World of Dreams

Notes from World of Dreams Lecture

10/10/15 

San Jose, CA

Shaykh Waleed Basyouni

Part 1: Good Dreams

Shaykh Waleed Basyouni talked to us about the type of dreams that are caused by the mysterious realm of the unseen: angels and shayateen. Here are a few gems and some important tips to keep in mind.

* Dreams are related and connected to the soul. They correlate to the soul and they correlate with our inner thoughts. Dreams are also connected to the world of angels and the jinn. Both of them have influence on our dreams when we sleep.

* There are many scholars who have written about dream interpretation in Islam. Many prophets had dreams. The P(S) interpreted dreams. Many great companions were known to interpret dreams. The wives of the Prophet (S) also interpreted dreams. It is something you can be trained in.

* In Islam, dreams are classified into three categories: a good dream that brings glad tidings from Allah, a scary dream from shaytan, or a dream from your own self thoughts.

* Good dreams either carry glad tidings, good news of the future, or a warning/information that inspires you or supports you. It is an honor and blessing from Allah to have a good dream. A good dream is an image shown to your soul by the angel while you sleep. A good dream is what is left of prophethood.

* If you have a good dream, it does not make you a prophet. It does not make you a person who has access to the unseen. It does not make you someone who can predict the future. For the prophets, all their dreams were true, the shaytan had no control over their dreams. But for us, our dreams can be mixed - could be from Allah or could be from shaytan, could be true, could be false.

* The scholars agree that dreams are not allowed as a source of legislation, passing judgement, or making a ruling. You can't give a fatwa based on your dream.

* The best dream you can have is to see the P(S). But to prove it was the prophet, he has to have the exact features. If you see the P (S) smiling, it means you are in the right path. However, even if you see the P(S) in a dream, it does not mean you can add something to the religion or start something new. This is because the shaytan can throw words into your dreams and make you think it was a prophet saying it.

* A man came to Ibn Sireen and told him he saw a dream that he washed the body of the P (S) and buried him. Ibn Sireen told him, you are attending a gathering of innovators - you are following bid'ah. Because every time you practice bid'a you are burying the Prophet's (S) sunnah.

* It's also possible to see other prophets. It represents what that prophet's legacy is known for. Adam (AS) - means you will have children because Adam is the father of all people. Or it could mean that you will move. Or that you will get a high position. Nuh (AS) - may became a successful businessman, because Nuh (AS) made things out of wood. Also means long life. Yusuf (AS) - means a lot of tests or going to jail. Ibrahim (AS) - means you will have a child.

* Seeing angels in a dream. Gabriel - means help. Mika'l (in charge of rain) - you will be in charge of people, be a man who gives. Angel of death - means separation or death. Israeli (the one who brings life after death) - means you will be a builder.

* Seeing Allah in your dreams. You don't see a specific shape because nothing is similar to Him - just a presence or a light. Large number of scholars said it's possible and have seen Allah in their dreams.

* The more truthful you are, the more your dreams will be truthful. Truthfulness means it comes with sincerity. So if you want your dreams to be clear, make sure you are truthful and make wudu and make du'a before you sleep. 

* Good dreams can happen any time. But most truthful dreams are the ones you see after Fajr, in the end of the night, because it's the time of day when all the angels are out and very few shayateen.

* A true dream does not mean it has to happen right away. When Yusuf (AS) saw the dream of the moon and stars prostrating to him, the time between the dream and the dream coming true was 40 years. When the P (S) saw a dream that he was entering Makkah - it happened one year later. So sometimes it takes a long time.

* Etiquette when seeing a good dream: First thank Allah. Second, don't tell your dream to anyone except - someone who loves you, someone who's intelligent, someone who has knowledge, and someone who's sincere and gives you good advice. You can tell someone who loves you because they will always look for a positive meaning.

Part 2: Bad dreams

* Most bad dreams are from the shaytan. The shaytan hates and envies us so much. BUT shaytan doesn't know the unseen or the future so he cannot show you anything true in your dreams. But he is good at terrifying you. So all the bad dreams have no real information in them. It's just to make you scared. These nightmares are only to make you sad, upset, and scared.

* How to tell it is from shaytan: 1. Any dream with sexual activity, 2. Anything that carries no meaning but is upsetting to you, 3. Anything that is haram, 4. Anything that encourages you to practice something that is not in the sunnah.

* What to do when you see a bad dream: 1. Remember that it's from the shaytan, it will never harm you, unless you give into it and believe it, so best to forget about it. 2. Seek refuge in Allah from shaytan 'autho billahi min al shaytan al rajeem'. 3. Blow three times on your left side (not real spitting). 4. Can pray 2 rak'ah. 5. Can switch sides. 6. Don't tell anyone about it. If you tell someone it will occupy your mind and will be harder to forget.

* It is possible for bad dreams to be a reflection of your thoughts.

Part 3: Dream Interpretation

* Some dreams can be very clear. You see it and it happens exactly. He dreamt that he went for Hajj, he goes for Hajj. However, most dreams are symbolic.

* Knowledge is not enough to interpret dreams, it needs a level of intelligence to see through things. It's not about analyzing the text - dreams are parables. Every dream has key points. If there's a number you look at the number, a color, a place, that is the key. And look at the situation of the person in the dream and outside the reality. So you need someone who can connect things together and give a good meaning.

* Interpreting dreams by looking in the Qur'an: look at the items in your dream, then look in the Qur'an to find the symbolic meaning. For example seeing a stone in your dream - there is an ayah in the Qur'an comparing a stone to harshness. If you see woods in your dream, Allah compared woods to the hearts of the hypocrites. A man dreamt he saw a big camel in the masjid, the shaykh told him it means you have fitna in your masjid so don't be a part of it, because Allah said in the Qur'an - we are sending the camel as a fitna for them. Water/rain is also mentioned in the Qur'an as a fitna, so it can mean a fitna for that person. A man dreamt he was in a room, it means safety because Allah said about rooms that they are security. A man saw in his dream his father taking a shower with cold water. The shaykh asked him if his father is sick, he said yes, so shaykh said it means his father will be healed. Because Allah said Ayoub (AS) was cured by taking a shower in water.

* Interpreting dreams by looking at the Sunnah of the P(S): If you see a chain or handcuffs in your dream, it means good religion, because religion is like a chain that is holding you away from harm. Drinking milk means knowledge. Shirt represents your religion. Sword means you have a supporter. A key - could mean wudu, because P(S) said wudu is the key to salat. Making tawaf in Makkah with only a few people means you have goals in life but you don't have enough supporters. If you have a lot of people making tawaf with you it means you have a lot of supporters. Seeing yourself in Makkah means knowledge. Seeing Makkah being destroyed means the death of a scholar - knowledge being lost. Seeing a masjid collapse means the community will lose someone who is a respected scholar or leader.

* Interpreting dreams by looking at the meanings of words: if you look at the names of the items in your dream and see what the meaning of the word is. The word Waleed - means newborn. The word Suleiman means someone was saved. Zoo - a place where you lock things up, so could mean jail. Numbers: the number 7 means a large number of repetition. Colors: black means powerful and rich. Short means will die soon. Also can look at the word backwards, this is the hardest way to interpret. Man saw honey spill on his legs in his dream, the shaykh put the letters backward from 'asal to lasa' which means burn, so shaykh told him you will burn your legs.

* If someone tells you their dream, always try to find a positive meaning to the dream. Even alarming dreams can be interpreted in a way that would motivate and inspire a person to do more good or to make tawba. Also, because sometimes the dream looks bad, but is symbolic of something good.

* Dreams cannot change Qadr - destiny/fate. So you don't have to tell everyone about your dreams. You don't have to ask the Shaykh about all your dreams or get them interpreted. If you see a bad dream, it is allowed to ask the Shaykh about it.

* When you pray Istikhara, there is nothing that says you are supposed to see a dream. Never base any important decision on a dream or whether or not you saw a dream.

"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 Satan, and spit three times (on his left) and should not tell it to anybody, for it will not harm him." (Bukhari)

The P(S) said, “If you see a good dream that you like, tell it to a person you love.” (Tirmidhi)