If one saw Rasulullah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) in a way that is different from his known description, how should it be interpreted?

Question

I''m not sure where to go or who to ask, I was born Muslim but not a very good practicing one so I'm not very knowledgeable. I wanted to ask a question about the meaning of a dream that I had long ago. Upon waking from the dream I've wrote down all the details to make sure I don't forget. I researched online of who I can go to to ask about these kinds of things and I found your email address. I hope I'm not being a bother, and if you're not the right person to ask I apologize.

The Dream:

I could not control of my body in the dream, I think I was a another man.

In the Dream I saw a man, who I is possibly the Prophet peace be upon him.

He came up over a hill with many people on camels and horses. He was wide shouldered and wore green/black and white clothes. White over his thighs, green/black upper body, like layers of cloaks. He wore sandals.

His face had a beard but it wasn't long just thick, and a small grey spot/circle on his left side of face. He stood approximately 15 feet away and I couldn't really see his face 100%, maybe 60%. (This all happened in the desert, sand everywhere). His face was hard to see as the sun was setting behind his face, it was bright.

His skin was tan, reddish/orange undertones. His eyes were dark, so dark they looked black. His expression was serious, but not threatening.

Upon his arrival, myself (or the person I was), and a group of men ran up to him in a line looking down, while on our knees and shouting "la eela ha illullah" repeatedly.

The man whom I believed to be the Prophet (pbuh) then looked down at the ground, and I heard Arabic being shouted between other men and I was stayed silent. In the dream, I understood and reacted to the Arabic words spoken (I know a little arabic but not enough, as I was born in New York speaking English).

After, the dream changes. I saw a blonde curly haired man with very fair skin reciting the Quran while we were in front of, what appeared to be the Kaaba. He was sitting down.

I sat to the left of the blonde man, he faced directly towards the Kaaba. I was very close, maybe 3 or 4 feet sitting away and If I could draw his face, I'd be able to with at least 80% accuracy.

When he read, his voice sounded beautiful. His recitation was the most memorable part of my dream. He wore a white cloak/tunic and nothing else as if on Hajj. Everyone called this man Suhayb. It seemed like he was leading us at the time. Somehow I felt some kind of connection or closeness to this man.

Any guidance or advice is appreciate (or even direction to someone who can help), and thank you in advance.

- M. W. M.

Accepted Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh. Seeing Rasulullah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) in a dream is indeed a blessing. You should praise Allah for this blessing and make practicing Islam your priority. You state that in your dream, he (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) had “a beard but it wasn't long just thick.” However, the known description of Rasulullah's (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) beard is that it reached the upper portion of his (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) chest. [i] One should keep in mind that if one sees him (salallahu alayi wa sallam) in a way that he (salallahu alayi wa sallam) is not described in the hadith (physical features, attributes, etc.) then according to the scholars of dream interpretation, there is one of two possible explanations [ii]: • The person seeing the dream did not in reality see Rasulullah (salallahu alayi wa sallam) if the description of Rasulullah (salallahu alayi wa sallam) in the dream does not match what is known of Rasulullah's (salallahu alayi wa sallam) description. • The vision of the one seeing the dream was distorted. This means that the dreamer might have indeed seen Rasulullah (salallahu alayi wa sallam), but due to the overpowering presence of the dreamer's own imagination he was not able to see Rasulullah (salallahu alayi wa sallam) correctly. Suhayb (may Allah be pleased with him) is one of the Companions and to see any companion in a dream is a good sign. Since you have stated that you are “not a very good practicing [Muslim]”, this dream should be seen as a sign to inspire and motivate you to start firmly practicing Islam. [iii] And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best Mufti Sohail ibn Arif, Assistant Mufti, Darul Iftaa Chicago, USA Checked and Approved by, Mufti Ebrahim Desai. عن يزيد الفارسي - وكان يكتب المصاحف - رأيت النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم في المنام زمن ابن عباس فقلت [i] لابن عباس: إني رأيت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم في النوم. فقال ابن عباس: إن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم كان يقول: إن الشيطان لا يستطيع أن يتشبه بي فمن رآني في النوم فقد رآني. هل تستطيع أن تنعت هذا الرجل الذي رأيته في النوم؟ قلت: نعم ... قد ملأت لحيته من هذه إلى هذه حتى كادت تملأ نحره ... فقال ابن عباس: لو رأيته في اليقظة ما استطعت أن تنعته فوق هذا. الشمائل المحمدية، ص. ٦٨٤ - ٦٨٧ إنعام الباري، ٢/ ١٨٠ - ١٨٢ [ii] من رأى واحداً منهم أو جميعهم أحياء دلت رؤياه على قوة الدين وأهله ودلت على أن صاحب الرؤيا ينال [iii] عزاً وشرفاً ويعلو أمره منتخب الكلام في تفسير الأحلام، ص. ٢١٦

Question

Answer

Related rulings