Table of Contents
Authenticity and Meaning of Seeing the Prophet in a Dream
(Reported to us) Abū al-Qāsim ʿUmar ibn Muḥammad al-Baṣrī in Tinnīs said: ʿAlī ibn Musāfir narrated to us, Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Wahb said: My uncle narrated to me, he said: Abū Bishr informed me, from Ibn Shihāb, Abū Salama ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān said that Abū Hurayra said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say:
“Whoever sees me in a dream, it is as though he has seen me in wakefulness, for Satan does not assume my form.”
Abū Qatāda said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“Whoever has seen me has indeed seen the truth.”
Seeing the Prophet in a Dream Protects from the Fire
(And it was reported to us) by Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAbd al-Wahhāb ibn al-Ḥasan al-Kalābī in Dimashq who said: Abū Ayyūb Sulaymān ibn Muḥammad al-Khuzāʿī narrated to me, from Muḥammad ibn al-Muṣṣafā al-Ḥimṣī, from Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd al-Qaṭṭān, from Saʿīd ibn Muslim, from Anas ibn Mālik that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“Whoever sees me in a dream shall not enter the Fire.”
Seeing the Prophet in a Dream as a Sign of Salvation
(And narrated to us) Abū Bakr ibn Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Aṣfahānī in Makkah—may Allah protect it—in al-Masjid al-Ḥarām, who said: Abū al-Ḥasan Muḥammad ibn Sahl narrated to us, from Muḥammad ibn al-Muṣṣafā, from Bakr ibn Saʿīd, from Saʿīd ibn Qays, from his father, who said:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“Whoever sees me in a dream shall not enter the Fire.”
Interpretations and Conditions of Seeing the Prophet in a Dream
(From the words of al-Ustādh Abū Saʿīd, may Allah be pleased with him)
Indeed, Allah sent Muḥammad (peace and blessings be upon him) as a mercy to the worlds. Glad tidings to the one who saw him in his lifetime and followed him, and glad tidings to the one who sees him in his dream.
- If one sees him while in debt, Allah will settle his debt.
- If one sees him ill, Allah will cure him.
- If one sees him at war, Allah will grant him victory.
- If one sees him joyful, he will perform pilgrimage to the House (al-Bayt).
- If he is seen in a barren land, it will become fertile.
- If seen in a place filled with injustice, the injustice will be replaced with justice.
- If seen in a place of fear, its people will become safe.
This applies if he is seen in his proper form.
Signs of Religious Weakness and Innovation in a Place
- If one sees him pale in color, emaciated, or missing limbs, it indicates weakness of religion in that place and the spread of innovation.
- Likewise, if one sees his clothing worn out.
Symbolic Meanings of Various Visions Involving the Prophet
- If one sees himself drinking his blood out of love and in secret, he will be martyred in jihad.
- If he drinks it publicly, it indicates hypocrisy, involvement in the blood of his family, and aiding in their killing.
- If one sees him as though ill and then recovering, the people of that place will reform after corruption.
- If one sees him riding, he will visit his grave riding.
- If seen walking, he will visit him walking.
- If seen standing, his own affairs and the affairs of the leader of his time will be upright.
- If seen giving the call to prayer in a ruined place, that place will be restored.
- If seen as though eating with him, it is a command from him to pay the zakāt of one’s wealth.
Seeing the Prophet as Deceased or in a Funeral
- If someone sees the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) as having died, then one of his descendants will die.
- If he sees his funeral in a specific area, a great calamity will occur in that place.
- If he sees himself accompanying the Prophet’s funeral until his burial, he inclines toward innovation (bidʿah).
Visiting the Prophet’s Grave
- If one sees that he has visited the Prophet’s grave, he will attain great wealth.
Seeing Oneself as Related to the Prophet
- If one sees himself as the son of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) but is not from his lineage, it indicates the purity of his faith.
- If he sees himself as the father of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), it indicates weakness and frailty in his faith and conviction.
Note:
The vision of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in a dream by one man is not limited to that individual—it is general and extends to the entire community of Muslims.
Dreams of Women Involving the Prophet’s Body
(Narrated) that Umm al-Faḍl said to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him):
“I saw in a dream as if a piece of your body was cut and placed in my lap.”
He said: “You have seen something good. Fāṭima will give birth to a boy, and he will be placed in your lap.”
Fāṭima gave birth to al-Ḥusayn (peace be upon them both), and he was placed in her lap.
And it is narrated that a woman said:
“O Messenger of Allah, I saw in a dream as if a part of your body was in my house.”
He said: “Fāṭima will give birth to a boy, and you will nurse him.”
She gave birth to al-Ḥusayn, and the woman nursed him.
Receiving Something from the Prophet in a Dream
- If the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gives someone something of the desirable goods of the world—whether food, drink, or other possessions—it is good that the person will receive in proportion to what was given.
- If what is given is of inferior quality, such as watermelon or the like, he will be saved from a great trial, but will suffer some harm and hardship.
Seeing a Part of the Prophet’s Body with the Dreamer
- If someone sees that a limb of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is with him or in his possession, it means he is clinging to an innovation within the Prophet’s laws while neglecting the rest of Islamic teachings, distancing himself from the broader Muslim community.
Healing Through a Dream of the Prophet
(I heard) Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad al-Baghdādī at the shrine of ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (may Allah be pleased with him), say:
Ibn Abī Ṭayyib al-Faqīr said:
“I was deaf for ten years. I went to al-Madīnah and spent the night between the grave and the pulpit. I saw the Prophet of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in a dream and said:
‘O Messenger of Allah, you said: Whoever asks for intercession (al-wasīlah) for me, my intercession becomes obligatory for him.’
He replied: ‘May Allah cure you. That is not how I said it. Rather, I said: Whoever asks Allah for al-wasīlah for me, my intercession becomes obligatory for him.’
He said: My deafness went away by the blessing of his words, ‘May Allah cure you.'”
A Dream of Provision at the Prophet’s Grave
ʿAbd Allāh al-Jallāʾ narrated:
I entered the city of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) while in a state of poverty. I approached the grave of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), greeted him and his two companions (may Allah be pleased with them), and said:
“O Messenger of Allah, I am in need and I am your guest.”
Then I moved aside and slept near the grave. I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) come to me in a dream, and I stood up. He handed me a loaf of bread. I ate part of it and then woke up—and in my hand was a piece of the loaf.
A Dream of Rebuke and Guidance in Recitation
Abū al-Wafāʾ al-Qāriʾ al-Harawī said:
I saw al-Muṣṭafā (peace and blessings be upon him) in a dream in Farghāna in the year 360 AH. I had been reciting before the sultan, but they were not listening and continued to talk, so I returned home distressed. I went to sleep and saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in a dream—his face appeared changed in color—and he said to me:
“Are you reciting the Qur’an, the speech of Allah Almighty, before people who are speaking and not listening to your recitation? Do not recite it before them anymore, except if Allah wills.”
I awoke, holding my tongue, and did not speak for four months. When I needed something, I wrote it on scraps of paper. Scholars of ḥadīth and jurists came to me and issued a ruling that I would eventually speak again, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had said, “except if Allah wills”—a clause of exception.
After four months, I slept again in the same place as before, and saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in a dream with a beaming face. He said to me:
“You have repented.”
I said: “Yes, O Messenger of Allah.”
He said: “Whoever repents, Allah accepts his repentance. Put out your tongue.”
He wiped my tongue with his index finger and said:
“When you are in front of people reciting the Book of Allah, stop your recitation until they listen to the words of Allah.”
I awoke, and my tongue had been restored, praise be to Allah.
A Dream of Healing Through Charity and Olive Oil
It is narrated that a wealthy man fell ill and one night saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in a dream, as if he were saying to him:
“If you want to be cured of your illness, then take ‘lā’ and ‘walā’ (لا ولا).”
When he awoke, he sent ten thousand dirhams to Sufyān al-Thawrī (may Allah be pleased with him) and instructed him to distribute it among the poor. He also asked him for the interpretation of the dream.
Sufyān said:
“The meaning of ‘lā’ and ‘walā’ is the olive (al-zaytūn), for Allah the Exalted described it in His Book:
{Neither of the east nor of the west} [Qur’an 24:35].
The benefit of your wealth is the benefit that the poor gain from it.”
The man then used olive oil as a remedy, and Allah granted him healing—by the blessing of obeying the command of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and his veneration of the vision.
A Dream of Financial Relief through Intercession
It has reached us that a man saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in a dream and complained to him of his hardship. The Prophet said to him:
“Go to ʿĪsā and tell him to give you what will improve your situation.”
The man said: “O Messenger of Allah, with what sign?”
He replied:
“Tell him that the sign is: you saw me on al-Baṭḥāʾ (the plain), and I was on an elevated area of land, then I descended and came to you, and you said to me: return to your place.”
At that time, ʿAlī ibn ʿĪsā had been removed from office, but was later reinstated as vizier. When the man awoke, he went to ʿAlī ibn ʿĪsā, who was the vizier at the time, and told him the dream.
ʿAlī said: “You have spoken the truth.” He then gave him four hundred dinars, saying:
“Use this to pay your debts.”
Then he gave him another four hundred dinars, saying:
“Use this as your capital. If you spend it all, come back to me.”
A Dream of Defending the Companions
A man from al-Baṣrah, known as ʿArādak, who used to sell ṭiyālisa (cloaks), said:
I sold fine cloth to one of the governors of al-Ahwāz. I used to visit him to collect the payment, and during one visit, he cursed Abū Bakr and ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them both). I was too awed by his authority to respond, and I left deeply troubled.
That night, I slept in sorrow and saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in a dream. I said to him:
“O Messenger of Allah, so-and-so cursed Abū Bakr and ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them).”
He said: “Bring him to me.”
So I brought him. Then the Prophet said: “Lay him down.” So I laid him down.
He said: “Slaughter him.”
The idea of slaughtering him was heavy upon me, so I said: “O Messenger of Allah, shall I slaughter him?”
He said again: “Slaughter him.”
He repeated it three times, and so I passed the knife over his throat and slaughtered him.
When I awoke, I said to myself:
“I will go to him, advise him, and tell him what I saw from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).”
When I reached his house, I heard wailing. It was said that he had died.
A Dream Interpreted by Ibn Sīrīn
A man who was not particularly devout came to Ibn Sīrīn in a state of distress and said:
“Last night I saw in a dream as if I had placed my foot on the face of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).”
Ibn Sīrīn asked him: “Did you sleep last night with your sandals on?”
He replied: “Yes.”
Ibn Sīrīn said: “Then remove them.”
He removed them, and under one of his sandals was a coin (dirham) with the inscription: ‘Muḥammad Rasūl Allāh’ (Muḥammad, the Messenger of Allah).