Dreams in the Qur’an - DREAMS IN ISLAM

Dreams in the Qur’an

Let us now begin our subject proper by examining the dreams that were sent down by Allah Most High to certain of His servants and which were recorded in the Qur’an.  What were those dreams?  What epistemology do they establish?  And what are their importance?

 The Qur’an itself draws our attention to the importance of the phenomenon of dreams. Indeed it makes mention of no less than seven, and, perhaps, as many as nine dreams! In all the dreams mentioned in the Qur’an there is the fulfillment of a Qur’anic promise of divine communication reaching us in the form of dreams. The following ayah (verse) of the Qur’an has been interpreted to refer to that divine promise:

“Now surely the servants of Allah have nothing to fear or regret.  Those that have faith and keep from evil shall receive bushra (good news or glad tidings) both in this world and in the next: the words of Allah do not change. That is the supreme triumph.”

(Qur’an: Yunus:- 10:64)

   

Al-Sabooni, in his book: ‘Safwat al-Tafaseer’, makes mention of the fact that some commentators of the Qur’an interpret al-basharat (i.e., bushra) as ‘good dreams’ which a believer sees, or is shown to him/her.  Al-Hakim, he says, has quoted a hadith of the Prophet sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam which supports this view. Al-Tabari also holds the view that al-Basharat is received through ‘good’ dreams and the communication of angels at the time of death. ¹¹

Imam Malick has placed in his famous work, al-Muwatta, a section dealing dreams, and in it he has quoted the following:

“Urwah bin Zubair used to say that the words of the Lord: “They shall receive bushra in the life of this world as well as in the hereafter . . .”  (Qur’an: Yunus:-10:64)  mean good dreams which a man should himself see or others see for him.” ¹²

Now let us examine the dreams recorded in the Qur’an:

Source: Dreams in Islam by Imran Hosein
To be continued ....