Dreams have profound impact on the lives of people. Oftentimes, we wake up with new experiences gained while we were asleep; which left us confused, bewildered, unhappy and sometime distraught and anxious for ourselves, our families, jobs and even for those we work with etc. Such experience could be so terrifying that, when we return to wakeful state, we are relieved and grateful it was not true and glad to be awake. Some other times, we are engulfed in happiness and high spirit after waking up from sleep because what we saw in our dream was agreeable to us. That is the stuff dreams are made of. What we see in our dreams suggests myriad of meanings in real life. These meanings sometimes are moderated by environmental factors and belief system. In certain culture for instance, being fed with food in ones dream is profoundly ominous and so is being pursued by others in the dream. Do dreams have meanings? Do they have impact on our lives in reality? In other words, are dreams real or are they just transient and feeble experiences that will eventually go away? Dream Is From The Matter Of Unseen People differ in the way they view dreams.
Some have rejected that dreams have any meaning at all and claimed that dreams result from the reactions which take place in the body and reflect the state of mind. They consider dream a function of the mood of a person and certain parts of his memory which become hyper during sleep, making dreams purely biological. In Islaam, dream is a matter of the unseen over which it is not possible to pass a correct judgement relying solely on human reasoning and perception. The time of sleep is similar to life in the grave. Just as there can be torture or delight in the grave, same can be in sleep. Thus, just like the other matters of the unseen the knowledge that is available to man is limited. Allaah says:"The knowledge thereof is with Allaah (Alone) but most of mankind know not. "(Q7[Araf] : 188)
The most pragmatic and well informed understanding of the enigma of dream is found in the Quraan and the Sunnah. The nature of dream, its reception by the individual minds nd the proper reaction to dreams are well explained in the two revelations. Everybody dreams Dreams transcend all strata of human beings - righteous and unrighteous people, young and old, male and female; the only difference is the nature of the dream each person sees and their sources. Some may claim that they do not dream, this is not true. Everybody dreams, only they cannot recall what they have dreamt. Some dreams are so vivid that they can be remembered for a long time afterward, as in the case of nightmares.
Types of Dreams with Regard to their Source
Dreams fall into three categories. The first include dreams that emanates from Allaah, these are called true dreams or vision. The second are dreams emanating from Shaytan, these are known as delusions and the third is from the workings and confusion of ones mind. The Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "Dreams are of three types: glad tidings front Allaah what is on a persons mind, and frightening dreams from the Shaytaan. If any of you sees a dream that he likes, let him tell others of it if he wishes, but if he sees something that he dislikes, he should not tell anyone about it, and he should get upand pray." (lbn Maajah). Dreams From Allaah (Vision) Dreams from Allaah, otherwise referred to as visions, are essentially true and instructive. These types of dreams serve three basic purposes enumerated below: Glad Tidings: Allaah says: "Those who believed and used to fear Allaah much, for them are glad tidings, in the life of the present world and in the Here after. " (Q10 [Yunus]: 63-64) According to Urwah bn Zubayr (RAH), the glad tidings in, the life of the present world mentioned in these verses is the dream seen by a righteous person himself or shown to others about him. (Muwatta) .
Ibn Masood (RA) narrated that the Prophet (salallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "Prophecy is finished but tidings remain." People asked, What are these tidings? He replied, A true dream which a man sees, or others see for him" (Bukhaari)
Warning!
Sometimes dreams could be warning for him to desist from a particular action that may either be sinful or whose end may not be favorable. It may even be to goad him to do a more meritorious eed. For instance, Abdullahi ibn Umar (RA) narrated: "In the lifetime of the Prophet whosoever saw a dream would narrate it to Allaahs Messenger. I had a wish of seeing a dream to narrate it to Allaahs Prophet. I was a grown up boy and used to sleep in the Mosque in the lifetime of the Prophet. I saw in the dream that two angels caught hold of me and took me to the Fire which was built all round like a built well and had two poles in it and the people in it were known to me. I started saying, "I seek refuge with Allah from the Fire." Then I met another angel who told me not to be afraid. I narrated the dream to Hafsah who told it to Allaah's Messenger. The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, "Abdullah is a good man. I wish he prayed Tahajjud." After that Abdullah used to sleep but a little at night. (Bukhari) Information on impending occurrence: Through his vision, a person may be informed of future occurrence either with regard to his person or to some others.
Once, Umar (RA) delivered the Friday sermon and he mentioned the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) and AbuBakr (RA). He (further) said: "I saw in a dream that a cock pecked me twice, and I perceive that my death is near." (Muslim).
The Dreams of the Prophets
The highest level of true dream is the dream of the Prophets of Allaah (alayhimu salaam). Their dreams are an inspiration from Allaah. Through their dreams, the prophets are given commandments. This is proven by the dream in which Ibrahim (alayhi salaam) saw himself sacrificing his son lsmaeel, "And when he (lsmaeel) was old enough to walk with him, he said, O my son! I have seen in a dream that I am slaughtering you, so what do you think? (Ismaeel) said, O my father, do what you have been commanded! Verily, you will find me, insha Allaah, from amongst the patient" (Q37[Saffat]:102)
Ibrahim understood that this was a command from Allaah, as did Ismaeel, even though it was in the form of a dream. Another example of this is the Treaty of Hudaybiyah. The Prophet (salallaahu alayhi wa sallam) had been shown a vision in which the Muslims were performing the rites of Umrah, and the Companions set out with the Prophet (salallaahu alayhi wa sallam) from Madinah to Makkah hoping to perform the Umrah. The pagans of Makkah, however, did not allow the Muslims to enter Makkah, and a treaty was enacted between the Muslims and the pagans, later to be known as the Treaty of Hudaybiyah. One of the conditions of the treaty was that, in the following year, the Muslims would return and complete the rites of Umrah. As the Muslims returned to Madinah with sad hearts, Allaah revealed, "Indeed, of a surety shall Allaah fulfil the dream which He showed His Messenger; you shall enter the Masjid al-Haram, if Allaah wills, secure, with your heads shaved or trimmed (after performing the rites of pilgrimmage), fearing none" (Q48[Fathi]:27) The following year, the Muslims performed the Umrah as per the terms of the agreement. The dream that the Prophet (salallaahu alayhi wa sallam) had seen eventually came true. Incidentally, the revelation of the Quran to Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) was preceded by true dreams. Aishah (RA) said: "The commencement of the divine inspiration upon the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) in the form of good dreams; he never used to dream about anything except that it came true like the rising of the sun." (Bukhari)
In other words, the onset of prophethood began with dreams as true as seeing the sun rise every morning.
The Dream Of The Righteous
When a person purifies his faith, makes good his character and remembers Allaah quite often, hardly will he dream except that it comes true. The Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) said At the end of time, the believers dream will rarely be incorrect; the more truthful a person is, the truer his dreams are; and the dream of a faithful believer is a part of the forty six parts of Prophecy" (Bukhaari & Muslim) Thus, the dream of a righteous servant of Allaah is 1/46 part of prophethood. 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. (Madaarij el-Saalikeen)
Can The Righteous Also Receive Instructions And Commands From Their Dream?
The dreams of people other than the Prophets are to be examined in the light of the clear Wahy [i.e., the Quran and Sunnah]. If they are in accordance with the Quraan and Sunnah, all well and good. However, no matter how righteous a person may be, the instructions he receives from his dreams which are not consistent with the Quran and Sunnah cannot and should not be implemented particularly if they are instructions of aqeedah and ibaadah that has no basis from the deen. There is no evidence in the following incident narrated by Zayd ibn Thabit (RA) for implementing instructions from the dream: "We were commanded that we should glorify Allaah at the end of every prayer thirty-three times; extol him thirty-three times; recite His greatness thirty-three times. Someone from Ansar saw in a dream that it was said to him: Has Allaah's Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) commanded you to glorify Allaah at the end of every prayer such and such time. The Ansari said in the dream: Yes. Whereupon he said: Observe it twenty-five times, twenty-five times and add to it tahlil (there is no god but Allaah). When it was morning he came to Allaahs Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and informed him of this. There upon Allaahs Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "Well, do so. "(Tirmidhi)
The Ansar in the narration received instruction of ibaadah from his dream alright but he did not implement it until the Rasul (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) (told him to do so. This shows that he followed the instruction of the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) and not of his dream. Thus, if the instruction from ones dream agrees with what is founded in the Quran and Sunnah, then there may be no harm in doing it. Allaah knows best.
Do Non-Muslims Have True Dreams?
A true dream may be seen by a non-Muslim. An evidence for this is in the story of the fellow prisoners of Yusuf (alayhi salaam) who saw true dreams while they were in jail, also the King of Egypt saw a true dream. All of these dreams were interpreted by Yusuf (alayhi salaam). However, the true dreams of non-Muslims is not a part of prophecy as it is for the true dreams of Muslims. Indeed not everyone that tells truth is coming with something of prophecy, The soothsayer may speak a word of truth and the astrologer may accurately predict what will come to pass, although such things happen only rarely. Imaam AI-Qurtubi (RAH) said: The true and pious Muslim is the one whose state is suited to that of the Prophets, and that is why he is honoured with something of which the Prophets were honoured, and that is of having a glimpse of something of the unseen. As for the unbeliever, the sinner, and the one whose good is mixed with bad, they are not so honored. If their dreams happen to come true sometimes, it will be considered in the same way that a liar sometimes speaks the truth. Not everyone who talks about the unseen will be relating something of prophecy; take for instance .the soothsayer and the astrologer." (lbn Hajar [Fath al-Bari])
2. Shaytanic Delusions (Nightmares)
The second category of dreams is the shaytanic delusions. A person may see things that scare him. Sometimes, he is pursued by unknown beings and some other times, he may even see himself being killed. All these can be really terrifying. Such dreams are from the work of Shaytan. A Bedouin came to the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) and said, O Messenger of Allaah! I saw in my dream that someone beheaded me, and my head rolled and I started going after it. So the Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "Do not inform about the vain sporting of devil with you during the night. "(Muslim). Awf ibn Maalik (RA) that the Messenger of~ Allaah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "Dreams are of three types: some are terrifying things from the Shaytaan, aimed at causing grief to the son of Adam; some are things that a person is concerned with when he is awake, so he sees them in his dreams; and some are a part of the forty-six parts of prophecy.ﾔ (lbn Maajah)
3. Dreams Of The Mind (Subconscious)
The third category of dream is that which is essentially the working of the subconscious. Dreams can be replays of events of our real life. These types of dreams usually speak of the future or the present, rarely of the past. (Fath al-Baari, 12/352-354). Some other times, our dream may be muddled - a mixture of ones subconscious with a tinge of the tricks of Shaytan. Such dream would seem nonsensical when it is remembered. An instance is when one sees some of the angels telling him to do something forbidden, or other things that cannot possibly make sense.
There may be other dreams which one might see or hear voice legislating things to be lawful or unlawful; or dreams which result in judging people, giving or depriving them of their rights, and giving opinion about people whether they are truthful and honest or not. All such dreams are muddled dreams and doubts, which cannot be relied upon. This is the opinion of the majority of scholars like Imaam Ibn Al-Qayyim, Ibn Taymiyyah, An-Nawawi, Ash-Shaatibi and others. Ash-Shaatibi mentioned the story of the Caliph AI-Mahdi who wanted to kill the judge Shurayk Ibn Abdullaah. Shurayk asked him, Why do you want to kill me, while it is unlawful for you to spill my blood? He replied, I saw in my dream that I was talking to you and you were talking to me with your back to me, so I asked an interpreter, and he told me that this man {Shurayk} is one who visits you often and opposes you behind your back. Shurayk said, O leader of the believers! Your dream is not like the dream of {prophet} Yoosuf the son of (prophet) Yaqoob, and Muslims blood cannot be shed based on dreams so AI-Mahdi bowed his head down and signaled him with his hand to leave, so he left. Ibn Asaakir also mentioned in the history of Damascus that some people saw Imaam Ash-Shaafi'i in their dream saying to them, Yoonus Ibn Abdul Alaa lied on my behalf in narrating such and such Hadeeth, I did not narrate it. Imaam Ibn Katheer commented on this saying, "Yoonus Ibn Abdul Alaa is a trustworthy scholar, and cannot be doubted simply because of a dream.
How Should We React to Dreams?
For the purpose of proper reaction, dreams are divided into two broad categories: good dreams and bad dreams.
Good Dreams
Good or pleasant dreams are those after which the person feels satisfied and refreshed, and can feelthat his or her soul itself does sensehappiness. When we have such dreams, we should react to them based on the following etiquettes
1. Praise Allaah for the good dream
2. Feel happy about it
3. Talk about it to those whom you love but not to those whom you dislike. Abu Said AI-Khudri reported that. he heard the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) saying, "When someone among you sees a good and pleasing dream, he should know that it is from Allaah, and so he should praise and thank Allaah, and describe to others what he saw in the dream. But if he sees something he dislikes then it is from Shaytan, so he should seek Allaahs refuge from its evil and should not mention it to anyone. It will not harm him." (Tirmidhi).
Bad Dreams
Bad dreams are those upon which we become disturbed, terrified and unable to relax. As we were instructed through the Sunnah, a believer should deal with this type of dream is in five ways:
1. He should seek refuge with Allaah from the evil of the dream and of Shaytan.
2. Turn over and sleep with another side.
3. He should spit to his left three times when he wakes up. (The spitting referred to here is a soft, dry spitting with no saliva ejected).
4. He may get up from bed and pray
5. He should not mention it to anyone at all.
Abu Qutaadah said: the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) 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). Jaabir (RA) reported that the Prophet (sallallahu 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) He also said, "Whoever sees something he dislikes (in a dream) should not tell anyone about it; rather he should get up and pray." {Muslim}.
Interpreting Dreams
Dreams often seem to be confused and illogical thus heightening curiosity to unravel its meaning and import to oness life. However nonsensical dreams might seem, some dreams do have meanings. Should we seek to find the meaning of our dreams? Is there a formula to know the meaning of dreams? Is there a qualification to be a dream interpreter? Should we seek interpretation of our dreams?
It is permissible to seek the interpretation of dreams based on evidences from the Sunnah and the actions of the Companions. Infact, the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) would ask people to narrate their dreams to him: "Whenever the Prophet finished the (morning) prayer, he would face us and ask, "Who amongst you had a dream last night?" So if anyone had seen a dream he would narrate it. The Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) would say: Ma shaalIah" (Bukhari). The Companions would also on their own seek to know the meaning of their dreams. Um AI-Ala (RA) said, "Once I slept and saw in a dream, a flowing stream for Uthman Ibn Maz'oon. So I went to Allaah's Messenger and told him about it, he said, That is (the symbol of) his deeds." (Bukhari).
However, the dreams for which interpretation should be sought are the good dreams. One should not attempt to interpret the dreams from the delusions of Shaytan and dreams emanating from our confused thoughts. Infact, the shariah position is that such dreams should not be disclosed to anyone. The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa allam) said: If anyone of you sees something that he dislikes (in a dream), let him get up and pray, and not tell people about it. (Muslim).
The Interpretation May be Wrong!
It is important to point out that interpretation of dreams is certainly one of hidden secrets known only to Almighty Allaah, the Knower of the Unseen. Whatever interpretation is given to a dream is essentially a matter of personal reasoning and is not reliable. Dream interpretation is not a science nor is it based on a certified manual. Rather, it is based on personal reasoning and may therefore be unreliable. True it is a gift from Allaah to certain individuals; their interpretation may be wrong and may not be the only possible meaning.
Who is Qualified to Interpret Dreams?
An interpreter should be a scholar of knowledge for the Messenger (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) said: "Don't tell your dream except to a scholar or a wise person seeking his advice" (Tirmidhi). Such a person would be able to weigh the harms and benefits resulting from his interpretation. He would not be hasty in interpreting dreams because it is just like passing a fatwaa. Interpreters should not make people feel that their interpretations are facts. They should know the danger of this and the arrogance it could lead to. Ibn Sereen (RAH) used to be asked about one hundred dreams but he would not answer, but he would tell people, fear Allaah while you are awake, then what you see in your dream would not harm you and he would also say, I only say what I think to be the interpretation, and I could be wrong. (lbn Abdul Barr).
If this was the saying of the leader of interpreters through the ages, how should people in our time act? (By the way, the book titled the Interpretation of Dreams is wrongly attributed to Imaam Ibn Seereen [RAH]. This is false! Ibn Seereen did not write any book on interpretation of dreams). He should not confuse the people with calculations and logic in a bid to feign professionalism. Ibn Masood (RA) narrated that the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "If you talk to people with words which they cannot comprehend, then it will be a trial for them " (Muslim)
This article was culled from the publications of Deen Communication Limited