What comes to mind when someone mentions the unseen? Some of us might think of atoms and molecules, the very things that make up the physical world. Others might reflect on angels and jinn, invisible to us but manifest to Allah ﷻ, All-Seeing and All-Aware.

But how many of us think of dreams as being part of the unseen? Dream interpretation in Islam is known as 1/46th of prophethood (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 7017, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2263).

Dreams are such a universal yet specific human experience that many cultures have passed down common interpretations of dreams. For the Sonenekuiñaji people, a dream about a white-lipped peccary means a prosperous fishing season. In Mexico, a dream about teeth falling out can mean death or sickness. Your own relatives might have shared their own interpretations of the dreams you’ve had.

But in Islam, the world of dreams—that precipice of consciousness and subconsciousness—is part of the unseen, also known as the ghayb. Allah ﷻ mentions in the Qur’an,

˹It is˺ Allah ˹Who˺ calls back the souls ˹of people˺ upon their death as well as ˹the souls˺ of the living during their sleep. Then He keeps those for whom He has ordained death, and releases the others until ˹their˺ appointed time. Surely in this are signs for people who reflect. (Surah Az-Zumar, 42)

In Maariful Quran, a well-known tafsīr, Mufti Muhammad Shafi elaborates on this verse: “[‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him)] said that, at the time of sleep, the soul of a person goes away from his body, but a beam or ray of [their] soul stays behind in the body due to which one remains alive – and it is through this ‘beamed’ connection that one sees a dream.”

Notice that all souls come into contact with this world, regardless of their creed. Shaykha Doctor Tamara Gray remarked on this blessing in her short course at Rabata by saying, “Allah doesn’t cut off the unseen from anyone.” Just as Allah provides everyone with food and water, He also gives everyone signs in the form of dreams.

This is one of the reasons why dreams are revered in Islam; the Prophets (may peace be upon them) had dreams that came true later on.

Dreams in Islam

There are three examples of dreams in Islam, as narrated by the Prophet ﷺ.

Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The most truthful of you are those with the truest dreams. There are three kinds of vision: a true dream, which is good news from Allah, a distressful vision from Shaytan, and a vision arising from oneself. If one of you sees something he dislikes, let him stand to pray and not speak to people about it.” (Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2263)

These true dreams—also known as “glad tidings from Allah”—can also include dreams of the Prophet ﷺ. These dreams are always true (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 6592, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2266).

An example of this is that on a day of fasting, ‘Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) dreamt that the Prophet told him, “Break your fast with us tonight.” (Dalā’il al-Nubuwwah lil-Bayhaqī 7/48). Later that day, ‘Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was martyred.

It’s not uncommon for those facing severe trials to receive dreams as a comforting sign from Allah. Political prisoners are an example of this. Dr. Aafia Siddiqui known as “the most oppressed Muslim woman in the world,” dreamt of the Prophet ﷺ. She was subjected to physical and sexual assault as well as medical neglect for over two decades of a life sentence. Protests have been held worldwide, alongside petitions demanding her release. Her sister, Dr. Fowzia Siddiqui, said that the miraculous dream involved a conversation with Dr. Aafia and the Prophet ﷺ. She asked him, “When will my test end?” and he responded, “This is not your test. This is a test for the ummah.”

Sometimes, Allah even sends dreams to prepare a person for a trial about to happen.

We see this in the Qur’an, after Yusuf (AS) interpreted the dreams of his fellow prisoners, “And two other servants went to jail with Joseph. One of them said, “I dreamt I was pressing wine.” The other said, “I dreamt I was carrying ˹some˺ bread on my head, from which birds were eating.” ˹Then both said,˺ ‘Tell us their interpretation, for we surely see you as one of the good-doers.’” (Surah Yusuf, 12:36)

“O my fellow-prisoners! ˹The first˺ one of you will serve wine to his master, and the other will be crucified and the birds will eat from his head. The matter about which you inquired has been decided.” (Surah Yusuf, 12:41)

It’s interesting to note that Yusuf (AS) spends verses 36-41 encouraging both prisoners to accept Allah as the one and only God before telling them their dream interpretations. He attributes his knowledge of dream interpretation to Allah, giving them additional proof towards accepting Him as their Lord. One of the prisoners will be freed, and perhaps spend the rest of his life being grateful towards Allah, while the other still has time to repent to Allah before his crucifixion.

We also see this in modern times. Dr. Rizwaan Sabir was one of those people – having seen a dream where he was surrounded by police in a large room. He was later accused of a false charge and arrested in two weeks.

In When Only God Can See: The Faith of Muslim Political Prisoners, by Asim Qureshi and Walaa Quisay, many prisoners would even seek out others to interpret their dreams. Some of the elements in the dream are symbolic, while others are literal. A woman named Munira dreamt that she was holding a plate of dessert as the sun was rising. When she consulted “Auntie Iman,” the dream interpreter, she was told that she would be freed. Munira had the dream once more and was released the next day. (Qureshi and Quisay, 139-140)

Asmaa, another prisoner, shared a similar experience after she had dreamt of wearing white, dancing in front of a crowd of people, being in a narrow corridor, and finally, being on stage with microphones and cameras.

“[…] The dream interpreter explained that when a prisoner dances or when someone wears white, that indicates glad tidings. The narrow corridor foretells a personal crisis that Asmaa will have to overcome. The stage, camera and microphones indicate that she will experience recognition for the struggles she has endured. [Asmaa said,] ‘It all happened. I left prison three weeks later but I was put under house arrest for a year and three months after I got out. These were some of the most difficult times in my life. After house arrest, I left Egypt, and the actors I saw in my dreams held a conference in support of human rights and I was given an award.’” (Qureshi and Quisay, 139)

Lastly, there are “distressful visions from Shaytan.” This is how Muslims categorise nightmares. However, sometimes a nightmare can unsettle you but still carry some truth to it. Many nightmares can even lead to repentance. 

For Malik ibn Dinar, that was certainly the case. He lost his daughter when he was young, and he had turned into an alcoholic and went to sleep without praying ‘Isha, the final prayer of the day. In the nightmare that followed, the Day of Judgement had started. A great dragon was pursuing him. Malik ran and ran, and he saw an old man in clean white clothes. After Malik pleaded with the old man to save him, the old man confessed that he was too weak. Malik continued to run, seeing the rest of the horrors of Judgement Day, until he stumbled upon his deceased daughter. She told him, “O father, is it not time for those with faith that their hearts be humbled by the remembrance of Allah?” The girl was referencing Surah Hadid, verse 16. His daughter also told him that the dragon was Malik’s evil deeds, that the old man was his good deeds, and that she hoped to intercede for him at the end of the world. When Malik woke up, he took heed of this nightmare and repented. (al-Tawābīn li-Ibn Qudāmah 1/124)

There are entire books of hadīth regarding dreams, including interpretations that the Prophet ﷺ would narrate. A total of seven dreams, as well as their interpretations, are found in the Qur’an: 

1. Eleven stars, the sun, and the moon prostrating to Yusuf (Surah Yusuf, 12:4)
2. A servant pressing wine (Surah Yusuf, 12:36-41)
3. Another servant with birds eating bread on his head (Surah Yusuf 12:36-41)
4. Seven skinny cows and seven fat cows (Surah Yusuf, 12:43-44)
5. A number of enemy soldiers being few (Surah Al-Anfal, 8:43) 
6. The conquest of Makkah (Surah Fath, 48:27)
7. Ismail being sacrificed by his father, Ibrahim (Surah As-Saffat, 37:102-105)

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that The Prophet ﷺ said, “When the time draws near (the end of the world), the dream of a believer can hardly be false; and the dream of a believer represents one part from forty-six parts of prophethood.”

Another narration says: the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “The most truthful of you in their speech are those who see the truest visions.” (Riyad al-Salihin 838). 

That being said, not every dream that a Muslim or non-Muslim has will come true, and its interpretation is an art as well as a science. And, much like fiqh, Islamic dream interpretation also takes the culture (‘urf) of a dreamer into consideration. 

Shaykha Doctor Tamara Gray explained this further in her course: Let’s say you have a dream about rice. If you’re from Pakistan, this could mean prosperity is on its way to you—as many hearty meals include rice. However, if you’re Moroccan—where rice is what lower-income people eat—this could mean some hardship is in your destiny. This is called a “true dream,” or a vision that Allah grants a person—not just prophets.

The method of the adhan (call to prayer) was revealed in a dream (Sunan Ibn Majah 706). A companion named ‘Abdullah ibn Zaid (may Allah be pleased with him) dreamt of a man carrying a bell. ‘Abdullah ibn Zaid asked if the man would sell it to him. That man asked ‘Abdullah what would be done with the bell, and ‘Abdullah said that he would use it to announce the prayer times. The man instead suggested something better: the words that make up the adhan. When ‘Abdullah woke up and told the Prophet ﷺ about this dream, the Prophet ﷺ told ‘Abdullah to teach Bilal ibn Abi Rabah (may Allah be pleased with him) the adhan. Shortly after Bilal called out the words, ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with them both) said that he’d had the same dream as ‘Abdullah! Here we are, more than a thousand years later, acting upon a dream.

And sometimes, a dream about rice can simply mean that you were craving rice, or were feeling hungry when you went to bed. This is simply a dream that your subconscious brings to the front of your mind.

Nightmares are also a part of Islamic dream interpretation. Let’s say you dreamt about spilling rice while trying to prepare for dinner. You slip on the grains and fall flat on your face. And when you get up, you’ve got a nasty bruise on your forehead before it’s time to wear your new Eid dress. 

Now, hopefully, this isn’t a true dream—it is simply a nightmare from Shaytan. Even the people surrounding the Prophet ﷺ had scary dreams like this—including one man who saw his head chopped off and rolling past him. (Sunan Ibn Majah 3911)

What Should I Do After a Dream?

The Prophet ﷺ also gave us advice on how to handle dreams. First and foremost, we should only tell our dreams to those who wish us well, or with an experienced dream interpreter (al-Mustadrak ‘alá al-Ṣaḥīḥayn 8177). This is because dream interpretation is an art as well as a science—meaning, it has rules that are based in the Qur’an and Sunnah. 

Ibn Sirin, may Allah  have mercy on him, lists out several qualities of a dream interpreter in his Dictionary of Dreams: 

• Requires a concise knowledge that must be based on the fundamentals of one’s religion, inner spiritual values, and moral and cultural traditions.
• Must consider other social customs and religious norms of the dreamer.
• Each dream interpretation must be based on religious opinions, logic, idioms, crucial factors, dictating circumstances, parables, and what is deemed correct, and he should not express a firm opinion.
• Must have knowledge of the Qur’anic references, Qur’anic interpretations, sayings of Allah’s Prophet, upon whom be peace, allegorical meanings and parables.
• Must know the prophetic traditions, tales of the prophets, the wisdom they imparted to their followers through interpreting their dreams, and the conclusion they have earned from that experience.
• Must cultivate the essence of social norms, history, fables, poetry, proverbs, languages, etymology of words, synonyms, homogeneity, contrariety, etcetera.
• Must be an honest and respected person, and he must care for the way he earns his living, what he eats, and what he drinks, and he must be a sincere and God-fearing person.
• Must listen to the complete story and minute details.
• If the dream is not fully understood, then he cannot make up the details.
• The dreamer can be investigated; and asked about their life, work, living conditions, and surrounding circumstances.

Unfortunately, not everyone you tell a dream to—especially if it’s a happy one—will be happy for you. Some “dream interpreters” might take advantage of you financially and emotionally, while other people can be envious. That very same advice was given to Yusuf by his father, Yaqub (AS),

˹Remember˺ when Joseph said to his father, “O my dear father! Indeed I dreamt of eleven stars, and the sun, and the moon—I saw them prostrating to me!”

He replied, “O my dear son! Do not relate your vision to your brothers, or they will devise a plot against you. Surely Satan is a sworn enemy to humankind. And so will your Lord choose you ˹O Joseph˺, and teach you the interpretation of dreams, and perfect His favour upon you and the descendants of Jacob—˹just˺ as He once perfected it upon your forefathers, Abraham and Isaac. Surely your Lord is All-Knowing, All-Wise.” (Surah Yusuf 12:4-6)

Yaqub AS and Yusuf AS were able to interpret dreams. At the beginning of the surah, Yusuf dreamt that eleven stars, the sun, and the moon were prostrating to him. He didn’t understand what that meant at the time. However, towards the end of the surah, Yusuf’s brothers and parents knelt in front of him,

Then he raised his parents to the throne, and [his entire family] all fell down in prostration to Joseph, who then said, “O my dear father! This is the interpretation of my old dream. My Lord has made it come true. He was truly kind to me when He freed me from prison, and brought you all from the desert after Satan had ignited rivalry between me and my siblings. Indeed my Lord is subtle in fulfilling what He wills. Surely He ˹alone˺ is the All-Knowing, All-Wise.” (Surah Yusuf 12:100)

If you have a good dream, you can tell the people who were in it or those who would be able to make du’a for you. This is especially important for istikhara, where if you’re given a sign—take heed of it. You can say alhamdulillah, and get into the habit of reciting the du’a upon waking up,

الحَمْـدُ لِلّهِ الّذي أَحْـيانا بَعْـدَ ما أَماتَـنا وَإليه النُّـشور

Alhamdulillahilladhee ahyana ba’da ma amatana wa ilayhin-nushoor. 

“All praise belongs to Allah Who has restored us back to life after causing us to die; and to Him shall we return.” (Sahih Bukhari 7394)

When it comes to nightmares, say the following and spit dryly to the left of your shoulder (Sunan Ibn Majah 3910),

أَعُوذُ بِاللهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيْمِ

Aouthu billahi min Ash-Shaytan ir-rajeem

“I seek refuge in Allah from Shaytan.”

It may also be wise to keep a journal of what you see when you’re asleep. That way, you can see when Allahﷻ makes your dreams come true.

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References

1. Shaykha Dr. Gray, Tamara. “Whispers in the Dark: The Art and Mystery of Islamic Dream Interpretation.” Rabata. 
2. Casale, Alessandro. “Indigenous Dreams.” Indigenous New Hampshire Collaborative Collective.
3. Garcia, Marisol. “Teeth falling out in dreams.” USC Folklore Archives.
4. aafiamovementofficial. 
5. Qureshi, Asim. “The Premonitions of Prisoners.” MuslimMatters.
6. Smith, Clifford Stafford and Dr. Suleiman, Omar. “‘Most oppressed Muslim woman in the world’ now denied religious solace.” AlJazeera.
7. Rumsaya. “Everything You Need to Know About Istikhara: Dua for Istikhara? When to Pray It and Do You Have to Dream?” Amaliah.