Visions of Heaven.
Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Question: Assalamu alaykum
Are people’s claim to see heaven true? Even if when the form of transport to heaven for the Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him) was on a winged horse?
Answer: Wa ‘alaykum as-salam wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh
I pray you are well.
Yes, it is possible for someone on earth to be shown Paradise whilst still on earth. This is something rationally possible, and we have precedent for similar events from the lives of the prophets, Allah bless them and grant them peace, and the companions, may Allah be well pleased with them all.
The Visions of Ibrahim and ʿUmar
Allah Almighty said, ‘And no less than that, did We show Ibrahim the perfect, immense dominion of the heavens and earth, and our sovereignty over them; and [We did this] so that he may be of those of absolute certainty.’ (6:75). For Ibrahim to have been shown the whole universe, and beyond, as a child – as the Qurʾan indicates – is something in the realm of possibility.
If someone can be shown the furthest reaches of creation, then being shown Paradise is also a possibility.
Imam Ibn Kathir also narrated a rigorously authenticated narration regarding sayyiduna ʿUmar – whilst delivering a sermon in Medina – seeing a group of Muslims who were about to ambushed hundreds of miles away. He called out to warn them, and they heard his voice and reacted appropriately.
Miracles Granted to the Righteous
A vision is not the same as travelling a distance. Yet, it is also possible for a person to be transported from one place to another. Physicists affirm the possibility of the occurrent of a ‘wormhole’, which is the nexus of two distant points in the universe through the folding of space.
The occurrence of such events has been reported as having to many individuals, such as the grandfather of the great Moroccan saint and scholar, Ahmad b. ʿAjiba. He mentioned it himself in his autobiography, which is an excellent work.
Imam Ibrahim al Laqqani, in his great didactic poem, Jawhara al Tawhid (The Gem of Divine Oneness), said,
“You must affirm for the saintly miracles,
Those who deny them cast aside their rambles.”
Dr Mostafa al Badawi, a distinguished contemporary scholar, discussed these metaphysical matters in his work ‘A Higher Reality‘ which is highly recommended.
May Allah grant you the best of both worlds.
Wassalam,
[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began his studies in Arabic Grammar and Morphology in 2005. After graduating with a degree in English and History he moved to Damascus in 2007 to study and sit at the feet of some of the most erudite scholars of our time.
Over the following eighteen months he studied a traditional curriculum, studying with scholars such as Shaykh Adnan Darwish, Shaykh Abdurrahman Arjan, Shaykh Hussain Darwish and Shaykh Muhammad Darwish.
In late 2008 he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continued his studies for the next six years, in Fiqh, Usul al-Fiqh, Theology, Hadith Methodology and Commentary, Shama’il, and Logic with teachers such as Dr Ashraf Muneeb, Dr Salah Abu’l-Hajj, Dr Hamza al-Bakri, Shaykh Ahmad Hasanat, Dr Mansur Abu Zina amongst others. He was also given two licences of mastery in the science of Qur’anic recital by Shakh Samir Jabr and Shaykh Yahya Qandil.
His true passion, however, arose in the presence of Shaykh Ali Hani, considered by many to be one of the foremost tafsir scholars of our time who provided him with the keys to the vast knowledge of the Quran. With Shaykh Ali, he was able to study an extensive curriculum of Qur’anic Sciences, Tafsir, Arabic Grammar, and Rhetoric.
When he finally left Jordan for the UK in 2014, Shaykh Ali gave him his distinct blessing and still recommends students in the UK to seek out Shaykh Abdul-Rahim for Quranic studies. Since his return he has trained as a therapist and has helped a number of people overcome emotional and psychosomatic issues. He is a keen promoter of emotional and mental health.
