We will quote below a number of ahaadeeth which describe the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). If what you in your dream is in accordance with this, then you did indeed see the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), because he said: "Whoever sees me in a dream has really seen me, because Shaytaan cannot appear in my image." (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 5729).
Rabeeah ibn Abi Abd al-Rahmaan said: "I heard Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) describing the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
He said: He was of average height, not too tall and not too short, with a pinkish colour, not very white and not dark, and his hair was neither very curly nor very straight. The Revelation came to him when he was forty years old, and he stayed in Makkah for ten years after the Revelation came, then in Madeenah for ten years. When he died, there were no more than twenty white hairs on his head and in his beard." (al-Bukhaari, 3283).
Al-Baraa ibn Aazib said: "The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was broad shouldered and had thick hair coming down to his shoulders and earlobes. He was wearing red garments (not complete red). I have never seen anything more beautiful than him." (Reported by Muslim, Kitaab al-Fadaa'il, Baab Sifat Sha'r al-Nabi (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), no. 2338).
Ali said: "He was neither tall nor short, and had large hands and feet. He had a large head and was big-boned, and the thin line of hair (starting from his chest and extending to the navel) was long. When he walked, he would lean forward, as if he was walking downhill. I have never seen anyone like him, before or since." (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 3570, who said this is a saheeh hasan hadeeth).
There is no way prescribed in shareeah for the one who wants to see the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in a dream. It is appropriate here to comment on a number of matters that have to do with this question:
1 : The one who sees the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in a dream has to see him in his true form, at any stage of his life. So if a person claims to have seen light or a man with a completely white beard or a man wearing pants for example, these are not attributes of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), so this is not the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). The Shaytaan cannot appear in the true image of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), but he can appear in other forms.
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say, “Whoever sees me in a dream will see me when he is awake, and the Shaytaan cannot take my shape.” Al-Bukhaari said: Ibn Sireen said: If he sees him in his true image.
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6592; Muslim, 2266
If a man told Ibn Sireen that he had seen the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) [in a dream], he would say, “Describe to me the one whom you saw.” If he gave a description that he did not recognize, he would say, “You did not see him.” Its isnaad is saheeh.
Al-Haakim narrated via Aasim ibn Kulayb (who said), my father told me: I said to Ibn Abbaas, “I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in a dream.” He said, “Describe him to me.” He said, “I mentioned al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali and said that he looked like him.” He said, “You did indeed see him.” Its isnaad is jayyid.
See Fath al-Baari, 12/383, 384.
2 – The Muslim should not concern himself with dreams and visions, basing his affairs on them and forgetting about the state of wakefulness in which Allaah has enjoined rulings and acts of worship on him.
3 – The Muslim who is following the Sunnah sees the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in his heart; the more he follows him the more he will see him. So when he goes out of his house or goes to the mosque or does wudoo, he remembers what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to do. When he prays or performs Hajj he follows his Sunnah. When he buys and sells or interacts with people, he acts according to the teachings of his Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). When he is at home with his family and children he follows the teachings of his Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
This is what the Muslim should seek and strive to achieve.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“There is nothing like Him, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer”
[al-Shoora 42:11]
So nothing in His creation resembles Him, but a person may see in his dream that his Lord is speaking to him, but whatever images he sees is not Allaah because there is nothing like unto Allaah, so there is nothing that resembles Him.
Shaykh Taqiy al-Deen said concerning this that it may vary according to the situation of the person who sees it. The more righteous and good the person is, the closer his dream will be to what is true and correct, but Allaah is different from whatever he sees, because the basic principle is that there is nothing like unto Allaah.
He may hear a voice that says such and such or do such and such, without seeing any image that resembles any created being, because there is nothing like unto Allaah. It was narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw his Lord in a dream.
It was narrated from Muaadh (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw his Lord, and it was narrated via a number of isnaads that he saw his Lord, and that Allaah put His hand between the Prophets shoulders so that he felt its coolness on his chest.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said that no one will see his Lord until he dies. This was narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh. When the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was asked whether he had seen his Lord, he said: “I saw Light.” This was narrated by Muslim from Abu Dharr (may Allaah be pleased with him).
Aaishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) was asked about that and she said that no one will see Him in this world, because seeing Allaah in Paradise is the greatest blessing for the Muslims, so that will happen only to the people of Paradise and the believers in the Hereafter, and to the believers in the place of standing on the Day of Resurrection. This world is the abode of trial and testing, the place shared by both good and evil people, so it is not the place for seeing Allaah, for seeing Him is the greatest blessing, so Allaah has saved it for His believing slaves in the abode of honour on the Day of Resurrection.
With regard to seeing Allaah in a dream as many people claim to have done, that varies according to the situation of the one who saw that – as Shaykh al-Islam (Ibn Taymiyah – may Allaah have mercy on him) said – how righteous and pious the person is. Some people may imagine that they have seen Allaah when that is not the case, for the Shaytaan may appear to them and make them think that he is their Lord, as it was narrated that he appeared to Abd al-Qaadir al-Jeelaani on a throne above the water, and said, “I am your lord and I have relieved you of obligations.” Shaykh Abd al-Qaadir said: “Shut up, O enemy of Allaah, you are not my Lord, because the commands of my Lord can never be lifted from those who are accountable.” Or words to that effect.
The point is that seeing Allaah when awake cannot happen to anyone in this world, not even the Prophets (peace be upon them), as stated above in the hadeeth of Abu Dharr. This is also indicated by the words of Allaah to Moosa (peace be upon him) when he asked his Lord to let him see Him. He said to him (interpretation of the meaning):
“You cannot see Me”
[al-Araaf 7:143]
But the Prophets and some of the righteous may see Him in a dream in a manner that does not resemble any of His creation, as stated above in the hadeeth of Muaadh (may Allaah be pleased with him). But if there is a command to do something that goes against shareeah, this is a sign that he has not seen his Lord, rather he has seen a devil. If he sees that he is telling him, Do not pray for you have been relieved of obligations, or you do not have to pay zakaah, or you do not have to fast Ramadaan, or you do not have to honour parents, or he says it does not matter if you consume riba (usury, interest) – all such things are signs that he has seen a devil and has not seen his Lord.
Permission is granted to circulate among private individuals and groups, to post on Internet sites and to publish in full text and subject title in not-for-profit publications.
Offline 
Send Email