What the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw in his sleep

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) says: The dream of the Prophets is revelation.
Al-Tabarani recorded it from his teacher Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Abi Maryam, who is da'if (weak). The remaining narrators of this report are the narrators of the Sahih.

Abd al-Rahman bin A'ish reports from one of the Companions: One morning the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came out to them; he was in a cheerful mood and his blessed face was radiant. We submitted: O Messenger of Allah, we see that your face is radiant (the narrator is unsure of the exact words here, but this is the meaning). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Why should it not be so, when last night my Lord came to me in the most beautiful form and said: O Muhammad. I submitted: Here I am, my Lord, at Your service, and happiness is only from You. The Lord asked: About what is the Highest Assembly (of angels) disputing? I submitted: O Allah, I do not know. The Lord said this two or three times. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Then He placed both His palms between my shoulders, and I felt their coolness in my chest, until whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth became clear to me. Then he recited this verse: "And thus did We show Ibrahim the kingdom of the heavens and the earth." Then the Lord said: O Muhammad, about what is the Highest Assembly disputing? I submitted: About the expiations. The Lord asked: Which expiations? I submitted: Walking on foot to the congregational prayers, remaining seated in the mosque apart from the prayers, and performing ablution thoroughly when it is disagreeable to oneself. Whoever does this will live in goodness and die in goodness, and with regard to his sins he will be as he was on the day his mother gave birth to him. And (the Highest Assembly is disputing about the fact) that among the ranks are speaking good words, spreading the greeting of peace, feeding people, and praying at night while people are asleep. Then the Lord said: "O Muhammad, when you pray, say: 'Allahumma inni as'aluka al-tayyibat, wa tark al-munkarat, wa hubb al-masakin, wa an tatuba 'alayya, wa idha aradta fi al-nas fitnatan fa-tawaffani ghayra maftun' (O Allah, I ask You for good things, for the abandoning of evil deeds and for love of the poor, and I ask that You accept my repentance; and when You intend a trial among the people, take me in death while I am safe from the trial)."
Ahmad recorded it, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abd al-Rahman bin A'ish (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I saw my Lord in the most beautiful form. He said: O Muhammad, about what is the Highest Assembly (of angels) disputing? I submitted: O my Lord, You know best. Then He placed His hand between my shoulders, and I felt its coolness in my chest, and I came to know what is in the heavens and in the earth. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recited this verse: 'And thus did We show Ibrahim the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, that he might be among those who are certain.' Then the Lord said: O Muhammad, about what is the Highest Assembly disputing? I submitted: About the expiations. He asked: What are they? I submitted: Walking on foot to the congregational prayers, remaining seated in the mosques apart from the prayers, and performing ablution thoroughly at the time when it is disagreeable to oneself. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The Lord said: Whoever does this will live in goodness and die in goodness, and with regard to his sins he will be as he was on the day his mother gave birth to him. (The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:) And concerning the ranks (the Highest Assembly is speaking): they are feeding people, spreading the greeting of peace, and praying at night at the time when people are asleep. Then the Lord said: O Muhammad, say: 'Allahumma inni as'aluka fi'l al-tayyibat, wa tark al-munkarat, wa hubb al-masakin, wa an taghfira li wa tarhamani wa tatuba 'alayya, wa idha aradta bi-qawmin fitnatan fa-tawaffani ghayra maftun' (O Allah, I ask You that I may do good deeds, abandon evil deeds and love the poor, and that You forgive me, have mercy on me and accept my repentance; and when You intend to put a people to trial, take me in death while I am safe from the trial)." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Learn these words, for by the One in whose Hand is my soul, these words are the truth.

In one narration the words are: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came out to his Companions, and joy was showing on his blessed face, and the people recognised the joy on his face. After this the narrator mentioned the hadith as before. In one narration he transmitted these words (the Lord said): "O Muhammad, when you have prayed, say this." And in this narration the words are: "And the ranks are fasting and speaking good words."

In one narration the words are: Khalid bin al-Lajlaj narrates: I heard Sayyiduna Abd al-Rahman bin A'ish (may Allah be pleased with him) say: "One morning the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came out to us." After this the narrator transmitted a report like the one before it. Al-Tabarani recorded all of these reports. The narrators of the hadith in which it is mentioned that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came out to us are thiqat (trustworthy), and so are the narrators of the first report. The middle report contains a narrator, Mu'awiyah bin Imran al-Jarmi, whom I do not know. Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal was asked about Sayyiduna Abd al-Rahman bin A'ish (may Allah be pleased with him) narrating this hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he mentioned that it is correct; this is the gist of what he said.

Sayyiduna Thawban (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: Once the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came out to us after the morning prayer, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Last night my Lord came to me in the most beautiful form and said: O Muhammad, do you know about what the Highest Assembly (of angels) is disputing? I submitted: No. The narrator says: Then he mentioned some things, and then said: What lies between the heavens and the earth was made to appear before me. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Then I submitted: Yes, they are discussing the expiations and the ranks. As for the ranks, they are feeding people, spreading the greeting of peace, and praying at night at the time when people are asleep. As for the expiations, they are walking on foot to the congregational prayers, performing ablution thoroughly at times when it is disagreeable to oneself, and sitting in the mosque after having performed the prayers. Then the Lord said: O Muhammad, speak and you will be heard; ask and you will be given." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: I submitted: Then teach me. The Lord said: Say: "Allahumma inni as'aluka fi'l al-khayrat, wa tark al-munkarat, wa hubb al-masakin, wa an taghfira li wa tarhamani, wa idha aradta fitnatan fi qawmin fa-tawaffani ilayka wa ana ghayru maftun. Allahumma inni as'aluka hubbaka, wa hubba man yuhibbuka, wa hubban yuballighuni hubbak (O Allah, I ask You that I may do good deeds, abandon evil deeds and love the poor, and (I ask) that You forgive me and have mercy on me; and when You intend to put a people to trial, take me in death while I am safe from the trial. O Allah, I ask You for Your love, for the love of whoever loves You, and for a love that will bring me to Your love)."
Al-Bazzar recorded it by way of Abu Yahya from Abu Asma' al-Rahabi; I do not know the narrator Abu Yahya, and the remaining narrators of this report are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was delayed in coming out to his Companions for the morning prayer, until the people began to say that the sun was perhaps about to rise. Then he came out and led them in the morning prayer. Then he said: Remain in your places. Then he turned towards them and said to them: Do you know what kept me from coming to you? The people submitted: Allah and His Messenger know best. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: I prayed at my place of prayer, then a covering was cast over my ears (that is, I dozed off, or my attention was withdrawn from the world). My Lord came to me in the best form and said: O Muhammad. I submitted: Here I am, O my Lord, at Your service, and happiness is only from You. He asked: About what is the Highest Assembly (of angels) speaking? I submitted: O my Lord, I do not know. Then He placed His hand between my shoulders, until I felt its coolness within my chest, and I came to know what He had asked me about. Then He said: O Muhammad. I submitted: Here I am, O my Lord, at Your service, and happiness is only from You. He asked: About what is the Highest Assembly speaking? I submitted: About the expiations and about the ranks. He asked: What are the expiations and what are the ranks? I submitted: The expiations are: performing ablution thoroughly at times when it is disagreeable to oneself, walking on foot to the congregational prayers, and remaining seated in the mosques after the prayers. As for the ranks, they are feeding people, speaking good words, and prostrating at night while people are asleep. My Lord said to me: O Muhammad, ask of Me. I submitted: "I ask You for the doing of good deeds, the abandoning of evil deeds and love of the poor, and I ask of You that You forgive me and have mercy on me; and when You intend a trial for a people, take me in death while I remain safe from the trial. O Allah, I ask You for Your love and for the love of deeds that will bring me near to Your love. O Allah, I ask You for faith that will so penetrate my heart that I know that nothing will befall me except what has been written for me, and (I ask You) for contentment with what You have decreed for me."
Al-Bazzar recorded it; its chain contains a narrator, Sa'id bin Sinan, who is da'if (weak). Some have declared him thiqah (trustworthy), but no attention is to be paid to that.
(Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say: Some hadiths of this kind have already passed in the chapters on performing ablution thoroughly, on prayer and elsewhere.

Sayyiduna Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him) reports this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "My Lord came to me in the best form and said: O Muhammad. I submitted: Here I am at Your service, and happiness is only from You. He asked: About what is the Highest Assembly (of angels) speaking? I submitted: I do not know. Then He placed His hand between my breasts, and, while remaining in my place, I came to know what He had asked me about, whether it concerned the affairs of this world or of the Hereafter. He asked: About what is the Highest Assembly disputing? I submitted: About the ranks and about the expiations. As for the ranks, they include performing ablution thoroughly in the cold season and waiting for one prayer after another. The Lord said: You have spoken the truth. Whoever does this will live in goodness and die in goodness, and with regard to his sins he will be as he was on the day his mother gave birth to him. (The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:) As for the expiations, they are feeding people, spreading the greeting of peace, speaking good words, and praying at night at the time when people are asleep. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Allahumma inni as'aluka 'amal al-hasanat, wa tark al-sayyi'at, wa hubb al-masakin, wa maghfiratan, wa an tatuba 'alayya, wa idha aradta bi-qawmin fitnatan fa-najjini ghayra maftun' (O Allah, I ask You that I may do good deeds, abandon bad deeds and love the poor, and I ask for forgiveness, and that You accept my repentance; and when You intend to put a people to trial, rescue me while I am safe from the trial)."
Al-Tabarani recorded it; its chain contains a narrator, Layth bin Abi Sulaym, who despite his weakness is hasan al-hadith (good in hadith). The remaining narrators of this report are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyidah Umm al-Tufayl (may Allah be pleased with her), the wife of Sayyiduna Ubayy bin Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him), narrates: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "I saw my Lord in a dream in the form of a young man with abundant hair, wearing leather socks, with sandals of gold on him, and on his face was a covering of gold." After this the narrator mentioned the full hadith.
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Ibn Hibban says: This is a munkar (denounced) hadith, because Umarah bin Amir bin Hazm al-Ansari did not hear from Sayyidah Umm al-Tufayl (may Allah be pleased with her). He mentioned this in his book al-Thiqat, in the biography of the narrator Umarah.

Sayyiduna Abd al-Rahman bin Samurah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came out, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Last night I saw a wondrous dream. I saw a man from my Ummah whom angels had surrounded; then his ablution came to him and rescued him from that. I saw a man from my Ummah upon whom the punishment of the grave was being imposed; then his prayer came to him and rescued him from that punishment. I saw a man from my Ummah whom the devils had surrounded; then the remembrance of Allah came to him, and that remembrance delivered him from those devils. I saw a man from my Ummah panting with his tongue out from the severity of thirst; then the fasting of Ramadan came to him and gave him water to drink. I saw a man from my Ummah with darkness in front of him, darkness behind him, darkness on his right, darkness on his left, darkness above him and darkness beneath him; then his Hajj and his Umrah came to him, and the two of them brought him out of the darkness. I saw a man from my Ummah to whom the Angel of Death had come to take his soul; then kindness to kin came to him and said: This man used to maintain ties of kinship. So he spoke with them and they spoke with him, and he became one of them. I saw a man from my Ummah trying to shield his face from the heat of the Fire; then his charity came to him and became a shade over his head and a screen before his face. I saw a man from my Ummah to whom the angels of punishment had come; then his enjoining of good and his forbidding of evil came to him and rescued him from that. I saw a man from my Ummah who was about to fall into Hell; then the tears he had shed when he wept out of fear of Allah came to him, and the tears brought him out of Hell. I saw a man from my Ummah whose record was being given into his left hand; then his fear of Allah came to him, took that record and placed it in his right hand. I saw a man from my Ummah whose scale (of good deeds) was light; then the loans he had given came to him, and his scale (of good deeds) became heavy. I saw a man from my Ummah trembling as a palm branch trembles; then his good opinion of Allah Almighty came to him, and his trembling ceased. I saw a man from my Ummah crossing the Sirat (the bridge), at times crawling and at times on his knees, and at times he would be left hanging; then the blessings he had sent upon me came to him, took him by the hand, stood him up on the Sirat and brought him across. I saw a man from my Ummah who had reached the gates of Paradise, but the gates were closed to him; then the testimony that there is no god but Allah Almighty came to him, took him by the hand and admitted him into Paradise."
Al-Tabarani recorded it with two chains; one chain contains a narrator, Sulayman bin Ahmad al-Wasiti, and the other contains a narrator, Khalid bin Abd al-Rahman al-Makhzumi, and both of them are da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both) reports this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "I saw in a dream as if a cluster of dates was brought to me. I put a date in my mouth and found in it a stone that hurt me, so I spat it out. Then I took another date and put it in my mouth, and I found a stone in it too, and I spat that out too. Then I took another date, found a stone in it too, and spat that out too." Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) submitted: Allow me to give its interpretation. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Give it. He submitted: It refers to your army which you have sent out; they will remain safe and take spoils; then they will meet a man who will appeal to them by the protection you have granted, and they will leave him; then they will meet a man who will appeal to them by the protection you have granted, and they will leave him; then they will meet a man who will appeal to them by the protection you have granted, and they will leave him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The angel (or the King, that is, Allah Almighty) said the same.
Ahmad recorded it; its chain contains a narrator, Mujalid bin Sa'id, who is thiqah (trustworthy), and criticism has been made of him.

Sayyiduna Samurah bin Jundub (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: A man related that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I saw in a dream as if a bucket was let down from the sky. Then Abu Bakr came, took hold of the wooden cross-pieces at the mouth of the bucket, and drank weakly (the narrator is unsure whether the words were:) there was weakness in it. Then Umar came, took hold of its cross-pieces and drank until he was full. Then Uthman came, took hold of its cross-pieces and drank; then the bucket was jerked loose from his hands, and some of its water splashed onto him."
Ahmad recorded it, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Ja'dah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw a man in a dream. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent for him, and he came to him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) began relating the dream to him. The narrator says: He was a man with a large belly, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), pointing his finger at his belly, said: If this (that is, the fat of the belly, or the obesity) were somewhere other than here, it would have been better for you.
Ahmad recorded it, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I saw in a dream as though the edge of my sword had broken, and as though I had a ram seated behind me. I interpreted it thus: the breaking of the edge of my sword means that a man from my people will be killed, and my having a ram seated behind me means that I will kill a man of the enemy." The narrator says: Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) killed Talhah bin Abi Talhah, the standard-bearer of the polytheists, and Sayyiduna Hamzah bin Abd al-Muttalib (may Allah be pleased with him) was martyred.
Al-Bazzar recorded it, and Ahmad recorded it in abridged form; its chain contains Ali bin Yazid, who is thiqah (trustworthy) but has a poor memory; the narrators of both narrations are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) relates: On the occasion of the Battle of Badr, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) took his sword "Dhu al-Fiqar" as a nafl (an extra share of the spoils). It is the very sword about which he saw a dream on the occasion of the Battle of Uhud, and he said: "I saw as though the edge of my sword Dhu al-Fiqar had become notched, and I interpreted it to mean that people among you will be killed. I saw in a dream that I had a ram seated behind me, and I interpreted it to mean the ram (leader) of the enemy. I saw in a dream as though I were in a well-fortified coat of armour, and I interpreted it to mean Madinah. And I saw cattle being slaughtered; so by Allah, the interpretation of the cattle will surely be good, by Allah, the interpretation of the cattle will surely be good." The narrator says: And it happened just as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had said.
Al-Bazzar recorded it, and al-Tabarani recorded it without this wording. A chain of this narration has already passed in the chapter on the Battle of Uhud. The chain of this narration contains Abd al-Rahman bin Abi al-Zinad, who is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) relates: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "I saw Laylat al-Qadr in a dream, then I was made to forget it. Then I saw two bracelets made of gold on my hand. I disliked them, so I blew on them and they flew away. I interpreted this to mean two false claimants to prophethood: one who belongs to Yemen and one who belongs to Yamamah." (Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say: In the "Sahih", the part about seeing Laylat al-Qadr is narrated from it.
Al-Bazzar and Ahmad recorded it; the narrators of both are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) relates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw in a dream as though there were bracelets of gold on his forearms. He blew on them, and both of them flew away. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "These are the two great liars (that is, false claimants to prophethood) of my Ummah: one belongs to Yemen and one belongs to Yamamah, and they will not be able to harm my Ummah in any way."
Al-Tabarani and Abu Ya'la recorded it; its chain contains Husayn bin Qays, who is matruk (abandoned).