Seeing the Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, in a dream

 

Many of our scholars say that it is possible to see the Prophet Muhammad May God bless him and grant him peace in a dream and that seeing him in a dream is true because devils cannot impersonate the Prophet May God bless him and grant him peace. Is such a belief considered shirk (associating partners with Allah) or not?

The answer: This statement is true and is part of the beliefs of Muslims, and it does not involve shirk. It has been authentically reported that the Prophet May God bless him and grant him peace said: “Whoever sees me in a dream has indeed seen me, for Satan cannot impersonate me” (agreed upon its authenticity).

 This authentic hadith indicates that the Prophet May God bless him and grant him peace can be seen in a dream, and whoever sees him in his known form has indeed seen him, for Satan cannot impersonate his form. However, this does not necessarily mean that the person who sees him is righteous, and it is not permissible to rely on such visions for anything that contradicts what is known from the Shariah. Rather, what the dreamer hears from the Prophet in terms of commands, prohibitions, news, or other matters must be compared to the Qur’an and the authentic Sunnah. What agrees with them or one of them is accepted, and what contradicts them or one of them is rejected, because Allah has completed the religion for this Ummah and perfected His favor upon it before the death of the Prophet May God bless him and grant him peace. Therefore, it is not permissible to accept from anyone anything that contradicts what is known from the Shariah of Allah and His religion, whether it is through a dream or otherwise. This is a consensus among the recognized scholars.

As for someone who sees him May God bless him and grant him peace in a form other than his known form, their vision is false, such as seeing him without a beard, or seeing him with a different skin color, or any other attributes that contradict his known characteristics May God bless him and grant him peace. This is because he May God bless him and grant him peace said: “Satan cannot impersonate me,” indicating that Satan can impersonate someone else and claim to be the Prophet May God bless him and grant him peace to mislead people and confuse them.
Moreover, not everyone who claims to have seen him May God bless him and grant him peace is truthful. Such claims are only accepted from trustworthy individuals known for their honesty and adherence to the Shariah of Allah. Many people saw him May God bless him and grant him peace during his lifetime but did not believe or benefit from seeing him, such as Abu Jahl, Abu Lahab, and Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salul, the leader of the hypocrites, among others. Therefore, seeing him May God bless him and grant him peace in a dream is even more so.