INTRODUCTION

Dreams – a portion of Nabuwwah

Rasoolullah (Sallallaahu-alayhi-wassalam) is reported to have said Ru’ya of dreams are a portion from the forty portions of nabuwwah.  That is why every person is not privileged to give the ta’beer or interpretation of dreams. 

Only a person who has the following qualifications is authorised to do so:

1)     He must have adequate knowledge of the Tafseer of the Qura’aan

2)     He must be a Hafiz of the Ahadeeth of Rasoolullah (Sallallaahu-alayhi-wassalam)

3)     He must be well versed in the Arabic Language.

4)     He must be familiar with the roots of words so he knows where its derived from.

5)     He must be familiar with the nature and status of people.

6)     He must be familiar with the basic principles of ta’beer or interpretation

7)     He must be possess a pure and clean soul

8)     He must be a man with sound morality

9)     He must be honest in speech and conduct.

Why all the above requisites? Because when giving the ta’beer (interpretation) of a dream, at times, the aspect of time has to be taken into account and at other times, the ta’beer is given directly from the Quraan, and Hadeeth and again, at other times, the usage and phraseology is taken into accont.  Sometimes, instead of taking into consideration the one who see the dream, the Mu’abbir (interpreter) will take into account someone who resembles him (ie. the observer of the dream) in personality or name.  Sometimes an interpretation is given by name only or by the meaning of a word only or by its contrasting meaning.  Again, at other times the root-meaning of a word is taken into account, or the lesser or greater meaning of a word is taken into account.

Facts to be taken into consideration before a mu’abbir
interprets a dream

It is important that the interpreter (mu’abbir) understands fully and properly every detail of a dream seen by any person.  He should be able to weigh it on the scale of the rules of interpretation.  If the numberous facts emerging from a dream are such that they DO correspond with each other logically then such a dream will be deemed as a genuine and authentic dream.  But if the facts emerging from a dream is such that they DO NOT correspond with each other, then the interpreter should reflect on the apparent meanings of the words.  Whichever meaning is nearest to the rules of interpretation, such a meaning should be adopted.

If a dream is of a complicated nature so that it cannot be weighed on the scale of the rules of interpretation then such a dream will be deemed as meaningless.  If a certain dream causes the interpreter to become dubious or doubtful then he should appeal to the conscience of the observer of such a dream:  If the dream concerns Salaah, he should question him about Salaah; if it concerns a journey he should question him about journey; if it concerns marriage, he should question him about marriage.  Thereafter, the mu’abbir will interpret to the best of his knowledge.

The interpreter should be extremely cautious when interpreting a dream: if the dream evidences obscenity and indecency he should use pleasant words when interpreting it or simply avoid interpreting it.

It is necessary for a mu’abbir to establish the biological and logical classification of things and give its interpretation accordingly.  The biological and logical classification of things can be made as follows: (a) geneses (b) species (c) nature and characteristics.

Example of Geneses of Things

Trees, voracious animals and birds.  If these are seen in ones dream (individually or collectively) they may very likely mean men.

Examples of species

A specific tree like the date tree or a walnut tree.  The date tree may be interpreted as an honourable Arab gentleman since date trees are mainly indigenous to Arab countries.  As for the walnut tree, it represents a non-Arab person since these trees do not grow in the land of Arabs.

Examples of the nature and characteristics of things

A date tree.  This may be interpreted as total goodness and virtue since the date tree is regarded as a tree constituting total goodness as is known from the Hadeeth.  On the other had a walnut tree may be interpreted as a person who is deceptive as well as quarrelsome.  Why? Because it is by nature very hard and its core cannot be attained until broken or split open.

The nature of birds is to fly.  Therefore, the one towards whom a bird is associated may be travelling very often and widely.

A peacock may be interpreted as a wealthy non-Arab king who adopts much embellishments and who has many followers.  The same applies to a royal white falcon or eagle.  But if it is a crow or a magpie, it represents an evil person.

As shown in the above examples, the mu’abbir should be able to draw analogies before interpreting a dream.  If he does so, he will be rightly-guided, by the will of Allah.

Examples of Ta’beer (Interpretations) from the Holy Qura’aan

1)  Allah Ta’aala says in the Holy Qur’aan: As if they (the damsels of Jannah) are concealed eggs.

In the above verse, since Allah Ta’aala has assimilated the women of Jannah, to eggs, eggs seen in the dream could be interpreted by the Mu’aabir (interpreter) as women.

2)  Stones or rocks could be interpreted as the hardness of hearts in the view of the following verse of the Holy Qur’aan: Then your hearts become hard, then they become like stones or evern harder than stones.

3)  Flesh could be interpreted as backbiting in the light of the this verse:  What! Will one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? (No) you will detest to do so!

In the above verse Allah Ta’aala has referred to backbiting to be the same as eating the flesh of one’s dead brother.

4)  Keys could be interpreted as treasures because Allah Ta’aala says:  And we gave him (Qaaroon) so much treasures that their keys were carried by a powerful group of men.

Logically, the above interpretation is very apt because one may reach one’s treasure through the medium of keys only.

5)  Likewise, a boat or vessel may be interpreted as deliverance or safety from any calamity, for, Allah Ta’aala says in the Holy Quraan:  Then we saved him (Nooh) and the people of the boat

and also says:  Then we saved him and those with him in the boat

6)  Similarly, if someone dreams that a king has entered someone’s house or a certain town contrary to his (the king’s) normal habit, then this could be interpreted as some calamity befalling that house or town; or the humiliation of the noble people of such a town;.  This interpretaion is given in the light of the following aayah:  Surely, Kings, when they enter a country, they despoil it and make the noblest of its people its meanest.

7)  Similarly, garments could be interpreted as women in the view of the verse:  They (your wives) are a garments and you are their garments.

Examples of Ta’beer (interpretation) from the Hadeeth

1)  A crow may be interpreted as a shameless and corrupt person because Rasoolullah (sallalaho alayhe wassallam) named the crow as “faasiq”, meaning shameless, corrupt etc.

2)  A mouse could be interpreted as a shameless and immoral woman because     Rasoolullah (sallalaho alayhe wassallam) has said that a mouse is shameless and corrupt.

In the above Hadeeth the word faasiq is used which is normally used for describing a corrupt and licentious woman.

3)  The rib would mean a woman in the light of his Hadeeth: “A woman is created from a crooked rib”.

4)  A doorsill or threshold may be interpreted as a woman because it is narrated that Ibraheem (Alaihis Salaam) said to his son, Ismaeel (Alaihis Salaam):  “Change your doorsill”, meaning

“your wife”.  There are thus, countless examples of delivering interpretation in the light of the Ahadeeth.

Examples of Ta’beer according to general usage of Language

1)  If a person sees that his arm is long, it means that he will treat people with kindness and generosity because the Arabic expression his arm is longer than yours means that he is more generous than you.

2)  Carrying wood in the dream means tale-bearing and gossiping.  In Arabic the expression he carries or is carrying wood is used when one carries gossip from one person to another.

3)  To see oneself or someone else as sick is interpreted as “hypocrisy”.  In Arabic the expression so-and-so is sick in his promise is used when someone does not fulfil his promise.

4)  Mucus in the dream symbolises a son because the expression the mucus of the lion is used when a son resembles his father.

5)  To see someone throwing a stone at another or shooting an arrow or aiming a weapon at him means that such a person is talking bad of the other person because in Arabic, the expression so-and-so shot at another is used when someone backbites about another or falsely accuses him.

6)  To see oneself or another washing the hands with soap may be interpreted as despair, despondency and loss of hope.  The expression I have washed my hands off you with ushnaan is used when a person loses all hope of acquiring any good or benefit from another.

These are only a few examples to demonstrate that many interpretations depends on daily usage of the Arabic Language, idioms, proverbs and expressions.  There are countless examples of this.

Examples of interpretation according to the overt meaning of names

If a person bearing a certain name is seen in the dream or such a name is heard in the dream then the interpretation will be given according to the meaning of the name.  Examples follow:

Fadhl, Faadhil, Afdhal denote excellence, superiority, kindness, generosity, honour etc.

Rasheed, Raashid, Arshad denote treading the straight path, to preserved from error, be well-guided, right conduct etc.

Saleem, Saalim, Aslam denote soundness, safety, healthy, be without blemish, to be good-natured etc.

Examples of interpretations According to the Covert or Deeper meaning of Words

A flower in a bloom such as a narcissus or rose denotes shortness of life or imminent death since flowers do not remain forever.  They are normally short-lived.  Hence, a similar interpretation will be given regarding the person who owns or possesses flowers or towards whom such flowers are associated.  Such examples are many.

Interpretation according to the contrasting meaning of things

Seeing oneself as weeping will be interpreted as joy and happiness as long as such weeping is not done with sound, screaming or tearing one’s collar to pieces as when mourning.  On the contrary joy, happiness, merry-making, laughter, dancing etc, will be interpreted as grief and sorrow.

Similarly, if two persons are seen fighting in the dream then the one who loses the battle will be the one to gain victory.

Similarly, if a person sees himself being cupped it means he will be compelled to fulfil certain conditions in an agreement or contract.  Or if a person sees himself being made to agree on certain conditions, it means he will get cupped.  The reason being that in Arabic the word shart (condition) is sometimes used to mean “cupping”.

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