Classification of Dreams in Islam Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah’s Apostle said: “When the Day of Resurrection approaches, the dreams of a ...
Classification of Dreams in Islam
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah’s Apostle said: “When the Day of Resurrection approaches, the dreams of a believer will
hardly fail to come true, and a dream of a believer is one of forty-six parts of prophethood, and
whatever belongs to prophethood can never be false.” Muhammad bin Sirin said: “But I say
this.” He said: “It used to be said that there are three types of dreams: I) the reflection of one’s
thoughts and experiences which one has during wakefulness; ii) what is suggested by Satan to
frighten the dreamer; iii) or glad tidings from Allah. So, if someone has a dream which he
dislikes, he should not tell it to others, but get up and offer a prayer.” He added: “He (Abu
Huraira) hated to see a Ghul (i.e., iron collar around his neck in a dream) and people liked to
see fetters (on their feet in a dream). The fetters on the feet symbolizes one’s constant and firm
adherence to religion.” And Abu ‘Abdullah said: “Ghuls (iron collars) are used only for necks.”
(Bukhari)
The same hadith, recorded in Sahih Muslim, is as follows:
“Abu Huraira reported that Allah’s Messenger had said: When the time (al-Zaman) draws near
(i.e., when the end of the world draws near) a believer’s dream can hardly be false. And the
truest vision (i.e., dream) will be of the one who is truest in speech, for the vision of a Muslim is
one forty-fifth part of prophethood (al-Nabuwwah), and dreams are of three types: one, ‘good’
dreams which are a sort of good tidings (Bushra) from Allah; the evil dream which causes pain
is from Satan; and the third one is a suggestion of one’s own mind. So if any one of you sees a
dream which he dislikes he should stand up and offer prayer and should not narrate it to the
people; and he said I would love to see fetters (in a dream) but I dislike wearing of necklace, for
the fetters are (indication of) one’s steadfastness in religion. The narrator said: I do not know
whether this is a part of the hadith or the words of Ibn Seerin.”
(Muslim)
The above hadith describes three kinds of dreams: - good and true dreams, which come from
Allah Most High, - evil dreams, which come from Satan, - and dreams which come from our
own selves. But we are not certain whether this is the classification given by the Prophet sallalahu
‘alaihi wa sallam himself, or by Imam Muhammad Ibn Sireen.
Let us now examine the three different kinds of dreams:
First kind of dream:
A good true dream - like
Seeing the Prophet in a dream
Shaikh Abdul Ghani al-Nabulisi began his work entitled: Ta’teer al-Anaam fi tafseer al-Ahlaam,
with a hadith of the Prophet sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam as follows:
“Whoever does not believe in ‘good and true’ dreams (R’uya al-Saliha) certainly does not
believe in Allah and in the Last Day.” 27
The Prophet sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam also commented on the subject of which dreams were the best
of all dreams:
“The best of all dreams”, said the Prophet sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, “are the ones where you see
your Lord, or your Prophet, or your Muslim parents.” 28
Prophet Muhammad sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam also spoke of believers seeing him in a dream:
Anas reported that the Prophet said: “Whoever has seen me in a dream has truly seen me, for
Satan cannot take my form.”
(Bukhari)
Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet said: “Whoever sees me in a dream will see me while
awake (perhaps this means he will see the Prophet in a vision, - visions and dreams appear to
differ only in form, but represent the same substance), and Satan cannot take my form.” Abu
‘Abdullah said that Ibn Sireen said: “Only if he sees the Prophet in his (real) form.”
(Bukhari)
Abu Qatada narrated that the Prophet said: “Whoever sees me (in a dream) has indeed seen the
Truth (i.e., he has truly seen me).”
(Bukhari)
Abu Sa’id al-Khudri narrated that the Prophet said: “Whoever sees me (in a dream) has truly
seen the Truth, for Satan cannot appear in my form.”
(Bukhari)
For Muslims who live in this age, when the Prophet sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam is no longer physically
in our midst, the only medium through which we may satisfy the deepest longings in our heart
for even a glimpse of his blessed face or person, is through the medium of a dream. And no one
can possibly over-estimate the importance of such an experience in terms of the impact it makes
in sealing a private compact with the Prophet sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam to love, to obey, to follow, to
defend and to project his person, his mission, and the Truth on which it is founded.
That mission of his, which remains with us (the ummah) as the most sacred of all trusts
(amanah), and which requires of us that we make the supreme effort towards achieving once
again, in the historical process, the supremacy of the truth over falsehood, is in dire need of
renewal.
Now the Qur’an declares that success lies in purification and growth (tazkiyah) (91:9). And
purification and growth implies, most of all, moral and spiritual growth. But for the Muslim
moral and spiritual growth is not possible without intense love for Allah Most High and for the
Prophet sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam. Since it is not possible for one to be blessed by Allah Most High
with a dream of the Prophet sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam if intense love for the Prophet sallalahu ‘alaihi wa
sallam does not reside in the heart, it follows that dreams of the Prophet sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam are,
perhaps, an indicator of some measure of moral and spiritual growth.
I remember the smile and the relief which was written on the face of the Pakistani Islamic
scholar, Mr. A. K. Brohi, who confided to me just before he died in 1987 that it was only very
late in life that he experienced, for the first time, a dream of the Prophet sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam.
And who could possibly have failed to see the light on the face of the Ft. Lauderdale Pakistani
Muslim doctor who informed me in 1990 that he had already seen the Prophet sallalahu ‘alaihi wa
sallam in dreams on eight occasions!
One of the most extraordinary of all dreams of the Prophet sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam I have ever
encountered was narrated to me in Singapore in 1991. I had just finished delivering a lecture on
the subject of ‘Dreams in Islam’ at the new headquarters of PERTAPIS, the Islamic Theological
Society of Singapore which has now become an Islamic social welfare organization. I had also
completed a long and interesting question and answer session which was dominated with
questions, comments and revelations concerning dreams of the Prophet sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam. A
young man approached me and requested a moment with me in privacy. I took him to the corner
of the room where he could speak to me without anyone being able to listen. He then informed
me that he had just returned about a month earlier from a visit to Makkah where he had
experienced an extraordinary dream of the Prophet sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam one night while asleep
in his hotel room. The dream was so extraordinary that he was reluctant to speak of it in public,
hence his request to speak in private. In the dream the blessed Prophet sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam
entered the room in which he was asleep. The most remarkable thing of the event was that he
was overwhelmed by a heavenly fragrance which came from the person of the Prophet sallalahu
‘alaihi wa sallam. Apparently the Prophet sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam did not speak to him. And that was
the end of the dream. When he woke from sleep, however, he found to his utter astonishment
that the heavenly fragrance he had experienced in the dream was present in the room and
continued to linger in the room for a few hours.
My teacher of blessed memory, Maulana Dr. Muhammad Fadlur Rahman Ansari al-Qaderi,
(1914-1974) told us, his students, of a dream he had of the Prophet sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam which
changed his life. He was 17 years of age and an exceptionally talented and brilliant student. He
was unimpressed by the exposition of religion by those with whom he came into contact. His
studies of science at school pushed him further into scepticism until he was close to being an
atheist. Then one hot summer night as he lay tossing restlessly on his bed on the roof of his
home in Meerut, India, he saw the Prophet sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam in a dream. That dream
impacted upon him with such pulsating power that it shook him to the very core of his being.
That was the moment that utterly changed his life. He spent the rest of his life in total devotion
to the cause of Islam and rose to become not only a Sufi Shaikh of the Qaderiyyah Order, but
also one of the most outstanding scholars of Islam of the age in which he lived. He produced a
masterpiece of scholarship, ‘The Qur’anic Foundations and Structure of Muslim Society’ in two
volumes that ranks as the most important scholarly work on Islam to have emerged from those
who came under the influence of the thought of Dr. Muhammad Iqbal. He traveled around the
world on no less than five occasions for the purpose of tableeg and da’wah. And he also
established the Aleemiyah Institute of Islamic Studies in Karachi, Pakistan, where a young man
from Trinidad, West Indies, (who is the author of this book) could study Islam.
There are many who may read this book and who may, themselves, have had dreams of the
Prophet that they may wish to share with others. We may, perhaps, have an opportunity to
publish another edition of this book that may include such dreams Insha Allah.
I interrupted the printing of this book to include the following two dreams that were narrated to
me at the funeral of my beloved friend and brother, Shaikh Alphahim Jobe, which took place on
Saturday May 31, 1997. I was about to conduct the salatul janaza (funeral prayer) over the body
of Shaikh Alphahim when someone approached me and said that he would like to speak to me
urgently. I took him aside and he then informed me that he had a dream of Shaikh Alphahim
some two weeks previously in which the Shaikh was leading the morning prayer as Imam. He
led the first raka’at of prayer but did not lead the second. The prayer was thus left unfinished.
That was the dream! Had he informed Shaikh Alphahim or myself about the dream we might
have understood it. The second dream was narrated to me later the same day. An American of
Puerto Rican origin resident in Astoria, Queens, New York, came to an Astoria Masjid recently
and declared that he had seen Prophet Muhammad sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam in a dream and, as a
consequence of that dream, he wanted to become a Muslim. The Muslims present in the Masjid
attempted to first teach him what was Islam but he interrupted them and insisted that he wanted
to enter into Islam there and then. They asked him to make wudu (ablutions) and he then made
the declaration: “I declare that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger.”
After entering into Islam he stayed in the Masjid for the rest of the afternoon and evening,
joining in the Asr, Maghrib and Isha prayers. He then returned to his home and died during that
very night.
All through the history of this ummah, and even in this godless age, pious Muslims have
continuously been blessed with dreams of the Prophet sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam. In fact there are
those who repeatedly dream of the Prophet sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam - not to mention other more
profound spiritual experiences which occur in states other than that of sleep. And in the context
of the statement of the Prophet sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam just quoted, one is justified in concluding
that such people have, in fact, truly seen the Prophet sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam in a dream! But if
dreams are exclusively constructed from the material of past experiences how can it be possible
to construct a face no one in our age has ever actually seen, - and no likeness of which has ever
been permitted to be drawn or painted or sculptured?
A dream of the Prophet sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam cannot possibly be constructed from the material of
past experiences since none exist today. Indeed, none has existed since the age of the Prophet
sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam since Muslims, all through history, faithfully observed the prohibition of
representing any human form and, in particular, the form of the Prophet sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam.
And yet, when we dream the Prophet sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam we have the assurance that we have
actually seen him. How else is this possible other than through the belief that a good or true
dream, which come from Allah, is a transcendental experience (known in philosophy as a
religious experience) that discloses transcendental knowledge and thus confirms a
transcendental reality!
True and good dreams have a very important status indeed. They are so important that the
Prophet sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam described them to be a one fortieth part of prophethood and,
indeed, the only part of prophethood now remaining in the world:
Narrated Anas bin Malik:
Allah’s Apostle said, “A good dream of a righteous person (which comes true) is one of forty-six
parts of prophethood.”
(Bukhari)
Narrated ‘Ubada bin As-Samit:
The Prophet said, “The (good) dreams of a faithful believer is a part of the forty-six parts of
prophethood.”
(Bukhari)
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah’s Apostle said, “The (good) dream of a faithful believer is a part of the forty-six parts of
prophethood.”
(Bukhari)
Narrated Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri:
I heard Allah’s Apostle saying, “A good dream is a part of the forty-six parts of prophethood.”
(Bukhari)
Narrated Abu Huraira:
I heard Allah’s Apostle saying, “Nothing is left of the prophethood except al-Mubashshirat.”
They asked, “What are al-Mubashshirat?” He replied, “The true good dreams (that conveys
glad tidings).”
(Bukhari)
“Abu Huraira reported: When the Apostle of Allah finished his morning prayer he used to ask
whether anyone had dreamt a dream, and he used to say: After me there would be nothing left of
Prophethood except good dreams”
(Muwatta, Imam Malick)
‘Ata bin Yasaar reported: The Apostle of Allah declared: Nothing would remain of prophethood
after me except al-Mubashshiraat. The companions asked: Apostle of Allah, what do you mean
by al-Mubashshiraat? He replied: Good dreams seen by a good man and those seen for him by
another man. This is one part of the forty-six parts comprising prophethood.”
(Muwatta, Imam Malick)
The Prophet sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam declared that Prophethood consisted of forty-six parts. True
dreams constituted one-forty-sixth part of Prophethood. After me, declared the Prophet sallalahu
‘alaihi wa sallam, nothing remains of Prophethood except true dreams. The only means we now
have, therefore, of understanding anything of the nature of prophetic experience is through the
study and analysis of the phenomenon of true dreams.
Prophethood consists essentially in a particular form of divine communication to a human being
who has been chosen by Allah Most High to be a Prophet. Such communication constitutes
mandatory divine guidance for those to whom he transmits it. The phenomenon of true
dreams contain something which can assist us in understanding the phenomenon of
Prophetic revelation.
How to qualify for good and true dreams?
If a believer, male or female, wishes to be blessed by Allah with good and true dreams he/she
should first take all necessary steps to ensure that life is lived in conformity with the laws of
Allah Most High. The believer should remove hatred, enmity, malice, greed and lust from
his/her heart, and must learn how to forgive. Fasting and the prayer of the night-vigil can be of
great help in this regards. The believer must fill his/her heart with love for all those whom Allah
Most High loves, and must be charitable etc. Anyone who wishes to see good and true dreams
should eat less, sleep less and talk less. Such people should dislike noise (which is what
music is today) and should long for solitude. Most of all they must acquire the
consciousness of living continuously in the presence of Allah Most High. That is not
possible without the Sufi epistemology.
The believer should regulate his day in such a way that he gets to take a little nap (of sleep) in
the mid-afternoon. He should take his evening meal either before or after the maghrib prayer (at
sunset) and should avoid taking a heavy meal. He should try to sleep early, i.e., after the Isha
prayer. He should recite surah al-Falaq (Qur’an: Chapter 113) and surah al-Naas (Qur’an:
Chapter 114) before sleeping in order to seek protection from evil:
“Narrated Aisha:
When the Prophet used to lie, he would recite Surah al-Falaq and Surah al-Naas and blow upon
his palms, and then wipe them all over his body.”
(Bukhari, Muslim)
He should make wudu (ablution) before sleeping (if he is without wudu) and he should sleep on
the right side. He should then ask Allah Most High to give him a dream. Such a person will
experience deep sleep in the early hours of the night. It would then be possible for him to rise in
the early hours of the morning, before dawn, to worship Allah Most High. If he has not as yet
seen anything, and if he then goes back to sleep, or if he sleeps after the morning prayer (fajr
prayer), he is more likely than not to dream, and to be blessed with good dreams and true
dreams.
Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (ra) did precisely that and this is what happened:
Narrated Ibn ‘Umar:
Men from the companions of Allah’s Apostle used to see dreams during the lifetime of Allah’s
Apostle and they used to narrate those dreams to Allah’s Apostle. Allah’s Apostle would
interpret them as Allah wished. I was a young man and used to stay in the masjid before my
wedlock. I said to myself: “If there were any good in myself, I too would see what these people
see.” So when I went to bed one night, I said: “O Allah! If you see any good in me, show me a
good dream.” So while I was in that state, there came to me (in a dream) two angels. In the hand
of each of them there was a mace of iron, and both of them were taking me to Hell, and I was
between them, invoking Allah: “O Allah! I seek refuge with You from Hell.” Then I saw myself
being confronted by another angel holding a mace of iron in his hand. He said to me: “Do not be
afraid, you will be an excellent man if you only pray more often.” So they took me till they
stopped me at the edge of Hell, and behold, it was built inside like a well and it had side posts
like those of a well, and beside each post there was an angel carrying an iron mace. I saw
therein many people hanging upside down with iron chains, and I recognized therein some men
from the Quraish. Then (the angels) took me to the right side. I narrated this dream to (my sister)
Hafsa. Hafsa told me that she had mentioned it to the Prophet and he said: “Abdullah is a
righteous man, if only he would pray more at night.” (Az-Zuhri said: “After that ‘Abdullah used
to pray more at night.”)
(Bukhari)
In just the same way that dream changed the life of an already righteous Abdullah ibn Umar (ra)
to make of him a stronger Muslim, so too can dreams change our lives. Some of us are wayward
Muslims who do not pray, or fast in Ramadan etc., and a dream can change our lives and restore
us to the straight path. In fact I just received a fax from an Egyptian friend in New York with an
account of an extraordinary dream that changed his life. It came just in time to be included in
this book, and we thank Allah Most High for that. He writes:
“I was a college student 18 years old when I saw this dream. I was not performing my salaat
(prayer) regularly at that age despite my father’s persistent appeals and warnings. Then one
night I saw in a dream what appeared to be the Day of Judgement. It was incredibly scary.
Innumerable horrified almost naked human beings of all races, colors and sexes were running in
all directions seeking to escape from a destiny of fearsome divine punishment. Their faces spoke
of appalling panic. Some fell in prostration beseeching their Lord for another chance. Some
were on their knees with their hands stretched upwards and begging for forgiveness. Screams of
horror ripped the air. The sweeping feeling was that all were doomed. No one would be spared.
The sky was fearfully dark, and as I became aware of the significance of what was taking place
around me, I, also, was terrified and overwhelmed with fear. I sorrowfully prostrated and cried
out begging for another chance: ‘Give me just one or two or three days to return to you O Allah
and to be a good Muslim. I pledge never again to be negligent in the performance of my salaat
(prayers), to do good deeds and to abstain from sinful deeds.’ Indeed the very thought of
committing sins seemed at that moment to be totally out of question. I then woke from sleep and
experienced unimaginable relief and gratitude as I became aware that my horrifying experience
had been a dream. I realized that the dream was a warning to me from Allah Most High and I
humbly thanked Him for that warning.
I left my bed and went out of the home to get some food. I ate the food but still felt exhausted. I
tried to study but could not do so. And so I went back to sleep and, surprisingly, I was taken
back to the dream and, once again, saw the Day of Judgement. That dream changed my life.
Since that day I have never intentionally missed a salaat (prayer). All praise is due to Allah
Most High Who changed my life with a dream!”
How to respond if anyone says that he has seen a dream?
The Adab (Islamic manners) of responding when anyone says: “I had a dream,” and is about to
narrate the dream, is for the listener to immediately say: “God willing, may it be glad tidings.”
(Arabic: khair Insha Allah)
The second kind of Dreams: Evil dreams
An evil dream is a dream from Satan, and will almost certainly come our way if we were, for
example, to eat so much in the evening meal that tiredness and sleep overpowered us and we
went to sleep without performing our evening prayer.
An example of the phenomenon of evil dreams which can plague and distress the dreamer and
make his life truly miserable would be that of a husband who continuously dreams of his wife’s
infidelity. If the husband does not exercise care it can result in the break-up of his marriage.
The Prophet sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam therefore took pains to explain that Satan can and does invade
our dreams to plant such experiences which can have dangerous consequences if we do not know
how to handle them. “When any of you has an evil dream”, said the Prophet sallalahu ‘alaihi wa
sallam, “he should spit three times to his left as soon as he rises from sleep, - and then refrain from
narrating that dream to any one at all. Then the dream would not harm him in any way.”
The spitting was meant to be a purely symbolic act with only the sound being emitted and no
saliva actually leaving the mouth. Its importance appears to be essentially psychological in the
sense of impressing upon the self that the evil is being dispelled. Then by refraining from
narrating the dream to anyone the dream is not activated, i.e., it does not enter into force. One
then ceases to think of it thus depriving the dream of the opportunity of making any kind of
negative impact upon the conscious mind.
Narrated Abu Salama:
I used to see a dream which would make me sick till I heard Abu Qatada saying: “I too, used to
see a dream which would make me sick till I heard the Prophet saying: A good dream is from
Allah, so if anyone of you saw a dream which he liked, he should not tell it to anybody except to
the one whom he loves, and if he saw a dream which he disliked, then he should seek refuge with
Allah from its evil and from the evil of Satan, and spit three times (on his left) and should not tell
it to anybody, then it will not harm him.”
(Bukhari)
(Abu Salama narrated, in another hadith reported in Sahih Muslim, the following words of the
Prophet: “And he should change the side on which he had been lying before.”)
Narrated Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri:
I heard Allah’s Apostle saying: “If anyone of you saw a dream which he liked, then that was
from Allah, and he should thank Allah for it and tell it to others; but if he saw something else, i.e,
a dream which he did not like, then that is from Satan and he should seek refuge with Allah from
it and should not tell it to anybody for it will not harm him.”
(Bukhari)
Narrated Abu Qatada Al-Ansari:
(a companion of the Prophet and one of his cavalry men) “I heard Allah’s Apostle saying: “A
good dream is from Allah, and a bad dream is from Satan; so, if anyone of you had a bad dream
which he disliked, then he should spit on his left and seek refuge with Allah from it, for it will not
harm him.”
(Bukhari)
Narrated Abu Qatada:
The Prophet said, “A good dream is from Allah, and a bad dream is from Satan. So whoever has
seen (in a dream) something he dislikes, then he should spit without saliva, thrice on his left and
seek refuge with Allah from Satan, and it will not harm him; and Satan cannot appear in my
shape.”
(Bukhari)
Narrated Abu Qatada:
The Prophet said, “A good dream that comes true is from Allah, and a bad dream is from Satan,
so if anyone of you sees a bad dream, he should seek refuge with Allah from Satan and should
spit on the left, and the bad dream will not harm him.”
(Bukhari)
Narrated Abu Qatada:
The Prophet said, “A true good dream is from Allah, and a bad dream is from Satan.”
(Bukhari)
Narrated Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri:
The Prophet said, “If anyone of you sees a dream that he likes, then it is from Allah, and he
should thank Allah for it and narrate it to others; but if he sees something else, i.e., a dream that
he dislikes, then it is from Satan, and he should seek refuge with Allah from its evil, and he
should not mention it to anybody, for it will not harm him.”
(Bukhari)
The Prophet also explained that “A dream sits on the wing of a flying bird and will not take effect
unless it is related to someone.” 29
An example of an evil dream is this dream which was narrated to the Prophet sallalahu ‘alaihi wa
sallam by one of his companions:
“Jabir reported that a man came to Allah’s Messenger and said: Allah’s Messenger, I have seen
in the state of sleep as if my head had been cut off. (In another version of the hadith, also
narrated by Jabir, the following is also mentioned: I saw my head rolling before me , and I saw
myself running after it and seeking it in the dream). Thereupon Allah’s Messenger laughed and
said: When Satan plays with anyone of you while sleeping, do not mention it to the people.”
(Muslim)
Additionally one may also recite the verse of the throne (ayah al-kursi) when going to sleep for
protection from Satan while one is asleep. We learn this from the following incident;
Narrated Muhammad bin Sireen: Abu Huraira said:“Allah’s Apostle put me in charge of the
zakat of Ramadan (i.e., zakat al-Fitr). Someone came to me and started scooping some of the
foodstuff of (zakat) with both hands. I caught him and told him that I would take him to Allah’s
Apostle.” Then Abu Huraira told the whole narration and added: “He (i.e., the thief) said:
Whenever you go to your bed, recite the verse of “al-Kursi” (Qur’an: al-Baqara:-2:255) for
then a guardian from Allah will be guarding you, and Satan will not approach you until dawn.”
On that the Prophet said: “He told you the truth, though he is a liar, and he (the thief) himself
was the Satan.”
The third kind of Dreams: from the Nafs
In so far as the third kind of dreams is concerned, i.e., dreams from one’s own nafs (self), these,
also, are of great importance since they constitute a very valuable yet private picture of the state
of health (or lack of health) of our own inner being. Such dreams function, in fact, as windows
to the soul, and this was recognized by the Swiss Psychologist, Carl Jung, who made the analysis
of dreams an important means of discovering the causes of mental illnesses etc.
Unfulfilled desires can lead to mental distress and can result in inner disequilibrium. A dream
often function as nature’s means of seeking to restore mental peace and equilibrium. As such a
dream can reveal the cause of the distress. A little girl heard the ice cream truck passing in front
of her house. “Mummy! Mummy!” She cried: “Ice cream! Ice Cream!” But Mummy had no
money, and so the little girl kept gazing in sorrow as the ice cream truck passed her home. There
was an unfulfilled desire for ice cream lodged in her heart. It caused distress. At night, while she
was asleep, nature repaired the damage in a truly wonderful way. She saw the ice cream truck in
her dream. Mummy had enough money and she bought lots of ice cream. The little girl sat
down and ate ice cream to her heart’s content. The unfulfilled desire was fulfilled and her inner
state had been restored to a state of equilibrium. Praise be to Allah sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam Who
created dreams as a medium through which the soul can not only see itself, but also heal itself.
Dreams which come from the nafs play an important role since they can be the means through
which we can gain knowledge about our own moral and spiritual development (or lack of
development). Thus an individual may be in a state of external conformity with the moral law in
respect of his sexual conduct. That is, he may not be misbehaving! But he may not have
internalized the externally imposed moral law. He may be obeying the law only because it is
binding on him. He may not as yet be at that stage of moral and spiritual development in which
he conforms with the law because that is also his own inner conviction and desire. And so he
finds himself in a dream engaged in sexual misconduct. That misconduct, regardless of what it
involved, does not constitute a sin. Rather, it is a mirror of his inner being. It is an indicator,
conveyed in the most private way possible, of the need for the dreamer to make a greater effort
for achieving an inner conviction that would support his external sexual conduct of conformity
with the moral law.
Implication of false claim concerning dreams
Then there was the grave warning from the Prophet sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam concerning false claims
of true and good dreams, such as a claim of a dream in which one saw the Prophet sallalahu ‘alaihi
wa sallam, or to falsify a dream which came from the nafs and thus to mislead concerning the inner
message conveyed by the dream:
Ibn Umar reported that the Prophet said: “The worst lie is that a person
claims to have seen a dream which he has not seen.”
(Bukhari)
Ibn Abbas reported that the Prophet said: “Whoever claims to have seen a dream which he did
not see, will be ordered to make a knot between two barley grains which he will not be able to
do; and if someone listens to the talk of some people who do not like him (to listen) or they run
away from him, then molten lead will be poured into his ears on the Day of Resurrection; and
whoever makes a picture, will be punished on the Day of Resurrection and will be ordered to put
a soul in that picture, which he will not be able to do.”
(Bukhari)
Let us now take a brief look at some of the dreams of the Prophet sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam and of his
Companions. Regretfully we cannot, at this time, undertake an analysis of these dreams. We
hope to do so, Insha Allah, in a subsequent edition of this book.
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