The Hadith of Dream

The Hadith of Dream

Translated by: Alamgeer Usmani.

Afterwards,

Honorable people,

All Muslims know the story of the Prophet of Allah Abraham, peace be upon him, when Allah commanded him to slaughter his son, and we also know how Allah the Almighty commanded him, as we are aware of, that it was a vision which he saw in a dream.

﴿يَا بُنَيَّ إِنِّي أَرَى فِي الْمَنَامِ أَنِّي أَذْبَحُكَ﴾ [الصافات: 102].

“He (Ibrahim) said, “O my little son, I have seen in a dream that I am slaughtering you”.

And the vision of the prophets is true.

Here is a glorious hadith in which the Prophet told the story of a journey of him that occurred in a dream, and in which he told about his witnessing the tormented and blessed people in the Barzakh (an interval between grave and Day of judgment).

Bukhari narrated on the authority of Samra bin Jundab, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) very often used to ask his companions, "Did anyone of you see a dream?" So, dreams would be narrated to him by those whom Allah wished to tell. One morning the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Last night two persons came to me (in a dream) and woke me up and said to me, 'Proceed!' I set out with them and we came across a man lying down, and behold, another man was standing over his head, holding a big rock. Behold, he was throwing the rock at the man's head, injuring it. The rock rolled away and the thrower followed it and took it back. By the time he reached the man, his head returned to the normal state. The thrower then did the same as he had done before. I said to my two companions, 'Subhan Allah! Who are these two persons?' They said, 'Proceed!' So, we proceeded and came to a man lying flat on his back and another man standing over his head with an iron hook, and behold, he would put the hook in one side of the man's mouth and tear off that side of his face to the back (of the neck) and similarly tear his nose from front to back and his eye from front to back. Then he turned to the other side of the man's face and did just as he had done with the other side. He hardly completed this side when the other side returned to its normal state. Then he returned to it to repeat what he had done before. I said to my two companions, 'Subhan Allah! Who are these two persons?' They said to me, 'Proceed!' So, we proceeded and came across something like a Tannur (a kind of baking oven, a pit usually clay-lined for baking bread)." I think the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "In that oven there was much noise and voices." The Prophet (ﷺ) added, "We looked into it and found naked men and women, and behold, a flame of fire was reaching to them from underneath, and when it reached them, they cried loudly. I asked them, 'Who are these?' They said to me, 'Proceed!' And so, we proceeded and came across a river." I think he said, ".... red like blood." The Prophet (ﷺ) added, "And behold, in the river there was a man swimming, and on the bank there was a man who had collected many stones. Behold, while the other man was swimming, he went near him. The former opened his mouth and the latter (on the bank) threw a stone into his mouth whereupon he went swimming again. He returned and every time the performance was repeated. I asked my two companions, 'Who are these (two) persons?' They replied, 'Proceed! Proceed!' And we proceeded till we came to a man with a repulsive appearance, the most repulsive appearance, you ever saw a man having! Beside him there was a fire and he was kindling it and running around it. I asked my companions, 'Who is this (man)?' They said to me, 'Proceed! Proceed!' So, we proceeded till we reached a garden of deep green dense vegetation, having all sorts of spring colors. In the midst of the garden there was a very tall man and I could hardly see his head because of his great height, and around him there were children in such a large number as I have never seen. I said to my companions, 'Who is this?' They replied, 'Proceed! Proceed!' So, we proceeded till we came to a majestic huge garden, greater and better than I have ever seen! My two companions said to me, 'Go up' and I went up. The Prophet (ﷺ) added, "So we ascended till we reached a city built of gold and silver bricks and we went to its gate and asked (the gatekeeper) to open the gate, and it was opened and we entered the city and found in it, men with one side of their bodies as handsome as the handsomest person you have ever seen, and the other side as ugly as the ugliest person you have ever seen. My two companions ordered those men to throw themselves into the river. Behold, there was a river flowing across (the city), and its water was like milk in whiteness. Those men went and threw themselves in it and then returned to us after the ugliness (of their bodies) had disappeared and they became in the best shape." The Prophet (ﷺ) further added, "My two companions (angels) said to me, 'This place is the Eden Paradise, and that is your place.' I raised up my sight, and behold, there I saw a palace like a white cloud! My two companions said to me, 'That (palace) is your place.' I said to them, 'May Allah bless you both! Let me enter it.' They replied, 'As for now, you will not enter it, but you shall enter it (one day). I said to them, 'I have seen many wonders tonight. What does all that mean which I have seen?' They replied, 'We will inform you: As for the first man you came upon whose head was being injured with the rock, he is the symbol of the one who studies the Qur'an and then neither recites it nor acts on its orders, and sleeps, neglecting the enjoined prayers. As for the man you came upon whose sides of mouth, nostrils and eyes were torn off from front to back, he is the symbol of the man who goes out of his house in the morning and tells so many lies that it spreads all over the world. And those naked men and women whom you saw in a construction resembling an oven, they are the adulterers and the adulteresses. And the man whom you saw swimming in the river and given a stone to swallow, is the eater of usury (Riba). And the bad looking man whom you saw near the fire kindling it and going round it, is Malik, the gatekeeper of Hell. And the tall man whom you saw in the garden, is Abraham and the children around him are those children who die with Al-Fitra (the Islamic Faith). The narrator added: Some Muslims asked the Prophet, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! What about the children of pagans?" The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, "And also the children of pagans." The Prophet (ﷺ) added, "My two companions added, 'The men you saw half handsome and half ugly were those persons who had mixed an act that was good with another that was bad, but Allah forgave them.”

O Allah, benefit us through Your Noble Book and the Sunnah of Your faithful Prophet, and forgive us and all Muslims, O Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Second Sermon

Praise be to Allah alone, and may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon His Prophet, His servant, and his family and companions. After that,

Brothers in faith,

Our Messenger, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, travelled by night in Isra and Miraj with his soul and body.

As far as this hadith is concerned, it is related to his journey of soul only, and this happened to the Messenger of Allah PBUH repeatedly.

We learn from the hadith following things:

• The dreams of the Messenger of Allah Muhammed PBUH are true and truthful, and so are the visions of all the prophets, unlike other people, because their dreams include true visions, false visions, and self-talk, as mentioned in some hadiths.

• That the reward is from same class as deeds, the one whose lies reach all over the world, his mouth, nose, and eyes would be teared off, the one who eats people’s money with usury, the stones would be thrown into his mouth, and the one who rejects the Qur’an and sleeps, neglecting the enjoined prayer, his head would be injured with the rock, just as reward is given as the deed is done, and this happens in the good things also.

﴿ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا قِيلَ لَكُمْ تَفَسَّحُوا فِي الْمَجَالِسِ فَافْسَحُوا يَفْسَحِ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ ﴾

“O you who believe, when it is said to you, “Make room (for others) in the sittings”, then make room, and Allah will make room for you (in the Hereafter)”.

And it is mentioned in the hadith: “And he who finds relief for one who is hard-pressed, Allah would make things easy for him in the Hereafter”.

• That paradise and Hellfire exist now, and it came in the Qur’an about Paradise:

﴿أُعِدَّتْ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ﴾ [آل عمران: 133]

“It has been prepared for the God-fearing.”

And it came about Hellfire:

﴿أُعِدَّتْ لِلْكَافِرِينَ﴾ [البقرة: 24]

“It has been prepared for the disbelievers”.

And the meaning of both the verses is, that paradise and Hellfire have been created, as indicates the past form of the word.

• It is necessary to be cautious to neglect acting upon the Qur’an and to sleep, leaving the prescribed prayers.

• It is necessary to avoid telling a lie, and to avoid verifying anything before publishing the news, especially since the technology revolution has become advanced, as the news reaches the farthest of the world in seconds.

• Intimidation for major adultery that Allah Almighty has combined with polytheism in many verses.

• The little children will be in Paradise in the care of Abraham, peace be upon him, until the Day of Judgment.

Among the benefits of the hadith: The proximity of the Prophet PBUH to his companions, as he used to ask them about their visions, and he was good at interpreting dreams, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him.

• The vastness of Allah's mercy and grace, as He overlooks people who mix a good deed with a bad one.

In conclusion, we must beware of these taboos, as they are a cause of torment and punishments and to hurry to repent in every sin.

Oh Allah, forgive us and Muslims, thanks to you and your mercy. Oh Allah, forgive all our sins...