Can Allah ﷻ reveal himself?

The famous 8th century Imam Jafar as-Sadiq was asked “can I see Allah ﷻ?” The Imam told the inquirer to look at the intense bright sun. As soon as the man looked he immediately withdrew his sight. Seeing this the Imam replied, “If you cannot see the creation, how can you see the Creator?”

So why Allah ﷻ cannot be seen? The Prophet ﷺ said: “His veil is light, and if He were to remove, the glory of His Being would burn everything of His creation, as far as His gaze reaches.” His veil being light is also in the Quran as a mathal (comparison) and not literal: “Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth.” 

Prophet Musa demanded to see Allah ﷻ and He accepted and unveiled His covering to reveal a tiny portion of His tajjalli (ray of light) to a huge mountain: “And as soon as his Lord unveiled His glory to the mount, He crushed it into fine dust.” Over here Prophet Musa’s demand was not due to lack of faith in the existence of Allah ﷻ, it was to confirm the impossibility of Allah’s vision in earthly existence. If Allah ﷻ were to truly appear before His creation before judgment day, everything will turn to dust. It is due to this reason Allah ﷻ says: “No vision can encompass Him, but He encompasses all vision.” Allah ﷻ has kept this most precious experience as a gift for the believers in the hereafter: “[Many] faces, that Day, will be radiant, looking towards their Lord.” A precious gift remains precious as long as kept hidden for the right moment. It is due to this on a night of full moon the Prophet ﷺ said: "You will see your Lord as you see this full moon."