35. Interpretation of Dreams
A Good Dream That Is Seen By The Muslim, Or Is Seen About Him
It was narrated from Anas bin Malik that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “A good dream from a righteous man is one of the forty-six parts of prophecy.” It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “The dream of a believer is one of the forty-six parts of prophecy.” It was narrated from Abu Sa’eed Al-Khudri that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “The dream of a righteous Muslim man is one of the seventy parts of prophecy.” It was narrated that Umm Kurz Al-Ka’biyyah said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: ‘Prophecy is gone, but good dreams remain.’” It was narrated that Ibn ‘Umar said: “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘A righteous dream is one of the seventy parts of prophecy.’” It was narrated that ‘Ubadah bin Samit said: “I asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) the about the Saying of Allah, Glorious is He: ‘For them are glad tidings, in the life of the present world, and in the Hereafter.”[10:64] He said: ‘Those are good dreams that a Muslim sees or are seen about him.’” It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbas said: “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) drew aside the curtain when he was sick, and the rows (of worshippers) were behind Abu Bakr. He said: ‘O people, nothing of the glad tidings of prophecy is left except a good dream that a Muslim sees or is seen about him.’”
Seeing the Prophet (saws) in a Dream
It was narrated from ‘Abdullah that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “Whoever sees me in a dream, has seen me in reality, for Satan cannot appear in my form.” It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Whoever sees me in a dream has (really) seen me, for Satan cannot appear in my form.” It was narrated from Jabir that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Whoever sees me in a dream has (really) seen me, for Satan cannot appear in my form.” It was narrated from Abu Sa’eed that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “Whoever sees me in a dream has (really) seen me, for Satan cannot imitate me.” It was narrated from ‘Awn bin Abu Juhaifah, from his father, that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Whoever sees me in a dream, it is as if he has seen me when he is awake, for Satan is not able to resemble me.” It was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Whoever sees me in a dream has (really) sees me, for Satan cannot imitate me.”
Dreams are of Three Types
It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “Dreams are of three types: Glad tidings from Allah, what is on a person’s mind, and frightening dreams from Satan. 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 up and perform prayer.” It was narrated from Abu ‘Ubaidullah Muslim bin Mishkam, that ‘Awf bin Malik narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Dreams are of three types: Some are terrifying things from Satan, 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.” He said: “I said to him: ‘Did you hear this from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)?’ He said: ‘Yes, I heard it from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), I heard it from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).’”
One who has a dream that he dislikes
It was narrated from Jabir bin ‘Abdullah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “If anyone of you sees a dream that he dislikes, let him spit dryly to his left three times and seek refuge with Allah from Satan three times, and turn over onto his other side.” It was narrated from Abu Qatadah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “(Good) dreams come from Allah and (bad) dreams come from Satan, so if anyone of you sees something that he dislikes, let him spit dryly to his left three times, and seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Satan three times, and turn over onto his other side.” It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “If anyone of you sees a dream that he dislikes, let him turn over and spit dryly to his left three times, and ask Allah for its good and seek refuge from its evil.”
One whom Satan plays with in his dream should not tell people about it
It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said: “A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: ‘I saw my head was cut off and I saw it rolling away.’ The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Satan goes to one of you and terrifies him, then he tells people of that the next morning.’” It was narrated that Jabir said: “A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) when he was delivering a sermon and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! Last night in my dream I saw my neck being struck and my head fell off, and I chased it, picked it up and put it back.’ The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘If Satan plays with any one of you in his dreams, he should not tell people about it.’” It was narrated from Jabir that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “If anyone of you has a bad dream, he should not tell people about how Satan played with him in his dream.”
If a dream is interpreted and it comes to pass (in that manner), he should not tell anyone about it except one whom he loves
It was narrated from Abu Razin that he heard the Prophet (ﷺ) say: “Dreams are attached to the foot of a bird* until they are interpreted, then when they are interpreted they come to pass.” He said: “And dreams are one of the forty-six parts of prophecy.” He (the narrator) said: “And I think he said: ‘(A person) should not tell them except to one whom he loves or one who is wise.’”
How Should Dreams be Interpreted
It was narrated from Anas bin Malik that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Interpret them (dreams) in accordance with the names of the things you see, and understand what is hinted at, and the dream is for the first interpreter.”
One who tells of a False Dream
It was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Whoever tells of a false dream, will be ordered (on the Day of Resurrection) to tie two grains of barley together, and he will be punished for that.”
The People who see the Truest Dreams are those who are truest in speech
It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “When the end of time draws near, hardly any believer will see a false dream, and the ones who see the truest dreams will be the ones who are truest in speech. And the dream of the believer is one of the forty-six parts of prophecy.’”
Interpretation Of Dreams
It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbas said: “A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ), upon his return from Uhud, and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, in my dream I saw a cloud giving shade, from which drops of ghee and honey were falling, and I saw people collecting them in the palms of their hands, some gathering a lot and some a little. And I saw a rope reaching up into heaven, and I saw you take hold of it and rise with it. Then another man took hold of it after you rose with it, then another man took hold of it after him and rose with it. Then a man took hold of it after him and it broke, then it was reconnected and he rose with it.’ Abu Bakr said: ‘Let me interpret it, O Messenger of Allah.’ He said: ‘Interpret it.’ He said: ‘As for the cloud giving shade, it is Islam, and the drops of honey and ghee that fall from it (represent) the Qur’an with its sweetness and softness. As for the people collecting that in their palms, some learn a lot of the Qur’an and some learn a little. As for the rope reaching up into heaven, it is the truth that you are following; you took hold of it and rose with it, then another man till take hold of it after you and rise with you, then another, who will rise with it, then another, but it will break and then he reconnected, then he will rise with it.’ He said: ‘You have got some of it right and some of it wrong.’ Abu Bakr said: ‘I adjure you O Messenger of Allah, tell me what I got right and what I got wrong.’ The Prophet (ﷺ) said: ‘Do not swear, O Abu Bakr.”* It was narrated that Ibn ‘Umar said: “I was a young unmarried man at the time of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and I used to stay overnight in the mosque. If any of us had seen a dream, he would tell it to the Prophet (ﷺ). I said: ‘O Allah, if there is any good in me before You, show me a dream that the Prophet (ﷺ) can interpret for me.’ So I went to sleep and I saw two angels who came to me and took me away. They were met by another angel who said: ‘Do not be alarmed,’ and they took me to Hell which was built like a well. In it were people, some of whom I recognized. Then they took me off to the right. In the morning I mentioned that to Hafsah, and Hafsah said that she told the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) about it, and he said: ‘Abdullah is a righteous man, if only he would pray more at night.’” It was narrated that Kharashah bin Hurr said: “I came to Al-Madinah and sat with some old men in the mosque of the Prophet (ﷺ). Then an old man came, leaning on his stick, and the people said: ‘Whoever would like to look at a man from among the people of Paradise, let him look at this man.’ He stood behind a pillar and prayed two Rak’ah. I got up and went to him, and said to him: ‘Some of the people said such and such.’ He said: ‘Praise is to Allah. Paradise belongs to Allah and He admits whomsoever He wills to it. At the time of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) I saw a dream in which a man came to me and said: “Let’s go.” So I went with him and he took me along a great road. A road was shown to me on the left and I wanted to follow it, but he said: “You are not one of its people.” Then a road was shown to me on the right, and I followed him until I reached a slippery mountain. He took me by the hand and helped me up. When I reached the top I could not stand firm. There was an iron pillar there with a golden ring at the top. He took my hand and helped me up until I reached the handhold, then he said: “Have you gotten a firm hold?” I said: “Yes.” Then he struck the pillar with his foot and I held tight to the pillar. I told this to the Prophet (ﷺ) and he said: "You have seen something good. The great road is the plain of gathering (on the Day of Resurrection). The road that you were shown on your left is the way of the people of Hell, and you are not one of its people. The road which you were shown on your right is the way of the people of Paradise. The slippery mountain is the place of the martyrs, and the handhold that you held on tight to is the handhold of Islam. Hold on tight to it until you die." I hope to be one of the people of Paradise,' and he was 'Abdullah bin Salam." It was narrated from Abu Musa that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “In a dream I saw myself emigrating from Makkah to a land in which there were date-palm trees, and I thought that it was Yamamah or Hajar, but it was Al-Madinah, Yathrib. And I saw in this dream of mine that I was wielding a sword then it broke in the middle. That was what befell the believers on the Day of Uhud. Then I wielded it again and it was better than it had been before, and that is what Allah brought about of the Conquest and the regrouping of the believers. And I also saw cows, and by Allah it is good, for they are the group of the believers (who were martyred) on the Day of Uhud, and the goodness is that which Allah brought forth after that, and the reward of the truth which Allah brought us on the Day of Badr.” It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “I saw wristbands of gold on my arms, so I blew into them, and I interpreted them as being these two liars, Musailimah and ‘Ansi.” It was narrated that Qabus said: “Umm Fadl said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! It is as if I saw (in a dream) one of your limbs in my house.’ He said: ‘What you have seen is good. Fatimah will give birth to a boy and you will breastfeed him.’ Fatimah gave birth to Husain or Hasan, and I breastfed him with the milk of Qutham.’ She said: ‘I brought him to the Prophet (ﷺ) and placed him in his lap, and he urinated, so I struck him on the shoulder.” The Prophet (ﷺ) said: “You have hurt my son, may Allah have mercy on you.” It was narrated from ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar concerning the dream of the Prophet (ﷺ) that he (the Prophet (ﷺ)) said: “I saw a black woman with disheveled hair, who left Al-Madinah and went to stay in Al- Mahya’ah, which is Juhfah. I interpreted it as referring to an epidemic in Al-Madinah which moved to Juhfah.” It was narrated from Talhah bin ‘Ubaidullah that two men from Bali came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). They had become Muslim together, but one of them used to strive harder than the other. The one who used to strive harder went out to fight and was martyred. The other one stayed for a year longer, then he passed away. Talhah said: “I saw in a dream that I was at the gate of Paradise and I saw them (those two men). Someone came out of Paradise and admitted the one who had died last, then he came out and admitted the one who had been martyred. Then he came back to me and said: ‘Go back, for your time has not yet come.’” The next morning, Talhah told the people of that and they were amazed. News of that reached the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and they told him the story. He said: “Why are you so amazed at that?” They said: “O Messenger of Allah, the first one was the one who strove harder, then he was martyred, but the other one was admitted to Paradise before him. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Did he not stay behind for a year?” They said: “Yes.” He said: “And did not Ramadan come and he fasted, and he offered such and such prayers during that year?” They said: “Yes.” The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “The difference between them is greater than the difference between heaven and earth.” It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “I dislike (to see in a dream) a chain around the neck, but I like to see fetters on the feet, for fetters (represent) steadfastness in religion.”