A Question Addressed to Sh. Saeed Fodeh Regarding the Vision of Allah and the Affirmation of Directi

In the name of Allah the Most-Merciful the Most-Gracious

A question addressed to Sh. Saeed Fodeh regarding the vision of Allah and the affirmation of direction

A Tijani brother asked Sh. Said Foudah: "Is direction a rational precondition of visual perception? If it is, then visual perception cannot take place except through direction, and since direction necessarily implies a figure, wouldn’t visual perception be impossible regarding Allah?"

I hope you can make this clear.

So, our noble Shaykh Said (May Allah preserve him) responded: My esteemed brother. A Direction, threshold, and location are not rational preconditions for a visual perception according to all of the sects of Islam except the anthropomorphists. For Allah is not in any direction, place, nor does He have delimitation; despite that, He sees us.

Visual perception is from amongst the attributes of perception. Therefore, they refer back to sight or knowledge despite the difference within the two; there is nothing from any of them that stipulates a direction or anything else from what I mentioned based on sound rational intellect. In regards to created things, then they are also not rationally necessary preconditions rather they are conventional preconditions, what this means is that it is possible for Allah to create within us a direct visual perception without any direction, delimitation, location or direct facing.

Is it not possible for Allah to create within us knowledge without us using our intellects nor any direction of our minds from us? Of course! So, if that is possible, then it is also possible for him to create a perception which we call seeing within us without a gaze, direct facing between the one seeing and the one seen. Nor are any other conventional preconditions like wave vectors required.

However, according to the anthrompomorphists, they stipulate direction, delimitation, location for visual perception on Allah’s side and our side, meaning that they claim that Allah cannot see unless he is in a direction or the one being seen is in a direction opposing him. Because according to them, a precondition of existence is location, and everything that is in a location is in a direction, and the falsehood of this is clear as day for anyone.

And Allah knows best.