Dreams in Pagan Arabia - DREAMS IN ISLAM

Dreams in pagan Arabia

It would be helpful for us, if we are to place the phenomenon of true dreams in wide perspective, that we should recall that even pre-Islamic Arabia had its share of vitally important dreams which impacted even on national affairs.  Thus, for example, we know that the grandfather of the Prophet sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, ‘Abd al-Muttalib, succeeded in rediscovering the famous lost spring of Zam Zam in Makkah after he was informed in a dream of its exact location.  This is what Ibn Ishaq has to say on the subject:

“While Abd al-Muttalib was sleeping in the sacred enclosure he had a dream in which he was ordered to dig Zam Zam which (was shown to be in) a depression between two idols of the Quraish, Isaf Na’ila, at the slaughter-place of Quraish.”⁷

                                                                          

This event played no little role in making him the Patriarch of Makkah. And his status as Patriarch of Makkah helped pave the way for his grandson to win the esteem of all Makkah.

Then, of course, we know that the mother of the Prophet sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam had a number of dreams prior to his birth in which she saw, for example, that a light was streaming from her body and illumining the world to such an extent that she could see the castles of Busra in Syria.

And, sure enough, her dreams came true when Muhammad sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam was born and grew to become a veritable ‘light unto the worlds’.  Ibn Sa’ad has recorded some of those dreams as follows:

“We used to hear that when Aminah bint Wahb was pregnant with the Prophet sallalahu ‘alaihi wa sallam she used to say: I did not feel as if I was pregnant and I experienced no heaviness as other women do, except that my periods stopped; but I had a vision when I was in a state between sleep and wakefulness that a visitor came in and said: Do you know that you are pregnant?  I felt as if I answered: No.  Then he said: You are bearing the chief of this nation and its Prophet; that was on Monday.  She (Aminah) said: This fact assured me of my pregnancy.  Then he allowed me a respite until the time of the delivery approached, and the same visitor came to me and said: Say, I place him under the protection of the One , to Whom people resort in important matters (critical situations) to guard themselves against those who envy.  She said: I repeated those words and I related the circumstances to the women of my family.” ⁸

We also learn from Ibn Ishaq of the ancient Arab King, Tubba, who was advised to loot the Ka’aba of treasures but who, instead, followed the advice of two rabbis who warned him of the danger of such conduct.  And so the King visited the Ka’aba, and went around it in veneration (tawaf), sacrificed animals, shaved his head etc.  Ibn Ishaq then informs us that Tubba eventually became the first to cover the Ka’aba with a ghilaf (covering) and that he was ordered to do so in a dream:

“It was revealed to him in a dream that he should cover the temple, so he covered it with woven palm branches; a later vision (i.e., dream) showed him that he must do better so he covered it with Yamani cloth; a third vision induced him to cloth it with fine striped Yamani cloth.  People say that Tubba was the first man to cover the temple in this way.”⁹

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

Common Denominators - Lessons From History

Common Denominators

The Jews remained the sole custodians of the Divine Message and His Book for almost two millennia — from about 1350 B.C., when Prophet Musa (AS) was given Torah and the Covenant with the Israelites took place at Sinai, to 624 C.E., when   the   change   of   qibla   from   Jerusalem   to   Makkah symbolically announced the birth of a new Ummah.

The Jews were relegated from their rank because of their transgressions and haughtiness. The Qur’an severely criticizes and upbraids them for their long record of ingratitude and repeated violations of Divine injunctions, and declares them a condemned people. These reprimands were issued by Almighty Allah (SWT) because of the continued failure, on the part of the Jews,  to  carry  out  their  responsibilities  as  custodians  of  the Divine Revelation. 

From the Second year of Hijrah onwards, the followers of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) were appointed as guardians of the Message of God, as well as His representatives among  all  nations.  Thus,  this  supreme  blessing  of  Almighty Allah (SWT), i.e., His revealed guidance in the form of a Book, is  something  common  to  both  the  Jews  and  the  Muslims, although the Hebrew scriptures are no longer in their pure and unadulterated state. In this context the following verse appears twice in the Qur’an:

Remember,  O   Children  of   Israel,   the   favors   I bestowed on you and made you most exalted among the nations of the world. (Al-Baqarah 2:47 & 122)

Another point of convergence between the Jews and the Muslims is the prominent personality of Prophet Ibrahim (AS), the patriarch who is equally revered by the followers of both faiths. The Jews, of course, are the descendants of Prophet Ishaq (AS),  younger  son  of  Prophet  Ibrahim  (AS).  Similarly,  the earliest Muslims were Arabs — the descendants of Prophet Ibrahim’s elder son Prophet Isma‘el (AS) — and they constitute today the nucleus of the Muslim Ummah. But irrespective of this genealogical relationship, the whole of the Muslim Ummah has an attitude of veneration and high regard for Prophet Ibrahim (AS), as they consider him to be their spiritual father.

Source:Lesson from History (Book) by Dr. Israr Ahmad