Surah Anam ayat 103 Tafsir Quran 6:103

﴿لَّا تُدْرِكُهُ الْأَبْصَارُ وَهُوَ يُدْرِكُ الْأَبْصَارَ ۖ وَهُوَ اللَّطِيفُ الْخَبِيرُ﴾
[ الأنعام: 103]

6:103 Vision perceives Him not, but He perceives [all] vision; and He is the Subtle, the Acquainted.

Vision cannot attain Him that is they the eyes cannot see Him — this is a denial that applies in particular circumstances since it is accepted that the believer will see Him in the Hereafter as indicated by God’s words On that Day faces shall be radiant gazing upon their Lord Q. 7522f. and by the hadīth of the two Shaykhs Bukhārī and Muslim ‘Verily you shall see your Lord as clearly as you see the full moon at night’ — and it is also said to mean that it vision cannot encompass Him; but He attains all vision that is to say He perceives them whereas they cannot perceive Him; it is not possible in the case of anyone other than Him to attain all vision while it vision cannot attain Him or encompass Him in knowledge. And He is the Subtle in dealing with His friends the Aware of them.

He is not apprehended by sight whereas He comprehends all that is displayed to the bodily eye and all that is brought before the mind’s eye, and He is the Gracious Who gives His servants an understanding heart, and He is AL-Latif (Kind) and Al- Khabir

Allah is Your Lord Allah said, ذَلِكُـمُ اللَّهُ رَبُّـكُمْ ( Such is Allah, your Lord! ) Who created everything and has neither a son nor a wife, لا إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ خَـلِقُ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ فَاعْبُدُوهُ ( None has the right to be worshipped but He, the Creator of all things.
So worship Him, ) Alone without partners, and attest to His Oneness, affirming that there is no deity worthy of worship except Him.
Allah has neither descendants, nor acsendants, wife, equal or rival, وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ وَكِيلٌ ( And He is the Guardian over all things. ) meaning, Trustee, Watcher and Disposer of affairs for all things in existence, giving them provisions and protection by day and night.
Seeing Allah in the Hereafter Allah said, لاَّ تُدْرِكُهُ الاٌّبْصَـرُ ( No vision can grasp Him ) in this life.
The vision will be able to look at Allah in the Hereafter, as affirmed and attested to by the numerous Hadiths from the Prophet through authentic chains of narration in the collections of the Sahihs, Musnad and Sunan collections.
As for this life, Masruq narrated that `A'ishah said, "Whoever claims that Muhammad has seen his Lord, will have uttered a lie against Allah, for Allah the Most Honored, says, لاَّ تُدْرِكُهُ الاٌّبْصَـرُ وَهُوَ يُدْرِكُ الاٌّبْصَـرَ ( No vision can grasp Him, but His grasp is over all vision. )" In the Sahih ( Muslim ) it is recorded that Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari narrated from the Prophet ,
«إِنَّ اللهَ لَا يَنَامُ وَلَا يَنْبَغِي لَهُ أَنْ يَنَامَ، يَخْفِضُ الْقِسْطَ وَيَرْفَعُهُ، يُرْفَعُ إِلَيْهِ عَمَلُ النَّهَارِ قَبْلَ اللَّيْلِ، وَعَمَلُ اللَّيْلِ قَبْلَ النَّهَارِ، حِجَابُهُ النُّورُ أَوِ النَّارُ لَوْ كَشَفَهُ لَأَحْرَقَتْ سَبُحَاتُ وَجْهِهِ مَا انْتَهَى إِلَيْهِ بَصَرُهُ مِنْ خَلْقِه»
( Verily, Allah does not sleep and it does not befit His majesty that He should sleep.
He lowers the scale (of everything ) and raises it.
The deeds of the day are ascended to Him before the night, and the deeds of the night before the day.
His Veil is the Light -- or Fire -- and if He removes it ( the veil ), the Light of His Face will burn every created thing that His sight reaches.) In the previous revealed Books there is this statement, "When Musa requested to see Him, Allah said to Musa: `O Musa! Verily, no living thing sees Me, but it dies and no dried things sees me, but it rolls up.' " Allah said, فَلَمَّا تَجَلَّى رَبُّهُ لِلْجَبَلِ جَعَلَهُ دَكًّا وَخَرَّ موسَى صَعِقًا فَلَمَّآ أَفَاقَ قَالَ سُبْحَـنَكَ تُبْتُ إِلَيْكَ وَأَنَاْ أَوَّلُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ( So when his Lord appeared to the mountain, He made it collapse to dust, and Musa fell down unconscious.
Then when he recovered his senses he said: "Glory be to You, I turn to You in repentance and I am the first of the believers." ) 7:143.
These Ayat, Hadiths and statements do not negate the fact that Allah will be seen on the Day of Resurrection by His believing servants, in the manner that He decides, all the while preserving His might and grace as they are.
The Mother of the Faithful, `A'ishah, used to affirm that Allah will be seen in the Hereafter, but denied that it could occur in this life, mentioning this Ayah as evidence, لاَّ تُدْرِكُهُ الاٌّبْصَـرُ وَهُوَ يُدْرِكُ الاٌّبْصَـرَ ( No vision can grasp Him, but His grasp is over all vision. ) Her denial was a denial of the ability to encompass Him, meaning to perfectly see His grace and magnificance as He is, for that is not possible for any human, angel or anything created.
Allah's statement, وَهُوَ يُدْرِكُ الاٌّبْصَـرَ ( but His grasp is over all vision. ) means, He encompasses all vision and He has full knowledge of them, for He created them all.
In another Ayah, Allah said; أَلاَ يَعْلَمُ مَنْ خَلَقَ وَهُوَ اللَّطِيفُ الْخَبِيرُ ( Should not He Who has created know And He is the Most Subtle, Well Acquainted (with all things ).) 67:14 It is also possible that `all vision' refers to those who have the vision.
As-Suddi said that Allah's statement, لاَّ تُدْرِكُهُ الاٌّبْصَـرُ وَهُوَ يُدْرِكُ الاٌّبْصَـرَ ( No vision can grasp Him, but His grasp is over all vision. ) means, "Nothing sees Him ( in this life ), but He sees all creation." Abu Al-`Aliyah said that Allah's statement, وَهُوَ اللَّطِيفُ الْخَبِيرُ ( He is the Most Subtle, Well-Acquainted (with all things ).) means, "He is the Most Subtle, bringing forth all things, Well-Acquainted with their position and place." Allah knows best.
In another Ayah, Allah mentions Luqman's advice to his son, يبُنَىَّ إِنَّهَآ إِن تَكُ مِثْقَالَ حَبَّةٍ مِّنْ خَرْدَلٍ فَتَكُنْ فِى صَخْرَةٍ أَوْ فِى السَّمَـوَتِ أَوْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ يَأْتِ بِهَا اللَّهُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَطِيفٌ خَبِيرٌ ( O my son! If it be (anything ) equal to the weight of grain of mustard seed, and though it be in a rock, or in the heavens or in the earth, Allah will bring it forth.
Verily, Allah is Most Subtle, Well Acquainted) 31:16

Allah is Your Lord Allah said, ذَلِكُـمُ اللَّهُ رَبُّـكُمْ ( Such is Allah, your Lord! ) Who created everything and has neither a son nor a wife, لا إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ خَـلِقُ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ فَاعْبُدُوهُ ( None has the right to be worshipped but He, the Creator of all things.
So worship Him, ) Alone without partners, and attest to His Oneness, affirming that there is no deity worthy of worship except Him.
Allah has neither descendants, nor acsendants, wife, equal or rival, وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ وَكِيلٌ ( And He is the Guardian over all things. ) meaning, Trustee, Watcher and Disposer of affairs for all things in existence, giving them provisions and protection by day and night.
Seeing Allah in the Hereafter Allah said, لاَّ تُدْرِكُهُ الاٌّبْصَـرُ ( No vision can grasp Him ) in this life.
The vision will be able to look at Allah in the Hereafter, as affirmed and attested to by the numerous Hadiths from the Prophet through authentic chains of narration in the collections of the Sahihs, Musnad and Sunan collections.
As for this life, Masruq narrated that `A'ishah said, "Whoever claims that Muhammad has seen his Lord, will have uttered a lie against Allah, for Allah the Most Honored, says, لاَّ تُدْرِكُهُ الاٌّبْصَـرُ وَهُوَ يُدْرِكُ الاٌّبْصَـرَ ( No vision can grasp Him, but His grasp is over all vision. )" In the Sahih ( Muslim ) it is recorded that Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari narrated from the Prophet , «إِنَّ اللهَ لَا يَنَامُ وَلَا يَنْبَغِي لَهُ أَنْ يَنَامَ، يَخْفِضُ الْقِسْطَ وَيَرْفَعُهُ، يُرْفَعُ إِلَيْهِ عَمَلُ النَّهَارِ قَبْلَ اللَّيْلِ، وَعَمَلُ اللَّيْلِ قَبْلَ النَّهَارِ، حِجَابُهُ النُّورُ أَوِ النَّارُ لَوْ كَشَفَهُ لَأَحْرَقَتْ سَبُحَاتُ وَجْهِهِ مَا انْتَهَى إِلَيْهِ بَصَرُهُ مِنْ خَلْقِه» ( Verily, Allah does not sleep and it does not befit His majesty that He should sleep.
He lowers the scale (of everything ) and raises it.
The deeds of the day are ascended to Him before the night, and the deeds of the night before the day.
His Veil is the Light -- or Fire -- and if He removes it ( the veil ), the Light of His Face will burn every created thing that His sight reaches.) In the previous revealed Books there is this statement, "When Musa requested to see Him, Allah said to Musa: `O Musa! Verily, no living thing sees Me, but it dies and no dried things sees me, but it rolls up.' " Allah said, فَلَمَّا تَجَلَّى رَبُّهُ لِلْجَبَلِ جَعَلَهُ دَكًّا وَخَرَّ موسَى صَعِقًا فَلَمَّآ أَفَاقَ قَالَ سُبْحَـنَكَ تُبْتُ إِلَيْكَ وَأَنَاْ أَوَّلُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ( So when his Lord appeared to the mountain, He made it collapse to dust, and Musa fell down unconscious.
Then when he recovered his senses he said: "Glory be to You, I turn to You in repentance and I am the first of the believers." ) 7:143.
These Ayat, Hadiths and statements do not negate the fact that Allah will be seen on the Day of Resurrection by His believing servants, in the manner that He decides, all the while preserving His might and grace as they are.
The Mother of the Faithful, `A'ishah, used to affirm that Allah will be seen in the Hereafter, but denied that it could occur in this life, mentioning this Ayah as evidence, لاَّ تُدْرِكُهُ الاٌّبْصَـرُ وَهُوَ يُدْرِكُ الاٌّبْصَـرَ ( No vision can grasp Him, but His grasp is over all vision. ) Her denial was a denial of the ability to encompass Him, meaning to perfectly see His grace and magnificance as He is, for that is not possible for any human, angel or anything created.
Allah's statement, وَهُوَ يُدْرِكُ الاٌّبْصَـرَ ( but His grasp is over all vision. ) means, He encompasses all vision and He has full knowledge of them, for He created them all.
In another Ayah, Allah said; أَلاَ يَعْلَمُ مَنْ خَلَقَ وَهُوَ اللَّطِيفُ الْخَبِيرُ ( Should not He Who has created know And He is the Most Subtle, Well Acquainted (with all things ).) 67:14 It is also possible that `all vision' refers to those who have the vision.
As-Suddi said that Allah's statement, لاَّ تُدْرِكُهُ الاٌّبْصَـرُ وَهُوَ يُدْرِكُ الاٌّبْصَـرَ ( No vision can grasp Him, but His grasp is over all vision. ) means, "Nothing sees Him ( in this life ), but He sees all creation." Abu Al-`Aliyah said that Allah's statement, وَهُوَ اللَّطِيفُ الْخَبِيرُ ( He is the Most Subtle, Well-Acquainted (with all things ).) means, "He is the Most Subtle, bringing forth all things, Well-Acquainted with their position and place." Allah knows best.
In another Ayah, Allah mentions Luqman's advice to his son, يبُنَىَّ إِنَّهَآ إِن تَكُ مِثْقَالَ حَبَّةٍ مِّنْ خَرْدَلٍ فَتَكُنْ فِى صَخْرَةٍ أَوْ فِى السَّمَـوَتِ أَوْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ يَأْتِ بِهَا اللَّهُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَطِيفٌ خَبِيرٌ ( O my son! If it be (anything ) equal to the weight of grain of mustard seed, and though it be in a rock, or in the heavens or in the earth, Allah will bring it forth.
Verily, Allah is Most Subtle, Well Acquainted) 31:16

( Vision comprehendeth Him not ) in this world, nor do created beings see what He sees. Sights will not comprehend the modality of seeing Him in the Hereafter nor will created beings be able to see Him in this world, ( but He comprehendeth (all ) vision) in this world and in the Hereafter: He sees that which human beings do not see and nothing escapes or is hidden from Him. ( He is the Subtile ) in His actions whose knowledge surrounds His created beings, ( the Aware ) of His created beings and their actions.

No vision can grasp Him, but His Grasp is over all vision. He is the Most Subtle and Courteous, Well-Acquainted with all things.

Page 141 English transliteration