Bad Dreams in Ramadan… I thought the Devils Are Chained?!

Outline

• Introduction
• Types of Dreams in Islam
• Bad Dreams Meant to be Good
• What Do We Do After Having a Bad Dream?
• Conclusion

Introduction

Alhamdulillah… All praises and thanks are due to Allah. May His Peace and Blessings always be upon Habibi Muhammad, his household, his companions and all those who follow his guided path.

This article is part of a response to an email I received from a Good Reader of GSalam.Net, who was asking about Bad Dreams that occur in Ramaḍān. Such (bad dreams) happen in the month, when the devils are supposed to be in chains and cages. How do we make sense of that?

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Types of Dreams in Islam

Good dreams are good, and bad dreams are bad, but they may not be good or bad based on our perception, or based on the scenarios in which we see them. This is to say, a dream that seems good may not necessarily be so, and that which seems bad may not necessarily be bad.

In fact, not all dreams are dreams, that require attention. Some dreams, are as a result of anxiety; due to eagerness or excitement about a particular plan, project or endeavour. It may also due to the worry and the fear we have for something to happen.

The Prophet Muhammad, salla Allahu ‘alaihi wasallam, said in a Hadeeth narrated by Sayyidina Abu Hurairah, radhiya Allahu ‘anhu, and reported by Imam Muslim, that:

إِذَا اقْتَرَبَ الزَّمَانُ لَمْ تَكَدْ رُؤْيَا الْمُسْلِمِ تَكْذِبُ وَأَصْدَقُكُمْ رُؤْيَا أَصْدَقُكُمْ حَدِيثًا وَرُؤْيَا الْمُسْلِمِ جُزْءٌ مِنْ خَمْسٍ وَأَرْبَعِينَ جُزْءًا مِنَ النُّبُوَّةِ وَالرُّؤْيَا ثَلاثَةٌ: فَالرُؤْيَا الصَّالِحَةُ بُشْرَى مِنَ اللَّهِ، وَرُؤْيَا تَحْزِينٌ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ، وَرُؤْيَا مِمَّا يُحَدِّثُ الْمَرْءُ نَفْسَهُ، فَإِنْ رَأَى أَحَدُكُمْ مَا يَكْرَهُ فَلْيَقُمْ فَلْيُصَلِّ وَلا يُحَدِّثْ بِهَا النَّاسَ

“When the time (of the Day of Resurrection) draws near, a believer's dream will hardly be false. And the truest vision (dream) will be of one who is himself the most truthful in speech, for the vision of a Muslim is the forty-fifth part of Prophecy, and dreams are of three types: Good dream which is glad tidings from Allah; bad dream which causes distress, which is from the Devil; and dream which represents what a person is thinking about. So if any one of you sees a dream which he does not like he should get up and pray, and not tell people about his dream.”

We understand from the Hadeeth, that dreams are of three types:

1. Good dreams that come from Allah
2. Bad dreams that are transmitted by the devil, to distress one.
3. Dreams as a result of one's anxiety, excitement, worry or fear.

It’s worth noting, that, a good dream from Allah, is good, but may not necessarily be portrayed in a good scene. The same thing applies to the third type, where one speaks to himself in his sleep; he can tell himself the good thing he want to see or about the bad thing he is avoiding in his consciousness.

So, the possibility of the first and the third types (of dreams) happening during or outside Ramaḍān is high. As for the second type, which only comes from the devil(s), they may only happen outside Ramaḍān, based on the fact that devils are chained and caged, in the blessed month of Ramaḍān. The Prophet, salla Allahu ‘alaihi wasallam, said in a Hadeeth, reported by Abu Hurairah, and authenticated by Imam Al-Bukhari and Muslim, that:

إِذَا جَاءَ رَمَضَانُ، فُتِّحَتْ أَبْوَابُ الجَنَّةِ، وَغُلِّقَتْ أَبْوَابُ النَّارِ، وَصُفِّدَتِ الشَّيَاطِينُ

“When Ramadan begins, the gates of Heavens (Jannah) are opened, the gates of Hell-Fire are closed, and the devils are chained.”

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Bad Dreams Meant to be Good

Now, let me give an example for a bad dream that may mean good.

An example of a ‘bad dream' which is a good in its reality is, the dream of a Muslimah who chose not to dress Islamically (she goes without Hijab), and dreams one day, that she was put in fire, and her body was not burnt, but parts of her body was. Those parts that were caught by the fire, are the parts she displayed, when she goes without Hijab. That ‘bad dream' has changed the life of this Muslimah, and had turned her into a modest Muslimah. Was it a bad dream? I don't think so.

Another example of a ‘bad dream' is the dream of a rich man, I mean a very rich man, who, due to his richness, decided not to reproduce. That was because he thought he didn't need children, and that his money could give him any favour or happiness which children may ever give to their parents.

One day, he had a dremt that went bankrupt, and lost everything. He fell ill (in the dream). He saw that he was voluntarily cared for, by a child he's not related to. But from time to time, the child had to leave him, to attend to the needs of his own father, who was also ill.

The rich man woke up from his dream, and decided (in his reality) to make a proper family, and to take serving the society at heart, for he didn't know where his richness could take him, and for how long he will remain rich.

Was that a good dream or bad? I have no idea.

Nobody wants to die. Therefore, death in dreams is perceived to be bad. But the believer who sees death in his dream can look at it positively. What's wrong if I die? Everyone will surely die. Therefore, this “bad dream” may be a wake-up call, for me to prepare for the Hereafter.

Many people die the “sudden death”, unprepared. Only a few and the really lucky ones die prepared. So when one sees death in his dream, it should be meant to draw his attention to prepare for it, in a way that entitles him for Paradise.

Is it bad to prepare for Paradise? Of course; NO! But this was seen through death, which is seen in dream as bad, right?

If ‘bad' dreams can be good, then good dreams may not necessarily be good. I don't want to translate good dreams into bad, with examples. It's enough that we know its possibility.

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What Do We Do After Having a Bad Dream?

When we have a bad dream, so long as we see it bad (though it may be good in reality), we are advised to do some things, as Muslim, which can help keep the devils away, should they be the casue. The Prophet, salla Allahu ‘alaihi wasallam, said in a Hadeeth, narrated by Sayyidina Jabir, radhiya Allahu ‘anhu, and reported by Imam Muslim, that:

إِذَا رَأَى أَحَدُكُمُ الرُّؤْيَا يَكْرَهُهَا فَلْيَبْصُقْ عَنْ يَسَارِهِ ثَلَاثًا وَلْيَسْتَعِذْ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ ثَلَاثًا وَلْيَتَحَوَّلْ عَنْ جَنْبِهِ الَّذِي كَانَ عَلَيْهِ

“If any one of you sees a dream that he dislikes, let him spit drily to his left three times and seek refuge with Allah from the Devil three times, and turn over onto his other side.”

With the few instructions from the Prophet, salla Allahu ‘alaihi wasallam, one can do the following short activities, whenever he sees a bad dream.

1. Realize that bad dreams (are usually) from the devil, who wants to cause grief, to children of Adam. Therefore, one shouldn't entertain him, but rather annoy him; by not paying any attention to such dreams.
2. Seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Devil.
3. Seek refuge with Allah from the evil of such dreams.
4. Spit drily to one's left three times, i.e., blowing with a little bit of saliva.
5. One should not tell anyone about his bad dreams.
6. One should turn over from the side on which he was sleeping, so if he was lying on his left side he should turn over to his right side, and vice versa.
7. One should get up and pray.

With this, one will do what the Prophet, salla Alalhu ‘alaihi wasallam, has taught us. He should therefore leave the rest, to Allah, for He's the Best of the Best Protectors.

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Conclusion

May Allah choose us among those who deserve to have truly good dreams. May Allah bless the one who inspired this article. May Allah bless the reader of this article. And may Allah accept from the Wrtier

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Allah knows best.

Allahu Hafiz 🙂

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