Advanced search
Visit
9685
Last Updated: 2007/03/16
Summary of question
How is it possible to see the messenger of Allah (s) in one’s dreams?
question
Salaam. I want to see Rasullullah in my dreams; I want to feel my greatest love! What can I do?
Concise answer

Supplications and actions have been mentioned in Mifātīh al-Jinān for seeing divine people in one’s dreams, but it must be noted that these actions are not sufficient in and of themselves for seeing the desired person. What is meant is that it is not true that anyone who performs these actions will see the Noble Prophet (s) in his dream because there are other conditions like refraining from sin, performing obligatory actions, and having a pure inner-existence. When all of the conditions are met then one would be able to see the Noble Prophet (s) in his dreams.

Detailed Answer

Before we answer, we must allude to the essence of a dream and the different types of dreams.

There have been many lengthily and detailed discussions on dreams. Some say that they are the result of a large portion of blood being transferred from the brain to other parts of the body and in this way believe dreams to be the result of a physical factor.

Others believe that a large amount of physical activity produces a special type of poison in the body and this is what effects the nervous system and puts humans in the dream-state. They say that this continues until the poisons are digested by the body and in this way believe dreams to be the results of a chemical factor.

Still, some others believe dreams to be the result of a nervous factor by saying that the active organ in the brain that is the source of continuous bodily movement gets extremely tires and shuts off.

Although these factors cannot be completely thrown out, they have not been able to give a satisfactory answer regarding dreams.

The reason that scholars today are unable to give a clear explanation of dreams is due to their materialist thinking. They want to explain this issue without accepting the soul and its independence. Before dreams are bodily, they are spiritual, which cannot be explained without a correct understanding of one’s soul.

The Quran has given the most accurate description of dreams saying that dreams are a form of a ‘spiritual heartbeat’ or an incomplete separation of the body and soul.

So, when Allah orders the soul to leave the body and only a small portion of it beats into the body, the mind stops and man is unable to feel or sense things, even though the parts of his body that are needed to remain alive stay active, for example: the heart beats, blood moves, and the lungs breathe.[1]

So, part of the brain is shut off in dreams,[2] but not all human faculties, and that is why dreams have been called the brother of death in the Quran.[3]

A tradition from Imām ‘Alī (a) states: “Dreams ease pain and is on the same line as death.”[4]

There are different types of dreams which can be divided into three categories: one, clear dreams which do not have to be interpreted. Two, dreams which do not have an interpretation due to their being difficult or to another excuse. Three, dreams where the soul uses similes; these dreams can be interpreted.[5]

After this introduction it must be stated that one, in a dream, can sore through the mithali existence and meet one of the beloved ones. When a person has a dream and enters the mithali world and the world of the intellect, he will realize the part of reality that he has the potential to see.[6] So, if we read that huge personalities such as Shaheed Mutahari have done this,[7] it should not be surprising.

But, first, everyone does not have a choice when it comes to dreams in that they would be able to see what they want in their dream.

Second, although there is a method[8] found in Mafātīh al-Jinān[9] to see the Prophet (s) in a dream which could have some effect, but cannot be the complete cause for seeing the Prophet (s) in one’s dream in that anyone who would perform those actions would definitely see the Prophet (s) in his dream. There are other conditions for an important thing like this, for instance: refraining from committing sin, performing obligatory actions, and purifying one’s soul. One would have to have all of these conditions to see the Prophet (s) in his dream. Those people who have purified themselves are able to reach the goals that they set.

If you performed these actions and did not get what you set out for, Allah will give you another reward because both having the desire to see the Noble Prophet (s) and performing those actions, which mostly are recommended supplications in and of themselves, are held high by Allah.

The concluding point is that seeing the Noble Prophet (s) in one’s dream is not limited to those actions; it is also possible through other methods like seeking nearness with the divine ones. It has been written that the grand Ayatollah Mar‘ashī Najafī said: “One night before sleep I sought nearness {to one of the holy people} in order to be able to see a divine person in my dream. He saw Imām ‘Alī (a) in his dream where a famous poem which starts with ‘Ali you are that mercy…’[10]



[1] Refer to Tafsīr Namūnah, v.19, pgs. 482-483

[2] Mukāram Shīrāzī, Nāsr Ma‘ād wa Jahān Pas az Marg, p.385

[3] Awālī al-Alī, p.73, tradition 4

[4] Gharar al-Hikam, tradition 1461

[5] Tafsīr al-Mīzān (Farsi edition), v.11, p.372

[6] Refer to Tafsīr al-Mīzān (Farsi edition), v.11, pgs. 366-373

[7] His wife narrated: “One night the professor jumped out of bed breathing very heavily. I asked him what happened and he said that he saw a dream where he and Imam Khomeini met the Messenger of Allah (s). I told the Prophet that Imam was his son and then the Prophet hugged the Imam. Then they hugged me. I think that an important thing will happen in my life now. He was martyred three days later.”

[8] Reciting Sūrahs: Shams, Layl, Qadr, Kāfirūn, Tawhīd, Nās and Falaq, then reciting Sūrah Tawhīd 100 times, then reciting 100 salawāts, then sleeping on one’s right side with wudū’.

[9] It is found in the side notes to the book.

[10] Sabūrī, Hussayn Sharīyār Mā, the 1381 edition.

Question translations in other languages
Comments
Number of comments 0
Please enter the value
Example : Yourname@YourDomane.ext
Please enter the value
Please enter the value

Thematic Category

Random questions

  • What is the meaning of self-consciousness according to the Holy Quran?
    17982 Exegesis 2015/04/18
    According to the Quran, self-consciousness means realization of one's own self through nourishing or nurturing and reviving one's own inner and inborn talents and potentialities followed by a profound understanding of the realities of the universe and divine attributes. Self-consciousness has various degrees and it is of ...
  • Is there a problem in paying off one's debt in the evening or after dark?
    7251 Laws and Jurisprudence 2009/03/12
    Continue... ...
  • Will a husband and wife, after leaving this world, live together in paradise?
    14652 Traditional 2009/10/22
    The specific conditions and details of how we will live in the next world are not completely known to anyone except the infallibles (masoomeen). With this in mind the relationship between a husband and a wife is something that is related to this world and pious women are ...
  • What is the meaning of mutawatir and ma'roof traditions?
    10523 Contextual study 2014/10/01
    For information about the meaning of mutawatir traditions and its various types, see index "the criterion for verbal, spiritual and ambiguous mutawatir traditions", question 2412. Ma'ruf Hadith Different definitions have been presented for Ma'ruf tradition: 1. A ma'ruf tradition is one whose text and it is content ...
  • How can I repent from an illegitimate sexual relationship I had with one whom I planned to marry?
    9030 Laws and Jurisprudence 2010/11/22
    Zina or fornication (in Islamic terms, which is the subject of certain Islamic laws) means for a man’s penis to enter the vagina or anus of a woman until the glans is completely enveloped without the two being married or at least ‘similar to married’ (“similar to married” ...
  • Is it permissible to eat chips containing porcine enzymes?
    8238 Laws and Jurisprudence 2012/01/19
    The grand maraji’ responded to this inquiry like this:The office of the grand Ayatullah Khamenei:In the case of the question it isn't permissible.The office of the grand Ayatullah Makarem Shirazi:It isn’t permissible.The office of the grand Ayatullah Safi Golpaygani:If ...
  • Please let me how to get rid of masturbation?
    10527 Practical 2015/01/05
    Sin is like a foul-smelling swamp full of sewage; the more one sinks into it, the less he senses its smell, because he actually loses his sense of smell and can't tell that he is drowning anymore. At the same time, anytime one makes a strong decision ...
  • Is the story of the wedding of Hadrat Qasim in Karbala true or false?
    31431 تاريخ بزرگان 2012/10/01
    One of the concocted stories regarding the epic of Ashura is the story of the marriage of Qasim bin Al-Hasan (as), a story which has no basis and which has not been related by any authentic and reliable sources. In addition, such a thing is not rationally ...
  • Do my feet become najis when I walk on wet pavement that a dog has walked on?
    10868 Laws and Jurisprudence 2008/07/21
    If rainwater or any other water gathers in a ditch and is less than kur (there is a difference of opinion on what amount is exactly kur, and there are different ways of measuring it, according to Imam Khomeini, one way is that if ...
  • What is the Sunni opinion on Bilal al-Habashi?
    14612 تاريخ بزرگان 2008/07/02
    What Sunni references say about the great sahabi, Bilal, is that he was freed by Abu Bakr, a resistant believer against the tortures of the Kuffar, the Prophet's Mu'adhin, and one of the Mujahidin (soldiers) of Islam in different battles alongside the Prophet (pbuh). After the Prophet's demise, he ...

Popular