“You will see me..” Surat Al-Araf (7:143)
Did the Prophet Moses see God?
Magdy Tadros
The Holy Bible says in John 1:14
“14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only Begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth.”
Apostle Paul says in Tim 3:16
“16 And beyond controversy, great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh,..”
The Qur’an never denied the manifestation of God:
1-You will see me
In the year 1526 B.C., Moses, the prophet of God, stood before Him in reverence saying, “Lord, show me, look to you”
Allah said to him in Surat Al-Araf 7:142-144
“You will not see me, but look to the mountain. So if it dwells in its place, so you will see me.”
And the Qur’an continues saying
“So when his lord tajalla(MANIFESTED) to the mountain, he made it dust, and Moses fell in a swoon. So when he was revived, he said, “Praise be to you. I repented.” to you, and I am the first of the believers.” (143)
He said, “O Moses, I have chosen you above all people with my messages and with my words, so take what I have given to you and be of the thankful.”(144)
Al-Qurtubi in his interpretation of “Lord, show me, look to you” said:
Moses asked to look at God and he was eager to see Him when he heard Him? …It is wrong and foolish to say Moses wanted to see a great wonder to see God’s power, because God said to Moses, “you will not see me.”. in fact, if Moses asked for a miracle, God would have given it to him as God had given miracles to Moses before!!!?
The word (Tajalla) in Arabic also means (Appeared).
Al-Qurtubi continues saying: when the Qur’an said “So when he was revived, he said, “Praise be to you. I repented.” to you”
All scholars said this repentance was not Moses sinned against God because Prophets of God do not do mistakes.
Also, the scholar Ali Bin Mahdi Bin Al-Tabari said: “if the question of Moses was impossible, Moses would not have asked God, who knows Him very well as prophet, was he? sent by Him.”
Reference:
*أنظر تفسير القرطبي – الجامع لأحكام القرآن – محمد بن أحمد الأنصاري القرطبي – الجزء السابع – ص: 252 – سورة الأعراف – قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى وَلَمَّا جَاءَ مُوسَى لِمِيقَاتِنَا – دار الفكر .
http://quran.ksu.edu.sa/tafseer/qortobi/sura7-aya143.html
The conclusion of what we mentioned above:
A-God did not prohibit Moses from asking to look at Him. Also, God did not say to Moses, ‘you will never see me’ or ‘it is impossible for you to see me.’ But when God said to him, “you will not see me,” it implies that God is visible and that it is possible to see Him.
B-If it was impossible to see God, Moses would have not asked Him since he is a prophet and know God more than anybody!!??
C-Appearance of God is possible since He made an appearance by manifesting Himself through the mountain.
D-Saying that manifestation is to show God’s almighty power is against all the interpretations of Qur’an by reliable scholars.
E-The meaning of the word “Tajalla” in Arabic is “Real Appearance “Moses asked to see God personally not His almighty power.
F-Scholars concluded the evidence about the possibility to see God through what the Qur’an in Surat Al-Araf 7:144 “O Moses, I have chosen you above all people with my messages and with my words, so take what I have given to you and be of the thankful.”
The commentators and the interpreters saying:
“Take what I have given to you” means take as much as you can hold for what I have chosen you to deliver my message. Also, “be of the thankful” , being thankful here is for what you asked for to see because the thanksgiving shows that you want to know more and more of God (increasing the demand). As it is mentioned in Surat Abraham 14:7 “if you give thanks, I will surely increase you more”
The increment is to see God, Surat Youns 10:26 “To those who did good, the best, and more…”
References:
*أنظر تفسير القرطبي – الجامع لأحكام القرآن – محمد بن أحمد الأنصاري القرطبي – الجزء الثامن – ص: 242 – 243 – سورة يونس » قوله تعالى للذين أحسنوا الحسنى وزيادة – دار الفكر .
https://islamweb.net/ar/library/index.php?page=bookcontents&ID=491&flag=1&bk_no=48&surano=2&ayano=55
رجاء الرجوع لهذا الكليب بعنوان “ابن تيمية والتجسيد” للشيخ حسن السقاف :
2-Until we see God openly
Some might say: God can only be seen by His prophets and His chosen people, but not to all people?
The Qura’n says in addressing the Israelites, in Surat Al-baqarah (2:55-57) “And when you said, O Moses, we will not believe you until we see Allah openly,” so the thunderbolt seized you while you are looking on. Then we raised you up after you had been dead, perhaps you may be thankful. And we caused the clouds to be overshadow you, and we sent down the manna and the salwa on you: eat from the good things of what we provided to you. And they did not do injustice to us, but they were unjust to themselves”.
Al-Qurtubi said in his interpretation, “those people should be punished asking Moses to show them God when they said asking him (seeing Allah openly) because Moses is incapable of doing so.”
Muslims are in disagreement over being able to see God, as some say you cannot see Him, neither in this world, or after death. Others, such as, Sunni, say it is possible to see God in both worlds and certainly after death.
Reference:
أنظر تفسير القرطبي – محمد بن أحمد الأنصاري القرطبي – الجامع لأحكام القرآن – سورة البقرة – قوله تعالى وإذ قلتم يا موسى لن نؤمن لك حتى نرى الله جهرة – الجزء الاول – [ص : 379 ] – طبعة دار الفكر.
https://islamweb.net/ar/library/index.php?page=bookcontents&ID=491&flag=1&bk_no=48&surano=2&ayano=55
Also, Ibn Al-Katheer in his interpretation said:
“Ibn-Al-Abbas says (O Moses, we will not believe you until we see Allah openly) when we say (openly) means (publicly)..”
“Qutada said (until we see Allah openly) means face to face, Also said (so the thunderbolt seized you while you are looking on). This means they heard the thunderbolt they were seized and he said seized means dead. (but they heard sound of whom????!!)”
“Aurwa said (while you are looking on)means some of them were seized(died)by the thunderbolt then raised up and some of them were looking. The question they were looking to whom???!!
Ibn-Gareer said: when Moses came down from the mountain to his people, he saw his people worshipping the golden Ba’al (Calf). Then Moses burnt the Ba’al and he chose the best of 70 people among the Israelites and asked them to go to God and repent to Him because of what they have done.
Moses took the 70 people to Mount Sinai to meet God, and then they asked Moses to call God to hear what He wants to say to them, Moses did what they asked for.
When Moses came closer to the mountain, a huge cloud covered the mountain and Moses. Then Moses asked the people to come closer and enter the cloud, so they did. When they entered the cloud they knelt down and their faces on the ground, they were hearing God talking to Moses and telling Moses what to do and what not to do. As God talking to Moses, the word of God came upon Moses and his face was gleaming of light that no one could look at his face so he put a veil to cover his face.
When God finished talking to Moses, the cloud went away and Moses came closer to his people. Then, they said to Moses: we do not believe in you until we see God openly. So the thunderbolt seized them and they were dead.
Moses started talking to God and praying and call on him saying:
(And Moses chose his people, seventy men, for an appointed time. So when the quake seized them, he said, “Lord, if you will, you had destroyed them before and me. Will you destroy us because of what the fools among us did? It is only your sedition….”)
Moses continued to call on God and repented to God on behalf of his people as it is mentioned in Surat Al-Araf 7:156 “..Surely our guidance is toward you..”. Then God gave back the life of those who were seized by the quake.
Reference:
أنظر تفسير ابن كثير – إسماعيل بن عمر بن كثير القرشي الدمشقي – القرآن العظيم – تفسير تفسير سورة البقرة » تفسير قوله تعالى وإذ قلتم يا موسى لن نؤمن لك حتى نرى الله جهرة ” – الجزء الأول – [ ص: 265 ] – طبعة دار طيبة – سنة النشر: 1422هـ / 2002م .
https://islamweb.net/ar/library/index.php?page=bookcontents&ID=28&flag=1&bk_no=51&surano=2&ayano=55
This event was mentioned also in Surat Al-Nissa 4:153-156
“The people of the book ask you to bring down on them a book from the heaven. So indeed they asked Moses bigger than that. So they said, “Show us Allah openly.” So the thunderbolt seized them for their injustice. Then they took the calf. After that our clear signs came to them, so we forgave them this and gave Moses a manifest authority.”
This showing us a conflict in the context within the Qur’an because Surat Baqarah 2:55-57 said that the incident of worshipping the calf by the people it was before the thunderbolt. However, in Surat Al-Nissa 4:153-156 the incident of worshipping the calf was after the thunderbolt.
The Qur’an witnessing against itself that it is not from God as we read in Surat Al-Nissa 4:82
“Do they not consider the Qur’an? If it was from other than Allah, they would have found in it many inconsistencies..”
3-Looking to their lord
Surat Al-Qiyamah 75:22-24
“Faces on that day will be bright, looking to their lord. And faces on that day will be dismal..”
The Qurtubi said in his interpretation:
(looking to their lord means believers are looking to their creator)
Reference:
أنظر تفسير القرطبي – محمد بن أحمد الأنصاري القرطبي – الجامع لأحكام القرآن – سورة القيامة » قوله تعالى وجوه يومئذ ناضرة – الجزء التاسع عشر – [ص :97] – طبعة دار الفكر.
4-You will see your lord
In his book, Hadith (6997), Bukhari states, “…according to Garir, we are sitting in prophet Mohammed’s place and he is looking at the moon saying in the night of Badr and he said: you are going to see your God as you are seeing this moon and there is no doubt of seeing him. So if you can do the prayers before sunrise and sunset then do so.”
Reference:
أنظر صحيح البخاري – محمد بن إسماعيل البخاري الجعفي – كتاب التوحيد – بَاب قَوْلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ نَاضِرَةٌ إِلَى رَبِّهَا نَاظِرَةٌ – الحديث رقم 6997 – طبعة دار ابن كثير – سنة النشر: 1414هـ / 1993م .
5-Some Qur’anic verses proving that God spoke to Moses:
Surat Taha 20:9-12 “And have the sayings of Moses come to you? When he saw a fire, so he said to his family, ‘Stay here, for I surely perceive a fire.’ Perhaps I may bring you a lighted torch from it and find guidance at the fire. So when he came to it (the burning tree by the divine light), he was called, “O Moses, surely I am your lord. So take off your sandals. Surely you are in the holy valley of Tuwa…”
This event was mentioned also in Surat Al-Naml 27:8-9
“So when he came to it, he was called, Blessed is he who was in the fire and those who surround it, and praise to be to Allah, the lord of the worlds. O Moses, surely I am Allah, the dear, the wise”
Surat Al-Qasas 28:29-30 “When Moses had fulfilled the term and departed with his family, he saw a fire on the mountainside. He said to his family, ‘Stay here, surely I see a fire. Perhaps I may bring you news from it or a brand from the fire, perhaps you warm yourselves.’So when he came to it, he was called from the right side of the valley in the blessed spot from the tree (Allah is talking from inside the tree): That, O Moses, surely I am Allah, the lord of the worlds.”
The definition of sound:
It is energy which is a mechanical wave that results from the back and forth vibration of the particles within the medium and the sound waves move parallel to the direction of wave propagation, making sound a longitudinal wave, which reaches to the ear of a human being. …
Conclusion: Since the sound has to be created from a source to reach our ears, then Moses heard God voice because God was the source of the spoken words. Thus God was manifested to Moses!!!.
6-The Surprise:
The Sunni people say that seeing God is logically possible and definitely it is going to happen after death.
Al-ghazali in his book (الأقتصاد فى الأعتقاد) page33 said” as long as the law indicated the occurrence of the event, then it is permissible”.
Now how come the Qur’an said in Surat Al-an’am 6:103 :
“No vision can reach him, and he reaches the visions. And he is the kind, the aware..”.
The Qurtubi said in his interpretation, When God said “No vision can reach him” means no one can comprehend and encompass him with your eyes as we comprehend and encompass other creatures when the vision is constant with no change.
Reference:
أنظر تفسير القرطبي – محمد بن أحمد الأنصاري القرطبي – الجامع لأحكام القرآن – سورة الأنعام » قوله تعالى لا تدركه الأبصار وهو يدرك الأبصار – الجزء السابع – [ص :51] – طبعة دار الفكر.
The Imam Fakhr Al-din Al Razi said in his interpretation to this verse of Surat Al-an’am: People said using this verse that believers can see God in the last day (in the day of resurrection). As a result, God can be seen visibly because if God cannot be seen, he would have not said ”No vision can reach him” means (God is greater and bigger from anyone to comprehend and encompassed through our eyes). But he did not mention that we cannot see him.
Reference:
أنظر التفسير الكبير أو مفاتيح الغيب – الإمام فخر الدين الرازي أبو عبد الله محمد بن عمر بن حسين القرشي الطبرستاني الأصل – سورة الأنعام – قوله تعالى لا تدركه الأبصار وهو يدرك الأبصار وهو اللطيف الخبير – [ ص: 103 ] – دار الكتب العلمية ببيروت – سنة النشر : 2004م – 1425هـ .
7-The Conclusion:
God spoke to Moses throughout the blessed tree and manifested (appeared) to him on the mountain and you are going to see Him in paradise….. so why doesn’t God manifest himself in the likeness of a human being (in the flesh), which he created? All of us are witnesses of Christ being the beautiful picture of God on earth, as it says in Qur’an, Surat Maryam 19:34:
“This is Isa(Christ), son of Mary, the saying of truth about which they doubt”
Surat Al-Zukhruf 43:84: “And he is who in the heaven god and on the earth is god.”
Surat An-Nisaa 4:172 “The Christ does not disdain (disregard) to be a servant of Allah (in the form of human).”
Christ has done all the works of God like creating, prescience (knowing the unseen) and he gives life to bones when they are decaying. The unlimited appeared (God) in the form of limited (Human being) with keeping the divine nature of the unlimited to control and regulate all. Through this incarnation God did not transform from the unlimited to the limited one. He stayed unlimited despite of his birth through the womb of a woman. The word of God was given to Mary, as it said in Surat An-Nissa 4:171 “Surely the Christ Isa, son of Mary, is only a messenger of Allah and his word (the word is thrown out and does not get separated from the one who threw it), which he casts to Mary, and a spirit from him.”
So God, being God, is able to take on human form at the same time that he is everywhere in heaven and on earth. God is with us now, just as He was with Moses when he spoke to him through the tree, while at the same time He filled heaven and earth. Being with us in a locked room does not prevent him from being elsewhere simultaneously.
God appeared in Christ to give all humanity life and retrieve the real image of the man when he was created by God. He is inviting you to receive the image right now.
For God all the Glory
Amen
Related Articles
For More about Jesus divinity we recommend this PDF book
Putting Jesus in His Place
Also read how The Quran didn’t deny that Christ the Lord was not ashamed to come as a servant
Also about death of divinity in case of Islam please read the following link
http://www.islamicbag.com/news-articles/our-articles/item/884-thosearetheheirsen
