DREAMS THAT MADE HISTORY IN THE EASTERN WORLD

In the Qur'an, an entire surah is dedicated to dreams. When the Prophet Yusuf was a child, he saw in a dream that eleven stars, the sun, and the moon were prostrating to him. He told this to his father, the Prophet Yaqub (Jacob). Yaqub interpreted it as a sign that Yusuf would attain a high position, and that his eleven brothers and parents would bow to him in respect, as was the custom at that time. He also warned Yusuf not to share this dream with his brothers to avoid jealousy. Twenty years later, the Prophet Yusuf became the minister of finance in Egypt, and eventually, his brothers and parents bowed before him.

While the Prophet Yusuf was in prison due to a false accusation by the wife of the Egyptian noble who had taken care of him, two fellow prisoners recounted their dreams to him. One said he saw himself pressing wine for Pharaoh, and the other saw himself carrying bread on his head with birds eating from it. Yusuf interpreted these dreams, predicting that one would be reinstated to serve Pharaoh again and the other would be executed with birds eating his flesh. Shortly after, these interpretations came true.

Pharaoh had a dream and summoned all the interpreters in Egypt, but none could interpret it. The Prophet Yusuf, who was still in prison, was brought before Pharaoh upon the suggestion of the wine-server whose dream Yusuf had interpreted. Pharaoh described his dream of seven fat cows being eaten by seven lean cows. Yusuf interpreted this as seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine. His interpretation proved correct, and because of his advice to store surplus harvests, Egypt did not suffer during the famine. This led to Yusuf’s appointment as treasurer.

The Dream of Victory

The Qur'an mentions several dreams of the Prophet Muhammad. Before the Battle of Badr, he saw in a dream that the number of his enemies was small, which he took as a good omen and shared with his companions, boosting their morale (Surah Al-Anfal, 43). Before the Battle of Uhud, he dreamed of being on a camel chased by a ram, and his sword breaking, which he interpreted as killing an enemy commander but losing a close relative. Indeed, his uncle Hamza was martyred. In another dream during the year of the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, he saw himself entering Mecca and performing tawaf (circumambulation) around the Kaaba. Although the Muslims were initially prevented from entering Mecca, the revelation in Surah Al-Fath confirmed the truth of this dream, and they performed Umrah a year later, followed by the conquest of Mecca two years later (Surah Al-Fath, 27).

While resting at the house of his wet nurse Umm Haram, the Prophet Muhammad once woke up smiling. When asked why, he said he dreamed of his followers embarking on a sea voyage for Allah’s cause. Umm Haram asked to be among them, and he assured her she would be. During the reign of Muawiya, she participated in the first naval expedition to Cyprus and was martyred, with her tomb known as Hala Sultan.

The Prophet Muhammad narrated: "In my dream, I found myself in paradise and saw a woman performing ablution beside a palace. I asked whose palace it was and was told it belonged to Umar ibn al-Khattab. Remembering Umar’s jealousy, I turned away." Umar wept with joy, saying, "May my parents be sacrificed for you! Would I ever be jealous of you?"

Marrying the Arab King

While traveling to Syria, Abu Bakr al-Siddiq dreamed that the moon descended into his lap and he hugged it. A monk interpreted this as a sign that he would be the caliph after the last prophet. During the siege of his house by Egyptian rebels, Uthman ibn Affan dreamed that the Prophet Muhammad told him he would break his fast with them that night, which he took as a sign of his impending martyrdom. He was killed while reciting the Qur'an.

Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, curious about the fate of his brother Abu Lahab, saw him in a dream and asked about his condition. Abu Lahab replied, "I am in torment, but my punishment is lightened on Mondays because I freed my slave Suwayba when she brought me the news of the Prophet's birth, and she nursed him."

Khalid Ibn Sa'id Ibn al-'As dreamed that his father was about to throw him into hell, but the Prophet saved him by holding his belt. He became a Muslim afterward. Safiyya, the wife of the commander of the Khaybar fortress, dreamed that the moon came from Medina and entered her lap. When she told her husband, he slapped her, accusing her of wanting to marry the king of Hejaz. After the conquest of Khaybar, she married the Prophet.

Five Fingers

Caliph Abd al-Malik dreamed that he urinated four times in the mihrab (a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the qibla, the direction of the Kaaba) of the Prophet's mosque and felt very uneasy. Said ibn al-Musayyib interpreted this as a sign that four of his sons would become caliphs. Indeed, his sons Walid, Suleiman, Yazid, and Hisham all became caliphs.

Imam Abu Hanifa dreamed that he entered the Prophet Muhammad's tomb and gathered his bones. Waking up in distress, he wondered if he had shown disrespect to the Prophet. He kept this dream to himself for a long time until he finally shared it with Ibn Sirin, who congratulated him, saying he would compile the Prophet’s teachings, which he did, becoming a founder of Sunni jurisprudence (Attar, Tazkirat al-Awliya).

Caliph al-Mansur asked Abu Hanifa about a dream where he saw the archangel Azrael (the angel of death). When he inquired about the time he had left, the angel showed him five fingers. Unsure if this meant five years, months, or weeks, Abu Hanifa explained that the five fingers represented the five unknowns only Allah knows, as stated in the Qur'an (Surah Luqman, 34), including the time of one's death.

The Medicine in the Dream

When Caliph Al-Ma'mun said, "I dreamt that all my teeth fell out," a dream interpreter said, "All your relatives will die." The caliph was saddened by this interpretation. He asked another interpreter, who said, "You will live longer than all your relatives." The caliph was pleased with this interpretation and rewarded the interpreter. Though both interpretations had the same meaning, the way they were expressed led to different emotions, highlighting the importance of communicating with people in the right way.

During the time of Abdallah ibn Tahir, the famous just governor of Khorasan, an innocent man was unjustly imprisoned. That night, the governor dreamt of four strong men coming to overturn his throne. Upon having the dream again, he realized it was the cry of an oppressed person.

The mother of Imam Shafi'i dreamt of a star emerging from her body, spreading its light over the Arab lands, and finally falling in Egypt. Indeed, Shafi'i died in Egypt, and his school of thought spread throughout the Arab lands.

Near the end of his life, al-Busiri became paralyzed. In a dream, he saw the Prophet Muhammad, who listened to him recite his famous poem praising him. The Prophet then took off his cloak and placed it on al-Busiri, healing his leg by touching it. When he woke up, he was cured. This is why the poem is called "Qasidat al-Burda" (The Poem of the Cloak).

How Are You, Chalabi?

One day, a man came to Sheikh Saad Eddin Darir, one of the scholars of Aleppo, saying, "I dreamt of walking in fire up to my ankles." The Sheikh said, "Come closer so I can interpret it." When the man approached, the Sheikh grabbed him and shouted for the police, claiming the man was a shoe thief. The man confessed to his crime.

Mawlana Jalal al-Din Rumi's grandfather, Hussein Khatib, dreamt of the Prophet Muhammad telling him to marry the daughter of the king of Khorasan. That same night, the king, his vizier, and his daughter had the same dream. Thus, he married Princess Amatullah Khatun from the Khwarazmian dynasty.

Rumi's most beloved disciple and first successor, Husam al-Din Chalabi, once thought to himself, "It has been seven years since Mawlana passed away, and he has not checked on me once." That night, he dreamt of Rumi asking, "How are you, Chalabi?" Similarly, during the time of the Prophet Muhammad, Salman al-Farsi and Abd Allah ibn Salam had agreed to appear to each other after their deaths.

The famous scholar Ibn Abidin told his teacher, Mawlana Khalid, "Last night, I dreamt that Uthman ibn Affan died. There was a large crowd, and I led the funeral prayer." Mawlana Khalid said, "I will die soon, and you will lead my funeral prayer because I am a descendant of Uthman." This came true as he predicted.

The famous orientalist Annemarie Schimmel compiled dreams and their interpretations from the Eastern world during her travels into a book titled " Dreams Of The Caliph."