what quran says about dreams

[abbuhafeez]

Dreams are true or not if please give me quranic references about dreams .... in my opinion dreams are not true

[N. Truth Seeker]

As-salam Alaykum

Dreams apparently go both ways.

In Quran there have been some cases of real dreams.  The two most vivid ones that I recall are:

Surah 37:102, Prophet Ibraheem (pbuh) dreamed of the Divine Order to sacrifice his son, which was of course a test of Ibraheem's faith. "And when (his son) was old enough to walk with him, (Abraham) said: O my dear son, I have seen in a dream that I must sacrifice thee. So look, what thinkest thou ? He said: O my father! Do that which thou art commanded. Allah willing, thou shalt find me of the steadfast."  (37:102).

In Surah 12:4, Prophet Yusuf (pbuh) had a dream in which he saw "eleven planets and the sun and the moon, I saw them prostrating themselves unto me."  This is refers to a future event which happened several years later when Prophet Yusuf's father, mother and brothers traveled to Egypt to meet him. 

Dreams with an obvious link to reality can sometimes (I repeat sometimes) also be experienced by common people.  E.g. An uncle of mine mentioned he saw his sister, my aunt, in a dream briefly telling him something like a goodbye.  A couple of days later he got the news she passed away.  I've also heard a few similar stories from friends and acquaintances I know personally.  However, the number of random dreams compared to such precious ones are definitely much more.

I recall when I studied psychology in college, the text books said dreams have no connotations with reality.  But that's a secular view point.  As we know, scientific research in every field has its boundaries and it does not have the ability to practically encroach into the other realm nor to investigate the spiritual world.   Psychologists have also suggested that we generally dream of matters we find overwhelming or think of frequently.  However, this too is not always true.  My own personal experience tells me that most of my dreams are of places and persons that have not been on my mind for years until they suddenly pop up in a random and strange dream.

My simple conclusion would be, true dreams certainly do exist and false/garbled dreams also exist.  In majority of cases dreams are random.  But not always.   And whenever it has an obvious connection with reality, it is the will of Allah Almighty with a reason for which all praise be to Him.


Related post:
-  Dream and its concept in our Islamic Faith.
-  Sleep paralysis - is it connected to being possessed by jinn? 
-  Dream and its connection with reality - looking for a brief discourse on it. 

[Zainab_M]

Also in Surah 12, Allah Almighty mentions of Prophet Yusuf's (pbuh) ability to interpret dreams.  This was definitely a special ability bestowed on him by Allah.   For common persons it's anything but easy to understand the meaning of dreams even if they aren't garbled.  Often those dreams connected with reality may not appear straightforward as a literal depiction of the reality.  We might see it in a winding or labyrinthine manner and understand its connotation months or years later as we go on with our lives.  Sometimes a dream might have an indirect link with reality and we might never understand that hidden meaning in earthly life. 

This point can be clarified further by citing the examples of the two verses referred by brother Truth Seeker.   Verse 37:102 is very direct.  Verse 12:4 which also alludes to reality, presents the truth symbolically rather than directly.  By reading Verses 12:4-5 (quoted below)

"When Joseph said unto his father: O my father! Lo! I saw in a dream eleven planets and the sun and the moon, I saw them prostrating themselves unto me.  He said: O my dear son! Tell not thy brethren of thy vision, lest they plot a plot against thee. Lo! Satan is for man an open foe."  (12:4-5).

It seems that since Prophet Yusuf was very young as this time, he did not clearly understand what it meant.  But his father, Prophet Yakub, understood it. 

And only Allah knows best.

[abbuhafeez]

JazakAllah brother & sister ..........

[N. Truth Seeker]

You're welcomed brother. 
Allah bless.