How to qualify for good and true dreams?
If a believer, male or female, wishes to be blessed by Allah
with good and true dreams he/she should first take all necessary steps to
ensure that life is lived in conformity with the laws of Allah Most High.
The believer should remove hatred, enmity, malice, greed and lust from his/her
heart, and must learn how to forgive.
Fasting and the prayer of the night-vigil can be of great help in this
regards. The believer must fill his/her heart with love for all those whom
Allah Most High loves, and must be charitable etc.
Anyone who wishes to see good and true dreams should eat less, sleep less and talk less. Such people should dislike noise (which is what music is today) and should long for solitude. Most of all they must acquire the consciousness of living continuously in the presence of Allah Most High. That is not possible without the Sufi epistemology.
Anyone who wishes to see good and true dreams should eat less, sleep less and talk less. Such people should dislike noise (which is what music is today) and should long for solitude. Most of all they must acquire the consciousness of living continuously in the presence of Allah Most High. That is not possible without the Sufi epistemology.
The believer should regulate his day in such a way that he gets
to take a little nap (of sleep) in the mid-afternoon. He should take his evening meal either before
or after the maghrib prayer (at sunset) and should avoid taking a heavy
meal. He should try to sleep
early, i.e., after the Isha prayer. He should recite surah al-Falaq (Qur’an:
Chapter 113) and surah al-Naas (Qur’an: Chapter 114) before sleeping
in order to seek protection from evil:
“Narrated Aisha:
When the Prophet used to lie, he would recite Surah al-Falaq and
Surah al-Naas and blow upon his palms, and then wipe them all over his body.”
(Bukhari, Muslim)
He should make wudu (ablution) before sleeping (if he is
without wudu) and he should sleep on the right side. He should then ask Allah Most High to
give him a dream. Such a person will experience
deep sleep in the early hours of the night.
It would then be possible for him to rise in the early hours of the
morning, before dawn, to worship Allah Most High. If he has not as yet seen anything, and if he
then goes back to sleep, or if he sleeps after the morning prayer (fajr prayer),
he is more likely than not to dream, and to be blessed with good dreams and
true dreams.
Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (ra)
did precisely that and this is what happened: Narrated Ibn ‘Umar:
Men from the companions of Allah’s Apostle used to see dreams during the lifetime of Allah’s Apostle and they used to narrate those dreams to Allah’s Apostle. Allah’s Apostle would interpret them as Allah wished. I was a young man and used to stay in the masjid before my wedlock. I said to myself: “If there were any good in myself, I too would see what these people see.”
So when I went to bed one night, I said: “O Allah! If you see any good in me, show me a good dream.” So while I was in that state, there came to me (in a dream) two angels. In the hand of each of them there was a mace of iron, and both of them were taking me to Hell, and I was between them, invoking Allah: “O Allah! I seek refuge with You from Hell.” Then I saw myself being confronted by another angel holding a mace of iron in his hand. He said to me: “Do not be afraid, you will be an excellent man if you only pray more often.” So they took me till they stopped me at the edge of Hell, and behold, it was built inside like a well and it had side posts like those of a well, and beside each post there was an angel carrying an iron mace. I saw therein many people hanging upside down with iron chains, and I recognized therein some men from the Quraish. Then (the angels) took me to the right side. I narrated this dream to (my sister) Hafsa. Hafsa told me that she had mentioned it to the Prophet and he said: “Abdullah is a righteous man, if only he would pray more at night.” (Az-Zuhri said: “After that ‘Abdullah used to pray more at night.”)
Men from the companions of Allah’s Apostle used to see dreams during the lifetime of Allah’s Apostle and they used to narrate those dreams to Allah’s Apostle. Allah’s Apostle would interpret them as Allah wished. I was a young man and used to stay in the masjid before my wedlock. I said to myself: “If there were any good in myself, I too would see what these people see.”
So when I went to bed one night, I said: “O Allah! If you see any good in me, show me a good dream.” So while I was in that state, there came to me (in a dream) two angels. In the hand of each of them there was a mace of iron, and both of them were taking me to Hell, and I was between them, invoking Allah: “O Allah! I seek refuge with You from Hell.” Then I saw myself being confronted by another angel holding a mace of iron in his hand. He said to me: “Do not be afraid, you will be an excellent man if you only pray more often.” So they took me till they stopped me at the edge of Hell, and behold, it was built inside like a well and it had side posts like those of a well, and beside each post there was an angel carrying an iron mace. I saw therein many people hanging upside down with iron chains, and I recognized therein some men from the Quraish. Then (the angels) took me to the right side. I narrated this dream to (my sister) Hafsa. Hafsa told me that she had mentioned it to the Prophet and he said: “Abdullah is a righteous man, if only he would pray more at night.” (Az-Zuhri said: “After that ‘Abdullah used to pray more at night.”)
(Bukhari)
In just the same way that dream changed the life of an already
righteous Abdullah ibn Umar (ra) to make of him a stronger Muslim, so
too can dreams change our lives. Some of
us are wayward Muslims who do not pray, or fast in Ramadan etc., and a dream
can change our lives and restore us to the straight path. In fact I just received a fax from an
Egyptian friend in New York with an account of an extraordinary dream that
changed his life. It came just in time
to be included in this book, and we thank Allah Most High for that. He writes:
“I was a college student 18 years old when I saw this
dream. I was not performing my salaat (prayer)
regularly at that age despite my father’s persistent appeals and warnings. Then one night I saw in a dream what appeared
to be the Day of Judgement. It was
incredibly scary. Innumerable horrified
almost naked human beings of all races, colors and sexes were running in all
directions seeking to escape from a destiny of fearsome divine punishment. Their faces spoke of appalling panic. Some fell in prostration beseeching their
Lord for another chance. Some were on
their knees with their hands stretched upwards and begging for
forgiveness. Screams of horror ripped
the air. The sweeping feeling was that
all were doomed. No one would be spared.
The sky was fearfully dark, and as I became aware of the significance of what
was taking place around me, I, also, was terrified and overwhelmed with
fear. I sorrowfully prostrated and cried out begging for another
chance: ‘Give me just one or two or three days to return to you O Allah and to
be a good Muslim. I pledge never again
to be negligent in the performance of my salaat (prayers), to do good deeds and
to abstain from sinful deeds.’ Indeed
the very thought of committing sins seemed at that moment to be totally out of
question. I then woke from sleep and experienced
unimaginable relief and gratitude as I became aware that my horrifying
experience had been a dream. I realized
that the dream was a warning to me from Allah Most High and I humbly thanked Him for that warning.
I left my bed and went out of the home to get some food. I ate the food but still felt exhausted. I tried to study but could not do so. And so I went back to sleep and,
surprisingly, I was taken back to the dream and, once again, saw the Day of
Judgement. That dream changed my life.
Since that day I have never intentionally missed a salaat (prayer). All praise is due to Allah Most High Who changed my life with a dream!”
How to respond if anyone says that he has seen a dream?
The Adab (Islamic manners) of responding when anyone
says: “I had a dream,” and is about to narrate the dream, is for the listener
to immediately say: “God willing, may it be glad tidings.” (Arabic: khair
Insha Allah)
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