22. Muhammad ibn Musa ibn al-Mutawakkil رضي الله عنه said: `Ali ibn al-Husayn al-Sa`dabadi said on he authority of Ahmad ibn Abu `Abd Allah al-Barqi, on the authority of his father Muhammad ibn Khalid, on the authority of Ahmad ibn al-Nadr, on the authority of Muhammad ibn Marwan, on the authority of Muhammad ibn al-Sa’ib, on the authority of Abu al-Salih that `Abd Allah ibn `Abbas was asked to interpret the Word of the Mighty and High: And when Musa came at Our appointed time and his Lord spoke to him, he said: My Lord! Show me (Thyself), so that I may look upon Thee. He said: You cannot (bear to) see Me but look at the mountain, if it remains firm in its place, then will you see Me; but when his Lord manifested to the mountain He made it crumble and Musa fell down in a swoon; then when he recovered, the said: Glory be to Thee, I turn to Thee, and I am the first of the Believers.1 He said: Musa عليه السلام said: “Glory be to You, I turn to You from asking You to se You, and I am the first of the Believes who bears witness that you cannot be seen.” Muhammad ibn `Ali ibn al-Husayn, the Compiler of this book رضي الله عنه says: Verily, Musa عليه السلام knew that it is not possible to see Allah, the Mighty and High. He surely asked Allah, the Mighty and High, to show Himself to him, so that he may look upon Him. Because his people insisted that he do so. Therefore, Musa عليه السلام asked the question to His Lord without taking permission from Him. He عليه السلام said: My Lord! Show me Yourself, so that I may look upon You. God replied: You cannot see Me but look at the mountain, if it remains firm in its place, then you will see Me. The meaning of this is that You will never se Me because the mountain never moves in any state. This is like the Word of Allah, the Mighty and High: They shall not enter the garden until the camel passes through the eye of the needle.2 The meaning of this is that they will never enter the garden like the camel will never pass through the eye of the needle, but when his Lord manifested Himself to the mountain i.e. manifested a sign from His Signs. That sign was a light from the lights which He had created; He cast down His Might on that mountain. He made it crumble and Musa fell down in a swoon from fear of the earthquake which was shaking that mountain with its power. Then, when he recovered, he said: “Glory be to You, I turn to You i.e. I return to my recognition of You, turning from my people and their request to see You.” This repentance was not the result of a sin, since prophets do not commit major or minor sins. The permission before the question was not obligatory upon him; in fact, it was a form of politeness. He always used to d this prior to asking a question. According to one group, he had taken permission before asking that vision was not applicable to Allah, the Mighty and High. Regarding his statement: And I am the first of the Believers, Moses is saying that I am the first of the Believers from the group that were with him. They had asked him to take permission from his Lord to show Himself, so that he may look upon Him. The traditions that have transmitted regarding this subject, and which our elders رضي الله عنه have mentioned in their writings, are authentic as far as I am concerned. However, I refrained from transmitting them in this chapter fearing that some ignorant people may read them and interpret them literally, rejecting them, and disbelieving in Allah, the Mighty and High, out of ignorance. The traditions that Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn `Isa has mentioned in his Nawadir and those which Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Yahya has mentioned in his Jami regarding the vision of Allah are authentic. Only the ignorant and the unbelievers can reject them. Their wording is the wording of the Qur`an. These reports negate anthropomorphism [tashbih] and annulment [ta`til] as a means of proving Divine Unity. Our Imams, may the blessings of Allah be upon them, have certainly ordered us not to address people beyond the capacity of their intellect. In these reports, the vision of Allah means the knowledge of Allah. In other words, this world is a place of doubt, uncertainty, and danger. Thus, when the Day of Judgment comes, the Signs of Allah and His Command will unveil for His servants and deliver both reward and punishment. Doubt will be eliminated, and all will attest to the reality and Omnipotence of Allah, the Mighty and High. The confirmation of this is in the Book of Allah, Mighty and High: Certainly you were heedless of it, but now We have removed from you your veil, so your sight today is sharp.1 So, the meaning of what is narrated in the tradition that He, the Mighty and High, will be seen is that He will be known with understanding and surety like His Word, the Mighty and High: Have you not seen your Lord, how He extends the shade?2 And His Word: Did you not see him (Namrud) who disputed with Ibrahim about his Lord, and Hid Word: Did you not see those who went forth from their homes, in thousands, fearing death, and His Word: Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with the fellows of the elephants? And other examples of this include that vision refers to the vision of the heart, and not the vision of the eyes. As for the Word of Allah, the Mighty and High: but when his Lord manifested to the mountain, it means that He, the Mighty and High, made a sign appear as a Sign of the Signs of the hereafter which will make mountains into a mirage, and which will uproot the mountains and scatter them away as dust. The mountain crumbled and turned into dust, because it would not bear that sign. It is said: The light of the throne manifested itself upon the mountain.
