Dream

Dream is the reproduction of an image that occurs in the mind of a person which is seen in sleep. There are three types:

1. Rahmaani

2. Shaitani

3. Nafsaani

Normally, all dreams come from Allah Ta’ala. Nonetheless, at times or very often, depending on the person and circumstances, dreams are influenced and manipulated by external elements. The external elements that may manipulate our dreams can be our conditions of life or our thoughts or they may also be from Shaitan.

Therefore, the dream which is not influenced or manipulated by any external element is called Rahmaani.

Nafsaani dream

Nafsaani dream is the dream that is influenced by the condition in which a person is living. For example, when a person remains in the thought of something or someone, he dreams of it or him at night. Similarly, when a person speaks about a certain issue before going to bed, then he may dream about what he has discussed. Sometimes, a person makes a plan to go for a picnic, thus it happens that he dreams about having gone for a picnic even before going. All these dreams which are produced due to our actual condition are already recorded in our mind and Nafs. Therefore, it is called Nafsaani.

Shaitani Dream 

It is a dream which is influenced and manipulated by Shaitan who does that merely to create doubt and confusion in the person. Shaitan is a declared enemy of Insaan. So, he influences his dreams to cause harm.

Rahmaani Dream

Of all these dreams, only a Rahmaani dream can be interpreted. The others do not have any meaning. A Rahmaani dream is a message from Allah Ta’ala to His privileged servants. However, it is only the dreams of the Prophets (Alaihis Salaam) that are guaranteed to be a kind of Wahi (revelation). Allah Ta’ala has given the Prophets (Alaihis Salaam) a very special protection. That is why the Prophets (Alaihis Salaam) are free of all sins. Similarly, their dreams are also protected by Allah Ta’ala, thereby preventing it from being manipulated. Their dreams are 100 percent true. That is why Hazrat Ibrahim (Alaihis Salaam) had placed the knife on the throat of his son, Hazrat Ismail (Alaihis Salaam), to sacrifice him based on his dream. Therefore, only the dreams of the Prophets (Alaihis Salaam) are proof and concrete evidence according to the Shari’ah. As for the dreams of the pious people, there is no guarantee. That is why their dreams cannot be used as proof or evidence for others according to the Shari’ah. Nonetheless, they can consider it for themselves, as long as they do not contradict the principle of the Shari’ah. So, if a person has lost something and he dreams that a certain person has stolen it, then he cannot accuse that person based on that dream because there must be a proof to accuse a person. And the dreams of people besides those of the Prophets (Alaihis Salaam) are not proof according to the Shari’ah. However, if a person dreams that it will be better if he does a certain task on a certain day or with a certain person, he can take that into consideration because it does not go against any principle of the Shari’ah.

[English version of "Rêve" – Al Jamiat – Vol.2 No.5]