Good and Bad Dreams in Islam: What Should a Muslim Do? 

Introduction Dreams are part of life for everyone, but Islam emphasizes we shouldn’t regard every dream in the same way. We may be gifted with some dreams bringing bliss and comfort, others instill fear, cause sadness, and confusion.

Of course, some are the byproduct of our subconscious mind and do not hold any significance.

The Holy Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. Gave Muslims some profound guidance as to how they ought to conduct themselves in response to both good and bad dreams. Believers are supposed to be grateful to Allah s.w.t. For pleasant dreams whereas upsetting ones do not deserve a space to worry and fear the.

Good Dreams 

What should You do after a good dream?

A good and pleasant dream that induces happiness, could be treated as good news from Allah s.w.t., for He may show someone something encouraging about an impending ease/good deed. Prophet Yusuf a.s. ‘s dream of the sun, moon and stars bowing in prostration before him and the story from it has been reported in the Holy Book, Quran. While narrating about it to father Prophet Yaqub, He was advised by him : O my son!

Do not recount your dream to your brothers lest they devise a plan against you( Quran 12:5) this narration teaches that we don’t necessarily have to share everything even about pleasant dreams with each and everyone – but can shares with those who are loving and caring toward us. The Holy Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. Taught that “Whoever has seen a pleasurable dream, should praise Allah for it, and he may narrate it to other”.

Reference: Sahih al Bukhari: 6985.

Another narration emphasizes on telling only that who we love “if he loves the person to whom he is narrating the dream”. Reference : Sahih al Bukhari: 7044. Thus simply thank Allah s.w.t. For any blissful dream, and share only with one who is close.

What should you do after abad dream?

We are not supposed to allow an alarming dream take up our thoughts or belief for us to experience bad premonitions. Our Holy Prophet taught that if you see an unpalatable dream, and it may be taken as attributed to Satan, one should seek refuge in Allah from the evil of the dream. You may blow/spit to your left thrice and must not tell about it to anyone.

Reference : Sahih al Bukhari: 7044,3292,2976. Other reports also state if you have been disturbed by anything in the dream, get up and pray, and should avoid telling people about it. Reference: Sahih Muslim 4200.

The Holy Prohphet s.a.w.

Emphasized on these pragmatic guidelines.

What about meaningless or strange dreams?

All dreams don’t offer meaning. In an event of a strange dream about a man being in a state wherein he was after his own head, The Holy Prophet Muhammad s.a.w told the individual not to narrate the tale of how the Devil toyed with him in his dream.

Reference : Sahih Muslim 4211,4213.

Here is an ample lesson for enthusiasts when it come to dream interpreting skills. You should not let your mind obsess over obscure interpretations when presented with strange ones. Follow the guidance as guided by the Messenger of Allah s.a.w.

And you need not find meaning from them unless the dream is evidently providing guidance which can only happen for experienced scholars.

CAN WE SEE THE HOLY PROPHET IN A DREAM?

The holy Prophet s.a.w.

Declared; “Whosoever saw me in the dream has indeed seen me, for Satan cannot appear in my image.”

Reference: Sahih al Bukhari: 610, 6197. When a individual comes forth claiming to have witnessed the Prophet s.a.w., it is said in reference to this: “Whosoever saw me in a dream shall see me at wakefulness.” Reference: Sahih al Bukhari: 6993 Based on the latter narration , an experienced can distinguish between real self of the prophet(s.a.w) and imagined; hence only they can make such claims safely since anyone could dream of their own imagination or anything thedevil showed and it could resemble a face they assumed to be the Prophet s.a.w.. A person who hasn't witnessed the Prophet during their worldly time can not claim the visions of their dreams as being the holy prophet, because every person has their own set of imaginery or visual representation in dreams.

CAN SOMEONE ENTER ANOTHER PERSON’S DREAM?

Meeting someone in a dream doesn’t equate them meeting us in person or by choice. Suppose you saw your alive friend in dream and had a conversation, it cannot be assured or interpreted that they intentionally entered the dream and spoke out loud. Next morning You meet him again but you cannot presume they automatically know all they said to you in dream.

The above examples can help us understand this phenomenon; dream characters does not mean their presence in dreams themselves. An imagery has been presented which are then compiled.

DO NOT LET DREAM DOMINATE YOUFAITH!

One should not interpret dreams or give too much importance as one may do for the Quran and true Sunnah.

One cannot formulate new religious concepts, make a thing permissible, or make a new ruling about something from dreams; these principles are taken only from the Quran and authentically narrated Sunnah. It makes no sense for one to believe something found within dreams and consider to be on Islam while going against the Holy Quran.

This is only for Islamic knowledge informations not for hurting others.