FAQ in the category of Dream - Istikhara - Tafaul

The issue of seeing Allah in a dream is a debatable issue among scholars.

Abu Hanifa states that Allah can be seen in a dream but Imam Maturidi states that He cannot be seen. It is stated in hadiths that the Prophet (pbuh) saw Allah Almighty in his dream. (Aqaid, Umar Nasafi; Taftazani, Sharhul-Aqaid, p, 134)

According to the majority of scholars it is possible to see Allah in a dream. It is natural that Allah is seen with manifestation of His attributes and names, not in person.

The following statement exists in the narrations reported by Tirmidhi: “I saw my Lord in the best shape.” (see Tirmidhi, Tafsir, 39)

- The following point is unanimously agreed by scholars when the hadith above is interpreted: “It is necessary to act based on the fact that Allah does not resemble any creatures and that no shape can be attributed to Him.”

Therefore, some hadith scholars avoided explaining that hadith and said the hadith was an ambiguous hadith that our minds cannot understand.

The scholars who preferred to explain the hadith interpreted it in a way that is not contrary to Ahl as-Sunnah creed. The summary of those interpretations are as follows:

a. The meaning of the statement “I saw my Lord in the best shape” is as follows: “I saw my Lord when I was in the best shape by receiving His great grace.”

b. “I saw my Lord in the best shape” means “I saw the manifestations of His attributes, His grace and grants perfectly, in endless beauty and unique generosity.”

c. What is meant by “I saw my Lord in the best shape” is as follows: “I saw my Lord’s grace and treats in a way that I had never seen before, His spiritual, endless majesty, perfection and beauty.”(see Tuhfatul-Ahwazi, the explanation of the hadith in question)

However, it is probably the safest way to refer the meaning of such ambiguous hadiths to Allah and His Messenger.

For the other narrations regarding the issue see

Tirmidhi, Tafsir:39, No:3235, 5/368; Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, No:16621, 5/584; Ajuri, ash-Shari'a, No:1009, Sh.397; Hakim al-Mustadrak, No:1912-13, 1/702; Hatib, Tarikhu Baghdad, No:4253, 8/146; Ibn Khuzaymah, at-Tawhid, No:321, 2/542; Abu Ya'la, Musnad, No:2608, 4/475; Darimi, Ru'ya:12, No:2073, 1/567; Hatib Tabrizi, Mishqatul-Masabih, No:725,26,1/230; Ali al-Muttaqi, Kanzul-Ummal, No: 1152-54, 1/228.

It is not obligatory to act upon a dream which is seen in istikhara in other words, one may choose not to obey it.

If a person who attempts to do something like business, marriage, travel, etc and hesitates whether that attempt will be good for him or not, he tries to find solutions to eliminate his doubt and hesitation. The first thing to do about it is to search whether that attempt is legitimate and halal or not, whether it is in compliance with religious principles or not. 

If a person cannot decide on his own, the best thing to do is to ask a person who is qualified in that topic, find out about his opinion and if necessary to discuss it with him in detail, that is to consult someone. The person to be consulted should be experienced, knowledgeable and reliable.

The Quran, which regards mutual consultation and talking as one of the characteristics of the believers, says, “they conduct their affairs by mutual consultation”1 warning that the people to be consulted should be qualified and they should not be outsiders in terms of ideas and beliefs:

“O ye who believe! Take not into your intimacy those outside your ranks; they will not fail to corrupt you. They only desire your ruin: rank hatred has already appeared from their mouths; what their hearts conceal is far worse. We have made plain to you the Signs, if ye have wisdom.”2

As it is seen, a believer with foresight should not talk about his private issues to everybody or whoever he meets because he should estimate that while looking for someone to help him, he may make mistakes by making a wrong decision as a result of his talk to that person. Some decisions that a person makes may bind him to things and affect him lifelong. For instance, education, business, marriage… A person who sets up a business without calculating well may see one day that his business is going downwards and understands that he is going bankrupt; he may lose his capital, too. That state affects both his material and spiritual life greatly. A person who marries without searching well can suffer due to his haste and imprudence lifelong and it can transform his world to Hell. Therefore, we must always practice consultation; we must not do even the simplest thing without asking experienced and qualified people.

Our Prophet, who is an example for his umma in all phases of his life, consulted his relatives and companions about every issue, found out about their opinions and then decided. As a matter of fact, he received revelation; he was more intelligent, clever, sophisticated and considerate than everybody else. He asked his companions about almost everything that was not determined by revelation. He warned his umma not to do anything without consulting and said that he who consulted would never regret:

“He who makes istikhara will not be harmed; he who consults will not regret; he who acts in accordance with economy will not suffer financial difficulties in his family.”3

As it is seen, the hadith bases the social life of a Muslim on acting in accordance with three things: consultation, istikhara and economy.

Istikhara, which is recommended in the hadith, is a sunnah that a person who cannot feel comfortable in his heart and who is not satisfied emotionally though he has consulted can practice.

Istikhara means, in the dictionary, asking good things from Allah. That is, to ask Allah whether something one wants to do is good or bad, whether to do it at once or later will be better and ask Allah to make his heart satisfied about it.  

Istikhara is a sunnah of our Prophet. It is a form of praying and worshipping he advised his umma. Our Prophet (pbuh) taught how to make istikhara and what prayer to read in person. Jabir bin Abdullah says the following regarding the importance of istikhara: 

“The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) taught us to make istikhara for our tasks, business, etc whether small or big as if he taught us the Quran and said:

‘When one of you decides to do something in his heart, he should perform a prayer of two rakats.”4

Istikhara prayer has two rakats. Imam Ghazali recommends reading chapter al-Kafirun after al-Fatiha in the first rakat and chapter al-Ikhlas in the second rakat.5

After performing the prayer, the following prayer reported from our Prophet (pbuh) is recited:

“Oh Allah! I seek Your guidance by virtue of Your knowledge, and I seek ability by virtue of Your power, and I ask You of Your great bounty. You have power; I have none. And You know; I know not. You are the Knower of hidden things Oh Allah! If in Your knowledge, this matter is good for my religion, my livelihood and my affairs, immediate and in the future, then ordain it for me, make it easy for me, and bless it for me. And if in Your knowledge, this matter is bad for my religion, my livelihood and my affairs, immediate and in the future, then turn it away from me, and turn me away from it. And ordain for me the good wherever it may be, and make me content with it. ”6

While reciting the prayer, the thing to be meant is used instead of the words “this matter”. Thus, the Turkish (English) translation of the prayer can be recited but it is more virtuous to recite the Arabic original. The original of the prayer is present in the resources we give and in books of ilm-al-hal.

After the person makes istkhara, he should do what his heart tends towards and he should leave his prejudice and conviction before the istikhara and act accordingly. If he does not feel content and satisfied despite the istikhara, he can make istikhara again. It is sunnah. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) says the following in a hadith reported by Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him):

“O Anas, when you intend to do something important, then seek the good (istikhara) from your Lord seven times and then do that to which your heart (or mind) goes, because the good is in it.”7

If the matter is urgent and it is not possible to make istikhara again, the following prayer is recited:

“Oh Allah! Give me what is good for me. Do not leave me on my own.”

Ibn Abidin writes the following regarding the sign whether the desire of the person who makes the istikhara is appropriate or not:

“Before going to bed, the person makes wudu, recites the prayer and lies down turning towards qiblah. If he sees white or green in his dream, it indicates that it is good for him; if he sees black or red, it indicates that it is bad for him. It is necessary to avoid bad things.”8

However, istikhara is spiritual strength for believers who are in trouble. A believer who is hesitant about something performs two rakats of prayer and turns towards God Almighty. He asks Allah to create contentment in his heart towards the business he will attempt, the spouse he will choose, etc if it is good for his religion, world and the hereafter and to create strength in his body to do it; he asks God Almighty to eliminate the inclination in his heart towards it if it is not good for his religion, world and the hereafter. He feels relief in his heart. He becomes sure in his heart that the thing he made istikhara for will be good for him. He becomes content with the result.

Sources:

1. ash-Shura, 38.
2. Aal-e Imran, 118.
3. Tajrid Translation, 4:135.
4. Bukhari, Kusuf: 75.
5. Imam Ghazali. Ihya Ulumiddin. (Daru Ihyai’l-Kutubu’l-Arabi) 1:207.
6. Ibn Majah, Iqamatu’s-Salat: 188; Bukhari, Kusuf: 75.
7. Tajrid Translation, 4:143.
8. Ibn Abidin, 1:461.

There are dreams that are directly inspired by Allah, and there are also dreams that are inspired through angels.

Nothing happens without Allah’s knowledge, power and will. However, in dreams that take place based on causes, dreams can be seen due to good or bad reasons. However, the points of creation and invention belong to Allah.

This fact is also underlined in the verse below.

“It is Allah that takes the souls (of men) at death; and those that die not (He takes) during their sleep: those on whom He has passed the decree of death, He keeps back (from returning to life), but the rest He sends (to their bodies) for a term appointed verily in this are Signs for those who reflect.” (az-Zumar, 39/42)

However, it is reported in the hadiths that dreams are either divine or satanic. In the hadith of the Prophet (pbuh) on the real nature of dreams, dreams are classified as follows:

“There are three types of dreams. Some of them are fears from the devil to distress man; some of them are things that occupy a person’s mind when he is awake; he sees them in his sleep; and there are some dreams that are one of the forty-six parts of prophethood.” (Bukhari, Tabir 2-4; Muslim, Ruya 18)

According to Ibn Khaldun, there are three kinds of dreams:

Dreams from Allah, dreams coming through angels, and dreams from Satan. (see Ibn Khaldun, Muqaddima, 281)

Whatever man is engaged with in his world also sees in his dreams. A person who is thirsty in the desert will definitely see water in his dream. Similarly, a person who is in love with the Prophet (pbuh) and adheres to his Sunnah will see the Prophet (pbuh) in his dreams.

That is to say, whatever a person’s state, life and thoughts are, that is what he dreams about at night just like a dehydrated person seeing mirage in his dreams...

In order to see the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in his true form in a dream, it is necessary to have a proper faith, to worship regularly, to avoid haram, to follow the Sunnahs as much as possible and to utter a lot of salawat.

The spirit travels around the world like a luminous light. During this travel, it sometimes transfers what it sees in the universe to the brain. People see dreams at those times. Dreams are like passwords that open the door to unseen worlds.

Sleep, which is the younger brother of death, has been made a “means of resting” by our Lord. When we are asleep, all our organs that have been working all day have a rest. All the physical and mental emotions, senses and organs, especially the eyes, ears, hands, feet, bones, muscles, nerves, veins, heart and spirit, are at rest. During this rest, that is, when a person sleeps, the spirit’s contact with the body is cut off to a certain extent.

The root of the word “ru’ya (dream)” in Arabic is “ru’yah”. Seeing with the eyes is generally expressed by the word “ru’yah”. Ru’ya (dream) means seeing with the brain. More precisely, it is what remains in the memory after the spirit transfers what it sees to the brain. Man can see limited realms with the eye on his face. However, through the spirit and the heart, he can also see realms that he cannot see with his material eye.

We can perceive the images and sounds broadcast by hundreds and thousands of television and radio stations hidden in the particles of air in our room only through devices that can convert images and sounds into visible and audible forms; similarly, we can perceive the unseen realms through the spirit and heart. And dreams are like passwords that open the door to those unseen realms.

Dream is a “reality” that has existed since the time of the Prophet Adam, that has been talked about, that people have passed on to each other, on which many scientific studies have been carried out, about which hundreds and thousands of works have been written and about which hundreds of dream interpretations have been published. Then, what is a dream? What are the “basic facts” that we need to know about the “reality of dream”?

Allah prepared His beloved Messenger (pbuh) for his great mission through true dreams in the first period of his prophethood. The realization of those dreams the next morning or a few days later was an important proof of prophethood.

The Quran includes dreams, either explicitly or implicitly. Let us have a look at some of the verses related to dreams:

The following is stated in verse 64 of the chapter of Yunus:

“For them are glad tidings, in the life of the present and in the Hereafter; no change can there be in the words of Allah. This is indeed the supreme felicity.”

The Prophet (pbuh) states that the meaning of “glad tidings” in this verse is “a true dream that a Muslim has”. (Tirmidhi, Ru’ya: 3)

The dream of the Prophet Yusuf:

Dream played an important role in the life of the Prophet Yusuf (Joseph). The interpretation of the dream he had seen before he was thrown into the well by his brothers came true years later. It was through this “knowledge of dream interpretation” that Prophet Yusuf, whom God Almighty had taught dream interpretation, became the highest official of Egypt. God Almighty made the dream a means for His Prophet to reach that position. That adventure and the place of the dream in it are described in many verses of the chapter of Yusuf in the Quran.

Dream in Hadiths:

Our beloved Prophet (pbuh) turned toward his Companions after every morning prayer (fajr) and would ask them if anyone had a dream; and he would interpret their dreams. If there were no one who had a dream, he would tell them about his own dream and interpret it.

Let us have a look at some of the hadiths of the Prophet (pbuh) about dreams:

“Dream is a part of the forty-six parts of prophethood. A good dream had by a righteous believer is a part of the forty-six parts of prophethood.” (Bukhari, Ta’bir 4, 5; Muwatta, Ru’ya 3; Abu Dawud, Adab 96)

“A good dream is glad tiding. A Muslim sees it or they show it to him.” (Ibn Majah, Tabir 1)

“The truest dream is the one that is had at dawn.” (Ibn Majah, Ta’bir 1; Tirmidhi, Ru’ya 3)

“The dream comes true in the way it is interpreted. It is like the state of a man who lifts his foot from the ground and waits to see when he will put it down again. Therefore, when one of you has a dream, let him tell it only to a man of counsel or a scholar and let him interpret it.” (Ibn Majah, Ta’bir 6)

“When the time draws near, the believer’s dream will not turn out to be wrong. The believer’s dream is one of the forty-six parts of prophethood.” (Bukhari, Ta’bir 26; Muslim, Ru’ya 6)

“There are three types of dreams. One is glad tiding from Allah. Another one is the speaking of the nafs (soul). And the other is a fright from Satan. If one of you has a dream that pleases him, let him tell it to others if he wishes. If he sees something he does not like, he should not tell it to anyone, but should get up and perform a prayer.” (Ibn Majah, Ta’bir 3)

“A good dream is from Allah. A bad dream is from Satan. If a person has a dream that he does not like, he should spit toward his left side three times and seek refuge in Allah from Satan. Thus, the dream will not harm him.” (Bukhari, Tibb 39; Muslim, Ru’ya 5)

“If any of you has a dream that he likes, let him know that it is from Allah. He who has such a dream should praise Allah and tell others about it. And if he sees something he dislikes, it is surely from Satan. Let him seek refuge in Allah from the evil of the dream and tell no one about it; thus, it will not harm him.” (Bukhari, Ta’bir 3, 46; Muslim, Ru’ya 3; see Tirmidhi, Da’awat 52; Ibn Majah, Ru’ya 3)

“Those of you who had the truest dreams are those who are the most honest.” (Muslim, Ru’ya 6)

"A person who sees the good in things has good thoughts. And he who has good thoughts has beautiful dreams; and he who has beautiful dreams receives pleasure from life."

According to Islam, there are three kinds of dreams:

1- Righteous dream

2- Satanic dream

3- Dream caused by events one experiences

Righteous dream is the state of understanding the events yet to happen before they occur through natural ability. The Prophet (pbuh) states the following about it:

“The dream of believers is one part of the forty-six parts of prophethood.”

Satanic dream is the delusion that the Satan inspires in man's heart during sleep in order to scare man and cause him to distress. The Prophet says:

“If one of you has a dream that s/he likes, it is from Allah. Let him/her offer thanks to Allah for that and let him/her tell others about his/her dream. If s/he has a dream that s/he does not like, it is from Satan. Let him/her seek refuge in Allah from its harm; and let him/her not mention it to anyone. Otherwise, s/he will harm himself/herself.”

As for the dream caused by one's experiences, when one busies oneself with something and cares very much about it, one will have dreams about it. The Prophet says in one of his hadiths:

“Dream is of three kinds: The righteous dream from Allah which gives glad tidings; the dream from Satan which causes sorrow; the dream caused by man's talking to himself about something and imagining.”

The verse mentioned in the chapter of Yusuf about Joseph's dream and the hadiths mentioned above express that righteous dream. There are true ones in dreams. However, it cannot be said that every dream is true and every interpretation is true.

 It is not appropriate to act in accordance with dreams and to base one's decisions and actions on them. Moreover, the books of fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence) state the following:

 "Although Satan cannot assume the image of the Prophet (pbuh), if the Prophet said in one's dream on the 29th of Shaban, ‘Tomorrow is the first day of Ramadan; perform fasting’, it is not permissible to act in accordance with that dream. This is because, dream is neither knowledge, nor can it be grasped." (Halil GÜNENÇ, Günümüz Meselelerine Fetvalar, II. 300 )

Acting in Accordance with Dreams and Inspirations

Dreams and inspirations can be from Allah or from Satan and the evil commanding soul. Therefore, they must be well differentiated. The scholars of Islam state that in such matters, if the following conditions are met, one can act accordingly, but that it is not appropriate to force anybody.

1- The dream or the inspiration must not be of the kind which abolishes a command of our religion or which makes a prohibition of our religion lawful; in other words, it must not be against the religion and the sunnah

2- The dream or the inspiration must be from such people as Abu Hanifa, Shafii, Imam Rabbani, Imam Ghazali, whom everybody trusts. Everybody should accept that that person does not ever tell lies and that he knows and follows the principles of the religion thoroughly.

3- The knowledge obtained from dreams or inspirations must not be accepted as commands of the religion. They can only be accepted as advice. Dreams and inspirations are warnings and guidance. They cannot be binding and forcing. Those who comply with dreams and inspirations cannot be blamed; similarly, those who do not comply with them cannot be blamed, either.

Istikharah means performing a prayer of two rak'ahs, to feel whether it is good to do something or not, and praying to Allah for the good to appear. This prayer (salah) is called istikharah prayer and the dua (supplication) is called istikharah dua.

Sleeping or dreaming is not essential for istikharah. In fact, if time is short and there is no time to sleep, it is sunnah to perform the istikharah prayer for any good issue. However, after the prayer and supplication, it is Sunnah to lie down with wudu facing the qiblah; and if one sees white or green in the dream, it may mean that the issue is good, and if he sees black or red, it may mean that the issue is not good...

If a person who wants to start something such as trade, marriage, traveling, etc., doubts whether it will be good for him or not, he wants to look for remedies that will remove his doubt and hesitation.

The first thing to do in this regard is to investigate the legality and lawfulness of the issue, and to examine whether it complies with religious standards. If the person cannot come to a conclusion on his own, the best way is to consult a competent and qualified person, to get his opinion, and if necessary, to discuss the matter in detail; in short, to make consultation. The person to be consulted must be experienced, knowledgeable and trustworthy.

***
Question: We were about to say yes to a marriage proposal but some people told us to make istikharah. We did not trust ourselves, so we asked an elderly woman to make istikharah for us. The next morning, we received a comment saying, “It does not look good in istikharah; give it up.” However, in the consultation with our relatives, they said it was appropriate, suitable and good. We were about to say yes. What will happen now? Should we act according to istikharah or consultation?

First, let us analyze istikharah briefly. It is not easy to know whether what is seen in istikharah indicates a yes or a no. It depends on interpretation.

Is what is seen Satanic or Divine? It is not easy to predict. You need to be competent for that too.

Besides, istikharah is not binding. There is no obligation to act according to the sign that was seen.

As for consultation, there is a conclusion reached by competent people after discussing and thinking about the matter at length. This conclusion is in accordance with reason, logic and science. Or, it should be. In that case, there is no other way but to act in accordance with the consultation.

It is probably a sound examination to think about the issue with the minds of those who participate in the consultation, to see it with their eyes, and to observe it with their knowledge. One may be wrong; another one may not see it, but they will not all be wrong in the same way.

After that, it is necessary to rely on Allah (tawakkul).

In fact, the best precaution in such vital matters for the parties is to get to know each other as they really are. One should not pretend to have qualities that do not exist and then be surprised at the end.

In order to see our deceased people in a dream, we can only ask Allah for it through prayer (dua). We cannot know for sure whether the person we see in our dreams is really him or whether it is a Satanic dream. However, Satanic dreams can be known by some of their characteristics. For example, dreams that are contrary to Islamic principles, dreams that cause despair and sadness, dreams that lead to temptation, etc. However, we cannot say that every distressing dream is Satanic.

Since dreams need interpretation, it is very difficult to make a clear statement about dreams. Dreams can be shaped according to the mood of the person at that moment. Even what you dream about or experience during the day can be reflected in your dreams in different ways at night.

According to Islam, there are three kinds of dreams:

1- Salih (benign) dream
2- Dream from the Satan
3- Dream caused by events one experiences

Trustable dream is the state of penetrating the events yet to happen before they occur through natural ability. The Prophet, peace and blessings upon him, say about this:

“The dream of believers is one part of the forty six parts of prophethood.” (Muslim, Ruya; Bukhari, Tabir 3)

The dream from the Satan is the apprehension that the Satan inspires in man's heart during sleep in order to scare and cause man to despair. The Prophet says:

“If one of you has a dream that s/he likes, it is from Allah. Let him/her offer thanks to Allah for that and let him/her tell his/her dream. If s/he has a dream that s/he doesn't like, it is from the Satan. Let him/her seek refuge in Allah from its harm; and let him/her not mention it to anyone. Otherwise it will harm him/her.” (Bukhari, Tabir 3)

As for the dream caused by one's experiences; when one busies oneself with something and cares much about it, one will have dreams about it. The Prophet says in one of his hadiths:

“Dream is of three kinds: The salih (benign) dream from Allah which gives glad tidings; the dream from the Satan which causes sorrow; the dream caused by man's talking to himself about something and imagining.” (Ibn Majah, Ruya, 3)

The verse mentioned in Yusuf Surah about Joseph's dream, peace be upon him, and the hadiths mentioned above express that meaning. There are rightful ones in dreams. But it cannot be said that every dream is right and every interpretation is correct. It is not right to act in accordance with dreams and to base one's decisions and actions on them. Even the books of fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence) express:

Although the Satan cannot assume the image of The Prophet, even if The Prophet commanded in one's dream on the 29th of Shaban that "the next day was the first day of Ramadan, so one should fast"; even in that case one cannot act in accordance with that dream. This is because, dream is neither knowledge, nor can it be grasped. (Halil GÜNENÇ, Günümüz Meselelerine Fetvalar, II. 300)

Acting in Accordance with Dream and Inspiration

Dreams and inspirations can be from Allah; or from the Satan and the evil commanding soul. Therefore, they must be well differentiated. The scholars of Islam state that in such matters, if the following conditions are met, one can act accordingly, but that it is not right to force anybody.

1- The dream or the inspiration must not be of the kind which waives a command of our religion or which makes a prohibition of our religion lawful; in other words, it must not be against the religion and the sunnat.

2- The dream or the inspiration must be from such people as Abu Hanifa, Shafii, Imam Rabbani, Imam Gazali whom everybody trusts. Everybody should accept that that person does not ever tell lies and that he knows and follows the principles of the religion thoroughly.

3- The knowledge obtained from dreams or inspirations must not be accepted as commands of the religion. They can only be accepted as advice. Dreams and inspirations are warnings and guidance. They cannot be binding and forcing. Just as those who comply with dream and inspiration cannot be blamed, those who do not comply with it cannot be blamed, either.