The history of dreams and their
interpretations leads us back to ancient Egypt and it is said that the first
written record of dream interpretation dates back to 1350 BCE. Originally in
Egypt dreams were thought to be part of the supernatural world. They were
thought to be messages sent during the night perhaps as an early warning device
for disaster or good fortune. For Muslims this is not surprising. Chapter 11 of
the Quran entitled Joseph begins with a dream, and ends with the dream’s
interpretation. At the time of Prophet Joseph, dreams and dream interpretation
were
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very important, and this is clear
throughout the story of Joseph. Prophet Joseph is able to interpret dreams and
Prophet Jacob (Joseph’s father), the companions of the prison and the King of
Egypt all experience dreams. We know that in ancient Egypt dreams were
predominantly interpreted by the priest and that in the early Greek and roman
eras dreams were thought of in a religious context, and it was not until the
Hellenistic era of Aristotle that dreams were thought to have the ability to
heal. Dream interpreters aided doctors making their diagnosis. There are many
superstitions and beliefs that are associated with dreams. For some Chinese,
dreaming is an actual place that the soul visits every night and for this
reason many people are wary of alarm clocks fearing that the soul will be
awakened and not able to return to its body. Some Native American tribes and
Mexican civilizations share the same understanding of a dream dimension. During
the Middle Ages in Judeo-Christian societies dreams were thought of as evil,
temptations from Satan. Moving into the 19th century dreams were dismissed as
symptoms of anxiety, that is, until Sigmund Freud reintroduced the notion of
dreams having significance. In the Muslim world however dreams were thought of
a little differently. In Pre-Islamic Arabic poetry there are frequent
descriptions of shamanic dream visions of such things as ritual death and
rebirth. The role of the shaman (a person who claims to have access to and
influence in the world of the supernatural) included dream interpreter and
poet, so it is little wonder that Prophet Muhammad frequently repeated that he
was not a poet. The advent of Islam cleared up many misconceptions and
incorrect practices that existed in Arab society not the least of which was the
pervading attitude to dreams and their interpretation.
Islam says that dreams can be
meaningful but the scholars have warned that not all dreams should be
considered as such. Renowned Islamic scholar Ibn Sirin, an expert on dream
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interpretation mentions in his
classical book on the subject that dream interpretation is a difficult science
and that scholars treat it with the upmost care. Prophet Muhammad taught us
about dreams, also with the upmost care, and he mentions dreams and dreaming
often.
“Indeed the worst of lies is that of
a person who falsely claims to have dream.” 1
“True dreams are from Allah, and bad
dreams are from Shaitan (Satan).” 2
“Those of you with the truest dreams
will be those who are most truthful in speech.” 3
“If anyone of you has a dream that
he likes then it is from Allah. He should thank Allah for it and narrate it to
others.” 4
It is from Prophet Muhammad that we
learn that dreams are of three types, known in Arabic as, Rahmani (from God), Nafsani (from the self)
and Shaytani
(from Satan).
He said, “Dreams
are of three types: a dream from God; a dream which causes distress and which
comes from Satan; and a dream which comes from what a person thinks about when
he is awake, and he sees it when he is asleep.” 5 Prophet Muhammad continues to
teach us about the significance of dreams quite pragmatically.
“If any one of you sees a dream that
he dislikes, let him spit to his left three times6, and seek refuge with God
from Satan three times, and turn over from the side on which he was sleeping.” 7
1 Saheeh Bukhari 2 Ibid. 3 Saheeh
Muslim 4 Saheeh Bukhari 5 Saheeh Bukhari & Muslim 6 The “spitting” referred
to here is a soft, dry spitting with no saliva ejected 7 Saheeh Muslim
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The importance of a dream is usually
in direct proportion to the impression it makes on the dreamer. Most dreams
happen under normal circumstances and have no real value or need for
interpretation. They derive from our worldly experiences and activities, a
person spoken about, a book read or TV program watched. Other dreams are
fantasies or illusions, playful and harmless. And then there are the dreams
that are prophetic, dreams that appear to predict the future. These dreams
cannot be readily understood unless a person has the necessary skills or
knowledge. In his book about dream interpretation Ibn Qutaybah says, “There is
nothing in which people deal with from the different sciences that is more
obscure, delicate, exalted, noble, difficult and problematic than dreams
because they are a type of revelation and type of Prophethood.” These are wise
words and reflect the position of many Islamic scholars, that dreams should be
interpreted by someone qualified. There are a number of problems and stumbling
blocks inherent in the practice of interpreting dreams. For instance, a dream
could be seen by a person but it could be for someone else.
From among the companions of Prophet
Muhammad someone saw a dream for Abu Jahl8 that he became a Muslims and pledged allegiance to
Prophet. This never happened, this dream was for his son, Ikrimah who at a
later date converted to Islam and pledged allegiance to the Prophet. In another
example a dream was seen about Usayd bin Abil Aas becoming the governor of
Mecca, this did not happen however his son ‘Attab did become the governor of
Mecca.
Symbols in dreams could also be a
stumbling block to the correct interpretation of dreams. Symbols in dreams
might mean different things for different people. For example, a dream about a
8 A staunch enemy of Islam
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cat could evoke happy childhood
memories or it could symbolise fear and pain for a person who had been attacked
and scratched by a feral cat. It is enough to recognise a dream as being good,
bad or of no consequence.
a) Dreams are sometimes described as
true,
good or from God. What is meant by true is that they come true. What is meant by good is that they
bring good news or draw attention to some mistakes that one is not aware of.
What is meant by their being from God is that they happen by His grace and mercy or as
warning, as glad tidings from Him, or as guidance from Him. Prophet Muhammad,
may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, said, “If anyone
of you has a dream that he likes then it is from God. He should thank God for
it and narrate it to others.” 9 b) Bad dreams as those that cause grief or distress to
the dreamer. These dreams are from Satan. What is meant by causing
grief is that they
make one sad and cause distress. What is meant by them being from Satan
is that they
are instilled by him in an effort to cause fear or because of his toying with
the sleeper. “Secret counsels (conspiracies) are only from Satan, in order that
he may cause grief to the believers. But he cannot harm them in the least,
except as God permits...” (Quran 58:10) Satan is eager to embrace anything that
causes distress, it matters not whether the person is awake or asleep, and
Satan is an enemy to humankind. “Surely, Satan is an enemy to you, so take
(treat) him as an enemy...” (Quran 35:6)
9 Saheeh Al-Bukhari
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Thus if one sees a bad dream,
sometimes referred to as a nightmare, that causes fear, distress or unease he
or she should do the following: Firstly acknowledge that this dream is from
Satan who wants only to cause grief therefore pay no heed to the dream.
Secondly seek refuge with God from the accursed Satan and the evil of the dream
and spit dryly to his left three times. A person should not divulge the details
of a bad dream unless in a sincere effort to get advice from a suitably
qualified person. In almost all cases distressing dreams should be ignored and
dismissed. Turning over to the other side of the bed or getting up to pray to
units of prayer are also effective ways of breaking the feeling of helplessness
sometimes associated with bad dreams. c) There are some dreams that do not fall
in either of the above two categories. These dreams are called confused dreams
and they stem from what one is thinking about, and from events and fears stored
in the memory and the subconscious, which are then replayed during sleep. There
is no interpretation of such dreams.
A clear rule about dreams is that
lying about a dream is a very serious matter. Prophet Muhammad warned us that “The
worst lie is that a person claims to have seen a dream which he has not seen.” 10 Perhaps a
person is so anxious to have a good dream he feels compelled to make one up.
This is not an acceptable practice, honesty is a value highly prized in Islam. “Those
of you with the truest dreams will be those who are most truthful in speech”. 11
The dreams of the Prophets are
revelation and the dreams of people other than the Prophets must be looked at
in the light of revelation (Quran and authentic traditions of Prophet
10 Saheeh Al-Bukhari 11Saheeh
Muslim.
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Muhammad). But what about dreaming
about the Prophets, particularly Prophet Muhammad? If Prophet Muhammad appears
in a dream and looks as he is described in authentic traditions, we can be sure
that this is a true dream and a dream of glad tidings. Prophet Muhammad said, “Whoever
sees me (in a dream) then he indeed has seen the truth, as Satan cannot appear
in my shape.” 12
And what does
Islam say about seeing God in a dream? Some scholars including Sheikh Ibn
Taymiyah assert that it is possible to see God Himself in dreams, however he
stresses that what a person sees in his dream is not what God looks like. There
is nothing comparable to God therefore our minds are not capable of forming a
true image. “...There is
nothing like Him, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer”. (Quran 42:11) Dreams
do hold some significance in the way of life that is Islam however we must be
careful not to rely too much on them or believe that they are filled with
hidden messages and symbols. The great majority of dreams are a product of active,
healthy mind and are not prophetic in anyway. It is also incorrect to assume
that the prayer for guidance (Istikarah) should be answered with a dream. In conclusion we
are able to sum up dream interpretation with the words of Ibn Sireen, the most
well-known Islamic dream interpreter. On a day when asked about 100 or more
different dreams, he said in answer to all the questions, “Fear God and do good
whilst you are awake, and whatever you see in your sleep will not harm you”.
12 Saheeh
Al-Bukhari
Source: islamhouse.com/
Source: islamhouse.com/
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