| Answer:
One sentence answer to the question is that the Sharī‘ah is silent
on matters related to what a person sees in a dream. However, in order to
elaborate on the issue, I will try to present some details.
It is known from the Qur’ān that dreams and visions were one of the means
through which Allah would reveal His will to His Messengers. The dream of
the Prophet Abraham (sws) about sacrificing his son for Allah’s sake
(37:102) and the dream of the Prophet Muhammad (sws) about the battle of
Badr (8:43) bear witness to this fact. But as far the as the dreams of other
people are concerned, we find nothing in the Qur’an to substantiate if what
a person sees in his dreams is actually from the Almighty. This, however,
does not suggest that what a person watches in his dream will not come true
at all. The narratives recorded in the Qur’ān about the Prophet Joseph (sws)
who interpreted the dreams of his fellow prisoners and of the Pharaoh and
how those dreams simultaneously came true show that they do sometimes have a
reality behind them. The point that must be borne in mind is that while
dreams of Allah’s Messengers were an absolutely reliable means for knowing
the will of the Almighty, since they were saved from the influences of Satan
and His accomplices, our dreams can have no religious bearing whatsoever
upon us because of our susceptibility to Satanic influences. In this regard,
the guidance provided by the Prophet must be kept in mind:
The Prophet said: ‘If anyone of you sees a dream that he likes, then it is
from Allah, and he should thank Allah for it and narrate it to others; but
if he sees something else, a dream that he dislikes, then it is from Satan,
and he should seek refuge with Allah from its evil, and he should not
mention it to anybody, for it will not harm him. (Bukhārī, 9.114)
Like
thanking Allah for every blessing, the Prophet (sws) wants his followers to
be grateful for having a good dream. But nowhere has he established for his
followers to comply with what they may see in a dream. Consequently, it can
safely be concluded that dreams have no religious bearing upon us no matter
what.
As far as the question regarding the status of the spirit while a person is
sleeping is concerned, it must be understood keeping in view the stance of
the Qur’an in this respect as well as practical experience. The Qur’an
mentions that Allah takes the souls of those who fall asleep and then return
to them when they wake up provided their period of life has still not
expired:
It is Allah that takes the souls [of men] at death and those that die not
[He takes] during their sleep: those on whom He has passed the decree of
death He keeps back [from returning to life] but the rest He sends [to their
bodies] for a term appointed. Indeed in this are signs for those who
reflect. (39:42)
We also know from practical experience that the soul of a person does stay
with him while sleeping. Had the soul been taken out literally from a
person’s body, he would not be able to dream or move his body or inhale or
breath. Sometimes, we even hear people talk on an issue during our sleep and
start to dream about the topic under discussion. Thus, the conclusion is
that God does take control of our souls when we are asleep but the true
nature of this ‘taking control’ is from among the matters that are humanly
not possible to figure out. The Qur’ān (3:2) terms them as Mutashābihāt.
The answer to your last
question is in the negative. The Qur’ān explains that when a person dies,
his soul is placed beyond the barrier of Barzakh where it shall stay till
the Day of Judgment.
Before them is a Partition (Barzakh) till the Day they are raised up.
(23:100)
Hence, there is no way that any deceased could contact his relatives in
this world. |