1st. Dream:
The Prophet Joseph (Yusuf) had a dream in which he saw
the sun, the moon and eleven stars prostrating themselves before him. His
father, the Prophet Jacob (Yacub), immediately understood the
significance of the dream and warned him not to disclose it to his brothers for
fear that they might harm him:
“Behold, Joseph said to his father: father, I saw (in a dream)
eleven stars and the sun and the moon; I saw them prostrating themselves before
me. He said: O my son, say nothing of
this dream to your brothers, lest they should plot evil against you: the devil
is the sworn enemy of man.”
(Qur’an: Yusuf:-12:4-5)
Joseph sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam could not as yet interpret his dream, but his father did. Both in the Biblical and in the Qur’anic
accounts of the dream Jacob sallalahu
‘alaihi wa sallam immediately interpreted the dream to mean
that his son was destined for future greatness, with the eleven stars symbolizing
his brothers and the sun and moon his parents. There is an important
difference, however, in the two accounts to which Asad directs attention:
“Whereas the Bible quotes the father as “rebuking” his son
(Genesis xxxvii, 10) in the obvious assumption that the dream was an outcome of
wishful thinking, the Qur’an makes it clear that Jacob - who was himself a prophet
- at once realized its prophetic quality and its deeper implications.” 13
Not only did Jacob sallalahu
‘alaihi wa sallam interpret the dream but, just as important,
he also recognized the possibility that his less-than-righteous eleven other
sons also had the capacity to interpret that dream. Thus both religious as well as irreligious
people may be able to interpret a dream.
Hence the warning from Jacob sallalahu
‘alaihi wa sallam concerning the indiscriminate public disclosure
of dreams. And Prophet Muhammad
sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam also advised:
“ . . . so if any one of you sees that which he likes he should
not disclose it to any except to one whom he loves . . .”
(Narrated by Abu Salama and reported in
Sahih Muslim)
The dream of Joseph sallalahu
‘alaihi wa sallam was eventually fulfilled some twenty or
thirty years later when his father, mother and all eleven brothers came to
Egypt many years later:
“Then when they entered the presence of Joseph, He provided a
home for his parents with himself, and said:
Enter ye Egypt (all) in safety if it please Allah.
And he raised his parents high on the throne (of dignity), and
they fell down in prostration (all) before him.
He said: O my father! This is the fulfilment of my dream of old! Allah has made it come
true!”
(Qur’an: Yusuf:12:99-100)
The significance of the above is that the Qur’an has
confirmed that a dream can prophesy future events. Events seen in a dream may belong even to the
distant future, and such dreams
may employ symbols which require interpretation. Some dreams can be interpreted even by
ordinary people and, as a consequence, one should exercise adequate care to
whom one discloses the contents of a dream.
Of even greater importance to the believers is the indisputable
fact that the modern secular epistemology of today’s dominant western
civilization has no means of explaining the phenomenon of a true dream such as
this. Truth, however, which is preserved
in its authentic form in Islam, has an explanation for the phenomenon of a true
dream. We shall soon provide that
explanation Insha Allah.
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