This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Irshad Ullah Maan's book In Search of Truth.
After the death of the Prophet ﷺ, to reconnect the severed link with you from this world, our scholars adopted a unique method, that is, through incorrect interpretations of the Quran and Hadith, they made dreams a permanent means of the Prophet ﷺ’s appearance in this world and meeting with his "lovers." Consequently, you see him in dreams, he gives glad tidings, grants guidance, makes predictions, and now not only the Prophet ﷺ but also the Awliya Allah appear in dreams.
Reference: (Tablighi Jamaat)
Sometimes Imam Bukhari appears in dreams and recites Bukhari, sometimes Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) sits on the Throne and starts conducting marriage ceremonies.
Reference: (Allama Yusuf Banuri)
A person of heart sometimes sells his lucky camel in a dream.
Reference: (Fazail-e-Sadaqat, Part Two)
Sometimes the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ himself comes and recites forty hadiths in a dream.
Reference: (Shah Waliullah Rahmatullah Alaih)
Even on special occasions, the Lord of the Worlds Himself appears in dreams and grants His saints necessary instructions.
This series of dreams began after the era of Khair al-Qurun when the "true lovers" of the Prophet ﷺ gained dominance over Islam, and since then, the coming and going of the Prophet ﷺ in the world has continued. Now, there is even a ماشاء اللہ practice for the visitation of the Prophet ﷺ.
Shah Abdul Haq Muhaddith Dehlvi says: On the night between Thursday and Friday, pray two rak'ahs of Nafl prayer, reciting Ayat al-Kursi eleven times and Surah Ikhlas eleven times in each rak'ah. After completing the prayer with Salam, recite Durood Sharif one hundred times. Within three Fridays, (ان شاء اللہ) the visitation of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ will be granted. The Durood is: (اللٰهم صل علٰی محمد النبي الامي وآله واصحابه وسلم)
It is regrettable that the companions of the Prophet, may Allah be pleased with them, and the hadith scholars did not have this remedy, otherwise they would not have had to face the trials that occurred during their lifetimes. For example, Abdul Rahman bin Awf was distressed for several days over the issue of the appointment of the third caliph, and the Prophet ﷺ did not come in a dream to guide him. Similarly, tragic events like the Battle of Jamal and the Battle of Siffin occurred, in which thousands of companions were martyred due to mere misunderstandings, yet even then the Prophet ﷺ did not come to guide his dear companions. The hadith scholars spent their entire lives collecting hadiths, verifying them, and scrutinizing the narrators, but they did not use the remedy of visitation to meet the Prophet ﷺ, which would have saved them effort and countless complex issues would have been resolved instantly. It seems that those people were not true lovers of the Messenger, otherwise the Prophet ﷺ would not have shown such disregard towards them, or the status of these "true lovers" is higher in the Prophet’s sight than that of the companions, the followers, and the hadith scholars. (نعوذ باللہ!)
Those lovers of the Prophet who have regular access to you should seek guidance from you ﷺ regarding the issues that have caused this Ummah to be divided into sects, and these sects are at odds with each other. For example, the Prophet’s ﷺ presence, sending salutations upon you, saying Ameen aloud, Fatiha behind the Imam, raising the hands, etc., and also get confirmation from the Prophet ﷺ about which of their respective sects is correct—whether the Barelvi sect is right, or the Deobandi, the non-followers, or if all are wrong? Incidentally, Shah Waliullah Sahib has already obtained a certificate from the Prophet ﷺ regarding the correctness of the four prayer mats. If the belief in this dream is examined in the light of the Quran, it will be found that the structure of this belief is built without a foundation; this belief explicitly contradicts the Quranic verses because it is based on two things.
First, that the Prophet or a saint can come into the world even after death.
Secondly, the Prophet or a wali (saint) are also considered to be all-knowing of the unseen, such that if they are remembered, they become aware and immediately come to fulfill the need, whereas according to the Quran, they are completely unaware of such matters, as stated in Surah Al-Ahqaf: [وَ ہُمۡ عَنۡ دُعَآئِہِمۡ غٰفِلُوۡنَ] They are unaware of their calls.
Reference: (Al-Ahqaf: 5)
In another place it is stated: [وَ الَّذِیۡنَ تَدۡعُوۡنَ مِنۡ دُوۡنِہٖ مَا یَمۡلِکُوۡنَ مِنۡ قِطۡمِیۡرٍ]،[اِنۡ تَدۡعُوۡہُمۡ لَا یَسۡمَعُوۡا دُعَآءَکُمۡ ۚ وَ لَوۡ سَمِعُوۡا مَا اسۡتَجَابُوۡا لَکُمۡ ؕ وَ یَوۡمَ الۡقِیٰمَۃِ یَکۡفُرُوۡنَ بِشِرۡکِکُمۡ]
[And those whom you call besides Him do not possess even the shell of a date seed], [if you call them, they do not hear your call, and if they hear, they will not respond to you, and on the Day of Resurrection, they will deny your association (partners) with Allah.]
Reference: (Fatir: 13, 14)
Besides, the question that arises regarding the interpretation of dreams is this: when a Prophet or a saint goes out of the grave to enter someone's dream, how and from where exactly do they come out of their grave? Is this act of coming out of the grave governed by ordinary physical laws, or is it a supernatural miracle? If it is physical, then an explanation within the framework of physical laws is required, and if this act is miraculous, then evidence from the Quran and authentic Hadith should be presented. Furthermore, if during the time the Prophet ﷺ is outside his grave, someone sends salutations and peace upon the Prophet’s grave, will those salutations be lost? Because, according to their belief, salutations and peace are only presented to the Prophet ﷺ himself. Therefore, it should also be known when the Prophet ﷺ is present in the grave and when he is outside the grave. Additionally, how does a Prophet or saint, after coming out of the grave, cover thousands of miles in just a few moments? Do they appear to anyone while coming out of the grave or during the journey? Is all this not a divine intervention in affairs which only Allah has the authority over?
