Dream Interpretation: Between Fantasy and Reality – Sheikh Abdullah Salih

“I share this service now publicly after many years of getting feedback from people saying how their relationship with family members and others have been fixed or improved. Sometimes the interpretations are about averting problems which is a great gift. And we saw this with Prophet Joseph.” - Sheikh Abdullah Salih

You wake up from a particular dream where you saw familiar faces and places, and you try to make sense of it all. Making sense of a dream is challenging for the untrained; a dream may come from a higher spiritual source - God – or it may come from a lower spiritual source – the devil – but how can distinguish one from the other?

Etiquette in Dealing with Dreams

Islam, as an all-encompassing religion, leaves no stone unturned. The Prophet ﷺ taught us the decorum in dealing with dreams and he ﷺ said, “When one of you sees a dream he likes, it is from God, so let him praise God for it and speak about it. When one of you sees something (a dream) he dislikes, it is from the devil, so let him seek refuge in God from its evil and not mention it to anyone. It will not harm him.” The task of dream interpretation should be undertaken only by those who are trained and have proper authorisation in this science.

Anecdote : What to make out of dreams

Sheikh Abdullah, who provides dream interpretation services, said, “The dream world is filled with many signs, and many a time, one needs assistance in understanding them. Someone may see himself sailing in water but doesn’t realise that water, at times, represents knowledge. So, this person may incorrectly interpret this to be an impediment but it is actually the sign of a struggle where goodness awaits at the end.”

He also told ImamConnect a story of how one of his mentors, a member of the Prophetic Household, once had someone inform him of a dream where he saw a family member inflicting some kind of harm towards them. The dream was interpreted and the relevant advice dispensed. When the person started implementing it, he saw improvements in his relationship with this family member.

General Advice on Dream Interpretations

In summing up dream interpretations, Sheikh Abdullah says, “First and foremost, take the good and don’t let it (a dream) distract you too much because, as amazing and wonderful as a dream may seem, it is still a dream and reality is still reality. Even if you dreamt that you were in Paradise, you would still have to walk the path (of obedience to God) in the physical world so that you actually enter Paradise, through His mercy, in the Hereafter. A dream may serve as a sign or a wake-up call, which may warn you about something, but it should never be a source of fitnah. Secondly, dream interpretations shouldn’t contradict the Qur’an and the Sunnah, which is why they should never lead you to doing that which is against the Sacred Law. Thirdly, regularly consult the People of Knowledge.”

Sheikh Abdullah Salih offers his services on ImamConnect. Click here.