The Face of Allah and His Two Eyes

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

وصلى الله على نبينا محمد

وعلى اهل بيته الطيبين الطاهرين المظلومين

I affirm the orthodox Athari creed with respect to the Names and Attributes of Allah Most High. I believe that Allah has both essential attributes and attributes of action. As for Allah’s essential attributes, I affirm whatever is in the Qur’an and the authentic Hadith:

The Face of Allah

فَأَيْنَمَا تُوَلُّوا فَثَمَّ وَجْهُ اللَّـهِ

So wherever you turn there is the Face of Allah

[Sura 2:115]

Linguistically, the word wajh translated to mean “face” also means presence. When for example, Allah says:

كُلُّ شَيْءٍ هَالِكٌ إِلَّا وَجْهَهُ

Everything will perish save His Presence

[Sura 28:88]

It certainly does not mean that apart from Allah’s “Face” the rest of His Essence shall perish معاذ الله rather apart from Allah’s holy presence and essence, all things are perishable. That the Face of Allah is one of His essential attributes and not a created thing is apparent from the fact that we seek refuge in the Face of Allah:

أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ الْعَظِيمِ وَبِوَجْهِهِ الْكَرِيمِ

I seek refuge in Allah, the Magnificent, and in His noble Face

[Sunan Abi Dawud #466]

It is only allowed to seek refuge in Allah Himself and in His divine names and attributes. The Prophet would say:

أَعُوذُ بِوَجْهِكَ

“I seek refuge in Your Face”

[Sahih al-Bukhari]

The Two Eyes of Allah

وَاصْنَعِ الْفُلْكَ بِأَعْيُنِنَا

And construct the ship under Our Eyes

[Sura 11:37]

Although “Eyes” are in the plural form and not the dual form, this is from the aspect of Arabic eloquence. Take for example the Ayah in which Allah addresses the Prophet’s two wives, sayyidatuna A’isha and sayyidatuna Hafsa رضى الله عنهما:

إِن تَتُوبَا إِلَى اللَّـهِ فَقَدْ صَغَتْ قُلُوبُكُمَا

If you both turn to Allah so indeed your hearts are inclined

[Sura 66:4]

The word qulub is in the plural and not dual form, though this is for eloquence and the meaning is the two hearts of the two mothers of the Believers.

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم said:

وَإِنَّ رَبَّكُمْ لَيْسَ بِأَعْوَرَ

“And verily your Lord is not one-eyed”

[Sahih al-Bukhari]

This means Allah Most High has two perfect eyes, essential divine attributes of His, through which He sees all things. The denial that Allah is not one-eyed as the Dajjal is, means the opposite, i.e., that Allah has two eyes, as explained by Imam al-Darimi [d. 255 H]:

ففي تأويل قول رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : (إن الله ليس بأعور) : بيان أنه بصير ذو عينين ، خلاف الأعور

[Naqd alal-Marisi p.116]:

Similarly, Imam Ibn Khuzayma [d. 311 H] writes:

نحن نقول : لربنا الخالق عينان يبصر بهما

“We say, for our Lord, the Creator, are two eyes, He sees by them.” [Kitab ut-Tawhid p.114]:

Ibn Hajr al-Asqalani writes:

حديث عقبة بن عامر سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول على المنبر إن ربنا سميع بصير وأشار إلى عينيه وسنده حسن

From the Hadith of Uqba bin Amir that he heard the Apostle of Allah [sall Allahu alayhi wasallam] saying while upon the pulpit: “Verily our Lord is hearing and seeing” and he pointed to his eyes, and its chain is good. [Fath al-Bari]

As for the contemporary Asharis who deny the essential attributes of Allah such as His two Eyes, they should reconsider their position and read what their Imam, Abu al-Hasan al-Ashari [d. 324 H] wrote:

وأن الله سبحانه على عرشه كما قال: (الرحمن على العرش استوى) .

وأن له يدين بلا كيف كما قال: (خلقت بيدي) ، وكما قال: (بل يداه مبسوطتان) .

وأن له عينين بلا كيف ، كما قال: (تجري بأعيننا) .

وأن له وجهاً كما قال: (ويبقى وجه ربك ذو الجلال والإكرام)

[Maqalat al-Islamiyyin v.1 p.345]: