ما كَذَبَ الفُؤادُ ما رَأىٰ

The heart did not deny what it saw.

EXEGESIS

The heart referred to here is the heart of Prophet Muhammad (s), as indicated by the definitive prefix.^{‎[1]Razi, 28/241.} Kadhaba (deny) literally means to lie;^{‎[2]Kadhdhaba would be to deny.} in this case, the meaning is the heart has not lied about what it saw.^{‎[3]Tabari, 27/28. There have been various other ways that this has been understood; for example Ṭūsī understood this to mean that the Prophet’s heart did not deny what his eyes saw (Tibyan, 9/425. See also Tabrisi, 9/264).} In other words, what the heart saw was indeed a true vision and not a false one.^{‎[4]Mizan, 19/29.}

EXPOSITION

This verse describes the Prophet seeing Gabriel in his true form.^{‎[5]Tabrisi, 9/264. This opinion has been attributed to Ibn Abbas, Ibn Masʿūd, ʿĀʾishah, Qatādah, and others.} It also clarifies that seeing Gabriel was never a matter of physical sight, but rather it was about seeing him with the heart, whether we are talking about Gabriel in the form of a man, or in his true form. If Gabriel in the form of a man was to be seen physically, then others around the Prophet should have been able to see him as well. There were only some exceptional times when angels would take an actual physical form that everyone would be able to see. Even in those cases, it seems they were somehow incorporeal.

Seeing Gabriel then was a matter of seeing with the internal senses,^{‎[6]Mizan, 19/29-30.} but it was not a matter of hallucination or imagination such as a mirage,^{‎[7]Tibyan, 9/425.} nor did the Prophet doubt what he was seeing.^{‎[8]Zamakhshari, 4/420.}

Even though some have claimed this verse is about seeing God, there is nothing in the verse itself to indicate that. In fact, everything indicates that what is spoken of here is related to the preceding verses, which talked about the miraculous and marvellous vision the Prophet had of Gabriel. This is supported by the verses to come as well: The gaze did not swerve, nor did it overstep the bounds. Certainly he saw some of the greatest signs of his Lord (verses 17-18), which clearly state that what was witnessed were the signs of God and not God Himself.^{‎[9]Mizan, 19/30.}

To summarise, all of this has the meaning of knowledge, meaning that God gave him knowledge that he understood and accepted with certainty. This is like Prophet Abraham (a) saying, in order that my heart may be at rest (2:260), even though he already had knowledge.^{‎[10]Tabrisi, 9/264.}

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

1. From Muhammad ibn al-Fuḍayl, that he asked Imam al-Riḍā (a): ‘Did the Messenger of God (s) see God, mighty and glorious?’ He said: ‘Yes, he saw Him with his heart. Have you not heard God – mighty and glorious – say The heart did not deny what it saw? It means he did not see Him with the eyes, but rather with the heart.’^{‎[11]Tawhid, p. 116.}

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

As mentioned, it has been attributed to Hasan al-Baṣrī that this verse means the Prophet saw God with his heart during the Night of Ascension.^{‎[12]Tibyan, 9/425; Thalabi, 9/140; Qurtubi, 17/92.} If by that he means vision of the heart, then that was available for him even before the Ascension. Thus, what he comprehended in the Ascension should have been far beyond the ordinary vison of heart which is possible for most of the near ones to God (muqarrabūn). It is a higher type of knowledge of the heart which could not be attained without ascension.

There are even some who have understood this to mean he saw God with his eyes.^{‎[13]Thalabi, 9/140-142, who brings various traditions with regards to both sides of this matter and then seems to conclude that this was indeed the case.} This is definitely a wrong view in light of the verse, The sights do not apprehend Him, yet He apprehends the sights (6:103) and rational evidence.^{‎[14]Ibn Kathir, 7/416, adds that none of the narrations regarding seeing God with the eyes are authentic.}

Others have said that he saw the kingdom of the heavens and the earth during that journey.^{‎[15]Tabrisi, 9/264.} There are two schools of thought regarding the final portion of the Night of Ascension: 1. That it was physical; Ṭabrisī argues in favour of this and believes the Prophet witnessed things with his actual eyes, unlike what a person may see with their heart while sleeping.^{‎[16]Tabrisi, 9/264.} 2. That it was spiritual.

What is most correct is that the things the Prophet witnessed during the Night of Ascension after he rose up from the al-Aqsa Mosque were all metaphysical. In the second stage of the Prophet’s journey on the Night of Ascension, he left his physical body and ascended into the metaphysical world. There he perceived the realities of things such as the world of the angels, barzakh (the intermediate world), heaven and hell, and many things far beyond that. Seeing those things would have been as a metaphysical vision and deeper knowledge in the manner we discussed earlier and not with his physical sight.

For more on the narrations regarding the Night of Ascension, see the commentary on verse 17:1.

[1] Razi, 28/241.
[2] Kadhdhaba would be to deny.
[3] Tabari, 27/28. There have been various other ways that this has been understood; for example Ṭūsī understood this to mean that the Prophet’s heart did not deny what his eyes saw (Tibyan, 9/425. See also Tabrisi, 9/264).
[4] Mizan, 19/29.
[5] Tabrisi, 9/264. This opinion has been attributed to Ibn Abbas, Ibn Masʿūd, ʿĀʾishah, Qatādah, and others.
[6] Mizan, 19/29-30.
[7] Tibyan, 9/425.
[8] Zamakhshari, 4/420.
[9] Mizan, 19/30.
[10] Tabrisi, 9/264.
[11] Tawhid, p. 116.
[12] Tibyan, 9/425; Thalabi, 9/140; Qurtubi, 17/92.
[13] Thalabi, 9/140-142, who brings various traditions with regards to both sides of this matter and then seems to conclude that this was indeed the case.
[14] Ibn Kathir, 7/416, adds that none of the narrations regarding seeing God with the eyes are authentic.
[15] Tabrisi, 9/264.
[16] Tabrisi, 9/264.