Dear readers, this new section has been put up to help you get answers about issues that bother you from the true qualified scholars. All you have to do is to send your questions and we shall get you the answers and verdicts, bi’ithni’llah (by Allaah’s Permission)
This month’s questions have been answered by
Imam ibn Hajar al-asqalani
Abu al-Fadl Ahmad ibn Alee ibn Hajr al-Asqalaani (773-852 CE) was the greatest scholar of hadeeth at his time. Ibn Hajr wrote at least 150 works. His commentary, Fath al-baari, on saheeh al-Bukhari is one of the definitive works of Islaam.
Imam ibn Qayyim al-Jawzi
Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn al-Qayyim, was an eminent scholar Qur’an, hadeeth, fiqh and principles of jurisprudence. He was born in Damascus where he studied with his teacher ibn Taymiya for 16yrs and became his most distinguished disciple. His writings include Zaaad al-Ma’ad (a work on the life of the prophet).
Shaykh Naasir Ud-Deen al-Albaanee
Al-Albaani is a contemporary author, originally from Albani and currently residing in jordan. He was born in the capital of Albania in 1914 CE. He is regarded by many as the most outstanding scholar of hadith. He has done a great deal to help revive the study of hadith in this century. He died 22nd J. Thaani 1420 AH. (October 2nd 1999 CE.)
Question: What are the full details about dreams and their interpretation in Islaam? Also, there is this book on the interpretation of dreams by Muhammad ibn Sireen (RAH). Can it be relied upon?
Answer: Praise be to Allaah. True dreams are a part of prophethood, as it was reported that the Prophet (sallaallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "True dreams are one of the forty-six parts of Prophethood." (Bukhaari) Dreams marked the onset of Revelation (Bukhaari).
The truthfulness of the dream is related to the sincerity of the dreamer. Those who have the most truthful dreams are those who are the most truthful in speech. (Muslim)
Towards the end of time, hardly any dreams will be untrue. The Prophet (sallaallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "That will be because the Prophethood and its effects will be so faraway in time, so the believers will be given some compensation in the form of dreams which will bring them some good news or will help them to be patient and steadfast in their faith.” (Bukhaari) The same may be said of the miracles which appeared after the time of the Sahaabah. This did not happen during their time because they did not need them, due to their strong faith, but the people who came after them needed them (the miracles) because their faith was weak.
Dreams are of three types
Dreams are of three types: Rahmaani (those that come from Allaah), Nafsaani (psychological, they come from within a person) and shaytaani (those that come from the Shaytaan). The Prophet (sallaallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "Dreams are of three types: a dream from Allaah, a dream which causes distress and which comes from the Shaytaan, and a dream which comes from what a person thinks about when he is awake, and he sees it when he is asleep .” (Bukhaari)
The dreams of the Prophets are Wahy (revelation) for they are protected from the Shaytaan. The Ummah [the Muslim community] is agreed upon this. This is why Ibraaheem (alayhi sallam) set out to fulfil the command of Allaah to sacrifice his son Ismaa'eel (alayhi sallam) when he saw that in a dream. The dreams of people other than the Prophets are to be examined in the light of the clear Wahy [i.e., the Qur'aan and Sunnah]. If they are in accordance with the Qur'aan and Sunnah, all well and good; otherwise, they should not be acted upon. This is a very serious matter indeed, for many of the innovators among the Sufis and others have gone astray because of this.
Want to have true dreams?
Whoever wants to have true dreams should strive to speak honestly, eat halaal food, adhere to the commandments of Sharee'ah, avoid that which Allaah and His Messenger (sallaallaahu alayhi wa sallam) have forbidden, sleep in a state of complete purity facing the Qiblah, and remember Allaah until he feels his eyelids drooping. If he does all this, then his dreams can hardly be untrue. The most truthful of dreams are those that are seen at the time of Suhoor [just before dawn]. For this is the time when Allaah descends and when mercy and forgiveness are close. It is also the time when the devils are quiet, unlike the time of darkness just after sunset, when the devils and devilish souls spread out. (Madaarijal-Saalikeen of Imam Ibn Qayyim al-Jawzi)
Dreams can also be of two types
AI-Haafiz ibn Hajar (RAH) said: All dreams are either of two types:
True dreams: These are the dreams of the Prophets and of the righteous people who follow them. They may also happen to other people, but this is very rare, such as the dream of the kaafir [unbeliever] king which was interpreted for him by Yoosuf (alayhi sallam) (012:43-49).True dreams are those which come true in real life as they were seen in the dream.
Mixed up or false dreams, which warn of something. These are of different types: the first are games of Shaytaan to make a person distressed, such as when he sees his head cut off and he is following it, or he sees himself falling into a crisis and cannot find anyone to save him from it, and so on; another is when a man 'sees' some of the 'angels' telling him to do something forbidden, or other things that cannot possibly make sense. The final type is when a man sees something that happens to him in real life, or he wishes it would happen, and he sees it very realistically in his dream: or he sees what usually happens to him when he is awake or what reflects his mood. These dreams usually speak of the future or the present, rarely of the past. (Fathal-Baari, 121352-354)
Good Dreams are from A1laah
The Prophet (sallaallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "If anyone of you sees a dream that he likes, this is from Allaah, so let him praise Allaah for it and talk about it to others. If he sees other than that, a dream that he dislikes, this is from the Shaytaan, so let him seek refuge with Allaah from its evil and not mention it to anyone, for it will not harm him. (Bukhaari). He also said: "Good dreams come from Allaah, and (bad) dreams come from Shaytaan. Whoever sees something that he dislikes let him spit to his left three times and seek refuge with Allaah from the Shaytaan, for it will not harm him.”(Muslim).
It was reported from Jaabir (RA) that the Prophet (sallaallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "If anyone of you sees a dream that he dislikes, let him spit to his left three times, and seek refuge with Allaah from the Shaytaan three times, and turn over from the side on which he was sleeping."(Muslim). The "spitting" referred to here is a soft, dry spitting with no saliva elected.
What do you do when you dream?
Then, lbn Hajar said: "To sum up what has been said about good dreams, we may say three things: the person should praise Allaah for the good dream, he should feel happy about it and he should talk about it to those whom he loves but not to those whom he dislikes. To sum up what has been said about bad dreams, we may say four things: he should seek refuge with Allaah from the evil of the dream, he should seek refuge with Allaah from the evil of the Shaytaan, he should spit to his left three times when he wakes up and he should not mention it to anyone at all.
Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated a fifth thing which is to pray. The wording of the report is: "Whoever sees something he dislikes (in a dream) should not tell anyone about it; rather he should get up and pray.” (Muslim) Imam Muslim added a sixth thing, which is to turn over from the side on which one was lying.
In conclusion, there are six things to do, the four mentioned above, plus praying two rak'ahs, for example, and turning over from the side on which one was lying to lie on one's back, for example. (Fath al-Baari,121370)."
How are dreams to be interpreted?
Imaam al-Baghawi said: "Know that the interpretation of dreams falls into various categories. Dreams may be interpreted in the light of the Our'aan or in the light of the Sunnah, or by means of the proverbs that are current among people, or by names and metaphors, or in terms of opposites. (Sharh al-Sunnah, 121220) He gave examples of each of these. An example of the interpretation in the light of the Our'aan: such as a rope meaning a covenant, because Allaah says: "And hold fast all of you together, to the Rope of Allaah"." (Q3[Aal 'Imraan]:103): and interpretation in the light of the Sunnah is such as the crow representing an immoral man (Faasiq), because the Prophet (sallaallaahu alayhi wa sallam) called it such.
Also, there is the interpretation by means of proverbs, such as digging a hole meaning a plot, because people say "Whoever digs a hole will fall in it;" and there's the interpretation by means of names: such as seeing a man called Raashid meaning wisdom. Finally, there's the interpretation by means of opposites: such as fear meaning safety, because Allaah says: "And He will surely give them in exchange a safe security after their fear"(Q24[al-Noor]:55)
Can you tell bad dreams to someone else?
According to a hadeeth narrated from Abu Razeen by al-Tirmidhi (RAH), the dreamer should not tell anybody about it except a very close friend who loves him very much, or who is very wise. Another report says he should not talk about it except to one who is wise or one who is dear to him. In yet another report, he should not tell of his dream except to a scholar or one who will give sincere advice.
Al-Qaadi Abu Bakr ibn al-'Arabi (RAH) said: "As for the scholar, he will interpret it in a good way for him as much as he can, and the one who will give him sincere advice will teach him something that will be of benefit to him and will help him to do that. The one who is wise is the one who knows how to interpret it and will tell him only that which will help him, otherwise he will keep quiet. The one who is dear, if he knows something good he will say it, and if he does not know or he is in doubt, he will keep quiet." (SeeFathal-Baari,12/369)
As for the book "Interpretation of Dreams" that is attributed to Ibn Seereen (RAH), many researchers doubt that it can be attributed to him at all. So we should be certain that this book was not written by this prominent scholar and we should keep away from the book and what he says. [From the combined works of Imam Ibn Qayyim al-Jawzi & Imam Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani (RAH)]
Question: What is the ruling on the television?
Answer: Praise be to Allaah. There is no doubt that the television today is impermissible (haraam).[This is] because the television is like the radio and tape recorder which are favours which Allaah has surrounded His slaves with. Allaah says: "if you were to enumerate the favours of Allaah, you would not be able to do" (QI6 [NahI]:18) So the hearing is a favour, the seeing is a favour, [as are] the lips and the tongue. However, many of these favours bring about punishment and trial upon their people, due to them not utilising these [favours] as Allaah loves them to be utilised.
So I consider the radio, television and tape recorder to be favours. But when do they become favours? When they are used in a beneficial way for the [Muslim] nation. The television today is 99% sinful, dissolute, [full of] immorality and unlawful sinning, and so on. It is possible that 1% of it shows things that some people benefit from, but the predominant case is to be given consideration. So when a true Muslim state exists which places beneficial and knowledgeable programs for the [Muslim] nation [on the television], then in that case I do not say that the television is permissible; rather I say that it is obligatory!
Question: What is the ruling on 'nasheeds' (songs) commonly [found] amongst many of the youth. Which they call 'Islaamic Nasheeds?
Answer: Praise be to Allaah. If these Nasheeds have 'lslaamic' meanings whilst not having in them any musical instruments such as duffs, other drums, or the like, then there is no problem in this. However, it is necessary to explain an important prerequisite for their permissibility, and that is that they should be free of anything contradicting the shar'iah such as excessiveness such as going to extremes in praising the Prophet (sallaallaahu alayhi wa sallam) - ed.] and the like.
Then another condition is that it should not become a habit because that diverts listeners [of the nasheeds] from the recitation of the Qur'aan, which is encouraged in the prophetic, purified, Sunnah.
Likewise, it diverts them from seeking beneficial knowledge and calling to Allaah. As for the use of duffs in Nasheeds, then this is permissible for women when amongst themselves, and not for men, and on Eid and on weddings only.
Shaykh Muhammad Naasir Ud-Deen al-Albaanee(Taken from AI-Asaalah Magazine, Number 10, Page 40.)
This article was culled from the publications of Deen Communication Limited