Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

AssalmAlaikum...i want to know why we dream and why there are sometimes good dreams and sometimes bad dreams? Are dreams actully true ?..because soemtimes they feel very real..(good or bad)..and when we die..is our soul the way it is when we dream?? i hope u can understand what im confused about and can give me agood answer..thankyou 

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Answer:

Significance of dreams

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Your Question: i want to know why we dream and why there are sometimes good dreams and sometimes bad dreams?

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 9.144 Narrated by Abu Huraira

Allah's Messenger (saws) said, "When the Day of Resurrection approaches, the dreams of a believer will hardly fail to come true, and a dream of a believer is one of forty-six parts of Prophetism, and whatever belongs to Prothetism can never be false." Muhammad bin Sirin said, "But I say this." He said, "It used to be said, 'There are three types of dreams: (1) The reflection of one's thoughts and experiences one has during wakefulness, (2) what is suggested by the Shaytaan to frighten the dreamer, or (3) glad tidings from Allah. So, if someone has a dream which he dislikes, he should not tell it to others, but get up and offer a prayer.'"

Your Question: Are dreams actully true ?..because soemtimes they feel very real..(good or bad).

Jabir reported that the Prophet (saws) said, -If someone of you sees an unpleasant dream he should spit three times on his left side and seek Allah's refuge from the accursed Shaytaan, and change the side on which he was lying.'

Reported by Muslim, Abu Daw'ud, Nasa-i, and Ibn Majah.

Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri reported that he heard the Prophet (saws) saying, "When someone among you sees a good and pleasing dream, he should know that it is from Allah, and so he should praise and thank Allah, and describe to others (whom he loves and trusts) what he saw in the dream. But if he sees something he dislikes then it is from Shaytaan, so he should seek Allah's refuge from its evil and should not mention it to anyone. It will not harm him."

Reported by Tirmidhi.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 9.168 Narrated by Abu Salama

I used to see a dream which would make me sick till I heard Abu Qatada saying, "I too, used to see a dream which would make me sick till I heard the Prophet (saws) saying, "A good dream is from Allah, so if anyone of you saw a dream which he liked, he should not tell it to anybody except to the one whom he loves, and if he saw a dream which he disliked, then he should seek refuge with Allah from its evil and from the evil of Shaytaan, and spit three times (on his left) and should not tell it to anybody, for it will not harm him."

In light of the above clear guidance of the Messenger of Allah (saws), the good dreams are indeed true and a form of glad tidings from Allah Subhanah; and the bad dreams are falsehoods and a work of the evil Shaytaan. If one gets a good dream, one should be grateful to Allah Subhanah, Extol, Glorify and Praise Him for His Bounties and Mercies, and strive to be more righteous and make himself more deserving to receive such mercies from their Lord. If one sees an evil or frightening dream, one should be rest assured that it is a work of the Shaytaan; thus one should seek refuge from Allah Subhanah from the accursed Shaytaan, spit three times on his left side, and not to worry about the vision at all; it is expected that Allah Subhanah would protect him from any and all evil.

Your Question: when we die..is our soul the way it is when we dream?? i hope u can understand what im confused about and can give me agood answer.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 6 Surah Anaam verse 60:

60 It is He (Allah) Who does take your souls by night, and has knowledge of all that ye have done by day. By day does He raise you up again; that a term appointed be fulfilled; in the end unto Him will be your return then will He show you the truth of all that ye did.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 39 Surah Zumar verse 42:

42 It is Allah that takes the souls (of men) at death: and those that die not (He takes their souls) during their sleep: those on whom He has passed the Decree of Death He keeps back (from returning their souls to their bodies), but the rest He sends (their souls back to their bodies) for a term appointed. Verily in this are Signs for those who reflect.

If one wants to understand the state of one’s soul in the period of what is called ‘Al-Barzakh’ (the period of time between ones death and the Day of Resurrection when the souls will be returned and reunited back to the bodies), one’s experiences in one’s dream are a very good indicator. Just as in a dream, where the physical body itself is not involved, one feels the exact same pain or pleasure as if one were physically there….so will the soul of one who is righteous experience unimaginable pleasure and luxury in the period between its death and its Resurrection, and the soul of the one who is evil will experience inconceivable pain and torture!

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 40 Surah Mumin verses 45-46:

45 Then Allah saved him (the believer) from (every) ill that they plotted (against him) but the brunt of the Penalty encompassed on all sides the People of Pharaoh.

46 In front of the Fire will they be brought morning and evening (in the period between their death and the Resurrection): and on the Day that Judgment (the Sentence) will be established: "Cast ye the People of Pharaoh into the severest Penalty!"

In the above Verse, Allah Subhanah explains the punishment the souls of the evil people of Pharoah will experience after their death and before their Resurrection! From the day they died till the Day of Judgment, the souls of these evil people will be brought in front of the Fire morning and evening! The souls of these evil people will experience all the pain and the torture, although their physical bodies will not be present with them; and it is only on the Day of Judgment that their Sentence will be established to throw them into the Severest Penalty of the Eternal and Everlasting Hell Fire.

Thus in conclusion, just as one experiences pain or pleasure in one’s dreams without the inclusion of one’s actual physical bodies….in the period between one’s death and Resurrection, one’s soul will experience either pain or pleasure depending on one’s deeds; but the magnanimity and enormity of the pain or the pleasure will be manifold compared to the one experienced on this earth.

Dear and Beloved Sister, we sincerely hope that we have been able to understand your question and satisfy your query. If we have perchance misunderstood your question or not satisfied your query, we humbly request you to clarify what exactly do you mean by ‘when we die..is our soul the way it is when we dream’, and if Allah Wills and Helps us, we will try to the best of our humble ability to satisfy your query in light of the guidance of the Quran and Sunnah, Insha Allah.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan