A Comparative Study of the Concept of Seeing God in the Holy Qurʾan from the Viewpoints of Imam Khomeini and ʿAllāmah Ṭabāṭabāʾī

According to the Qurʾan, can God be seen? This article explores the perspective of two prominent twentieth-century Shiʾa scholars, Imam Khomeini and 'Allāmah Ṭabāṭabāʾī. Both rejected the idea that God can physically be seen and interpret the ayah that might imply this to mean that God is seen spiritually, by the heart. Their arguments are based on exegesis of the Qurʾanic verses and hadith. Additionally, they concur that there are stages for the perception of God according to the spiritual level of the individual. Piety and righteousness are necessary to remove the obstacles to seeing God and meeting with Him. However, the scholars differ with respect to their understandings of the nature of how God is perceived. Imam Khomeini adopted a mystical approach, utilizing the term tajallī (manifestation); ʿAllāmah, in contrast, emphasised the philosophical and mystical term 'intuitive awareness' ('ilm al-hudūrī) in explanation. With regards to a particularly debated Qurʾanic passage, the story of Moses, Khomeini expressed this as a promise that Moses would see God after meeting the condition of fanāʾ (annihilation). ʿAllāmah also accepted the possibility of seeing God as mentioned in this story, although after death, not in this world.