The Beatific Vision

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The Return to GodThe Journey to God

Another term that has been used widely in the Qura’n for the Day of Judgment is the “Beatific vision” or “The vision of God”. The 7th verse is one of them and it is said, “Indeed those who rejected the meeting with God and were not guided aright will perish.”

The explanation of the “Beatific vision” or the “Vision of God” that has come repeatedly in the Qura’n is very profound and meaningful although some commentators have passed it away very simply.(1)

The often say that “the Beatific Vision “means that the angels will meet God on the Day of Judgment. Sometimes they say the accounting and the reward and punishment means the meeting with God.

Then again they say the commandments means the meeting with God.

And in this way each of them has presupposed a word but we know that this is not true and we should avoid saying this until we have irrefutable proof.

We will now try to know the real explanation keeping this truth in mind. Undoubtedly the meeting with God will not be a meeting through senses because then it will mean only a physical approximation which is connected with place, time , colors etc so that they can be perceived with the naked eye.

Here it means the hidden meeting with God, the spiritual vision and a symbolic meeting because the screens will be lifted on the Day of Judgment ; the signs of God will be so evidently manifest that even the disbelievers will see them in their hearts ( Though there will be many stages of this vision.)

According to the Late Allama Tabatabai in Al Mizan:

“ The servants of God will be in such a situation that there will be no screen between them and their Lord because the Day of Judgment is meant to exhibit all reality as said in verse 25 of Surah Noor:

“And they will know that God is the Truth.”(2)

The point to note is that there is a tradition that says that a person came to Hazrat Ali and said: I am in doubt about the Qura’n. Hazrat asked him, “Why?” The man said, “ In many verses I find that Qura’n speaks about the meeting with God while it even says in verse 103 of Surah Anam, “ Vision cannot perceive Him while He perceives all vision.” How can these verses be compatible?” Hazrat said, “Vision here does not mean the sight of the eyes but it means the Day of Judgment and the resurrection of the dead. So in Qura’n you should take the vision to mean the Ba’ath” (3)

Actually Hazrat Ali has explained the Beatific Vision through something which is evident on the vision of God’s glory.

Yes the Day of Judgment is the day on which the screens will be removed, the signs of God will be manifest on the hearts. These words of the Imam can be understood by every person according to his capacity and as we have already stated the perceiving or the vision of the saints will be very different to that of the ordinary person.

 


 

1. This explanation has come in other verses also like, Anam 31 and 145, Yunus 7, 11, and 15, Raad 2, Kahaf 5, 105, and 110, Furqan 21, Ankabut 5, and 23, Rom 8,. Sajda 23, Ha-Mim Sajda 54 and Sajda 10 and 20
2. Tafsir Al Mizan vol.5 page 95 and vol.1 page 69
3. Tawhid of Shaykh Suduq page 267 (Excerpt)

 

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