“Seeing is believing”—but what if you’ve never seen Allah?
How do you draw near to the One who is closer to you than your own soul? Every time you recite the Qur’an, He speaks to you. Every time you pray, He responds. Every time you call upon Him, He listens.
But do you speak to Him enough to recognize His voice? One day, your vision will be sharpened, and you will see Him as clearly as the full moon in the night sky. But will you wait until then to truly seek Him? Or will you recognize His signs now and begin your journey toward Him today?
NOTE: All depictions of Barzakh are purely conceptual and only vocals were used in the making of the soundtrack.
Download discussion guides for “The Other Side”: https://yqn.io/2e7585
References:
- Abu Yazeed al-Bistami said: “I saw the Lord of Might, Blessed and Exalted, in a dream, and I asked: ‘O Master of Glory, How do I get to you? He replied, ‘Leave yourself behind and come.’” [Ibn al-Jawzi, Sifat as-Safwah]
- Imam Ahmad said: “I saw my Lord in a dream and said, ‘My Lord, what is the best way for those seeking closeness to You to draw near?’ He replied, ‘Through My words, O Ahmad.’ Meaning the recitation of the Quran. I said, ‘O Lord! With understanding or (even) without understanding?’ He replied, ‘With or without understanding.’” [Ibn al-Jawzi, At-Tabsirah]
- The Prophet ﷺ said: “Ihsan is to worship Allah as if you can see Him, and if you can’t see Him then to know that He sees you.” [Sahih al-Bukhari #50; Sahih Muslim #8]
- Mu‘adh said: I asked the Prophet ﷺ for advice, and he said, “Worship Allah as if you see Him, count yourself among the dead, and remember Allah near every stone and tree. If you commit a sin, follow it with a good deed; a secret deed for a secret deed and a public deed for a public deed.” [Ibn Abi Shaybah, al-Musannaf; Ibn Hanbal, Kitab az-Zuhd]
- Imam Abu Hanifa (ra) said: “I saw the Lord of Glory in my dreams ninety-nine times.” [As-Safuri, Nuzhat al-Majalis]
- The Prophet ﷺ said: “Nothing is more beloved to the people of Paradise than seeing their Lord, the Mighty and Majestic.” [Sahih Muslim #181]
- Jarir reported: “We were with the Prophet ﷺ when he looked at the full moon and said, ‘Indeed, you will see your Lord just as you see this moon, without any difficulty in seeing Him.’” [Sahih al-Bukhari #554; Sahih Muslim #633]
- The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Allah, the Most High, said: ‘I have divided the prayer between Myself and My servant into two halves, and My servant shall have what he asks for.’
When the servant says, {al-hamdu lillahi rabbi al-ʿalameen}, Allah, the Most High, says, ‘My servant has praised Me.’
When the servant says, {Ar-Rahmani Ar-Raheem}, Allah, the Most High, says, ‘My servant has extolled Me.’ When the servant says, {Maliki yawmi ad-deen}, Allah, the Most High, says, ‘My servant has glorified Me,’ and on one occasion, He said, ‘My servant has entrusted his affairs to Me.’
When the servant says, {Iyyaka naʿbudu wa iyyaka nastaʿeen}, Allah, the Most High, says, ‘This is between Me and My servant, and My servant shall have what he asks for.’
When the servant says, {Ihdina as-sirat al-mustaqeem, sirat al-ladhina anʿamta ʿalayhim ghayri al-maghdubi ʿalayhim wa la dalleen}, Allah, the Most High, says, ‘This is for My servant, and My servant shall have what he asks for.’” [Sahih Muslim #395]
- The Prophet ﷺ said: “The closest that a slave is to Allah is in his sujood.” [Sahih Muslim #482]
- The Prophet ﷺ said that Allah says: “I am with My slave when he remembers Me and his lips move saying My Name.” [Sunan Ibn Majah #3792]
- Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-Aas said: “Indeed, souls ascend in sleep and are commanded to prostrate before the Throne. Those who have slept in a state of taharah prostrate near the Throne, while those who have not prostrate at a distance from it.” [Al-Bayhaqi, Shu’ab al-Iman]
- It is the sunnah to perform wudu before sleeping. [Sahih al-Bukhari #247; Sahih Muslim #2710]
- The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever goes to sleep in a state of purity, an angel stays with him continuously saying, ‘O Allah, forgive Your servant so-and-so, for he went to sleep in a state of purity,’ until he wakes up.” [Sahih Ibn Hibban] .
- Jabir ibn Abdullah said: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ met me and said, ‘O Jabir, why do I see you brokenhearted?’ I replied, ‘O Messenger of Allah, my father was martyred (he was killed on the day of Uhud) and has left behind dependents and debts.’
He ﷺ said, ‘Shall I not give you glad tidings of how Allah received your father?’
I said, ‘Yes, O Messenger of Allah.’
He ﷺ said, ‘Allah has never spoken to anyone except from behind a veil, but He spoke to your father directly, saying, “O My servant, ask of Me and I shall grant you.”
Your father replied, ‘O Lord, bring me back to life so that I may be martyred in Your cause again.’
Allah, the Almighty, said, ‘It has already been decreed by Me that they shall not return to the world.’
Then, this verse was revealed: ‘Do not think of those who are killed in the way of Allah as dead…’” [Qur’an, 3:169; Jami’ at-Tirmidhi #3010; Sunan Ibn Majah #190]
- After Imam Ahmad died, one of his students said: I saw Ahmad ibn Hanbal in a dream. I said to him, “O Abu Abdullah, what did Allah do with you?” He replied, “He forgave me. Then He said, ‘O Ahmad, were you beaten for My sake?’ I said, ‘Yes, O Lord.’ So he said, ‘O Ahmad, this is My Face. Look upon it, for I have permitted you to gaze at it.’” [Al-Baghdadi, Tarikh Baghdad]
- Imam al-Dahhak narrates: “When the soul of a believing servant is taken, it ascends to the heavens, accompanied by the muqarrabun (the closest angels) to the second heaven…. They say: ‘O Lord, this is Your servant, so-and-so,’ though He knows best about him. Allah then sends down a sealed certificate assuring him safety from punishment. This is the meaning of Allah’s statement: ‘Nay! Indeed, the record of the righteous is in ‘Illiyyin. And what can make you know what ‘Illiyyin is? A register inscribed, witnessed by those brought near.’” [Qur’an, 83:18-21; Tafsir at-Tabari]
