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Seeing the Prophet ﷺ in a Dream in Islam: Meaning by Ibn Sirin
رؤية النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم في المنام
In Islam, seeing the Prophet ﷺ in a dream is a true vision. He said: “Whoever sees me in a dream will see me in his wakefulness, and Satan cannot imitate me in shape” (al-Bukhari, 6993). Ibn Sirin added: only if he sees him in his real shape. In that state, the collection sees good news: a debt is settled, a sick person recovers. Pale or poorly dressed, he points to weak religion in that place.
قد بعث الله محمدا صلى الله عليه وسلم رحمة للعالمين فطوبى لمن رآه في حياته فاتبعه وطوبى لمن يراه في منامهIn the Ibn Sirin collection: “Allah sent Muhammad ﷺ as a mercy to the worlds. Blessed is the one who saw him in his lifetime and followed him, and blessed is the one who sees him in his sleep.”
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 2, vol. 1, p. 56
These words are from Abu Sa’id, the author of the collection, at the start of his passage on seeing the Prophet ﷺ. Chapter 2 deals with dreams in which the prophets are seen. The section on the Prophet ﷺ opens with the hadiths “Whoever sees me in a dream”, then gives the meaning of each situation, according to how the Prophet ﷺ appears in the dream and the state of the dreamer.
Seeing the Prophet ﷺ in a dream, according to the hadith
Abu Hurayra heard the Prophet ﷺ say:
من رآني في المنام فسيراني في اليقظة، ولا يتمثل الشيطان بي. قال أبو عبد الله: قال ابن سيرين: إذا رآه في صورته“Whoever sees me in a dream will see me in his wakefulness, and Satan cannot imitate me in shape.” Abu ‘Abdullah said, “Ibn Seereen said, ‘Only if he sees the Prophet ﷺ in his (real) shape.’”
Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 6993, narrated by Abu Hurayra
Abu Abdullah is al-Bukhari himself. Right after the hadith, he reports this remark of Muhammad ibn Sirin. Al-Bukhari also quotes the words of the Prophet ﷺ reported by Abu Qatada: “Whoever sees me (in a dream) then he indeed has seen the truth” (no. 6996).
The meaning according to what you saw
The Ibn Sirin collection describes these cases in chapter 2, on dreams of the prophets. The good news it announces holds, it says, when the Prophet ﷺ appears in his usual state. Here are the cases, in the order of the text.
| In your dream | Meaning in the collection |
|---|---|
| A man in debt, sick or at war sees the Prophet ﷺ | Allah settles the debt of the one in debt, heals the sick and gives victory to the one who fights. The text adds: “if he is happy, he performs the pilgrimage”; the word “happy” may be a copying error for “one who has never performed the pilgrimage”.vol. 1, p. 56 |
| The Prophet ﷺ appears in a land or a place | A barren land becomes fertile. Where injustice had spread, it gives way to justice. A place where people were afraid regains its safety. This holds when he appears in his usual state.vol. 1, p. 56 |
| He appears pale, thin, missing a limb, or his clothes are worn | Weakness of the religion in that place and the rise of innovation (bid’a).vol. 1, pp. 56 and 57 |
| He seems sick, then recovers | The people of that place reform after corruption.vol. 1, p. 57 |
| You see him on horseback, or on foot | You will visit his grave on horseback. If he is on foot, you will go to visit it on foot.vol. 1, p. 57 |
| You see him standing | Your situation is set right, and so is that of the imam of your time.vol. 1, p. 57 |
| You eat with him | It is an order he gives you: pay the zakat on your wealth.vol. 1, p. 57 |
| You see that the Prophet ﷺ has died, or you see his funeral procession | One of his descendants dies. If you see his procession in a place, a great calamity strikes it. If you follow the procession to his grave, you lean towards innovation.vol. 1, p. 57 |
| You visit his grave | You obtain great good.vol. 1, p. 57 |
| A single man sees the Messenger of Allah ﷺ | This dream does not concern him alone. It concerns the community of Muslims.vol. 1, p. 57 |
| The Prophet ﷺ gives you something | If it is a valued good of this world, a food or a drink, it is a good you will obtain, in the measure of what he gave you. If it is something of little worth, such as a watermelon, you escape a serious matter, though not without suffering and fatigue.vol. 1, p. 58 |
A dream brought to Ibn Sirin
وأتى ابن سيرين رجل غير مهتم في دينه قلقا فقال إني رأيت البارحة في النوم كأني قد وضعت رجلي على وجه رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال له هل بت البارحة مع خفيك قال نعم قال فاخلعهما فخلعتهما فكان تحت إحدى رجليه درهم عليه محمد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلمA man whose religion was not in question came to Ibn Sirin, worried: “Last night I saw in a dream that I put my foot on the face of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.” Ibn Sirin asked him: “Did you sleep last night with your leather socks on?” He said yes. “Take them off.” He took them off, and under one of his feet was a dirham engraved with: Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Muntakhab al-kalâm, chapter 2, vol. 1, p. 61
The Arabic text reads “غير مهتم”, which we read as “غير متهم”: a man whose religion was not under suspicion. Ibn Sirin gives no meaning to the dream. He shows its cause: a dirham bearing the name of the Prophet ﷺ, left under the dreamer’s foot.
Before you interpret your dream
Not every dream carries a meaning. The Prophet ﷺ described three kinds: a good dream, which is glad tidings from Allah; a distressing dream, which comes from Satan; and what a person tells himself during the day (Sahih Muslim, no. 2263). Only the first is read with a collection like Ibn Sirin’s. See the three kinds of dreams, and if your dream frightened you, what to do after a bad dream.
Frequently asked questions
Is seeing the Prophet ﷺ in a dream a true dream?
Yes. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever sees me in a dream will see me in his wakefulness, and Satan cannot imitate me in shape” (al-Bukhari, 6993). Ibn Sirin added: “Only if he sees the Prophet ﷺ in his (real) shape.” The Prophet ﷺ also said: “Whoever sees me (in a dream) then he indeed has seen the truth” (al-Bukhari, 6996).
What does it mean to see the Prophet ﷺ in a dream without seeing his face?
The Ibn Sirin collection does not speak of this case. The only remark reported from Ibn Sirin on this subject is in al-Bukhari, after hadith no. 6993: “Only if he sees the Prophet ﷺ in his (real) shape.”
What does receiving something from the Prophet ﷺ in a dream mean?
A valued good, a food or a drink announces a good in the measure of what was given. Something of little worth, such as a watermelon, announces that you escape a serious matter, with suffering and fatigue (vol. 1, p. 58).
What does it mean to see the Prophet ﷺ pale or poorly dressed in a dream?
The collection sees in it a weakness of the religion in the place of the dream and the rise of innovation (vol. 1, pp. 56 and 57). If he seems sick and then recovers, the people of that place reform after corruption.
What does seeing another prophet, such as Yusuf or Isa, in a dream mean in Islam?
The same chapter deals with the other prophets, one by one. Seeing Yusuf (peace be upon him) announces injustice, prison, harshness from relatives and a false accusation, then power to which enemies submit (vol. 1, p. 52). Seeing Isa (peace be upon him) shows a useful, blessed man who does much good, travels a lot and receives the science of medicine and other sciences (vol. 1, p. 54).
Sources
- Muntakhab al-kalâm fî tafsîr al-ahlâm, collection attributed to Muhammad ibn Sirin, chapter 2, vol. 1, pp. 52 to 61 (Arabic text, Shamela edition, OpenITI corpus).
- Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of the Interpretation of Dreams, nos. 6993 and 6996 (English translation by Muhammad Muhsin Khan).
- Sahih Muslim, no. 2263, for the three kinds of dreams.
- English translations of the Ibn Sirin collection: tafsir-a7lem.com.