What does Islam say about dream interpretations?

Question

I've seen countless of questions asked about their dreams, nightmares and visions. I read the answers and some of them say that there are ways in Islam to interpret dreams. Is this true?

Does Islam allow dream interpretations? If the interpreter is foretelling what will happen based on this dream, is that not fortune telling which is Haram in Islam?

Please clarify this.

Salam.

Answer 1

I guess some dreams are justifiable to interpret, because there are some very pious people who have been able to see Prophet Muhammad [PBUH] in their dreams, and many other enlightening visions.

But, our fortune cannot be foretold. Only Allah knows that.

Answer 2

i think it's okay if its islamic

i have a book called authentic interpretation of the dreams from quran and sunnah

its a really good book =]

Answer 3

Volume 9, Book 87, Number 111:

Narrated 'Aisha:

The commencement of the Divine Inspiration to Allah's Apostle was in the form of good righteous (true) dreams in his sleep. He never had a dream but that it came true like bright day light. He used to go in seclusion (the cave of) Hira where he used to worship(Allah Alone) continuously for many (days) nights. He used to take with him the journey food for that (stay) and then come back to (his wife) Khadija to take his food like-wise again for another period to stay, till suddenly the Truth descended upon him while he was in the cave of Hira. The angel came to him in it and asked him to read. The Prophet replied, "I do not know how to read." (The Prophet added), "The angel caught me (forcefully) and pressed me so hard that I could not bear it anymore. He then released me and again asked me to read, and I replied, "I do not know how to read," whereupon he caught me again and pressed me a second time till I could not bear it anymore. He then released me and asked me again to read, but again I replied, "I do not know how to read (or, what shall I read?)." Thereupon he caught me for the third time and pressed me and then released me and said, "Read: In the Name of your Lord, Who has created (all that exists). Has created man from a clot. Read and Your Lord is Most Generous...up to..... ..that which he knew not." (96.15)

Then Allah's Apostle returned with the Inspiration, his neck muscles twitching with terror till he entered upon Khadija and said, "Cover me! Cover me!" They covered him till his fear was over and then he said, "O Khadija, what is wrong with me?" Then he told her everything that had happened and said, 'I fear that something may happen to me." Khadija said, 'Never! But have the glad tidings, for by Allah, Allah will never disgrace you as you keep good reactions with your Kith and kin, speak the truth, help the poor and the destitute, serve your guest generously and assist the deserving, calamity-afflicted ones." Khadija then accompanied him to (her cousin) Waraqa bin Naufal bin Asad bin 'Abdul 'Uzza bin Qusai. Waraqa was the son of her paternal uncle, i.e., her father's brother, who during the Pre-Islamic Period became a Christian and used to write the Arabic writing and used to write of the Gospels in Arabic as much as Allah wished him to write. He was an old man and had lost his eyesight. Khadija said to him, "O my cousin! Listen to the story of your nephew." Waraqa asked, "O my nephew! What have you seen?" The Prophet described whatever he had seen.

Waraqa said, "This is the same Namus (i.e., Gabriel, the Angel who keeps the secrets) whom Allah had sent to Moses. I wish I were young and could live up to the time when your people would turn you out." Allah's Apostle asked, "Will they turn me out?" Waraqa replied in the affirmative and said: "Never did a man come with something similar to what you have brought but was treated with hostility. If I should remain alive till the day when you will be turned out then I would support you strongly." But after a few days Waraqa died and the Divine Inspiration was also paused for a while and the Prophet became so sad as we have heard that he intended several times to throw himself from the tops of high mountains and every time he went up the top of a mountain in order to throw himself down, Gabriel would appear before him and say, "O Muhammad! You are indeed Allah's Apostle in truth" whereupon his heart would become quiet and he would calm down and would return home. And whenever the period of the coming of the inspiration used to become long, he would do as before, but when he used to reach the top of a mountain, Gabriel would appear before him and say to him what he had said before. (Ibn 'Abbas said regarding the meaning of: 'He it is that Cleaves the daybreak (from the darkness)' (6.96) that Al-Asbah. means the light of the sun during the day and the light of the moon at night).

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Volume 9, Book 87, Number 112:

Narrated Anas bin Malik:

Allah's Apostle said, "A good dream (that comes true) of a righteous man is one of forty-six parts of prophetism."

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Volume 9, Book 87, Number 113:

Narrated Abu Qatada:

The Prophet said, "A true good dream is from Allah, and a bad dream is from Satan."

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Volume 9, Book 87, Number 114:

Narrated Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri:

The Prophet said, "If anyone of you sees a dream that he likes, then it is from Allah, and he should thank Allah for it and narrate it to others; but if he sees something else, i.e., a dream that he dislikes, then it is from Satan, and he should seek refuge with Allah from its evil, and he should not mention it to anybody, for it will not harm him."

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Volume 9, Book 87, Number 115:

Narrated Abu Qatada:

The Prophet said, "A good dream that comes true is from Allah, and a bad dream is from Satan, so if anyone of you sees a bad dream, he should seek refuge with Allah from Satan and should spit on the left, for the bad dream will not harm him."

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Volume 9, Book 87, Number 116:

Narrated 'Ubada bin As-Samit:

The Prophet said, "The (good) dreams of a faithful believer is a part of the forty-six parts of prophetism:'

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Volume 9, Book 87, Number 117:

Narrated Abu Huraira:

Allah's Apostle said, "The (good) dream of a faithful believer is a part of the forty-six parts of prophetism."

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Volume 9, Book 87, Number 118:

Narrated Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri:

I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "A good dream is a part of the forty six parts of prophetism."

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Volume 9, Book 87, Number 119:

Narrated Abu Huraira:

I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "Nothing is left of the prophetism except Al-Mubashshirat." They asked, "What are Al-Mubashshirat?" He replied, "The true good dreams (that conveys glad tidings)."

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Volume 9, Book 87, Number 120:

Narrated Ibn 'Umar:

Some people were shown the Night of Qadr as being in the last seven days (of the month of Ramadan). The Prophet said, "Seek it in the last seven days (of Ramadan)."

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Volume 9, Book 87, Number 121:

Narrated Abu Huraira:

Allah's Apostle said, "If I stayed in prison as long as Joseph stayed and then the messenger came, I would respond to his call (to go out of the prison) ."

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Volume 9, Book 87, Number 122:

Narrated Abu Huraira:

I heard the Prophet saying, "Whoever sees me in a dream will see me in his wakefulness, and Satan cannot imitate me in shape." Abu 'Abdullah said, "Ibn Sirin said, 'Only if he sees the Prophet in his (real) shape.'"

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Volume 9, Book 87, Number 123:

Narrated Anas:

The Prophet said, "Whoever has seen me in a dream, then no doubt, he has seen me, for Satan cannot imitate my shape.

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Volume 9, Book 87, Number 124:

Narrated Abu Qatada:

The Prophet said, "A good dream is from Allah, and a bad dream is from Satan. So whoever has seen (in a dream) something he dislike, then he should spit without saliva, thrice on his left and seek refuge with Allah from Satan, for it will not harm him, and Satan cannot appear in my shape."

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Volume 9, Book 87, Number 125:

Narrated Abu Qatada:

The Prophet said, "Whoever sees me (in a dream) then he indeed has seen the truth ."

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Volume 9, Book 87, Number 126:

Narrated Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri:

The Prophet said, "Who ever sees me (in a dream) then he indeed has seen the truth, as Satan cannot appear in my shape."

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Volume 9, Book 87, Number 127:

Narrated Abu Huraira:

The Prophet said, "I have been given the keys of eloquent speech and given victory with awe (cast into the hearts of the enemy), and while I was sleeping last night, the keys of the treasures of the earth were brought to me till they were put in my hand." Abu Huraira added: Allah's Apostle left (this world) and now you people are carrying those treasures from place to place.

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Volume 9, Book 87, Number 128:

Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Umar:

Allah's Apostle said, "I saw myself (in a dream) near the Ka'ba last night, and I saw a man with whitish red complexion, the best you may see amongst men of that complexion having long hair reaching his earlobes which was the best hair of its sort, and he had combed his hair and water was dropping from it, and he was performing the Tawaf around the Ka'ba while he was leaning on two men or on the shoulders of two men. I asked, 'Who is this man?' Somebody replied, '(He is) Messiah, son of Mary.' Then I saw another man with very curly hair, blind in the right eye which looked like a protruding out grape. I asked, 'Who is this?' Somebody replied, '(He is) Messiah, Ad-Dajjal.'"

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Volume 9, Book 87, Number 129:

Narrated Ibn 'Abbas:

About a man who came to Allah's Apostle and said, "I was shown in a dream last night..." Then Ibn 'Abbas mentioned the narration.

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Volume 9, Book 87, Number 130:

Narrated Anas bin Malik:

Allah's Apostle used to visit Um Haram bint Milhan she was the wife of 'Ubada bin As-Samit. One day the Prophet visited her and she provided him with food and started looking for lice in his head. Then Allah's Apostle slept and afterwards woke up smiling. Um Haram asked, "What makes you smile, O Allah's Apostle?" He said, "Some of my followers were presented before me in my dream as fighters in Allah's Cause, sailing in the middle of the seas like kings on the thrones or like kings sitting on their thrones." (The narrator Ishaq is not sure as to which expression was correct). Um Haram added, 'I said, "O Allah's Apostle! Invoke Allah, to make me one of them;" So Allah's Apostle invoked Allah for her and then laid his head down (and slept). Then he woke up smiling (again). (Um Haram added): I said, "What makes you smile, O Allah's Apostle?" He said, "Some people of my followers were presented before me (in a dream) as fighters in Allah's Cause." He said the same as he had said before. I said, "O Allah's Apostle! Invoke Allah to make me from them." He said, "You are among the first ones." Then Um Haram sailed over the sea during the Caliphate of Muawiya bin Abu Sufyan, and she fell down from her riding animal after coming ashore, and died.

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Volume 9, Book 87, Number 131:

Narrated Kharija bin Zaid bin Thabit:

Um Al-'Ala an Ansari woman who had given a pledge of allegiance to Allah's Apostle told me:, "The Muhajirln (emigrants) were distributed amongst us by drawing lots, and we got 'Uthman bin Maz'un in our share. We made him stay with us in our house. Then he suffered from a disease which proved fatal. When he died and was given a bath and was shrouded in his clothes. Allah's Apostle came, I said, (addressing the dead body), 'O Aba As-Sa'ib! May Allah be Merciful to you! I testify that Allah has honored you.' Allah's Apostle said, 'How do you know that Allah has honored him?" I replied, 'Let my father be sacrificed for you, O Allah's Apostle! On whom else shall Allah bestow. His honor?' Allah's Apostle said, 'As for him, by Allah, death has come to him. By Allah, I wish him all good (from Allah). By Allah, in spite of the fact that I am Allah's Apostle, I do not know what Allah will do to me.", Um Al-'Ala added, "By Allah, I will never attest the righteousness of anybody after that."

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Volume 9, Book 87, Number 132:

Narrated Az-Zuhri:

Regarding the above narration, The Prophet said, "I do not know what Allah will do to him (Uthman bin Maz'un)." Um Al-'Ala said, "I felt very sorry for that, and then I slept and saw in a dream a flowing spring for 'Uthman bin Maz'un, and told Allah's Apostle of that, and he said, "That flowing spring symbolizes his good deeds."

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Volume 9, Book 87, Number 133:

Narrated Abu Qatada Al-Ansari:

(a companion of the Prophet and one of his cavalry men) "I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "A good dream is from Allah, and a bad dream is from Satan; so, if anyone of you had a bad dream which he disliked, then he should spit on his left and seek refuge with Allah from it, for it will not harm him."

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Answer 4

Yes, Islam does allow dream interpretations.

As you know of Ibraheem(as) got the message of Allah, for slaughtering his son, in dream and that proves that dreams always mean something.

Dreams also show mentle health of the person depending on what sort of food he uses before sleeping and also the time of sleeping and having dreams!

And fortune telling is something that you do by intetions, knowing that, that kind of thing is haram would be wrong, but you don't have any powers over your dreams, you can't help them.

Hope it helped!

Answer 5

well my mom has a book in arabic, about dream interpretations,

but on the book it says Allahu A3lam.

like i know that rice means money.