Ruyat al-Nabi li-Rabbihi

Ruʾyat al-Nabī li-Rabbihi (The Prophet’s Seeing of His Lord) is a theological treatise authored by Muhammad ibn Khalifa al-Tamimi, an associate professor in the Faculty of Daʿwah and Usul al-Din at the Islamic University of Madinah Ruyat al-Nabi li-Rabbihi. The book examines the classical theological disputes surrounding whether the Prophet Muhammad saw God, examining textual proofs from the Quran, the Sunnah, and the transmissions of the early generations (al-Salaf al-Salih) Ruyat al-Nabi li-Rabbihi.

Background and Scope

The author frames the subject as an intricate theological issue intertwining the broader creedal tenet of the vision of God (ruʾyat Allāh) with the specific attributes and distinctions of the Prophet Ruyat al-Nabi li-Rabbihi. It addresses early debates dating back to the Companions regarding the nature of the Prophet's vision, aiming to compile scattered scholarly opinions, analyze their chains and interpretations, and determine the weightier position (al-rājih) Ruyat al-Nabi li-Rabbihi+1. The author notes that differing on this issue does not warrant expelling an opponent from the Sunni creed, citing al-Dhahabi that neither affirming nor denying vision in this world entails rebuking the holder, unlike the denial of the vision in the Hereafter, which is established by definitive texts Majallat al-Jami'a al-Isl….

Structure and Contents

The monograph is organized into an introduction, four main chapters (mabāḥith), and a conclusion Ruyat al-Nabi li-Rabbihi:

• Chapter One: The Prophet's Vision of His Lord on the Night of Ascension (Laylat al-Miʿrāj): Divided into four subsections (maṭālib), this chapter surveys:
  1. The positions of the Companions, categorizing them into unconditional affirmation (narrated from Ibn ʿAbbas, Anas ibn Malik, and Abu Hurayrah), qualified affirmation specifying a vision of the heart (narrated from Ibn ʿAbbas and Abu Dharr al-Ghifari), and absolute negation of physical vision (held by ʿA'ishah bint Abi Bakr and Ibn Masʿud) Ruyat al-Nabi li-Rabbihi+2.
  2. The positions of the Successors (al-Tābiʿūn) and their followers, including Kaʿb al-Ahbar, ʿIkrimah, al-Hasan al-Basri, Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri, and Maʿmar ibn Rashid Ruyat al-Nabi li-Rabbihi.
  3. The views of subsequent scholars and their hermeneutical reconciliations Ruyat al-Nabi li-Rabbihi.
  4. Analytical observations on the scriptural evidence, noting that Quranic passages cited by either side—such as verses from Surah al-Anʿam and Surah al-Shura—do not provide unambiguous, explicit proof definitively proving or negating the vision Ruyat al-Nabi li-Rabbihi.
• Chapter Two: The Prophet's Vision of His Lord in Dreams: Covers the hadiths reporting oneiric vision, such as reports regarding the disputation of the Heavenly Assembly (ikhtiṣām al-malaʾ al-aʿlā), the scholarly stance regarding the Prophet seeing God in dreams, and broader scholarly rulings on seeing God in dreams for believers in general Ruyat al-Nabi li-Rabbihi.
• Chapter Three: The Prophet's Vision of His Lord with Physical Eyes in the Mortal World: Evaluates the consensus of Ahl al-Sunnah denying waking ocular vision in mortal life, followed by a critique of fabricated narrations circulated on this topic Ruyat al-Nabi li-Rabbihi.
• Chapter Four: Humans Seeing Their Lord in Earthly Life: Refutes claims by certain Sufi groups claiming that saints can physically see God in wakefulness during earthly life, arguing that since physical vision was not granted to the Prophet in mortal life, it is precluded for anyone below his rank Ruyat al-Nabi li-Rabbihi.

Conclusions

In the book's final synthesis, the author outlines three primary conclusions Ruyat al-Nabi li-Rabbihi:

1. Regarding the Night of Ascension, because the textual evidence is based on interpretive deductions rather than definitive texts, the preferred approach reconciles the Companions' reports by negating ocular sight (al-ruʾyah al-baṣariyyah) while affirming spiritual or inner vision (al-ruʾyah al-qalbiyyah), aligning with the harmonizations offered by Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, Ibn Kathir, and Ibn Hajar al-ʿAsqalani Ruyat al-Nabi li-Rabbihi.
2. The Prophet's seeing of God in a dream is authentically confirmed, and the possibility of dream vision is recognized without dispute within Ahl al-Sunnah Ruyat al-Nabi li-Rabbihi.
3. Physical, waking vision of God in this worldly life is unanimously rejected by Ahl al-Sunnah for any human being, and all reports alleging otherwise are spurious Ruyat al-Nabi li-Rabbihi.

Publication

The work was published as an academic paper in the Journal of the Islamic University of Madinah (issue 43) and was published as an independent book by Adwa' al-Salaf in Riyadh in 1422 AH / 2001 CE Majallat al-Jami'a al-Isl…+1.