Are the Dreams of Prophets Considered Revelation?
Taken from Fatāwā Amunpūrī by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri
Question:
Are the dreams of the Prophets considered revelation (waḥy)?
Answer:
Yes, the dreams of the Prophets are revelation.
Qur’ānic Evidence
Allah Almighty says about Ibrāhīm (عليه السلام):
قَالَ يَا بُنَيَّ إِنِّي أَرَىٰ فِي الْمَنَامِ أَنِّي أَذْبَحُكَ [Sūrat al-Ṣāffāt: 102]
“He said: O my son! Indeed I have seen in a dream that I sacrifice you.”
Hadith Evidence
① ʿĀ’ishah (رضي الله عنها) reported:
إني أريت دار هجرتكم، ذات نخل بين لابتين وهما الحرتان، فهاجر من هاجر قبل المدينة، ورجع عامة من كان هاجر بأرض الحبشة إلى المدينة
“I was shown in a dream the place of your migration, with date palms between two rocky tracts, which are the two ḥarras. Thus, those who intended migration set out towards Madinah, and most of those who had migrated to Abyssinia also came to Madinah.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 3905]② Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī (رضي الله عنه) reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:
رأيت فى المنام أني أهاجر من مكة إلى أرض بها نخل، فذهب وهلي إلى أنها اليمامة أو هجر، فإذا هي المدينة يثرب
“I saw in a dream that I was migrating from Makkah to a land with date palms. I thought it might be Yamāmah or Hajar, but it turned out to be Madinah (Yathrib).”
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 3622; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 2272]Scholarly Consensus
ʿAllāmah Ibn al-Qayyim (رحمه الله, d. 751 AH) said:
رؤيا الأنبياء وحي، فإنها معصومة من الشيطان، وهذا باتفاق الأمة
“The dreams of the Prophets are revelation, for they are protected from Satan. This is agreed upon by the entire Ummah.”
[Madārij al-Sālikīn: 1/75]
Conclusion:The dreams of the Prophets are authentic revelation, free from any satanic influence, and this is unanimously agreed upon by the scholars of the Ummah.
