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Types of Dreams
By Ishrath Farhana
Human beings spend almost a
third of their lives sleeping. For all we know, the dream-state
is peculiar only to them. We have all had dreams that range from
the mundane to the really bizarre. More surreal visions include
traveling to other realms like Alice in Wonderland, escaping
zombies, and bitten by Dracula on a flying carpet. My best
friend claims to dream only in black and white, and never wishes
for dreams to come true because most of them are dreadful!
Dreams have significance to us, and whatever pop psychology
says, we can usually attach meanings that are relevant to us.
Through the ages, people have interpreted dreams by a variety of
methods. In ancient times people considered them to be sent by
gods to predict the future or to cure some disease. Greeks
commonly believed that dreams foretold the future, though
Aristotle did insist on the importance of sense-impressions.
Modern theories stress that dreams are an extension of the
waking state.
The psychoanalytic method of Sigmund Freud's Interpretation of
Dreams caught the world by storm. He suggests that thinking
during sleep tends to be "primitive" and the effects of
"repression" are reduced. Thus, wishes repressed during
wakefulness by the conscious mind (sex and aggression, traces of
experience, infantile memories) are released during the
dream-state. His protégé, Carl Jung theorized that dreams were
just a sublimation of forbidden wishes as compensatory for the
way we are not living our lives.
Modern science still hasn't penetrated the mystery of the origin
of dreams. Physiological studies indicate that a dream state is
characterized by rapid eye movements (REM) and active brain
waves. However, science cannot determine the content of the
dream because only the dreamer is experiencing it. The
researcher has to depend on accurate recall by the dreamer, and
anybody who wakes up from sleep know just how elusive the
details of dreams are - even if it is a vivid one. The theories
of Freud and Jung assume that the only possible origin for
dreams was human because, in their opinion, "God is a figment of
the human imagination, and the spirit world does not exist!"
Prophetic dreams are mentioned in many religious texts including
the Bible and the Qur'an. Dream interpretation is mentioned in
the Qur'an and was regularly practiced by the Prophet (PBUH).
The Islamic concept of dreams as framed by the Prophet: "There
are three types of dreams: a righteous dream that is glad
tidings from Allah; the dream which causes sadness is from
Satan; and a dream from the ramblings of the mind."
Good dreams are a gift from Allah, and should be taken
positively, and narrated to others. Allah's Messenger (PBUH)
said "Indeed messengership and prophethood have ended, so there
will be no messenger nor prophet after me - except glad
tidings." People asked: 'O Messenger of Allah, what are glad
tidings?' "Good dreams," he replied. He also said: "The dream of
a righteous person is one of forty six parts of prophethood."
Since good dreams are associated with prophethood and are from
Allah, lying about them is forbidden. The reason why lying about
dreams has severe punishment is that lying about dreams is lying
about Allah. The one who claims it claims something which Allah
has not shown him, and it is greater than lying about His
creatures.
The dreams of the Prophets were a form of revelation. Ayesha
narrates "Divine revelation began to come to Allah's Messenger
in the form of righteous dreams in his sleep. Whenever he had a
dream it would come true (clearly) like daybreak." Ayesha
explained that a true righteous dream was one that occurred in
the waking state exactly as seen in the dream. That goes a long
way to explain why Abraham (PBUH) went as far as to sacrifice
his son on the basis of a dream - and how it has become the rite
of Hajj (pilgrimage) for Muslims evermore.
Alah says, "When he (Abraham's son) was
old enough to walk with him, he (Abraham) said, 'O my son! I
have seen in a dream that I offered you in sacrifice. What do
you think?' He replied, 'O my father! Do as you are commanded.
Allah Willing - you will find me steadfast.' So when they had
both submitted themselves to the Will of Allah and he had laid
him on his forehead (for sacrifice), We called out to him: "O
Abraham! You have already fulfilled the dream (vision)! It is in
this way that I reward the righteous." [As Saffaat 37:102-105]
Apart from the dream of Abraham, three other dreams are recorded
in the Holy Quran, in Chapter Yousuf, the story Allah describes
as 'the most beautiful of stories' where Joseph said:
"O my Lord! Thou has indeed bestowed on me some power and taught
me something of the interpretation of dreams and events. O Thou
Creator of the heavens and the earth! Thou art my protector in
this world and the Hereafter take Thou my soul (at death) as one
submitting to Thy Will (as a Muslim) and unite me with the
righteous." [Yousuf 12:101]
Among the miracles that Allah bestows on His prophets to
convince folk of their veracity, Joseph got the gift of dream
interpretation. At a very early age, Joseph was having prophetic
dreams. He tells his father, Jacob, that he saw
"eleven stars and the sun and the moon
prostrating before him." His concerned dad tells him "My dear
little son! Relate not thy vision to thy brothers lest they
concoct a plan against thee. For Satan to man is an avowed
enemy." [12:3-4]
According to commentators, this means that even good dreams
should not be proclaimed to all and sundry in case someone who
is jealous interprets it negatively. Or it may even lead to the
plotting of some harm against the dreamer.
The Prophet (PBUH) said: "Good dreams are from Allah and bad
dreams are from Satan." This does not necessarily mean that they
are limited to believers. Although the true dreams are a gift
from Allah to His righteous slaves such as the Prophets and the
believers in general, they are sometimes given to non believers.
The Holy Qur'an records incidences of Prophet Joseph
interpreting dreams of two pagan prison inmates, which were
true. "Now with him there came into the prison, two young men.
Said one of them, 'I see myself (in a dream) pressing wine.'
Said the other, 'I see myself (in a dream) carrying bread on my
head and birds are eating thereof.' 'Tell us' they said 'the
truth and meaning of it, for we see that you are one that does
good to all.'"
He said, "Before any food comes to feed
either of you I will surely reveal to you the truth and meaning
of it ere it come to pass… that is part of the (Duty) that my
Lord has taught me'…'O my two companions of the prison! As to
one of you he will pour wine for his king to drink; as for the
other he will hang from the cross and birds will eat from off
his head.'" [12: 36, 37, 41]
But only a Prophet can tell "ere it come to pass" if the dream
is true or not. Ordinary folks have to wait for the dream to
actually come true before we know if it was a true dream or not,
regardless of how pious a person is or how many earlier dreams
came true.
Another famous true dream recorded in the same chapter is that
of the pagan king of Egypt in Joseph's time, which shows that
true dreams are neither restricted to Prophets nor to Muslims.
"The king (of Egypt) said: " 'I do see
(in a vision) seven fat cows whom seven lean ones devour and
seven green ears of corn and seven others withered. O chiefs
expound to me my vision if it be that you can interpret
visions.' 'A confused medley of dreams, and we are not skilled
in the interpretation of dreams,' they said." [12:43, 44]
At which point, Joseph gives the correct interpretation - seven
years of famine after seven years of plenitude. Forewarned, the
people save enough grain to tide them over, and a major scale
disaster is averted.
True dreams are among the signs that Allah creates within human
beings pointing to His existence. (Anyone who has had a true
dream will tell you so) Evolution, relativity, or thermodynamics
are all very well, but they still don't explain how dreams come
true.
Allah says: "I will show them My signs
in the furthest regions (of the earth) and in their souls, until
it becomes clear to them that this (the Qur'an) is the truth."
[ash-Shura 42:53]
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