The prophets' dreams

The prophets' dreams are the visions the prophets saw in sleep or waking in the manner of prophethood; among them are those in the Qur'an of Joseph, Abraham and the Prophet ^{1 2}.

Joseph

Joseph saw in his youth eleven stars and the sun and the moon prostrating to him, and told his father Jacob, who forbade him to recount it to his brothers: "O my son, do not recount your dream to your brothers" Yusuf 4 5. In prison he saw the two young men — one pressing wine and the other carrying bread that birds ate — and interpreted them: "As for one of them, his lord will give him drink and the other will be crucified and the birds will eat of him" 36. Then the king saw seven fat cows eaten by seven lean ones and seven green ears and seven dry, and Joseph read them as seven years of plenty in which men sow and reap, then seven hard years that devour what they laid up ¹. When Jacob said to him "this is the interpretation of my dream of old that my Lord has made true" 100, it became clear that the first dream had come true: the stars, the sun and the moon had prostrated — his family and his people ¹.

Abraham

Abraham said to his son when they walked together: "I see in a dream that I am sacrificing you, so see what you think" — the son obeyed and said: "My father, do what you are commanded" As-Saffat 102 103. Then God said to him: "You have fulfilled the vision; thus do We reward the good-doers" 105 106.

The Prophet

His Qur'anic dream was fulfilled without need of human interpretation: his sight of Badr by their number Al-Anfal 43, God's telling him that what he was shown of the enemy as few was a warning to him Al-Fath 27, and "the vision We showed you was only a trial for the people" Al-Isra' 60 — the exegetes read it as his seeing the city and entering it secure with the polytheists then being driven out, which happened at its conquest ¹.

• The dream of milk: he drank milk until the whey ran in his nails, then gave to Umar, interpreting it as knowledge and that Umar would study fiqh ² Bukhari 3681.
• The dream of Umar's palace in Paradise: the Prophet saw it and held back from looking at what lay beyond out of Umar's known jealousy; when he recounted it to his Companions, Umar laughed ² Bukhari 3680.
• The dream at the Kaaba: "He showed me last night at the Kaaba" — he saw Jesus circumambulating and a curly one-eyed man called the Dajjal ³ Muwatta 2666.
• The dream of Laylat al-Qadr: shown in Ramadan the night of the dispute, then raised — "seek it in the last seven" ⁴ Muwatta 894, and the Companions' agreeing dream of seeking it in the last ten ⁴ Muwatta 895.

The prophets spoke of their dreams as in the stories of Abraham and Joseph, and the Prophet verified his dream by revelation and interpreted it for his Companions — which is why it was his custom after the morning prayer to ask: did any of you see a dream last night? ⁵ Muwatta 2748. The seerah books record that when the Prophet saw a good dream he took heart and spoke of it, and when he saw what he disliked he sought refuge from it ⁶.

• Ahl al-Sunna: the prophets' dreams are true and from God; they are not wondered at nor denied, and they are among the signs of prophethood and divine honours.
• The exegetes: they differed in interpreting some dreams but agreed they are among the signs of prophethood, and held that Joseph's dream was the first gift of the knowledge of interpretation to the community.