Why do people use dreams as proof?

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allah Most Merciful Most Kind

Short Answer

The position of Ahl al-Sunnah is that we do not use dreams as proof. Thus, we consider it deviant to do so. Dreams are only considered when they align with the teachings of Quran and Sunnah. In such cases they are utilised for additional motivation. Many people use dreams to promote scholars or spiritual guides, this is very dangerous.

Explanation

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: تَسَمَّوْا بِاسْمِي وَلاَ تَكْتَنُوا بِكُنْيَتِي، وَمَنْ رَآنِي فِي المَنَامِ فَقَدْ رَآنِي، فَإِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ لاَ يَتَمَثَّلُ فِي صُورَتِي، وَمَنْ كَذَبَ عَلَيَّ مُتَعَمِّدًا فَلْيَتَبَوَّأْ مَقْعَدَهُ مِنَ النَّارِ

Abu Hurairah (May Allah Most High be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said: Name yourselves with my name but do not take for yourselves my Kunyah (title). And whoever sees me in a dream then surely, he has seen me. For Satan cannot impersonate my appearance. And whoever tells a lie about me intentionally, then he must take his seat in Hellfire. (Sahih al-Bukhari, 110).

The Sahih Hadith above makes it clear that seeing the blessed Prophet ﷺ in a dream is authentic. However, there is also a warning against lying. Therefore, Muslims must be informed and alert. Unfortunately, people do lie regarding dreams. In any case, the Imams of Ahl al-Sunnah have made it clear that despite the blessing of seeing the Mubarak Prophet ﷺ in a vision, the fact remains that it is not permitted to treat dreams as proof.     

Hadith Commentary 

هَذَا وَمِثْلُهُ اسْتِئْنَاسٌ وَاسْتِظْهَارٌ عَلَى مَا تَقَرَّرَ مِنْ ضَعْفِ أَبَانٍ لَا أَنَّهُ يَقْطَعُ بِأَمْرِ الْمَنَامِ وَلَا أَنَّهُ تَبْطُلُ بِسَبَبِهِ سُنَّةٌ ثَبَتَتْ وَلَا تَثْبُتُ بِهِ سُنَّةٌ لَمْ تَثْبُتْ وَهَذَا بِإِجْمَاعِ الْعُلَمَاءِ. (إِكمَالُ المُعْلِمِ بفَوَائِدِ مُسْلِم)

This and the like are for comfort and manifestation, despite what has been established regarding the weakness of Aban (a narrator), not that one can definitively establish something through a dream. Nor is an established Sunnah negated by it, or is an unconfirmed Sunnah established because of it. This is by the consensus of the scholars. (Qadi ʿIyāḍ ibn Mūsā 544H, Ikmāl al-Muʿlim bi-Fawāʾid Muslim) 

In the Nass (text) above, Qadi Iyad explained that dreams cannot establish something new in the Deen (religion) of Allah Most High. Imam al-Nawawi further explained that the meaning of the Hadith is to reassure the person that the dream is not from Shaytan. Thus, the purpose of the dream is not to establish a religious fact but to further emphasise existing facts. 

هَذَا كَلَامُ الْقَاضِي وَكَذَا قَالَهُ غَيْرُهُ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا وَغَيْرُهُمْ فَنَقَلُوا الِاتِّفَاقَ عَلَى أَنَّهُ لَا يُغَيَّرُ بِسَبَبِ مَا يَرَاهُ النَّائِمُ مَا تَقَرَّرَ فِي الشَّرْعِ وَلَيْسَ هَذَا الَّذِي ذَكَرْنَاهُ مُخَالِفًا لِقَوْلِهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَنْ رَآنِي فِي الْمَنَامِ فَقَدْ رَآنِي فَإِنَّ مَعْنَى الْحَدِيثِ أَنَّ رُؤْيَتَهُ صَحِيحَةٌ وَلَيْسَتْ مِنْ أَضْغَاثِ الْأَحْلَامِ وَتَلْبِيسِ الشَّيْطَانِ. (المنهاج شرح صحيح مسلم بن الحجاج)

This is the statement of al-Qadi. And some among our companions and others have said the same. They conveyed the consensus that what has been established in Shariah is not changed based upon what a sleeper sees. What we have mentioned does not contradict the words of the Prophet ﷺ: Whoever sees me in a dream has truly seen me. As the meaning of the Hadith is that seeing him ﷺ is sound and is not a confused dream, delusion or the devil’s deception. (Imam Yahya bin Sharaf al-Nawawi 676H, al-Minhaj Sharh Sahih Muslim bin al-Hajjaj). 

Judge people by Sharia 

Dreams certainly cannot be used to judge the validity of a belief or action. Many people are aware of this. However, too many people use dreams as proof for the uprightness or authority of a scholar. This is a clear error that may cause a person to deviate significantly. Since, the judgement regarding the acceptability of a scholar is based upon knowledge of Quran and Sunnah as well as adherence to it. 

If one were to use dreams as proof of the authority of a scholar, then it would open the doors to widespread Fitnah and misguidance. Anyone could claim a dream regarding a deviant ignoramus and make him appear to be one of the great religious guides. Equally one could claim a vision undermining a genuinely upright scholar. 

Unfortunately, many ill-informed people will counter this saying, if you hear the dream from a reliable source regarding a Shaykh you know, then it is fine. Otherwise, we reject it. There are many problems with this approach. 

Firstly, they will always consider those in their religious group reliable. And if they are sectarian or cultish they will deem others unreliable. Thus, it will further push them into their sect or cult. And the Ummah will be further divided because this allows people to use thoroughly personal and utterly speculative evidence. Which cannot be verified.  

Secondly, people become fanatical regarding their own group. Unfortunately, this can lead to misrepresenting the truth or sometimes lying. Thus, it would be more credible if someone outside of the sect, cult or group were to mention a dream. However, it is best to stick to the position of Ahl al-Sunnah and not consider dreams as proof of religious matters.  

Thirdly, if you mention a dream that they do not like, they will contradict their principle and reject it. Even if it was narrated by one of the Imams of Ahl al-Sunnah. An example of this can be seen in the following Nass (text) where al-Khatib al-Baghdadi mentions a dream declaring Imam Abu Hanifah a deviant.  

علي بن حرب، قال: سمعت مُحَمَّد بن عامر الطائي، وكان خيرا، يقول: رأيت في النوم كأن الناس مجتمعون على درج دمشق، إذ خرج شيخ ملبب بشيخ، فقال: أيها الناس، إن هذا بدل دين مُحَمَّد صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فقلت لرجل إلى جنبي: من ذان الشيخان؟ فقال: هذا أَبُو بكر الصديق ملبب بأبي حنيفة. (تاريخ بغداد) 

Ali bin Harb said: I heard Muhammad bin Amir al-Ta’i, who was good, say: I saw in a dream, as if people were gathered on the steps of Damascus. Then an old man came out, holding another old man by the collar, and said: O people, this man has changed the religion of Muhammad ﷺ. I said to a man next to me: Who are these two old men? He said: This is Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, holding Abu Hanifah by the collar. (Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi 463H, Tarikh Baghdad). 

Contradictions 

One of the things that makes Islam unique amongst world religions is that it establishes solid foundations which prevent people from changing or destroying it from within. Those are the foundations of revelation. Everything is based upon revelation. Not dreams, personal experiences or elaborate claims. Which is why we reject the notion of dreams as proof in Islam. 

Not only does using dreams as proof contravene our foundations, but it also leads to contradictions. A clear example of this is seen in the above Nass (text). Imam al-Khatib al-Baghdadi narrates a dream condemning Imam Abu Hanifah. However, others will narrate dreams praising the Imam. Islam does not allow for such obvious contradictions. 

Why dreams are weak

وَلَكِنْ لَا يَجُوزُ إِثْبَاتُ حُكْمٍ شَرْعِيٍّ بِهِ لِأَنَّ حَالَةَ النَّوْمِ لَيْسَتْ حَالَةَ ضَبْطٍ وَتَحْقِيقٍ لِمَا يَسْمَعُهُ الرَّائِي وَقَدِ اتَّفَقُوا عَلَى أَنَّ مِنْ شَرْطِ مَنْ تُقْبَلُ رِوَايَتُهُ وَشَهَادَتُهُ أَنْ يَكُونَ مُتَيَقِّظًا لَا مغفلا ولا سيء الْحِفْظِ وَلَا كَثِيرَ الْخَطَأِ وَلَا مُخْتَلَّ الضَّبْطِ وَالنَّائِمُ لَيْسَ بِهَذِهِ الصِّفَةِ فَلَمْ تُقْبَلْ رِوَايَتُهُ لِاخْتِلَالِ ضَبْطِهِ هَذَا كُلُّهُ فِي مَنَامٍ يَتَعَلَّقُ بِإِثْبَاتِ حُكْمٍ عَلَى خِلَافِ مَا يَحْكُمُ بِهِ الْوُلَاةُ أَمَّا إِذَا رَأَى النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَأْمُرُهُ بِفِعْلِ مَا هُوَ مَنْدُوبٌ إِلَيْهِ أَوْ يَنْهَاهُ عَنْ مَنْهِيٍّ عَنْهُ أَوْ يُرْشِدُهُ إِلَى فِعْلِ مَصْلَحَةٍ فَلَا خِلَافَ فِي اسْتِحْبَابِ الْعَمَلِ عَلَى وَفْقِهِ لِأَنَّ ذَلِكَ لَيْسَ حُكْمًا بِمُجَرَّدِ الْمَنَامِ بَلْ تَقَرَّرَ مِنْ أَصْلِ ذَلِكَ الشَّيْءِ وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ. (المنهاج شرح صحيح مسلم بن الحجاج)

However, it is not permissible to establish a legal ruling based on it. Since, the state of sleep is not a state of control and verification of what the dreamer hears. They agreed that one of the conditions for someone whose narration and testimony are accepted is that he be alert, not negligent, nor with weak of memory, prone to mistakes, or impaired of precision. The sleeping person does not possess these qualities. Thus, his narration is not accepted due to the impairment. All of this is regarding a dream concerning the establishment of a ruling contrary to that of the leaders.

But if he sees the Prophet ﷺ commanding him to do what is recommended, forbidding him from what is prohibited, or guiding him to do something beneficial, then there is no disagreement about the desirability of acting in accordance with it. Since that is not a ruling based solely on the dream, but rather it is established from the source of that matter. And Allah knows best. (Imam Yahya bin Sharaf al-Nawawi 676H, al-Minhaj Sharh Sahih Muslim bin al-Hajjaj). 

Some people argue that since seeing the blessed Prophet ﷺ in a dream is Haqq (true), then we should be able to utilise such a dream as proof. One of the biggest problems with this claim is that of verification. There is no way to verify the truthfulness of a claim regarding a person’s dream. And Islam does not allow for us to base important matters on such shaky foundations. 

Imam al-Nawawi further explained that issue. He clarified that the state of a sleeping person is a weakened state in which facts cannot be established. Even when a person is awake, if they are not fully attentive, alert and in control they cannot narrate Hadith. 

Check with Quran and Sunnah 

فالجواب: أن الحديث المسموع منه – صلى الله عليه وسلم – في المنام ليس بحجة. (المجالس الوعظية)

The answer is that a Hadith heard from him ﷺ in a dream is not considered to be evidence. (Shams al-Din al-Safiri 956H, al-Majalis al-Wa’dhiyyah).

Since it is not permitted to take dreams as proof, one must always check what is seen with Quran and Sunnah. This is not only applicable to actions, but also to people. If a Shaykh or religious leader’s outward actions do not align with Quran and Sunnah, then it will not be permitted to promote him based on dreams. The same is true vice versa. 

وَلْيَحْذَرْ مِمَّا يَقَعُ لِبَعْضِ النَّاسِ فِي هَذَا الزَّمَانِ، وَهُوَ أَنْ يَرَى النَّبِيَّ – صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ – فِي مَنَامِهِ فِي أَمْرِهِ بِشَيْءٍ أَوْ يَنْهَاهُ عَنْ شَيْءٍ فَيَنْتَبِهُ مِنْ نَوْمِهِ فَيُقْدِمُ عَلَى فِعْلِهِ أَوْ تَرْكِهِ بِمُجَرَّدِ الْمَنَامِ دُونَ أَنْ يَعْرِضَهُ عَلَى كِتَابِ اللَّهِ وَسُنَّةِ رَسُولِهِ – صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ – وَعَلَى قَوَاعِدِ السَّلَفِ – رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ – قَالَ تَعَالَى فِي كِتَابِهِ الْعَزِيزِ {فَإِنْ تَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي شَيْءٍ فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ} [النساء: 59]. (المدخل)

And let him beware of what happens to some people in this era. Which is that one of them sees the Prophet ﷺ in his dream, commanding him to do something or forbidding him from something. So, he wakes up from sleep and proceeds to do it or refrain from doing it based solely on the dream. Without referring it to the Book of Allah, the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ, or the principles of the righteous predecessors (May Allah be pleased with them). Allah Almighty said in His Glorious Book: If you disagree about something, refer it to Allah and the Messenger. (An-Nisa: 59). (Imam Ibn al-Hajj 737H, al-Madkhal).

The Prophetic era 

Even in the era when the Prophet ﷺ was amongst the Sahabah, dreams were not sufficient as proof. Rather, it required the approval of the Mubaraka Prophet ﷺ. For example, the Adhan was seen in a dream by Sahabah. However, they did not start to practice t before running it by the Mubarak Prophet ﷺ. So, if it is unacceptable to use a dream as proof for a Sahabi, then other people have less right. 

قَوْلُهُمْ إنَّ النَّبِيَّ – صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ – قَالَ: «قَدْ سَنَّ لَكُمْ مُعَاذٌ فَاتَّبِعُوهُ» فَعَجَبًا لِمُحْتَجٍّ بِهَذَا عَلَى تَقْلِيدِ الرِّجَالِ فِي دِينِ اللَّهِ، وَهَلْ صَارَ مَا سَنَّهُ مُعَاذٌ سُنَّةً إلَّا بِقَوْلِهِ – صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -: ” فَاتَّبِعُوهُ ” كَمَا صَارَ الْأَذَانُ سُنَّةً بِقَوْلِهِ – صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ – وَإِقْرَارِهِ وَشَرْعِهِ، لَا بِمُجَرَّدِ الْمَنَامِ. (إعلام الموقعين عن رب العالمين)

Their statement that the Prophet ﷺ said: Mu’adh has established a Sunnah for you, so follow him. So, it is shocking that someone would use this as evidence for blindly following men in matters of the religion of Allah. Did what Mu’adh established become a Sunnah except through the Prophet’s ﷺ statement: So, follow him. Just as the Adhan became a Sunnah through the Prophet’s ﷺ statement, approval, and legislation. Not by dream alone. (Imam Ibn Qayyim al-Jowziyyah 751H, I’laam al-Muwaqi’ein). 

No excuse 

There really is no excuse for the prevalent practice of people promoting scholars or particular deeds based on dreams. Since, the Imams of Ahl al-Sunnah repeatedly clarified the clear error in taking dreams as proof. Rather the correctness of religious practices and the authority of religious scholars is based on the teachings of Quran and Sunnah. 

فَالَّذِي فِي الْخَبَرِ رُؤْيَا مَنَامٍ فَلَا حُجَّةَ فِيهِ. (فتح الباري شرح صحيح البخاري)

That mentioned in the report is a dream, and therefore there is no proof in it. (Imam Ahmad bin Ali ibn Hajar al-Asqalani 852H, Fath al-Bari Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari).

فَالَّذِي فِي الْخَبَر رُؤْيا مَنَام فَلَا حجَّة فِيهِ. (عمدة القاري شرح صحيح البخاري)

That mentioned in the report is a dream, and therefore there is no proof in it. (Umdatu al-Qari Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari, Badr al-Din al-Ayni 855H).

فَالَّذِي فِي الْخَبَر رُؤْيا مَنَام فَلَا حجَّة فِيهِ. (الأجوبة المرضية)

That mentioned in the report is a dream, and therefore there is no proof in it. (Imam al-Sakhaawi 902H, al-Ajwibah al-Murdiyah).

People lied about Hadith  

Unfortunately, many people do not even think about authenticity when they hear of a dream praising a Shaykh or religious practice they like. And if it is raised, they say: No Muslim would ever lie regarding a dream about the Prophet ﷺ. They forget that our blessed Prophet ﷺ warned against lying against him, in the very Hadith where he affirmed the possibility of seeing him. 

They also forget that members of this Ummah fabricated Hadith against the blessed Prophet ﷺ. Including people that would often be deemed incredibly righteous and upright by the community. And fabricating Hadith is even worse than fabricating dreams regarding the Prophet ﷺ.  

وحَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أَبِي عَتَّابٍ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنِي عَفَّانُ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ يَحْيَى بْنِ سَعِيدٍ الْقَطَّانِ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، قَالَ: لَمْ نَرَ الصَّالِحِينَ فِي شَيْءٍ أَكْذَبَ مِنْهُمْ فِي الْحَدِيثِ. قَالَ ابْنُ أَبِي عَتَّابٍ: فَلَقِيتُ أَنَا مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ يَحْيَى بْنِ سَعِيدٍ الْقَطَّانَ، فَسَأَلْتُهُ عَنْهُ، فَقَالَ: عَنْ أَبِيهِ، لَمْ تَرَ أَهْلَ الْخَيْرِ فِي شَيْءٍ أَكْذَبَ مِنْهُمْ فِي الْحَدِيثِ

Muhammad bin Abī Attāb narrated to me, he said Affān narrated to me from Muhammad bin Yahyā bin Sa’īd al-Qattān, on the authority of his father, who said: We have not seen righteous people more deceitful in anything than in Hadith.

Ibn Abī Attāb said: I met Muhammad bin Yahyā bin Sa’īd al-Qattān, and I asked him about it. He narrated from his father: You have not seen people of righteousness more prone to lying about anything more than Hadith. (Muqadimah of Sahih Muslim). 

Conclusion 

It is unacceptable to use dreams as proof. Rather, they are to be utilised for additional motivation when they align with the teachings of Quran and Sunnah. As for using dreams to promote scholars or spiritual guides; this must be avoided, since it opens the doors to catastrophic misguidance and widespread abuse. 

And Allah Most High Knows Best.

–Answered by Shaykh Noorud-deen Rashid (22.02.26)