Book of Healing - Spiritual Healing - The Qur'an and the Interpretation of Dreams Part One
The Qur'an and the Interpretation of Dreams Part One
Tags: Dreams, Piety, Taqwa, Water, Ocean, Heaven, Mountains, Name, `ilm-i asma'
1. Praise be to Allah that this pleasant subject of spiritual healing is related to the wise Qur'an directly or indirectly, in which there are innumerable mercies and blessings, both apparent and hidden. Thus today, as ever, I would also like to negate myself with the utmost humility and giryah-u zari and rely upon Allah. For it is He who in reality, shows mercy and gives help.
2. I believe that to say that the holy Qur'an is a great miracle is not enough, while, in reality, it is the "world of intellectual miracles". For the treasures of the hidden sciences which it contains and the gems of secrets etc., which the treasures contain, are extremely marvellous and astonishingly precious. In these treasures of secret sciences are the secrets of dreams as well. This humble entity, perhaps due to his limited intellect and knowledge, considers such things to be Qur'anic discoveries. However, further research will be carried out on this.
3. Someone could ask that since the holy Qur'an is not a book of dreams, how can a mu'min use it for the science of the interpretation of dreams? The answer is that it is a fact, according to the people of knowledge, that the wise Qur'an is the fountainhead of the necessary sciences. I would like to say that since the science of the interpretation of dreams is also a necessary science, therefore, it has to be in the Qur'an and indeed it is there. Now observe carefully the examples of this fact in the following:
4. To see oneself in a dream dressed in nice and clean attire is the result of piety (taqwa), for in the Qur'an attire is mentioned with piety (7:26) and the husband and wife are raiment for one another in the sense of piety (2:187). In contrast, if someone sees himself naked in a dream, or in tattered or dirty clothes, it is a warning of an impious state (7:27). To see a pleasant dream during a difficulty, illness and calamity is a glad tiding, that he is counted among those who have patience (2:155).
5. In dreams, water is the sign of knowledge. If it pours from the heaven, it is the spiritual or given knowledge (25:48). If there is a pure fountain, it also means the same thing. If the pure water flows through a channel, it is the traditional knowledge which is free from adulteration. If it is dirty, it should be understood as an indication that he has come into contact with some impure knowledge. If in a dream you have seen a vast ocean, upon which there was a throne and upon which there was a light, then congratulations! it is the greatest of glad tidings. The ocean represents Divine knowledge. For the rest of the interpretation see the glorious Qur'an. If you have seen such an ocean without a throne, it is a glad tiding that it is the great Qur'an and Divine knowledge.
6. To see the heaven and its things in a dream, i.e. the heaven itself clear or clouded, the sun, the moon, the stars, etc., is an indication of spiritual ascension and elevation (6:75). It should be remembered that Paradise, spirituality, the Qur'an and the luminous dream work according to the Divine law, in the same manner. Therefore, dreams can be interpreted by Qur'anic verses.
7. To see a mountain in a dream symbolises the grandeur of the soul, to climb up it symbolises spiritual ascension and to climb down it, spiritual descent. To collect gems means success in knowledge. For, the interpretation of gems and ornaments is spirituality, knowledge and wisdom, and real adornment, elegance and beauty are due to them.
8. To see a garden, an orchard or a verdant field in a dream is the glad tiding of spiritual prosperity (27:60; 48:29); to see various kinds of fruit is the glad tiding of Paradise (47:15). To fly in a dream is the sign of becoming an angel in Paradise (35:1); to see a book is the example of receiving the record of deeds. To see the scene of one's death in a dream, indicates the necessity of dying spiritually before physical death (2:94) and to see oneself ill indicates a spiritual disease (10:57).
9. The name of the person whom you see in a dream, is also important, for there is an interpretation of the name as well. For instance, if the name is Nasru'llah (succour of God), then Divine help will be given; if the name is Fath (victory) or Firoz (victorious, victory), then there will be easing, relief and a way out; if the name is Rahmat (mercy), there will be mercy and so on. This is extremely important, for the meanings of the names are from the science of names (`ilm-i asma') (2:31). It is also important to note the direction from which the person comes - from the front, the right side, the left side or from the back. For, there is also an interpretation of the direction (56:8-10; 69:19, 69:25; 84:10). If you do not remember the direction, can you say if the person is a good mu'min, so that we may consider him an angel? For angels, both in dreams and spirituality appear in human form.
10. If someone sees a dream in which he was eating raw flesh with abhorrence and aversion, then this is the unpleasant result of disobedience and (spiritual) illness of backbiting his mu'min brother (49:12).
11. In a dream, to perform Salat, to do `ibadat, to recite a verse, to do dhikr, is the sign of spiritual progress (3:191). To see the signs of God in a dream, namely those things which are ordained for the grandeur of God, such as the Qur'an, the Ka`bah, the mosque, etc., are indications of the piety (taqwa) of the heart (22:32).
12. It is said in a noble Hadith that whoever sees God in a dream, enters Paradise. The holy Prophet has also said that whoever saw him, it was as though he had seen God. This Hadith is concerning both wakefulness and dream and necessitates the representation of didar (vision), so that it may not remain confined to the limit of dreams. Thus the Religion of nature always makes the presence of the representative or khalifah of the Prophet a necessity in this world, so that according to the command of "Enter among My chosen servants", the action of "annihilation in the representative (fana' fi'l-khalifah), annihilation in the Prophet (fana' fi'r-rasul) and annihilation in God (fana' fi'llah) may always continue.
13. In dreams or in spirituality to see an angel with a martial sign (gun, etc.) or to see an army or to ride a horse, shows spiritual jihad (3:125; 100:1-5) and to see the scene of a battle itself, is the actual jihad.
14. If an earthquake occurs in a dream, (and) the earth splits asunder (22:1; 50:44) or the sound of a flute, pipe, flageolet and horn, etc. is heard, these are the signs of Resurrection (6:73; 36:51). If a spiritual quake occurs to a mu'min, it is his purification (33:11; 99:1).
15. To see a nice house in a dream, or a bungalow or a granary is the glad tiding of spiritual progress and prosperity. Contrary to this, to see deserted places and ruins, is an indication of spiritual backwardness (66:11; 2:259).
16. In verse (8:29) it is said: "O you who believe! If you fear God, He will fix for you a standard." In this heavenly teaching, in addition to the other means, there is also an allusion to dreams. That is, your dream will act for you as a Divine and miraculous standard, so that you will be aware of the results of your bad deeds and in the light of that you will adorn your soul.
17. In verses (51:20-21) it is said: "And in the earth are signs for the people of certainty, and (also) in yourselves. Do not you then see (them)?" Here it is said in the language of wisdom, that there are as many subtle things in your personal world, as there are dense things on the planet earth. That is, drawing emphatic attention to dreams and spirituality, it is said that there is everything in yourself. If there is a representative of the Prophet on the earth, there also has to be a subtle reflection of him in the personal world, for it is an extremely great sign of the power of God.
18. It is necessary for you to determine the collective impression of a dream each time: Good, bad or in between. Then by the grace and benevolence of God, you will not only be able to protect yourself from spiritual diseases, but you will also be able to elevate your soul as you desire. But this feat will only be possible if you give extreme importance to your dreams and understand their allusions and act as every allusion urges you to act. Almighty God willing.
Nasir Hunzai,
London,
5 Safaru'l-muzaffar, 1409
17th September, 1988.
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