`Aisha said, "If anyone tells you that Muhammad has seen his Lord, he is a liar, for Allah says: 'No vision can grasp Him.' (6.103) And if anyone tells you that Muhammad has seen the Unseen, he is a liar, for Allah says: "None has the knowledge of the Unseen but Allah."
Oneness, Uniqueness of Allah (Tawheed)
Sahih al-Bukhari - Hadith 7380
The Narration
`Aisha said, "If anyone tells you that Muhammad has seen his Lord, he is a liar, for Allah says: 'No vision can grasp Him.' (6.103) And if anyone tells you that Muhammad has seen the Unseen, he is a liar, for Allah says: 'None has the knowledge of the Unseen but Allah.'"
Commentary on Divine Transcendence
The Mother of the Believers, `Aisha, establishes a fundamental principle of Islamic creed: the absolute transcendence (tanzīh) of Allah. No created being can comprehend the Divine Essence through physical sight, as affirmed in Surah al-An'am. This protects the doctrine of Allah's incomparability from anthropomorphic misconceptions.
Exegesis of Quranic Proofs
The verse "No vision can grasp Him" (6:103) demonstrates that Allah's Essence is beyond human perception and imagination. The subsequent phrase "but He grasps all vision" affirms His complete knowledge and power over creation, maintaining the balance between transcendence and divine omnipotence.
Knowledge of the Unseen
`Aisha further clarifies that knowledge of the ghayb (unseen) belongs exclusively to Allah. While prophets receive revelation about specific matters of the unseen, comprehensive knowledge remains with Allah alone. This distinguishes between limited prophetic knowledge through revelation and Allah's absolute knowledge.
Scholarly Consensus
This narration represents the position of Ahl al-Sunnah regarding the Mi'raj (Night Journey). The Prophet saw Allah with his heart, not with his physical eyes, as explained by Imam al-Nawawi and other classical scholars. This preserves both the reality of the spiritual experience and Allah's transcendence beyond human perception.