The Proofs which majority of Ahlus Sunnah follow in regards to ascension are the following:

Qur'an puts forward a challenge to disbelievers in Surah an- Najm and then right after Verse # 18 Allah mentions the false gods revered supremely by polytheists of Makkah i.e. al- Laat, al- Uzza. and Manaat. Thus our Prophet of Mercy (Peace be upon him) seeing Allah became a great testimony on existence of Allah in front of them. [See Qur'an 53:17, 22].

Qur’an states:

وَهُوَ بِالْأُفُقِ الْأَعْلَىٰ  ثُمَّ دَنَا فَتَدَلَّىٰ  فَكَانَ قَابَ قَوْسَيْنِ أَوْ أَدْنَىٰ  فَأَوْحَىٰ إِلَىٰ عَبْدِهِ مَا أَوْحَىٰ  مَا كَذَبَ الْفُؤَادُ مَا رَ‌أَىٰ  أَفَتُمَارُ‌ونَهُ عَلَىٰ مَا يَرَ‌ىٰ 

Translation: (7): While he was in the highest part of the horizon.(8): Then he approached and came closer (9): And was at a distance of but two bow- lengths or (even) nearer. (10): So did (Allah) convey the inspiration to His Servant- (conveyed) what He (meant) to convey. (11): The (Prophet's) (mind and) heart in no way falsified that which he saw. (12): Will ye then dispute with him concerning what he saw? [Al Qur'an, Chapter 53, Verse 7 to 12. Yusuf Ali.]

In the 12th verse our Lord Almighty is challenging the whole world that “WILL YE THEN DISPUTE WITH HIM CONCERNING WHAT HE SAW”, had it been seeing Gabriel only then that would not have been a great challenge because previous Prophets like Musa (Peace be upon him) had the privilege to talk “DIRECTLY WITH ALLAH (See Qur’an: 7:143)” and Ibrahim (alaih salam) was shown the kingdoms of Heavens and earth (see Qur’an: 6:75) which were far superior things than seeing Gabriel, hence from Qur'an it now becomes established that vision of Allah was finally reserved for Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) as hadith of Ibn Abbas (RA) and many others prove it which shall soon be mentioned.

Here is detailed Tafsir of these verses by Imam Ibn- ul- Jawzi (rah), he explains the 8th and 9th verses in light of Sahih hadiths and Aqwaal (sayings):

وفي المشار إليه بقوله: «ثُمَّ دنا» ثلاثة أقوال.

أحدها: أنه الله عز وجل. روى البخاري ومسلم في «الصحيحين» من حديث شريك بن أبي نَمِر عن أنس بن مالك قال: دنا الجبّار ربُّ العِزَّة فتدلَّى حتى كان منه قابَ قوسين أو أدنى. وروى أبو سلمة عن ابن عباس: «ثم دنا» قال: دنا ربُّه فتدلَّى، وهذا اختيار مقاتل. قال: دنا الرَّبُّ من محمد ليلةَ أُسْرِي به،، فكان منه قابَ قوسين أو أدنى. وقد كشفتُ هذا الوجه في كتاب «المُغْني» وبيَّنتُ أنه ليس كما يخطُر بالبال من قُرب الأجسام وقطع المسافة، لأن ذلك يختص بالأجسام، والله منزَّه عن ذلك.

والثاني: أنه محمد دنا من ربِّه، قاله ابن عباس، والقرظي.

والثالث: أنه جبريل. ثم في الكلام قولان. 

Translation: There are three famous sayings regarding Allah’s statement: “Then he approached and came closer”

First: That is Allah as it is narrated by Bukhari and Muslim in “Sahihayn” the hadith from Sharik bin Abi Numayr who heard from Anas bin Malik (ra) who said: The Irresistible, the Lord of Honor and Majesty approached and came closer till He was about two bow lengths or (even) nearer [Sahih Bukhari Hadith # 7518, Sahih Muslim Hadith # 162]

...and It is narrated by Abu Salama from Ibn Abbas (ra) that {He approached} refers to Allah coming near, this is adopted by Maqatil (rah) who said: Allah came near to Muhammad (Peace be upon him) on the night of Isra And was at a distance of but two bow- lengths or (even) nearer, however It is written in the book Al Mughni that this coming nearer does not refer to coming closer in sense of bodies nor distance as that is the case with bodily creations and Allah is High of such thing being attributed to him.

The Second: That It was Muhammad (Peace be upon him) who went near Allah, this is said by Ibn Abbas (ra) and Qurzi (ra) too.

The Third: It was Gabriel and there is Kalaam in this saying… (Then Ibn Jawzi shows the opinion of Sahaba like Sayyidah Aisha - RA who was of the opinion that Prophet - Peace be upon him did not see Allah, why Sayyidah Aisha - RA believed such and how other Sahaba differed with her shall be explained in detail below)

Reference: Imam Ibn Jawzi in Zad al Maseer fi Ilm at Tafsir, Volume No. 8, Page No. 65, 66

Qur'an states at another place:

 وَلَمَّا جَآءَ مُوسَىٰ لِمِيقَاتِنَا وَكَلَّمَهُ رَبُّهُ قَالَ رَبِّ أَرِنِيۤ أَنظُرْ إِلَيْكَ قَالَ لَن تَرَانِي وَلَـٰكِنِ انْظُرْ إِلَى الْجَبَلِ فَإِنِ اسْتَقَرَّ

... 

Translation: And when Musa (Moses) came at the time and place appointed by Us, and his Lord (Allah) spoke to him; he said: "O my Lord! Show me (Yourself), that I may look upon You." Allah said: "You cannot see Me, but look upon the mountain; if it stands still in its place then you shall see Me." So when his Lord appeared to the mountain, He made it collapse to dust, and Musa (Moses) 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."[Al Qur'an, Surah 7, Verse # 143. Taken from variety of translations] 

 

In the world renowned Tafsir al Jalalyn (written by 2 great scholars Imam Jalal ud- din Suyuti and Imam al- Muhalli) it states: 

Translation: {You shall not see Me},which means you do not have the capability to see me THE USE OF THE WORDING (LAN TARANI) RATHER THAN LAN URA (I.E. I SHALL NOT BE SEEN) IMPLIES THAT IT IS POSSIBLE TO SEE ALLAH {But gaze at the mountain} which is stronger than you are, {And if it stands still in its place} then you shall see Me’, that is, [then] you shall remain fixed [able] to see Me, otherwise, you will not have the capacity [for it]. {And when his Lord revealed (His) glory to the mountain} i.e. When he manifested his light, equivalent to half a nail of little finger as this is mentioned in the sahih hadith of Hakim

Reference: Tafsir al Jalalyn, Page No. 167, Published by Dar Ibn Kathir, Damascus

Imam al- Qurtubi (rah) explains it as:

وأجمعت الأمة على أن هذه التوبة ما كانت عن معصية؛ فإن الأنبياء معصومون. وأيضاً عند أهل السنة والجماعة الرؤيةُ جائزةٌ.

Translation: The Imams are unanimous that (Musa a.s) asking for repentance does not refer to sins because the Anbiya are infallible/Masoom, and in the opinion of Ahlus Sunnah Wa’l Jamm’ah the Sight of (Allah) is possible [Tafsir al- Qurtubi under 7:143]

A long hadith in Sahih Muslim states:

…Ibn Abbas and Abd Habba al- Ansari used to say that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Thereafter he ascended with me till I was taken to such a height where I heard the scraping of the pens (of Taqdir) Ibn Hazm and Anas told that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Allah then made fifty prayers obligatory for my Ummah and I returned with that and passed by Moses. Moses, (peace be upon him) said: What has thy Lord enjoined on thy people? I said: Fifty prayers have been made obligatory on them. Moses (peace be upon him) said: Return to thy Lord (‏فراجع ربك), for thy Ummah would not be able to bear this burden. Then I came back to my Lord (فراجعت ربي) and He remitted a portion out of that. I then again went to Moses (peace be upon him) and informed him about it He said: Return to thy Lord (‏راجع ربك),, for thy Ummah shall not be able to bear this burden. I then went back to my Lord (فراجعت ربي) and He said: They are five and at the same time fifty, and what has been said will not be changed. I then returned to Moses and he said: Go back to thy Lord. Whereupon I said: I feel ashamed of my Lord (قد استحييت من ربي) [Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 313 – Agreed upon]

This hadith decisively proves that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) saw Allah because every time Musa (a.s) told him to “RETURN TO YOUR LORD, THE PROPHET WENT BACK TO ALLAH” and finally the Prophet said: “I FEEL ASHAMED OF MY LORD”

Another hadith states:

‏ عن ‏ ‏ابن عباس ‏ ‏قال ‏

رأى ‏ ‏محمد ‏ ‏ربه قلت أليس الله يقول ‏

لا تدركه الأبصار وهو يدرك الأبصار ‏

قال ويحك ذاك إذا تجلى بنوره الذي هو نوره وقال أريه مرتين ‏

قال ‏ ‏أبو عيسى ‏ ‏هذا ‏ ‏حديث حسن

 

Narrated 'Ikrimah that Ibn 'Abbas said: "Muhammad saw his Lord." I said: "Did Allah not say: No vision can grasp Him, but He grasps all vision (6:103). He said: "Woe unto you! That is when He manifests His Light. But Muhammad saw his Lord two times." [Jami’ at- Tirmidhi, Vol. 5, Book 44, Hadith 3279. The Salafi Dar us Salam version declared this hadith Hasan]

Imam Badr ud din Ayni (Rahimuhullah) the commentator of Bukhari said:

روى ابن خزيمة بإسناد قوي عن أنس قال رأى محمد ربه وبه قال سائر أصحاب ابن عباس وكعب الأحبار والزهري وصاحب معمر وآخرون وحكى عبد الرزاق عن معمر عن الحسن أنه حلف أن محمدا رأى ربه وأخرج ابن خزيمة عن عروة بن الزبير إثباتها

Translation: Ibn Khuazaima (rah) narrated with “strong chain” from Anas bin Malik (ra) that he said: Muhammad (Peace be upon him) saw his Lord, same is narrated from Ibn Abbas (ra) and his disciples like K’ab al Ahbar (rah), Zuhri and Ma’mar (rah), Imam Abdur Razzaq (rah) narrates from Ma’mar who quotes Imam Hassan Basri (rah) who used to say: I take an oath that Muhammad (Peace be upon him) saw his Lord, Ibn Khuzaima (rah) has also proven it (sight of Allah) from Urwa bin Zubayr (ra) [Umdat al Qari, Sharh Sahih al Bukhari, Volume No. 19, Page No. 198]

Imam Hasan al-Basri (rah) taking an oath is not a minor thing. Those who do not know the standing of Imam Hasan al- Basri (rah) in narrating hadiths do not understand even the basics.

Imam Badr ud din Ayni (rah) also explains:

وروى الطبراني في (الأوسط) بإسناد قوي عن ابن عباس قال رأى محمد ربه مرتين ومن وجه آخر قال نظر محمد إلى ربه جعل الكلام لموسى والخلة لإبراهيم والنظر لمحمد فظهر من ذلك أن مراد ابن عباس ههنا رؤيا العين

Translation: Imam at- Tabarani (rah) narrates in his (Al Awsat) with “Strong chain” from Ibn Abbas (ra) who said that Prophet (Peace be upon him) saw his Lord twice, the reason for this saying is that Muhammad (Peace be upon him) saw his Lord with his eyesight, because Musa (a.s) talked to Allah directly, Ibrahim (a.s) was taken as His friend and Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was chosen for sight (no other Prophet was), apparently what Ibn Abbas (ra) means to say is that Prophet (Peace be upon him) saw Allah with his eyes [Umdat ul Qari, Sharh Sahih ul Bukhari, Volume No. 17, Page No. 30]

Imam an- Nasa’i (rah) and al- Hakim (rah) narrate with Sahih chain:

أخبرنا إسحاق بن إبراهيم قال أخبرنا معاذ بن هشام قال حدثني أبي عن قتادة عن عكرمة عن بن عباس قال أتعجبون أن تكون الخلة لإبراهيم والكلام لموسى والرؤية لمحمد صلى الله عليه وسلم

Translation: Ibn Abbas (ra) narrates: Are you surprised at friendship of Ibrahim (a.s) [with Allah], The Speech of Musa (directly with Allah) and Sight of Muhammad (Peace be upon him)? [Sunnan Nasa’i al Kubra in Amal al Yawm wal Laylah , Volume No.6, Hadith No.11539, Mustadrak ala Sahihayn, Volume No. 1, Hadith No. 216]

Imam al- Hakim (rah) after narrating it said:

هذا حديث صحيح على شرط البخاري

Translation: This Hadith is Sahih on the criteria of Bukhari [ibid, Hadith No. 216] 

Imam Ibn Hajr al Asqalani (rah) said:

ما أخرجه النسائي بإسناد صحيح وصححه الحاكم أيضا من طريق عكرمة عن بن عباس قال أتعجبون أن تكون الخلة لإبراهيم والكلام لموسى والرؤية لمحمد

Translation: It is narrated by Nasa’i with “Sahih chain” and Hakim also declared it “Sahih” the narration with the chain from Ikrama (rah) who heard Ibn Abbas (ra) say (and he quoted the above hadith) [Fath ul Bari, Sharah Sahih al Bukhari, Volume No. 8, Page No 493]

Imam an- Nawawi concludes:

فالحاصل أن الراجح عند أكثر العلماء : أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم رأى ربه بعيني رأسه ليلة الإسراء لحديث ابن عباس وغيره مما تقدم . وإثبات هذا لا يأخذونه إلا بالسماع من رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم هذا مما لا ينبغي أن يتشكك فيه

Translation: The result of all (proofs) is that it is predominantly established amongst many scholars that Prophet (Peace be upon him) saw Allah with his eyes on the night of Ascension as the hadith from Ibn Abbas (ra) and others have been mentioned before, the proof of which comes from Prophet (Peace be upon him) hence there should be no doubt about it [Sharh Sahih Muslim, Kitab al Iman, Chapter in meaning of :He saw him at the second descent] 

Imam an- Nawawi also states:

هذا الذي قاله عبد الله رضي الله عنه هو مذهبه في الآية , وذهب الجمهور من المفسرين إلى أن المراد أنه رأى ربه سبحانه وتعالى

Translation: This is the saying of Abdullah Ibn Masud (ra) and his school, but the school of vast majority of commentators of Qur’an (including Ibn Abbas) is that Prophet (Peace be upon him) saw Allah.

Reference: Sharh Sahih Muslim by Imam Nawawi, under Kitab al Iman, The mention of Sidra til Muntaha, Hadith No. 254

There are many more proofs. Now let us come towards opinion of Sayyidah A’isha who denied sight of Allah. In reply to it Imam Ibn Hajr al- Asqalani quotes:

عن المروزي قلت لأحمد إنهم يقولون إن عائشة قالت من زعم أن محمدا رأى ربه فقد أعظم على الله الفرية فبأي شيء يدفع قولها قال بقول النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم رأيت ربي قول النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أكبر من قولها

Translation: al- Marwazi (rah) asked Imam Ahmed bin Hanbal (rah): People say that Aisha (ra) used to exclaim that whosoever says the Prophet (Peace be upon him) saw his Lord has fabricated a great lie to Allah, so how shall this be answered? (Imam Ahmed) replied: From the saying of Prophet (Peace be upon him) [himself] when he said:  “رأيت ربي” i.e. I saw my Lord, because the saying of Prophet (Peace be upon him) is far superior than saying of her (i.e. Aisha ra)

Reference: Fath ul Bari, Sharh Sahih ul Bukhari, Volume No. 8, Page No. 494

Imam an- Nawawi said:

وإذا صحت الروايات عن ابن عباس في إثبات الرؤية وجب المصير إلى إثباتها فإنها ليست مما يدرك بالعقل , ويؤخذ بالظن , وإنما يتلقى بالسماع ولا يستجيز أحد أن يظن بابن عباس أنه تكلم في هذه المسألة بالظن والاجتهاد . وقد قال معمر بن راشد حين ذكر اختلاف عائشة وابن عباس : ما عائشة عندنا بأعلم من ابن عباس , ثم إن ابن عباس أثبت شيئا نفاه والمثبت مقدم على النافي

Translation: When it is proven from Sahih hadiths of Ibn Abbas (ra) then we cannot assume that he said it according to his own assumption, definitely he said this after hearing it from Prophet (Peace be upon him), Ma’mar bin Rashid (rah) said regarding the difference between Aisha (ra) and Ibn Abbas (ra) that Aisha (ra) was not aware about this (completely) whereas Ibn Abbas (ra) was, So when Ibn Abbas (ra) is proving it while some others are doing negation of it then It is a (Principle) that Masbat (Proof) takes over Nafi (negation)

Reference: Sharh Sahih Muslim, Kitab al Iman, Chapter in meaning of :He saw him at the second descent

To conclude this topic we shall show a detailed extract from the best book on Prophetic biography ever written, i.e. Ash- Shifa ash- Shareef of Imam Qadhi Iyaadh (rah):

فصل

رؤيته لربه عز و جل و اختلاف السلف فيها

و أما رؤيته ـ صلى الله عليه و سلم لربه جل و عز ـ فاختلف السلف فيها ، فأنكرته عائشة .

حدثنا أبو الحسن سراج بن عبد الملك الحافظ بقراءتي عليه ، قال حدثني أبي و أبو عبد الله بن عتاب الفقيه ، قالا : حدثنا القاضي يونس بن مغيث ، حدثنا أبو الفضل الصلقي ، حدثنا ثابت بن قاسم بن ثابت ، عن أبيه وجده ، قالا : حدثنا عبد الله بن علي ،

قال : حدثنا محمود بن آدم ، حدثنا وكيع ، عن ابن أبي خالد ، عن عامر عن مسروق ـ أنه قال لعائشة رضي الله عنها ـ يا أم المؤمنين ، هل رأى محمد ربه ؟ فقالت : لقد قف شعري مما قلت . ثلاث من حدثك بهن فقد كذب : من حدثك أن محمد اً رأى ربه فقد كذب ، ثم قرأت : لا تدركه الأبصار وهو يدرك الأبصار وهو اللطيف الخبير ، و ذكر الحديث .

و قال جماعة بقول عائشة رضي الله عنها ، و هو المشهور عن ابن مسعود .

و مثله عن أبي هريرة أنه [ ا ] : إنما رأى جبريل . و اختلف عنه . و قال بإنكار هذا و امتناع رؤيته في الدنيا جماعة من المحدثين ، و الفقهاء و المتكلمين .

و عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما أنه رآه بعينه . وروى عطاء عنه ـ أنه رآه بقلبه .

و عن أبي العالية ، عنه : رآه بفؤاده مرتين .

و ذكر ابن إسحاق أن عمر أرسل إلى ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما يسأله : هل رأى محمد ربه ؟ فقال : نعم .

و الأشهر عنه انه رأى ربه بعينه ، روي ذلك عنه من طرق ، و قال : إن الله تعالى اختص موس بالكلام ، و إبراهيم بالخلة ،و محمداً بالرؤية و حجته قوله تعالى : ما كذب الفؤاد ما رأى * أفتمارونه على ما يرى * ولقد رآه نزلة أخرى [ سورة النجم /53 ، الآية : 11 ، 13 ] .

قال الماوردي : قيل : إن الله تعالى قسم كلامه و رؤيته بين موس ، و محمد صلى الله عليه و سلم ، فر آه محمد مرتين ، و كلمه موس مرتين .

و حكى أبو الفتح الرازي ، و أبو الليث السمرقدي الحكاية عن كعب .

و روى عبد الله بن الحارث ، قال : اجتمع ابن عباس و كعب ، فقال ابن عباس : أما نحن بنو هاشم فنقول : إن محمد اً قد رأى ربه مرتين ، فكبر كعب حتى جاوبته الجبال ،

و قال : إن الله قسم رؤيته و كلامه بين محمد و موس ، فكلمه موسى ، و رآه محمد بقلبه .

و روى شريك عن أبي ذر رضي الله عنه في تفسير الآية ، قال : رأى النبي صلى الله عليه و سلم ربه .

و ح كى السمرقندي ، عن محمد بن كعب القرظي ، و ربيع بن أنس ـ أن النبي صلى الله عليه و سلم سئل : هل رأيت ربك ؟ قال : رأيته بقؤادي ، و لم أره بعيني .

و روى مالك بن يخامر ، عن معاذ ، عن النبي صلى الله عليه و سلم ، قال : رأيت ربي ... و ذكر كلمة ، فقال : يا محمد ، فيم يختصم الملأ الأعلى الحديث .

و حكى عبد الرزاق أن الحسن كان يحلف با الله لقد رأى محمد ربه

 

Translation: Chapter about Sight of Allah and the difference of opinion on it from Salaf- as- Saliheen:

In regards to Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) seeing his Lord, the early Muslims differed on this. Sayyidah Aisha(ra) rejected it and when Masruq (ra) asked her: O Umm ul Momineen (Mother of believers) did Muhammad (Peace be upon him) see his Lord? She replied: “My hair is standing on end at what you have asked” and she reported it three times “Whosoever told you that has lied. Whoever told you that Muhammad (Peace be upon him) saw his Lord has lied. Then she recited: “The eyes do not comprehend Him, but He comprehends (all) vision. He is the Subtle, the Aware (6:103), some people agree with what Aisha (ra) said and it is well known that Ibn Masud (ra) and Abu Hurraira (ra) said similar things, stating that it was Jibril (a.s) he saw. However, this is disputed.

Jamaah (great group) of the hadith scholars, fuqaha (jurists) and theologians reject this statement and the prohibition on the Prophet of seeing Allah in this world. Ibn Abbas (ra) said: He saw Him with his eyes, while Ata related from him that he saw him with his heart. Abu’l Aliyya said that he saw him with his heart (and mind) twice. Ibn Ishaq mentioned that Ibn Umar (ra) sent to Ibn Abbas (ra) to ask him whether Muhammad (Peace be upon him) had seen his Lord? He replied: “Yes” The best known opinion is that he saw his Lord with his eyes. This is related from him by various paths of transmission. He said that Allah singled out Musa (a.s) for direct speech, Ibrahim (a.s) for close friendship and Muhammad (peace be upon him) for the (direct) vision. 

The Proof of it lies in the words of Allah: “The heart (and mind) did not lie about what it saw, What will you dispute with him about what he sees? He saw him another time (53:12, 13)

Al- Mawaradi said: It is said that Allah divided his vision and His speech between Musa and Muhammad (Peace be upon them both). Muhammad (Peace be upon him) saw Him twice and He spoke to Musa (a.s) twice.

Abul Fath ar- Razi and Abul Layth as- Samarqandi relate this from Ka’b al- Ahbar (rah) and Abdullah ibn al Harith (rah) said that Ibn Abbas and Ka’b agreed on this point. Ibn Abbas (ra) said: As for us, the Banu Hashim, we say that Muhammad (Peace be upon him) saw his Lord twice, Ka’b said: Allah hu Akbar until the mountains echoed him. He further said: Allah divided his vision and speech between Muhammad and Musa (Peace be upon them both) Sharik relates that when Abu Dharr (ra) commented on this ayat, he said: “The Prophet (salallaho alaihi wasalam) saw his Lord. Imam Samarqandi [of the Salaf] relates from Muhammad bin Ka’b al- Qurdhi and Rabi’ Ibn Anas that the Prophet was asked: Have you seen your Lord? He said: I saw Him with my heart, but I did not see him with my eye (Note: This chain is not authentic and does not reach the Prophet plus it has been established above that Prophet saw Allah with his eyesight). Malik ibn Yukhamir related from Mua’dh bin Jabal that the Prophet said: I saw my Lord and he asked me, Muhammad about what did the higher Assembly disagree [Absolutely sahih hadith on criteria of Bukhari]

Abdur Razzaq ibn Hammam [The sheikh of Imam Bukhari, the best ever Muhadith as said by Imam Ahmed bin Hanbal] related that Hassan al Basri [He requires no introduction] used to take an oath (By Allah) that Muhammad (Peace be upon him) saw his Lord.

[End Quote , Ash Shifa by Qadhi Iyaadh, Chapter on "Sight of Allah"]

This detailed explanation pretty much sums it up. Regarding Sight of Allah on Day of Judgment then there are many proofs from Qur’an and Sunnah in this regard.

Qur’an states: "Some faces that Day will be naadirah (shining and radiant), looking at their Lord." [al- Qiyaamah 75:22, 23, Translation by Salih Munajjid of Salafi school]

There is a Sahih hadith which states: 

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) came out to us on the night of the full moon and said, "You will see your Lord on the Day of Resurrection as you see this (full moon) and you will have no difficulty in seeing Him." [Sahih Bukhari, 9:531]

 From Qur’an and Sunnah it stands established that Allah shall be seen on Day of Judgment.

The Shias use the following verses to prove that Allah cannot be seen.

Qur’an states: No vision can grasp Him, but His grasp is over all vision: He is above all comprehension, yet is acquainted with all things. (Yusuf Ali: 6:103)

The Shias claim from this verse that Allah cannot be seen at all because no vision can grasp him. The Sunnis reply back by saying that the wording used in this verse is “IDRAK” which means complete comprehension of Allah which is obviously impossible, but that does not mean Allah cannot be seen 

They also use another verse about Musa (a.s) which states: … O my Lord! Show me (Yourself), that I may look upon You." Allah said: "You cannot see Me… [7:143]

They say that Allah negates this concept and says “YOU CANNOT SEE ME” The Shia believe that had it been possible to see Allah, then it would assert body to Allah. Body for Allah is negated both by Ahlus Sunnah and them.

Reconciliation: The strongest opinion is that the Prophet indeed saw Allah on his night journey. We should remember that on his ascension the time and space was not applied on the Prophet. As Allah is free of time and space, then it means sight of Allah was as Allah wanted it to happen. It is not necessary that it was vision like we see with our eyes, but it was a vision which was created by Allah and thus Prophet saw with his heart and eyes.

The sight of Allah on Day of Judgment is also proven from Qur’an. The verses which Shia use have been explained above i.e. 6:103 refers to complete comprehension of Allah which is impossible, however seeing Allah as Allah wills is possible, and 7:143 does not mention Lan Tarani but rather Lan Ura.  Tafsir al- Jalayn proves that it means there is possibility of seeing Allah. This however does not come in Qatiyat (absolutes) as Sahaba differed on issue of seeing Allah on night journey of Prophet too.