Hadith record

3. Ahmad ibn Idris has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Ali ibn Sayf from Muhammad ibn ‘Ubayd who has said the following. “I wrote to abu al-Hassan al-Rida (a.s.) and asked him about the belief in eye-witnessing Allah’s self. Is it is possible to see Allah’s self with one’s own eyes as is traditionally narrated in the affirmative by the Sunni Muslims (al-’ammah) and the Shi‘ah Muslims (al-khassah) who are contrary. I requested him to explain the matter. The Imam answered in his own handwriting. “All agree and there is no dissension among the people that eye-witnessed knowledge of things is certainly knowledge without doubt. It is the form of knowledge that does not require logical proofs. If it is true that seeing Allah’s self with the eyes is possible then it becomes a necessity to acknowledge that Allah becomes entirely known and defined through eye-witnessed process. Now, can eye-witnessed knowledge of Allah’s self be considered faith or not? If the knowledge of Him as such, i.e. eye-witnessed knowledge (which according to Sunni Muslims will happen on the Day of resurrection) be considered faith, then faith in Allah in this world, which comes through non-eye-witnessed knowledge is not faith. It is contrary to eye-witnessed knowledge and faith (contrary things do not exist at the same time). Thus, there would be no one who would have faith in Allah in this world because no one has seen Him, Majestic is Whose name. If the eye-witnessed knowledge and understanding would not be considered faith then the non-eye-witnessed faith and knowledge formed and acquired must go away in the next life, but, in fact, it will not go away on the Day of resurrection. This is proof that Allah, the Majestic, the Glorious, can not be seen because it will lead to (the kind of confusion) what we just mentioned.”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.