Visions of God

Abstract

Is man capable of ever seeing God? In Qur’an 7,143 Mose’s request of seeing God is denied: “Said He, ‘Thou shalt not see Me; but behold the mountain – if it stays fast in its place, then thou shalt see Me.’ And when his Lord revealed Him to the mountain He made it crumble to dust; and Moses fell down swooning.” (Arberry’s translation) Departing from this passage, this paper discusses whether other passages of the Qur’an imply a vision of God by Muhammad. Furthermore, some glimpses into the prophetic tradition (ḥadīṯ) and into Muslim theology show aspects of the discussion whether God might be seen by Muhammad or by just any believer and whether a vision of God in this world or in the after-world is thought to be (in)feasible, probable or certain.