The human imagination, without a doubt, is an extremely unique concept. But even this uniqueness can’t encompass the absolute magnificence of Allah SWT. No scripture, whether the Quran or the hadith, has an exact image of Allah. However, they do describe the way Allah SWT in a way that Muslims can have an idea of Allah’s being. This blog will discuss in detail ‘what does Allah look like?’, what is described in the Quran about his appearance, and whether any human has ever seen Allah or not.
Allah In The Quran
Many verses in the Quran describe the magnificence of the Lord, but this particular verse puts things into perspective and allows Muslims to feel the greatness of Allah SWT.
“Allah! There is no God save Him, the Alive, the Eternal. Neither slumber nor sleep overtake Him. Unto Him belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth. Who is he that intercedeth with Him, save by His leave? He knows that which is in front of them and that which is behind them, while they encompass nothing of His knowledge save what He will. His throne includes the heavens and the earth, and He is never weary of preserving them. He is the sublime, the tremendous.”
This verse indicates the limitless entity that Allah SWT is while listing his attributes. Not only this, but it also reminds the Muslim that no matter where he is or in what condition, Allah sees and hears him. He knows every single thing that happens in the universe. From an ant crawling on a rock to a supernova happening in the galaxy, he is aware of everything occurring.
“And the earth shineth with the light of the Lord.” [Surah Az Zumar, Verse 69]
This verse clearly states that Allah’s being has so much light that it will brighten the whole earth and everything in it. But not only the earth; Allah is also the light of the heavens, from the first to the seventh. His light illuminates all there is, and his noor makes everything shine like a crystal.
“Naught is as His likeness; and He is the Hearer, the Seer.” [Surah Ash-Shura, Verse 11]
This verse establishes that there is nothing like Allah in this world. From the start of the universe, all beings are nothing like the Lord. Anything that crosses the mind of humans regarding Allah is much greater than that.
Allah In The Hadiths
The question, ‘What does Allah look like?’ is vast and has magnitude. Keeping this in mind, many hadiths describe the Lord, such as,
While the people of Paradise are enjoying their rewards, a light will shine on them. They will look up and see Allah, who will greet them with the words, “Peace be upon you, O people of paradise.” This is the meaning of the verse: “Peace—a word from the Merciful Lord.” They will be so captivated by the sight of Allah that they will forget about all the pleasures of paradise and will focus only on Him, until He veils Himself from them. His light and blessings will continue to fill them even after He screens Himself.
This hadith clearly states that the Muslims of paradise will get to see Allah and meet him. But the other part also describes how his light and sight will be so magnificent that the Muslims will forget all about the blessings around them, blessings greater than anything this world has to offer, and will be completely captivated by his sight. It even states that after he veils himself, his light will remain in the bodies of the Muslims.
Allah and Musa AS
Many events in the history of Islam baffle the mind; similarly is the event of Allah and Musa AS. The Tafseer of Surah Al-A’raf, Verse 143, detailed how Hazrat Musa A.S. met with the Lord.
When Musa A.S. came to the mountain at the appointed time, he asked Allah to help Him. In earlier scriptures, it is recorded that Allah replied to Musa A.S., saying, ‘O Musa, no living being sees me.’ But when Allah did appear on the mountain, only the extent of a little finger appeared, but it was such magnificence, so superior, that the whole mountain crumbled to dust, and Musa A.S. fainted. After he recovered and became conscious, he said, ‘Glory to be you,’ meaning glory to be Allah. He praised and glorified Allah, said he turned to Allah in repentance, and was the first of believers.
This story explains in great detail just how superior and magnificent Allah is. Just as a little exposure to Allah’s being was able to turn a whole mountain to dust, it is natural to wonder what would happen if Allah SWT decided to reveal himself to anyone in this life.
Allah and Prophet Muhammad PBUH
On the night of Isra and Miraj, the Prophet PBUH traveled to the heavens and saw things that are a significant foundation of the religion. However, there is some dispute as to whether he saw Allah SWT with his own eyes.
“Abu Darr narrated that he asked the Prophet PBUH if he saw Allah and the Prophet replied that Allah is light so how could he see him?”
This hadith clearly states that the Prophet PBUH didn’t see Allah with his own eyes, and if he had seen him, it would have been mentioned.
What Does Allah Look Like?
It is human nature to wonder about different things and, therefore, wondering, ‘What does Allah look like?’ might come as a natural question. Although there is nothing wrong with wondering that, if one spends too much time thinking about this question, it may lead him down a dangerous path. Since Shaytan is always waiting for an opportunity to misguide the Muslims, thinking about this question may lead one to question, ‘Why is there no visual representation of Allah?
Moreover, this thought process can make Muslims question why Allah can’t be seen, but other religions have visual representations of the entities they worship. This can plant unwanted doubt and weaken one’s faith. Therefore, as Muslims, one thing to remember is that even if we can’t see Allah, there are many ways we can know more about him and his attributes.
The Quran, hadiths, and His 99 names are the best ways for Muslims to learn more about their Lord and get closer to him. Furthermore, the optional prayers and fasts provide an additional opportunity to grow closer to Allah.
Some Facts About Allah SWT
- He is closer to his creation than the jugular vein.
- He is neither bound by time nor space.
- He is eternal; neither does he have a beginning nor an end.
- He is neither male nor female. We use “he” to refer to him because he is the superior pronoun in Arabic. Since Islamic terminology is usually derived from Arabic, it also filters into the English language.
- He can create anything out of nothing.
- He is omnipresent.