Types of Dreams and Their Fascinating Aspects
Ibn Sirin said, "Dreams are of two types:
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Types of Dreams and Their Fascinating Aspects
Abdullah ibn Abbas narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, "Dreams are of three types: some are from Allah and bring good tidings to people about their lives; some are from Satan, causing people to fall into despair; and some are mixed (meaningless) dreams."
Prophet Daniel (peace be upon him) said, "Dreams are essentially of two types: one informs about the present situation, and the other predicts the future. These two types are further divided into four categories: directive dreams, deterrent dreams, frightening dreams, and reassuring dreams."
Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) stated, "Dreams can be classified into three types: clear dreams, symbolic dreams, and complex dreams. Four types of people experience complex dreams: those prone to corruption, those who sleep while intoxicated, those who consume difficult-to-digest foods like eggplant, salt, lentils, pickles, etc., and children who have not yet reached puberty."
Ibn Sirin said, "Dreams are of two types:
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Clear dreams: These are further divided into true and false dreams.
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Complex dreams: These are also of three types. The first type arises from the individual's nature, the second from Satan's tricks, and the third originates from the person's own psyche."
Kirmani stated, "Dreams are of three types:
- Dreams bearing good news from Allah.
- Dreams induced by Satan to mislead people.
- Dreams related to one's own actions (such as muttering)."
A righteous dream is shown to a person by one of Allah's close angels. This angel comes from the Preserved Tablet to warn the person about his sins, past or future. Until the harmful effect of the dream disappears, it prompts the person to seek refuge in Allah and be mindful of Him. Alternatively, if the dream is good, it swiftly delivers its blessings to him. Therefore, those who forget their dreams are advised, "If you forget, then seek forgiveness." Because the angel who showed you the dream comes from the Preserved Tablet."
Ja'far al-Sadiq said, "Dreams are of two types: true dreams and false dreams. True dreams are further divided into three types: informing dreams, alarming dreams, and inspiring dreams:
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Informing dreams: These are dreams in which Allah sends a message through an angel appointed from the Preserved Tablet to inform the person about events in this world and the hereafter. This serves two purposes: to provide lessons for the Muslims and to complete the evidence against disbelievers on Judgment Day.
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Alarming dreams: These are dreams in which the angel appointed by Allah shows the person the paths leading to sin and warns him about them.
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Inspiring dreams: These are dreams in which the same angel shows the person the ways of goodness, obedience, servitude, avoiding oppression, staying away from sins, and repenting from sins. Indeed, Allah says in the Quran, "O believers, repent to Allah, all of you, so that you may succeed."
False dreams are also of three types: the first is a mere aspiration, the second is a result of illness, and the third is from Satan (complex dreams). Aspiration is when a person sees in his dream what he thinks about while awake. This dream has no reality and no interpretation. Illness is when a person moans or mutters in his dream due to the severity of any illness in his body. Such dreams are baseless and have no interpretation. Indeed, Allah says in the Quran, "They say, 'This is a tangled web of dreams, and we do not know how to interpret dreams.'"
Imam Ali said concerning dreams, "One of the interesting things created by the Lord of the Worlds is dreams and the good or evil things seen in dreams."
Ibn Sirin remarked, "One fascinating aspect of dreams is that the dreamer may experience either good fortune or misfortune in the dream, and later encounters the same while awake. Another fascinating aspect is that some individuals may learn and express medical terms in their dreams that even a scholar may not have articulated as wisely."
Ja'far al-Sadiq commented, "One of the mysterious aspects of dreams is that the dreamer may talk about foreign languages in his dream, explain them, interpret them, but upon awakening, he does not know what they mean."
Kirmani concluded, "One mysterious aspect of dreams is that a person may see something in his dream, and upon awakening, the same thing happens to him exactly as he saw it in his dream."
