haven't you heard that Allah said, "Allah will not speak to any man except by inspiration, or from behind a veil, or by sending a messenger [Angel]?" (42:51)
(Sahih Muslim)
Accordingly,
the verses from Surah an-Najm, when considered in the light of the Prophet's own explanation, do not in any way support the mistaken belief that Prophet Muhammad saw Allah.
Source: The Fundamentals of Tawheed by Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips
See also here:
http://islamqa.info/en/12423 which discusses the narration attributed to ibn Abbaas radiayallahu anhu
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