Qur’anic verses and Islamic narrations have long served as foundational sources for divergent theological and mystical interpretations by schools such as the Ashʿarites, the Muʿtazilites, and Imāmiyya. One of the central debates among these traditions is the nature of the *ru’yat Allāh* (vision of God): whether God can be perceived sensorially or through spiritual intuition. This article addresses this theological issue through a comparative hermeneutic analysis of relevant Qur’anic verses, focusing specifically on interpretive principles drawn from *Nahj al-Balāghah* and Rūmī’s *Masnavī Maʿnawī*. Employing a comparative-analytical methodology, the study examines the perspectives of the Ashʿarites and the Muʿtazilites while seeking to determine whether Rūmī’s understanding of divine vision aligns more closely with sensory perception or spiritual intution (*shuhūd*). Subsequently, it explores the points of similarities and their differences between this interpretation and the teachings of Imam Alī in Nahj al-Balāghah. Unlike previous studies, this research uniquely juxtaposes the *Nahj al-Balāghah* with the works of Rūmī and does a comparative research.



The findings indicate that Imam ʿAlī (peace be upon him), in *Nahj al-Balāghah*, explicitly rejects sensory vision of God, instead emphasizing inner spiritual intuition as the valid path to divine knowledge. Although Rūmī exhibits theological tendencies akin to the Ashʿarite tradition, he similarly distances himself from a corporeal vision of God, affirming the primacy of heart-centered intution. Nonetheless, his writings suggest that in the afterlife, an experiential encounter with the Divine may encompass both sensory and spiritual dimensions .Given the explicit emphasis in certain verses on inner witnessing (shuhūd qalbī),