➤ Did the Prophet ﷺ See His Lord in a Dream? — Analysis of the Narration
Source: Fatāwā ‘Ilmiyyah Vol. 3 – Principles, Takhrīj of Narrations, and Their Rulings, Page 214
❖ Question:
A narration is reported from Umm Tufayl (رضي الله عنها), the wife of Ubayy ibn Ka‘b (رضي الله عنه), in which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“رَأَيْتُ رَبِّي فِي المنام في صورة شاب مُوَقَّرٍ فِي خَضِرٍ، عليه نَعْلانِ من ذهب، وَعَلَى وجهه فراش مِنْ ذهب”
“I saw my Lord in a dream in the form of a young man, having long hair and dressed in green. He was wearing golden sandals, and there was a covering of gold over His face.”
(Refer: Amīn al-Fatāwā, Vol. 1, pp. 8–9)
A questioner asked whether this narration is authentic or not.
❖ Answer:
الحمد لله، والصلاة والسلام علىٰ رسول الله، أما بعد!
✦ Chain of Transmission (Isnād):
The narration appears with the following chain:
“From ‘Amr ibn al-Ḥārith → from Sa‘īd ibn Abī Hilāl → narrated to him by Marwān ibn ‘Uthmān → from ‘Umārah → from Umm Tufayl (wife of Ubayy ibn Ka‘b)…”
(al-Mu‘jam al-Kabīr by Ṭabarānī 25/143, Hadith 346; as-Sunnah by Ibn Abī ‘Āṣim: 471, other version: 480)
✦ Commentary on the Narrators:
➊ Marwān ibn ‘Uthmān
This narrator is considered weak according to the majority of hadith scholars.
Imām Abū Ḥātim ar-Rāzī (رحمه الله) said:
“ضعيف“
“Weak”
(Kitāb al-Jarḥ wa’t-Ta‘dīl 8/272)
Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar (رحمه الله) also stated:
“ضعيف“
(Taqrīb at-Tahdhīb, No. 6572; also see: Anwār aṣ-Ṣaḥīfah, p. 326)
➋ ‘Umārah ibn ‘Āmir
Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥibbān (رحمه الله) said:
“‘Umārah ibn ‘Āmir reported from Umm Tufayl, wife of Ubayy ibn Ka‘b, that the Prophet ﷺ said: ‘I saw my Lord.’ This is a rejected (munkar) narration. ‘Umārah did not actually hear this hadith from Umm Tufayl. I have only included this narration to caution readers against being deceived by it and taking it as evidence, as this narration is from the people of Egypt.”
(Kitāb ath-Thiqāt 5/245)
This clarification by Ibn Ḥibbān indicates that the narration is disconnected (munqaṭi‘) and unreliable.
✦ Commentary by Shaykh al-Albānī (رحمه الله)
Labeling this weak and rejected narration as “ṣaḥīḥ bimā qablahu” (authentic due to preceding factors), and then stating:
“قَالَ الشَّيْخ نَاصِر: وَإِسْنَادُهُ ضَعِيفٌ مُظْلِمٌ“
“Shaykh Nāṣir (al-Albānī) said: Its chain is extremely weak and obscure.”
Thus, considering the narration authentic despite such weakness is strange and highly questionable.
✦ Analysis of the Wording of the Narration:
Many words from this narration, such as:
◈ “نعلان من ذهب“ (Golden sandals)
◈ “فراش من ذهب“ (A golden covering)
— are not authentically established through any sound chain.
Furthermore, there are variations and inconsistencies in the pronunciation and wording, such as:
- “موقر” vs. “موفر“
- “فراس” vs. “فراش“
These differences further add to the unreliability of the narration.
✦ Instruction for Scholars:
◈ Avoid narrating fabricated or rejected hadiths.
◈ Always verify and research thoroughly, and only transmit authentic and sound narrations.
📅 (11 March 2013)
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
