When it is said that you will meet Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) and see Him with your own eyes in Jannah, what it really means is that you will literally see Him clear as daylight. This is an honor and privilege reserved for the righteous alone. From all the blessings that Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) has promised His obedient servants and Believers in Jannah, one of the most beautiful and most delightful one is the meeting with Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) which can only be experienced in the Akhirah. Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) will show Himself to His prized servants and this blessing surpasses all others after which people will simply forget other happiness they may have ever felt.
Do you know what are those actions that will entitle you to this honor? Let’s find out!
- Death upon Islam
A person who has followed Islam as a way of life and who has then died upon Islam is someone who can see Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ). A Disbeliever will never have this privilege. In the Qur’an Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) says:
كَلَّا إِنَّهُمْ عَن رَّبِّهِمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ لَّمَحْجُوبُونَ
No! Indeed, from their Lord, that Day, they will be partitioned.
[Al-Mutaffifin: 15]
One of the punishments for the Disbelievers is that they will not have the liberty to experience this blessing. In fact they are completely removed from it.
In another verse, we learn:
وُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ نَّاضِرَةٌ ﴿٢٢﴾ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهَا نَاظِرَةٌ
[Some] faces, that Day, will be radiant, (22) Looking at their Lord. (23)
[Al-Qiyama: 22-23]
This proves that seeing Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) is kept only for the righteous. Upon seeing Him, their faces will be brightened up and will glow immensely.
Narrated Jarir bin ‘Abdullah, the Prophet (ﷺ) said,
إنَّكُمْ سَتَرَوْنَ رَبَّكُمْ عِيانًا
“You will definitely see your Lord with your own eyes.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari: 7435)
- Du’a (Prayer)
Praying to Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) for this blessing is another way that ensures its attainment. You must continue to regularly make du’a for this with sincerity and hope.
Ammar bin Yasir led us in prayer and he made it brief. Some of the people said to him: ‘You made the prayer short (or brief).’ He said: ‘Nevertheless I still recited supplications that I heard from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).’ When he got up and left, a man, he was my father but he did not name himself — followed him and asked him about that supplication, then he came and told the people:
اللَّهمَّ بعِلمِكَ الغيبَ وقدرتِكَ على الخلقِ أحيني ما علمتَ الحياةَ خيرًا لي وتوفَّني إذا علمتَ الوفاةَ خيرًا لي وأسألُكَ خشيتَكَ في الغيبِ والشَّهادةِ وَكلمةَ الإخلاصِ في الرِّضا والغضبِ وأسألُكَ نعيمًا لاَ ينفدُ وقرَّةَ عينٍ لاَ تنقطعُ وأسألُكَ الرِّضاءَ بالقضاءِ وبردَ العيشِ بعدَ الموتِ ولذَّةَ النَّظرِ إلى وجْهِكَ والشَّوقَ إلى لقائِكَ وأعوذُ بِكَ من ضرَّاءٍ مُضرَّةٍ وفتنةٍ مضلَّةٍ اللَّهمَّ زيِّنَّا بزينةِ الإيمانِ واجعَلنا هداةً مُهتدين
“O Allah, by Your knowledge of the unseen and Your power over creation, keep me alive so long as You know that living is good for me and cause me to die when You know that death is better for me. O Allah, cause me to fear You in secret and in public. I ask You to make me true in speech in times of pleasure and of anger. I ask You to make me moderate in times of wealth and poverty. And I ask You for everlasting delight and joy that will never cease. I ask You to make me pleased with that which You have decreed and for an easy life after death. I askYou for the sweetness of looking upon Your face and a longing to meet You in a manner that does not entail a calamity that will bring about harm or a trial that will cause deviation. O Allah, beautify us with the adornment of faith and make us among those who guide and are rightly guided.”
(Sunan an-Nasa’i 1305)
- Guarding the Fajr and Asr Salah
One of the ways to ensure the meeting with Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) is to guard all the five obligatory prayers. but especially the Fajr and Asr prayer.
Narrated Qais:
Jarir bin Abdullah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) said, “We were with the Prophet (ﷺ) and he looked at the full-moon and said:
إنَّكُمْ سَتَرَوْنَ رَبَّكُمْ كما تَرَوْنَ هذا القَمَرَ، لا تُضَامُّونَ في رُؤْيَتِهِ، فَإِنِ اسْتَطَعْتُمْ أنْ لا تُغْلَبُوا علَى صَلَاةٍ قَبْلَ طُلُوعِ الشَّمْسِ وقَبْلَ غُرُوبِهَا فَافْعَلُوا
“Certainly you will see your Lord as you see this moon and you will have no trouble in seeing Him. So if you can avoid missing (through sleep or business, etc.) a prayer before the sunrise (Fajr) and a prayer before sunset (`Asr), you must do so.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari 554 / Sahih Muslim 182)
- Abstaining from All Sins
The one who stays from all kinds of sins will create a way for himself to Jannah. In a hadith we learn:
It is narrated on the authority of Abu Dharr that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ observed:
ثَلاثَةٌ لا يُكَلِّمُهُمُ اللَّهُ يَومَ القِيامَةِ، ولا يَنْظُرُ إليهِم ولا يُزَكِّيهِمْ ولَهُمْ عَذابٌ ألِيمٌ قالَ: فَقَرَأَها رَسولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلَّمَ ثَلاثَ مِرار، قالَ أبو ذَرٍّ: خابُوا وخَسِرُوا، مَن هُمْ يا رَسولَ اللهِ؟ قالَ: المُسْبِلُ، والْمَنَّانُ، والْمُنَفِّقُ سِلْعَتَهُ بالحَلِفِ الكاذِبِ
“Three are the (persons) with whom Allah would neither speak on the Day of Resurrection, nor would look at them nor would absolve them and there is a painful chastisement for them. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) repeated it three times. Abu Dharr remarked: They failed and they lost; who are these persons, Messenger of Allah? Upon this he (the Holy) Prophet) observed: They are: the dragger of lower garment, the recounter of obligation, and the seller of goods by false oath.”
(Sahih Muslim 106)
In another hadith we learn:
It is narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) observed:
“Three (are the persons) with whom Allah would neither speak, nor would He absolve them on the Day of Resurrection. Abu Mu’awiya added: He would not look at them and there is grievous torment for them: the aged adulterer, the liar king and the proud destitute.”
(Sahih Muslim 107)
- Yearning to Meet Rabb
Your intense desire to meet Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) in Jannah is what will fulfill this longing for you.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said,
“Whoever loves to meet Allah, Allah (too) loves to meet him and who-ever hates to meet Allah, Allah (too) hates to meet him”. `Aisha, or some of the wives of the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “But we dislike death.” He said: It is not like this, but it is meant that when the time of the death of a believer approaches, he receives the good news of Allah’s pleasure with him and His blessings upon him, and so at that time nothing is dearer to him than what is in front of him. He therefore loves the meeting with Allah, and Allah (too) loves the meeting with him. But when the time of the death of a disbeliever approaches, he receives the evil news of Allah’s torment and His Requital, whereupon nothing is more hateful to him than what is before him. Therefore, he hates the meeting with Allah, and Allah too, hates the meeting with him.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari 6507)
- Doing Ihsan (Doing more than the required for people)
To do good deeds for others is one thing, but to do more with no expectation in return is called ‘ihsaan.’
Imam Jurjani states, “Ihsan means a commendable act which reaps reward of the Akhirah.” [1]
RasulAllah ﷺ was asked about ‘ihsan,’ he replied:
It is that you worship Allah as if you see Him. And even though you do not see Him, you feel and [you know] He sees you.”
Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) loves those who do ihsan.
وَأَحْسِنُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ
And do good; indeed, Allah loves the doers of good.
[Al-Baqara: 195]
For those who do more than what is required, Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) says about them:
لِّلَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا الْحُسْنَىٰ وَزِيَادَةٌ
For them who have done good is the best [reward] and extra. (26)
[Yunus: 26]
In the explanation of this particular verse, the Prophet ﷺ said الْحُسْنَىٰ (husna) refers to Jannah and the word وَزِيَادَةٌ (and more) refers to the seeing of Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ). This meeting and seeing of Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) has been kept exclusively for the the Believers.
Suhaib reported the Apostle (ﷺ) saying:
إذا دَخَلَ أهْلُ الجَنَّةِ الجَنَّةَ، قالَ: يقولُ اللَّهُ تَبارَكَ وتَعالَى: تُرِيدُونَ شيئًا أزِيدُكُمْ؟ فيَقولونَ: ألَمْ تُبَيِّضْ وُجُوهَنا؟ ألَمْ تُدْخِلْنا الجَنَّةَ، وتُنَجِّنا مِنَ النَّارِ؟ قالَ: فَيَكْشِفُ الحِجابَ، فَما أُعْطُوا شيئًا أحَبَّ إليهِم مِنَ النَّظَرِ إلى رَبِّهِمْ عزَّ وجلَّ. ثُمَّ تَلا هذِه الآيَةَ: {لِلَّذِينَ أحْسَنُوا الحُسْنَى وزِيادَةٌ}
“When those deserving of Paradise would enter Paradise, the Blessed and the Exalted would ask: Do you wish Me to give you anything more? They would say: Hast Thou not brightened our faces? Hast Thou not made us enter Paradise and saved us from Fire? He (the narrator) said: He (God) would lift the veil, and of things given to them nothing would he dearer to them than the sight of their Lord, the Mighty and the Glorious.He then recited the verse:(Those who do good will have the best reward and even more)”
(Sahih Muslim 181)
These six simple actions can not only lead one to Jannah but also ensure that the person entering Jannah will see the Creator that he/she has worshipped all their lives with love. The delight of this meeting surpasses anything a Believer can have as a blessing. The experience of which only time will tell. May Allah (عَزَّوَجَلَّ) make us amongst those who are showered with this honor of seeing our Rabb. (Aameen)
[1] AtTareefat LilJibrani: P 91
