Quran
Hadith
Islamic Text
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In the Name of Allah Most Merciful Most Kind
Short Answer
If you have a good dream about someone then you should tell him or her. If it is a bad dream, then you should ignore it. Neither should you dwell upon it yourself nor should you inform others about it.
Hadith
عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ: كَشَفَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ السِّتَارَةَ وَالنَّاسُ صُفُوفٌ خَلْفَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ، فَقَالَ: أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ، إِنَّهُ لَمْ يَبْقَ مِنْ مُبَشِّرَاتِ النُّبُوَّةِ إِلَّا الرُّؤْيَا الصَّالِحَةُ، يَرَاهَا الْمُسْلِمُ، أَوْ تُرَى لَهُ
(Sayidina) Ibn Abbas (May Allah Most High be pleased with them both) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ drew aside the curtain whilst the people were in rows behind (Sayidina) Abu Bakr. He ﷺ said: O people, nothing remains of the tidings of prophethood, except a good dream. A Muslim sees it or it is seen for him. (Sahih Muslim 479 – 207).
The Hadith above mentions having a dream for someone else. This certainly implies informing the other person regarding the dream. Since it is referred to as a tiding for him. In other Hadith narrations we are discouraged from speaking about bad dreams. Therefore, we can conclude that if you have a good dream about someone then you should inform that person. Bad a bad dream should not be conveyed.
Commentary
يَراها مسلم لأجل مسلم. (شرح مصابيح السنة)
A Muslims sees it (a dream) for another Muslim. (Imam Ibn al-Malak, Sharh Masabeeh al-Sunnah).
أَوْ يَرَاهُ غَيْرُهُ لَهُ مِنْ صَلَاحِ بَالٍ وَتَخَلُّصٍ مِنْ شِدَّةٍ. (المنتقى شرح الموطإ)
Or another person sees it (a dream) for him. (It brings about) piece of mind and release from hardship. (Imam al-Baaji, Sharh al-Muata).
In the Nusoos above, we see that a Muslim having a positive dream about another Muslim can lead to comfort and peace of mind. This will only occur if you actually inform the person about it. Thus, you should inform him or her. However, there is no encouragement to spread such a dream to the entire community. Rather dreams should normally be kept private. They should be restricted to those they involve.
Misconceptions
When it comes to dreams, there are many misconceptions in our communities. One of these errors is that some people focus more on dreams than Quran and Sunnah. Their interest levels increase when dreams are conveyed to them. As opposed to their interest levels regarding Quran and Sunnah. This is a serious error and represents a weakness of Iman.
Another mistake people make when it comes to dreams, is treating them as a source of evidence in Islam. Dreams are not a source of Shariah (law) or Aqeedah (creed) in Islam, unless the dream is seen by a Prophet. Sometimes people will be told that an action they engage in is prohibited and they will respond by citing a dream seen by them or someone else.
In the Nass (text) below, Imam al-Nawawi makes it abundantly clear that dreams do not impact the Shariah (law). By extension they do not impact any aspect of the established religious teaching in Islam. Rather the role of dreams is to reinforce and personalise that which is already established in the religion.
فَنَقَلُوا الِاتِّفَاقَ عَلَى أَنَّهُ لَا يُغَيَّرُ بِسَبَبِ مَا يَرَاهُ النَّائِمُ مَا تَقَرَّرَ فِي الشَّرْعِ. (المنهاج شرح صحيح مسلم بن الحجاج)
They conveyed agreement upon the fact that what is established in the Shariah does not change because of what a sleeper sees. (Imam Yahya bin Sharaf al-Nawawi, Sharh Sahih Muslim).
Conclusion
It is recommended to convey a good dream about someone else. However, a bad dream should not be conveyed. In all cases a good dream should not be conveyed to the community at large. Rather the dream is for those that it involves. The practice of broadcasting dreams to the masses has opened the doors to extensive Fitnah in our communities.
And Allah Most High Knows Best.
–Answered by Shaykh Noorud-deen Rashid (25.03.24)
