قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ
اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ
لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ
وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ
Say, "He (is) Allah, the One.
Allah, the Eternal, the Absolute.
Not He begets and not He is begotten.
And not is for Him equivalent any [one]."
[Al-Quran Surah al-Ikhlas]
Abstract
The Bible and The Quran mention the Face of Allah, but we cannot see it. Yet, we need to seek His Face, our one and only Sustainer, if we desire eternal life and hope to flourish.
Full Text
וְאַל־תַּסְתֵּ֣ר פָּ֭נֶיךָ מֵֽעַבְדֶּ֑ךָ כִּֽי־צַר־לִ֝֗י מַהֵ֥ר עֲנֵֽנִי׃
And do not hide Your face from Your servant, For I am in distress; answer me quickly.
[The Bible, Psalm 69:17; Translation: New International Version]
The Bible and The Quran give us some insights about the physical appearance of Allah. In some ayaat, they specifically mention the Face of Allah. According to The Quran:
وَلِلَّهِ الْمَشْرِقُ وَالْمَغْرِبُ فَأَيْنَمَا تُوَلُّوا فَثَمَّ وَجْهُ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ
To God belong the East and the West; whithersoever you turn, there is the Face of God; God is All-embracing, All-knowing.
[Al-Quran 2:115; Translation: Arthur John Arberry]
Yet, we cannot see Allah's face. When Moses requested to see Allah, he was shown that even a mountain cannot bear the glory of God. The Quran informs us that:
وَمَا كَانَ لِبَشَرٍ أَن يُكَلِّمَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَّا وَحْيًا أَوْ مِن وَرَاءِ حِجَابٍ أَوْ يُرْسِلَ رَسُولًا فَيُوحِيَ بِإِذْنِهِ مَا يَشَاءُ إِنَّهُ عَلِيٌّ حَكِيمٌ
And not is for any human لِبَشَرٍ that Allah should speak to him except (by) revelation or from behind a veil or (by) sending a messenger then he reveals by His permission what He wills. Indeed, He (is) Most High, Most Wise.
[Al-Quran 42:51; Translation: Literal (Word by Word), edited (arabic word retained)]
Bashr (بَشَرٍ) is probably the opposite of Malak (مَلَكَ), as it was one of the temptations Iblis whispered to Adam to tempt him to change himself.
وَلَا تَدْعُ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَٰهًا آخَرَ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ كُلُّ شَيْءٍ هَالِكٌ إِلَّا وَجْهَهُ لَهُ الْحُكْمُ وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ
and do not invoke another god besides God; there is no god except Him. All things will perish except His Face. Judgment belongs to Him, and to Him you will be returned.
[Al-Quran 28:88; Translation: Safi Kaskas]
The above ayat echoes the commandment of the DEEN:
مَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِهِ إِلَّا أَسْمَاءً سَمَّيْتُمُوهَا أَنتُمْ وَآبَاؤُكُم مَّا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ بِهَا مِن سُلْطَانٍ إِنِ الْحُكْمُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ أَمَرَ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ ذَٰلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
Not you worship besides Him but names which you have named, you and your forefathers, not (has) sent down Allah for it any authority. Not (is) the command but for Allah. He has commanded that not you worship but Him Alone. That (is) the religion the right, but most [the] men (do) not know.
[Al-Quran 12:40; Translation: Literal (Word by Word)]
قُلْ سِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَانظُرُوا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلُ كَانَ أَكْثَرُهُم مُّشْرِكِينَ
The Quran encourages us to travel in the Earth and observe the ruins of polytheistic civilisations:
قُلْ سِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَانظُرُوا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلُ كَانَ أَكْثَرُهُم مُّشْرِكِينَ
Say, "Travel in the earth and see how was (the) end (of) those who (were) before. Most of them were polytheists."
[Al-Quran 30:42; Translation: Literal (Word by Word)]
Everything and everyone is destined to perish except the Face of Allah:
كُلُّ مَنْ عَلَيْهَا فَانٍ
وَيَبْقَىٰ وَجْهُ رَبِّكَ ذُو الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ
وَيَبْقَىٰ وَجْهُ رَبِّكَ ذُو الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ
The Eternal Home
وَالَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا ابْتِغَاءَ وَجْهِ رَبِّهِمْ وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَأَنفَقُوا مِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ سِرًّا وَعَلَانِيَةً وَيَدْرَءُونَ بِالْحَسَنَةِ السَّيِّئَةَ أُولَٰئِكَ لَهُمْ عُقْبَى الدَّارِ
[Al-Quran 13:22; Translation: Literal (Word by Word)]
The following ayaat guide those who wish to exclusively seek His Face:
لَّيْسَ عَلَيْكَ هُدَاهُمْ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَهْدِي مَن يَشَاءُ وَمَا تُنفِقُوا مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَلِأَنفُسِكُمْ وَمَا تُنفِقُونَ إِلَّا ابْتِغَاءَ وَجْهِ اللَّهِ وَمَا تُنفِقُوا مِنْ خَيْرٍ يُوَفَّ إِلَيْكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تُظْلَمُونَ
Thou art not responsible for guiding them; but God guides whomsoever He will. And whatever good you expend is for yourselves, for then you are expending, being desirous only of God's Face; and whatever good you expend shall be repaid to you in full, and you will not be wronged,
[Al-Quran 2:272; Translation: Arthur John Arberry]
فَآتِ ذَا الْقُرْبَىٰ حَقَّهُ وَالْمِسْكِينَ وَابْنَ السَّبِيلِ ذَٰلِكَ خَيْرٌ لِّلَّذِينَ يُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَ اللَّهِ وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ
وَمَا آتَيْتُم مِّن رِّبًا لِّيَرْبُوَ فِي أَمْوَالِ النَّاسِ فَلَا يَرْبُو عِندَ اللَّهِ وَمَا آتَيْتُم مِّن زَكَاةٍ تُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَ اللَّهِ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُضْعِفُونَ
And give the kinsman his right, and the needy, and the traveller; that is better for those who desire God's Face; those they are the prosperers.
And what you give in usury, that it may increase upon the people's wealth, increases not with God; but what you give in alms, desiring God's Face, those -- they receive recompense manifold.
[Al-Quran 30:38-39; Translation: Arthur John Arberry]
And give the kinsman his right, and the needy, and the traveller; that is better for those who desire God's Face; those they are the prosperers.
And what you give in usury, that it may increase upon the people's wealth, increases not with God; but what you give in alms, desiring God's Face, those -- they receive recompense manifold.
[Al-Quran 30:38-39; Translation: Arthur John Arberry]
إِنَّمَا نُطْعِمُكُمْ لِوَجْهِ اللَّهِ لَا نُرِيدُ مِنكُمْ جَزَاءً وَلَا شُكُورًا
'We feed you only for the Face of God; we desire no recompense from you, no thankfulness;
[Al-Quran 76:9; Translation: Arthur John Arberry]
Warnings
وَلَا تَطْرُدِ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُم بِالْغَدَاةِ وَالْعَشِيِّ يُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَهُ مَا عَلَيْكَ مِنْ حِسَابِهِم مِّن شَيْءٍ وَمَا مِنْ حِسَابِكَ عَلَيْهِم مِّن شَيْءٍ فَتَطْرُدَهُمْ فَتَكُونَ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ
وَكَذَٰلِكَ فَتَنَّا بَعْضَهُم بِبَعْضٍ لِّيَقُولُوا أَهَٰؤُلَاءِ مَنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّن بَيْنِنَا أَلَيْسَ اللَّهُ بِأَعْلَمَ بِالشَّاكِرِينَ
And do not drive away those who call upon their Lord at morning and evening desiring His countenance; nothing of their account falls upon thee, and nothing of thy account falls upon them, that thou shouldst drive them away, and so become one of the evildoers.
Even so We have tried some of them by others that they may say, Are these the ones God has been gracious to among us?' Knows not God very well the thankful?
[Al-Quran 6:52; Translation: Arthur John Arberry]
And do not drive away those who call upon their Lord at morning and evening desiring His countenance; nothing of their account falls upon thee, and nothing of thy account falls upon them, that thou shouldst drive them away, and so become one of the evildoers.
Even so We have tried some of them by others that they may say, Are these the ones God has been gracious to among us?' Knows not God very well the thankful?
[Al-Quran 6:52; Translation: Arthur John Arberry]
وَاصْبِرْ نَفْسَكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُم بِالْغَدَاةِ وَالْعَشِيِّ يُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَهُ وَلَا تَعْدُ عَيْنَاكَ عَنْهُمْ تُرِيدُ زِينَةَ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَلَا تُطِعْ مَنْ أَغْفَلْنَا قَلْبَهُ عَن ذِكْرِنَا وَاتَّبَعَ هَوَاهُ وَكَانَ أَمْرُهُ فُرُطًا
Restrain your
[Al-Quran 18:28; Translation: Aisha Bewley, edited (in italics)]
Surah al-Ahzaab's last two ayaat inform us that we humans are here on this Earth because The Human volunteered to undertake The Trust, but proved to be unjust and foolish. We hope that Allah, the Acceptor of Repentance, the Most Forgiving, will accept our repentance, forgive us and allow us to see Him, our real Sustainer, our true Lord. Regarding the criminals, Surah al-Mutaffifin informs us that they will be unable to see the Face of Allah even on the Day of Judgement:
كَلَّا إِنَّهُمْ عَن رَّبِّهِمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ لَّمَحْجُوبُونَ
Verily, from (the Light of) their Lord, that Day, will they be veiled.
[Al-Quran 83:15; Translation: Yusuf Ali]
So, while Allah, the One and Only, is present, whichever direction we look in, we are unable to see Him, because He does not allow us to see Him. At least, not yet!
It is true that we can see only a tiny portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Surah an-Noor describes Allah's Noor, His being like a planet, its transparency like a glass, and Allah has created examples of noor, transparent creatures, and transparent creatures with anti-reflective coatings, ..., all giving us every reason to believe The Quran literally, as stated in the Arabic text.
And why is it important to study this: perhaps so that we can believe for sure in the existence of a Supreme Being, and that we earnestly seek His Face, preparing for the meeting scheduled with our Lord on the Day of Judgement, because our eternal life depends upon His allowing us to dwell in His presence. Only in His presence can we hope to flourish!!!
We need to seek the Face of Allah, our one and only Sustainer.
Surah al-Layl (The Night)
92:1 وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَىٰ
92:2 وَالنَّهَارِ إِذَا تَجَلَّىٰ
92:3 وَمَا خَلَقَ الذَّكَرَ وَالْأُنثَىٰ
92:4 إِنَّ سَعْيَكُمْ لَشَتَّىٰ
92:5 فَأَمَّا مَنْ أَعْطَىٰ وَاتَّقَىٰ
92:6 وَصَدَّقَ بِالْحُسْنَىٰ
92:7 فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُ لِلْيُسْرَىٰ
92:8 وَأَمَّا مَن بَخِلَ وَاسْتَغْنَىٰ
92:9 وَكَذَّبَ بِالْحُسْنَىٰ
92:10 فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُ لِلْعُسْرَىٰ
92:11 وَمَا يُغْنِي عَنْهُ مَالُهُ إِذَا تَرَدَّىٰ
92:12 إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا لَلْهُدَىٰ
92:13 وَإِنَّ لَنَا لَلْآخِرَةَ وَالْأُولَىٰ
92:14 فَأَنذَرْتُكُمْ نَارًا تَلَظَّىٰ
92:15 لَا يَصْلَاهَا إِلَّا الْأَشْقَى
92:16 الَّذِي كَذَّبَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ
92:17 وَسَيُجَنَّبُهَا الْأَتْقَى
92:18 الَّذِي يُؤْتِي مَالَهُ يَتَزَكَّىٰ
92:19 وَمَا لِأَحَدٍ عِندَهُ مِن نِّعْمَةٍ تُجْزَىٰ
92:20 إِلَّا ابْتِغَاءَ وَجْهِ رَبِّهِ الْأَعْلَىٰ
92:21 وَلَسَوْفَ يَرْضَىٰ
92:1 By the night when it conceals
92:2 and the day when it reveals
92:3 and the creation of male and female,
92:4 there is a vast difference in your striving.
92:5 As for him who gives out and has taqwa
92:6 and confirms the Good,
92:7 We will pave his way to Ease.
92:8 But as for him who is stingy and self-satisfied,
92:9 and denies the Good,
92:10 We will pave his way to Difficulty.
92:11 His wealth will not help him when he plummets to the depths.
92:12 Assuredly guidance is up to Us
92:13 and both the Last and First belong to Us.
92:14 I have warned you of a Fire which rages,
92:15 in which only the most wretched will roast —
92:16 those who denied and turned away.
92:17 Those with most taqwa will be far removed from it:
92:18 those who give their wealth to purify grow themselves —
92:19 not to repay someone else for a favour done —
92:20 desiring only the Face of their Lord Most High.
92:21 They will certainly be satisfied.
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