Академия Корана:Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān/Dreams and Sleep

Leah Kinberg, "Dreams and Sleep" in: Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, General Editor: J. D. McAuliffe, Georgetown University, Washington DC.

Visions (q.v.) seen while asleep which convey a message or meaning of some import. Four different terms denote dreams in the Qurʾān. The word ruʾyā appears six times (q 12:5, 43, 100; 17:60; 37:105; 48:27); the word manām appears four times, twice meaning sleep (q.v.; q 30:23; 39:42) and twice meaning dream (q 8:43; 37:102); bushrā, which means good tidings (see good news), is interpreted once to mean a dream (q 10:64). All three words signify good dreams. For bad dreams the Qurʾān uses ḥulm. This word occurs twice, both times in the expression aḍghāth aḥlām, meaning «confused dreams» (q 12:44; 21:5). Of the ten references, six deal with biblical figures: four with Joseph (q.v.; q 12:5, 43, 44, 100) and two with Abraham (q.v.; q 37:102, 105); the other references deal with matters relating to central Islamic issues.

In their remarks on verses that mention dreams, most qurʾānic commentators ad-duce ḥadīth sayings of the kind found in the canonical ḥadīth collections (see ḥadīth and the qurʾān). These sayings deal with the authority (q.v.) of dreams and their usage as a means of legitimization. (For a characterization of the nature of dreams in the ḥadīth collections, see Manām, Introduction, 36.) In citing these sayings, the exegetical works (tafsīr) associate the qurʾānic dreams with the general Islamic attitude toward dreams as expressed in the ḥadīth. The ḥadīth contributes to this association by referring to qurʾānic dreams and citing relevant qurʾānic verses in its dream chapters (for example Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ, Bāb al-taʿbīr, Bāb ruʾyā al-ṣāliḥīn). The same occurs in other sources that dedicate special chapters to dreams, using qurʾānic dreams to support their interest in the topic of dreams (for example Abū l-Qāsim al-Qushayrī, Risāla; cf. the examination of bushrā below).

Some commentators suggest that qurʾānic dreams be classified according to their fulfillment and clarity. Al-Rāzī (d. 606/1210; Tafsīr, xxvi, 157), for example, mentions three classes: (1) dreams in which the message or description becomes reality, such as the message in Muḥammad’s dream in Ḥudaybiya (q.v.), foretelling the conquest of Mecca (q.v.; q 48:27); (2) dreams in which the message is fulfilled in the opposite way, e.g. Abraham’s dream, where the message was to sacrifice a son but the reality was the sacrifice of a lamb (q 37:102-5; see isaac; ishmael); (3) dreams that need interpretation to be understood, exemplified by the four dreams in Sūrat Yūsuf (q 12).

The remainder of this article is devoted to an examination of qurʾānic verses that allude to dreams (with a translation of the verses), a summary of the relevant tafsīr sections as well as an analysis of their applicability to the ḥadīth.

Abraham’s dream

q 37:102-5 reads: «And when [his son] was old enough to walk with him, he said, ‘My son, I see in a dream (manām) that I shall sacrifice (q.v.) you; consider, what do you think?’ He said, ‘My father, do as you are commanded; you shall find me, God willing, one of the steadfast.’ When they had surrendered, and he flung him upon his brow, we called unto him, ‘Abraham, you have confirmed the vision (ruʾyā)’…» Exegetical commentaries on these verses add details to complete the account and raise a few questions about the content and process of Abraham’s dream. Through such details and questions, the status of dreams in Islamic thought, not necessarily in the Qurʾān, was articulated.

Several commentators mention that when Abraham was informed about the future birth of his child, he took an oath (see oaths) that he would sacrifice the child to God. In a dream he was reminded of that oath (Muqātil, Tafsīr, iii, 615; Rāzī, Tafsīr, xxvi, 153; Qurṭubī, Jāmiʿ, xv, 102; Suyūṭī, Durr, v, 307). Exegesis (see exegesis of the qurʾān: classical and medieval) further reports that Abraham saw the dream three nights in a row. In the morning after the first night, Abraham thought about the dream and wondered whether it was from God or from Satan (see devil). The next night he had the same dream and then he knew that the message was from God. By the third night, Abraham was ready to sacrifice his son (Rāzī, Tafsīr, xxvi, 153; Baghawī, Maʿālim, iv, 569; Qurṭubī, Jāmiʿ, xv, 101-2; Suyūṭī, Durr, v, 308). Abraham’s hesitation is understood to be in disagreement with the ḥadīth that states that prophets' dreams (ruʾyā) are equal to revelation (waḥy, Suyūṭī, Durr, v, 305; cf. Joseph’s dream below). If dreams have the authority of revelation, Abraham should not have hesitated. Furthermore, the Qurʾān narrates that Abraham consulted his son about the sacrifice (fa-nẓur mādhā tarā). This, in the eyes of some commentators, constitutes a contradiction: If dreams are authoritative, as indicated by the ḥadīth, why did this dream not elicit Abraham’s immediate trust and certitude (see trust and patience)? On the other hand, if the dream does not supply decisive proof of its reliability, which may explain the hesitation, how did it happen that Abraham decided to sacrifice his son after all? Al-Rāzī's (d. 606/1210) (Tafsīr, xxvi, 153) answer to both questions is that Abraham hesitated with regard to the dream (ruʾyā) but was reassured by a clear revelation (al-waḥy al-ṣarīkh).

Attention should be given to the terminology used by al-Rāzī: Although the verse itself uses the word manām, the commentator refers to the word ruʾyā without indicating whether it was a synonym for manām or not. When dealing with ruʾyā, he also refers to waḥy. The difference between the two may be associated with the ḥadīth that defines dreams as part of prophecy (see Abū Hājir Zaghlūl, Mawsūʿa, v, 156; Kinberg, Literal dreams, 283-4, and n. 12; Qurṭubī, ad Joseph’s dream, below). Al-Rāzī, when explaining how Abraham made the decision, puts ruʾyā and waḥy in a hierarchy, in which the latter authorizes the former.

The tafsīr emphasizes that Abraham was so determined about what he was going to do that the efforts of Satan to change his mind were in vain (Baghawī, Maʿālim, iv, 570; Suyūṭī, Durr, v, 306-7). Abraham made all the preparations and when he was about to sacrifice his son, a voice was heard, complimenting him for trusting the dream (ruʾyā, q 37:105). This, according to al-Rāzī, indicates Abraham’s awareness of the fact that the message delivered in his dream was obligatory. This does not mean, however, that the command was actually carried out (Rāzī, Tafsīr, xxvi, 156). Following this argument, al-Rāzī classifies this dream among those in which the message is fulfilled in an opposite way (id., 157).

Dreams related to Joseph

In Sūrat Yūsuf (q 12) there are four dreams that are symbolic and require interpretation. As such they fit the third category of dreams mentioned above. In the beginning of the sūra (q 12:3), Joseph tells his father that he dreamt he had seen eleven stars, the sun (q.v.) and the moon (q.v.), all bowing down before him (cf. Gen 37:4-6; see bowing and prostration). Later in the sūra we read about the dreams of the two men who met Joseph in prison. One saw himself pressing grapes, the other saw himself carrying bread (q.v.) on his head while birds were picking at it. Joseph interpreted the dreams to mean that the first man will pour wine for his king and the other will be crucified (q 35-41; cf. Gen 40:5-19; see crucifixion). Verse 12:43 tells of Pharaoh’s (q.v.) dream about the seven fat cows eating the seven lean ones and about the seven green and seven withered ears of corn. Pharaoh’s counselors could not interpret the dream and defined it as aḍghāth aḥlām, «confused dreams» (q 12:44). Joseph interprets the symbols as standing for seven good years that will be devoured by seven bad years (q 12:47-9). Toward the end of the sūra Joseph’s dream, mentioned at the outset of the sūra, is fulfilled with the arrival of his family to Egypt: «And he lifted his father and mother upon the throne and they fell down prostrate before him. ‘See, father,’ he said, ‘this is the interpretation of my vision of long ago; my Lord (q.v.) has made it true’» (q 12:100).

As in the case of Abraham’s dream, here too exegesis contributes to the understanding of the status of dreams in Islam. While dealing with the verse that cites Jacob’s (q.v.) advice to Joseph not to tell his dream to his brothers (q 12:5), most commentators focus on the prophetic nature of this dream and elaborate on the relationship between prophecy and dreams. Al-Wāḥidī (d. 468/1076; Wasīṭ, ii, 600), for example, explains that Joseph was a prophet and states that prophets' dreams (ruʾyā) are equal to revelation (waḥy, cf. Abraham’s dream above). Jacob knew that his sons, Joseph’s brothers, would understand the meaning of the dream and would try to do away with Joseph. Thus he advised him not to tell them his dream.

For the same verse, al-Qurṭubī (d. 671/1272) adduces some of the ḥadīth sayings that actually underscore the reliability of dreams such as the one which defines dreams as part of prophecy (the 26th, 40th, 44th, 46th, 49th, 50th part of prophecy, Jāmiʿ, ix, 122-4; cf. Abraham’s dream above; see revelation and inspiration; prophets and prophethood). He further examines the qualities of dreams as truth-holders (see truth), as prophecies that come true, and compares different kinds of dreams and different times of dreaming (Qurṭubī, Jāmiʿ, 125-9). He ends his commentary with the presentation of Joseph as a prophet and as the best dream-interpreter on earth (id., 129, ad v. 6). In his commentary on the verses dealing with Joseph’s interpretation of the dreams of the two men in prison (q 12:35-42), al-Qurṭubī raises a question concerning the actualization of dreams according to their interpretation: When the dreamer tells the truth, his dream will be fulfilled according to its interpretation. The process is different when the dreamer lies. In this case, only the interpretation of a prophet will be carried out. This is the way to understand Joseph’s words: «The matter is decided whereon you enquire» (q 12:41). Al-Qurṭubī explains that when Joseph interpreted the dream of the doomed man, the latter denied having the dream. To that Joseph answered, «Whether you saw it or not, ‘the matter is decided whereon you enquire’» (Qurṭubī, Jāmiʿ, ix, 193). The question of the fulfillment of dreams is raised again by al-Qurṭubī when dealing with the number of years that passed from the time Joseph had his dream as a boy until he met his family in Egypt as a hero (q 12:100). Forty years, as stated by al-Qurṭubī, is the longest time that can pass from the time the dream occurred until its actualization (id., 264 ad q 12:100).

Al-Qurṭubī's elaboration conveys the exegetical inclination to consider qurʾānic dreams an integral part of the literature of dream interpretation (taʿbīr). An examination of the taʿbīr literature shows that although it also manifests that it has been influenced by foreign cultures such as Babylonian (Bland, Muhammedan science, 119; Fahd, The dream, 351), Greek (Bland, Muhammedan science, 123-4; Fahd, The dream, 248; Somogyi, Interpretation, 2) and Jewish (Kister, Interpretation, 99-101). The literature on oneiromancy is, however, Islamic in nature: A basic requirement imposed on every Muslim dream-interpreter is a thorough knowledge of the tradition of qurʾānic commentary (tafsīr) from which many ways of interpretation derive (Bland, Muhammedan science, 132). Qurʾānic verses are also often cited in taʿbīr works and are frequently used as means of interpretation (id., 122; Kister, Interpretation, 90, 91; Somogyi, Interpretation, 15-8). Joseph appears in taʿbīr books in illustration of methods of interpretation (Bland, Muhammedan science, 125). Certain parts of the Qurʾān are considered protectors against bad dreams (id., 129-30) and verses heard or seen in dreams are interpreted according to the nature of the sūra in which they occur (id., 143).

More qurʾānic references to dreams deal with issues taken from the biography of Muḥammad (see sīra and the qurʾān) and contribute to the establishment of basic elements of Islamic belief related to good tidings about the next world (bushrā), the battle of Badr, the conquest of Mecca, the nocturnal journey of the Prophet (see ascension) and the accusation against Muḥammad of being inspired by aḍghāth aḥlām, «confused dreams» (see opposition to muḥammad).

Bushrā

q 10:62-4 reads: «Surely God’s friends — no fear shall be on them, neither shall they sorrow. Those who believe, and are godfearing — for them is good tidings in the present life and in the world to come. There is no changing the words of God; that is the mighty triumph.» Several definitions of «good tidings» (bushrā) are adduced in the commentary on this verse, among which «dream» (ruʾyā) is one. Dreams are the good tidings in the present world; the gardens of Eden (jannāt Adan (see garden)) are the good tidings of the next world (Ṭabarsī, Majmaʿ, iii, 70). Apart from commentary, this verse is often adduced as an opening to examination of dreams. For example, al-Qushayrī begins the chapter about dreams in his Risāla with this verse in order to legitimize the interest Islam has in dreams (Qushayrī, Risāla, Bāb ruʾyā al-qawm, 304). Al-Qushayrī further develops the legitimization of dreams by adducing a set of prophetic sayings that denote the special value of this medium.

Similar traditions also appear in exegetical works. Al-Suyūṭī (d. 911/1505), in his commentary on this verse, cites a variety of sayings defining dreams as a part of prophecy that has ceased to exist (Durr, iii, 337-9; Ibn ʿAṭiyya, Muḥarrar, iii, 129). Kāshānī (d. after 1091/1680), on the same verse, quotes a few Shīʿite traditions to demonstrate the way in which the good tidings are delivered. Such is the one transmitted by ʿAyyāshī (d. early fourth/tenth) on the authority of Abū Jaʿfar al-Bāqir (the sixth Shīʿī Imām, d. 114/733): When a man is about to die, the angel of death comforts him by telling him that his hopes will be fulfilled and that none of his fears will materialize to hurt him. Then the angel (q.v.) opens a door facing the gardens of Eden and lets the man see his future abode (see garden); there he sees the Prophet and ʿAlī (see ʿalī b. abī ṭālib) and Ḥasan and Ḥusayn (Kāshānī, Ṣāfī, ii, 410; see family of the prophet; shīʿism and the qurʾān). Visions of paradise (q.v.) and descriptions of rewards in the next world are the most common motifs in the literature of dreams (see reward and punishment). By using these motifs, and by referring to ḥadīth sayings that legitimize the usage of dreams, commentators try to anchor dream literature in the Qurʾān.

The battle of Badr

q 8:43 reads: «When God showed them to you [Muḥammad] in your dream (manām) as few; and had he shown them as many you would have lost heart, and quarrelled about the matter; but God saved [you]; he knows the thoughts in the breasts.» Some commentators report that before the battle of Badr (q.v.), Muḥammad had a dream in which he saw the enemy to be few in number. Upon divulging the dream, the people were encouraged and declared that their Prophet’s dream revealed the truth. In the battlefield, God, to fulfill Muḥammad’s dream, decreased the number of infidels in the eyes of the believers (Muqātil, Tafsīr, ii, 117; Abū l-Layth al-Samarqandī, Tafsīr, ii, 20; cf. Rāzī, Tafsīr, xv, 174). This verse should be read together with q 3:13 which states that the victory of the believers at Badr became possible through a divine sign (āya) which had caused a deceptive change in the number. Thus, if q 8:43 deals with a preliminary, revealing dream, q 3:13 describes some kind of apparition (q.v.) that took place on the battlefield in the fulfillment of the dream.

The conquest of Mecca

q 48:27 reads: «God has indeed fulfilled the vision (ruʾyā). He vouchsafed to his messenger truly: ‘You shall enter the holy mosque (q.v.), if God wills, in security, your heads shaved, your hair cut short, not fearing.’ He knew what you knew not, and gave you a victory beforehand.» Of the three groups of dreams presented above, this verse is used to demonstrate the first kind, where the message or description is fulfilled and becomes a part of reality.

In explaining the background to the verse, commentators emphasize that the verse alludes to a dream which the Prophet had before he went to Ḥudaybiya. In the dream, he saw the believers entering the holy mosque. The believers were pleased to hear the dream, believing that they would enter Mecca (q.v.) that same year. When this did not happen, the so-called hypocrites (munāfiqūn, see hypocrites and hypocrisy) became doubtful. The verse was revealed to encourage believers and to certify the trustworthiness of the dream (see occasions of revelation), namely the future entrance into Mecca (Muqātil, Tafsīr, iv, 76; Ṭabarsī, Majmaʿ, iv, 78; Shawkānī, Tafsīr, v, 55; Rāzī, Tafsīr, xxviii, 104. See also Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ, Bāb al-taʿbīr, Bāb ruʾyā al-ṣāliḥīn).

God’s promise to fulfill the dream («You shall enter the holy mosque») seems to contradict the addition «if God wills.» Exegesis suggests several ways to settle the contradiction, all of which convey a need, almost an obligation, to interpret the verse in a manner that does not contradict the idea of dreams as truth-holders or, as stated by al-Qurṭubī, as «means to deliver revelations to prophets» (Jāmiʿ, xvi, 290).

The nocturnal journey of the Prophet

q 17:60 reads: «And when we said to you, ‘Surely your Lord encompasses humankind,’ and we made the vision (ruʾyā), that we showed you, an ordeal (fitna) for humankind and [also] the tree cursed in the Qurʾān; and we frighten them, but it only increases them in great insolence.» Exegetical literature offers various occasions to which the ruʾyā in this verse may refer: One is the ascension (q.v.; isrāʾ), mentioned in the first verse of the same sūra. In this case, ruʾyā (dream) might mean ruʾyat ʿayn, «physical seeing in wakefulness» and the cursed tree (al-shajara al-malʿūna) is the zaqūm (Ṭabarsī, Majmaʿ, iv (xv), 66; Suyūṭī, Durr, iv, 210; Shawkānī, Tafsīr, iii, 240; Ibn ʿAṭiyya, Muḥarrar, iii, 467, 468; see trees). The reference could also be to Muḥammad’s dream regarding the conquest of Mecca (q 48:27; Ṭabarsī, Majmaʿ, iv [xv], 66; Shawkānī, Tafsīr, iii, 240; Ālūsī, Rūḥ, viii, 107; Ibn ʿAṭiyya, Muḥarrar, iii, 468) or to the dream in which the Prophet saw monkeys climbing his pulpit (minbar), interpreted as being the Umayyad caliphs. According to the last interpretation, the cursed tree alludes to the Umayyad dynasty (Ṭabarsī, Majmaʿ, iv (xv), 66; Suyūṭī, Durr, iv, 211; Shawkānī, Tafsīr, iii, 240; Ālūsī, Rūḥ, viii, 107; Kāshānī, Ṣāfī, iii, 200; Ibn ʿAṭiyya, Muḥarrar, iii, 468).

Unlike the other references discussed above, the exegesis on this verse does not examine the dream as a medium which reveals a future event but rather raises a question as to the circumstances under which the dream could cause fitna, «ordeal, insolence, dissension (q.v.).» Performing the ascension(isrāʾ) through a dream would not cause fitna (Ibn ʿAṭiyya, Muḥarrar, iii, 468). Only physical ascension could be considered a miracle, the acceptance of which requires profound belief and as such puts people to the test. Following this line, attention should be given to the exceptional usage of ruʾyā in this verse. It means physical seeing rather than dreaming and indicates wakefulness rather than sleep (see seeing and hearing). If that ruʾyā refers to the dream Muḥammad had before the conquest of Mecca, fitna could be the outcome of the disappointment of the people who did not witness the immediate fulfillment of the dream (see «The conquest of Mecca» above).

Aḍghāth aḥlām

Dreams of this category are defined as frightful nightmares, deceptive dreams or dreams with a meaning that cannot be interpreted (Qurṭubī, Jāmiʿ, xi, 270). In the case of Pharaoh, the counselors did not know how to interpret his dream and named it aḍghāth aḥlām (q 12:44). In q 21:5 the term refers to the Qurʾān brought by Muḥammad and was used by those who doubted his mission. Although not elaborated in the tafsīr, the difference between the term aḍghāth aḥlām and ruʿyā/ manām can be easily perceived. The latter are considered part of prophecy, of divine origin, revealing the future (see Bushrā above), they hold the truth (see Muḥammad’s dream before the conquest of Mecca, mentioned above) and have the authority to lead people and instruct them on how to act (see Abraham’s dream, and all the dreams in Sūrat Yūsuf, mentioned above). Aḍghāth aḥlām, on the other hand, are represented as misleading lies, stories inspired by demons and, as such, invalid. By comparing the negative features of aḍghāth aḥlām, the value and weight of ruʾyā and manām become prominent. This differentiation also appears in the ḥadīth literature, expressed in a widespread saying «ruʾyā is from God and ḥulm is from Satan» (al-ruʾyā min Allāh wa-l-ḥulm min al-shayṭān, for a reference to different versions of this ḥadīth, see Abū Hājir Zaghlūl, Mawsūʿa, v, 157).

Conclusions

Of all the references to dreams examined above, only in Sūrat Yūsuf do we come across dream narratives (q.v.). In all other cases, the term «dream» is mentioned but nothing is said about the content of the dream, the reason for it or its background (asbāb al-nuzūl; see occasions of revelation); these are elaborated in the exegetical literature. This observation allows us to say that — except for the dreams in Sūrat Yūsuf — the Qurʾān does not contain narratives of dreams. The examination of dreams in the exegetical literature reflects the concerns of later times, when dreams had already gained a special status in Islam.

The legitimization of the usage of dreams, established in the ḥadīth, was set to justify the special role dreams began to play in the nascent Islamic community that had lost its Prophet. People’s search for the authority of dreams increased after the death of the Prophet, when prophecy came to an end (see Kinberg, Literal dreams, 283, and n. 12; also Von Grünebaum, Cultural function, 7). As part of prophecy, dreams were perceived as vehicles through which transcendental information could reach the believers. This created a special interest in dreams and, due to the trust people had in them, they began to function in a way similar to that of the ḥadīth, especially that of edifying ḥadīth (for further details see Kinberg, Literal dreams, 283-92 [Dreams as a functional parallel to ḥadīth]). The Qurʾān naturally was not in need of this kind of dream. The exegetical literature, nevertheless, tried to relate ḥadīth and Qurʾān.

The same can be said of the relationship between qurʾānic dreams and taʿbīr literature, the interpretation of dreams. Exegesis, whenever applicable, dealt with the way in which the interpretation of dreams operated and the circumstances under which they could be fulfilled. Taʿbīr books, which developed into a distinct genre (for details see Manām, Introduction, 43-6), referred to the Qurʾān and used its verses as a means of interpretation. Nonetheless, were it not for the contribution of tafsīr, no qurʾānic verse would have been associated with the taʿbīr literature.

Bibliography

Primary

• Abū Hājir Zaghlūl (ed.), Mawsūʿat aṭrāf al-ḥadīth, Beirut 1989
• Abū l-Layth al-Samarqandī, Tafsīr
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Secondary

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• T. Fahd, Les procédés oniromantiques, in id., La divination arabe, Leiden 1966, 247—367
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