Note 151 — THE CALIPH OMAR BIN AL-KHATTAB AND THE YOUNG BADAWI.

Lane translates (ii. 592) “from a desire of seeing the face of God;” but the general belief of Al-Islam is that the essence of Allah’s corporeal form is different from man’s. The orthodox expect to “see their Lord on Doom-day as they see the full moon” (a tradition). But the Mu’atazilites deny with the existence of matter the corporeity of Allah and hold that he will be seen only with the spiritual eyes, i.e. of reason.