Interpreting dreams is no ordinary matter. One should not share their dreams with everyone and ask for interpretations. Giving a wrong interpretation can cause harm instead of good. Just because people ask for an interpretation, one should not say whatever comes to mind. A dream is a connection between the Creator and His servant. Therefore, dreams have an inner meaning; it cannot be understood by everyone.
The Prophet’s saying (Hadith) states that a good dream is one-fortieth part of prophecy (Nubuwwah).
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever sees me in a dream has truly seen me, for Satan cannot take my form.”
Good dreams come from Allah (the Creator), and bad dreams come to man from Satan. Sometimes, a dream can be glad tidings from Allah, and at other times, it can be a warning.
The real name of Ibnu Sirin (Rah), who was highly proficient in the wonderful art of dream interpretation, was Abu Bakr Muhammad Ibnu Sirin. He lived in the city of Basra in Iraq.
It is of great significance that the marriage of Ibnu Sirin’s parents took place in the presence of eighteen Companions (Sahaba) who participated in the Battle of Badr.
Ibnu Sirin studied the science of Hadith from Sahabas like Abu Hurairah (Rali), Ibnu Umar (Rali), Ibnu Jubair (Rali), Imran Ibnu Husain (Rali), and Anas Ibnu Malik (Rali). Ibnu Sirin lived in the company of many Sahabas. Furthermore, Ibnu Sirin was a close friend of Imam Hasan al-Basri (Rah).
In his youth, Ibnu Sirin worked in a textile shop in the city of Basra. Ibnu Sirin was exceptionally handsome. Moreover, he possessed deep piety (God-consciousness) even in his youth.
A wealthy widow, who fell in love with him, sent her servant to the shop where he worked, messaging the shop owner that she wished to buy fabric and requested that the clothes be sent through Ibnu Sirin.
Accordingly, the shop owner handed over the clothes and sent Ibnu Sirin. When he arrived at her house, the widow shut the door and asked him to yield to her desires.
Realizing the situation, Ibnu Sirin told her that he would fulfill her desire after attending to his personal needs. He went to the restroom, smeared feces all over his body, and returned covered in foul odor. Seeing him, she looked at him with disgust and moved away.
Leaving the place, Ibnu Sirin reached a well, bathed, cleansed himself, and went straight to the mosque to offer gratitude to Allah. At that time, the people in the mosque smelt a fragrance of musk coming from Ibnu Sirin and looked at him in amazement.
That night, while Ibnu Sirin was asleep, Prophet Yusuf (Alai) appeared in his dream, praised his chastity, made supplication (Du’a) for him, placed his cloak on Ibnu Sirin, and disappeared. By the grace of Allah, from that moment on, the wisdom of dream interpretation began to flow abundantly into Ibnu Sirin.
It was a unique honor for him that even the great saints of that era would seek interpretations for their dreams from Ibnu Sirin. Even to this day, when it comes to dream interpretation (Ta’bir), the name of Ibnu Sirin (Rah) stands as the pioneer.
The Companion Ibnu Jubair (Rali) once dreamed that he threw Abdul Malik Ibnu Marwan down and slapped him on the cheek four times. Without revealing his name, he sent someone to Ibnu Sirin to narrate the dream and ask for its interpretation. The man went and asked for the interpretation, claiming that he was the one who saw the dream.
To this, Ibnu Sirin replied, “This is not a dream seen by you. I will not interpret this dream without knowing the real name of the person who saw it,” and sent the man back. The man went back to Ibnu Jubair and recounted what happened. Ibnu Jubair sent him again, telling him to reveal the truth that he was the one who saw the dream and get the interpretation. When he told the truth to Ibnu Sirin, he interpreted it saying, “The caliphate (leadership) will belong to the descendants of Abdul Malik Ibnu Marwan,” and sent him back.
One day, while Ibnu Sirin (Rah) was sitting with his friends, a man came and said he dreamed of calling the Adhan (call to prayer). Ibnu Sirin interpreted, “Your hand will be cut off.” Shortly after, another man came and said he also dreamed of calling the Adhan. Ibnu Sirin interpreted, “You will perform Hajj.”
When asked why he gave two entirely different interpretations for the same dream, he replied, “I saw signs of evil on the first man’s face, and I saw signs of goodness on the second man’s face.” Later, everything happened in the lives of both men exactly as Ibnu Sirin had predicted.
One day, Ibnu Sirin’s slave girl told him, “I dreamed that you rose higher and higher into the sky and finally reached the star called Zahra.” Upon hearing this, he said, “My end is near; I will pass away before the coming Jumu’ah (Friday).”
True to his words, he passed away before the Jumu’ah prayer on the next Friday in Basra, Iraq. His final day was on the 9th of Shawwal, 110 AH. Ibnu Sirin passed away exactly one hundred days after the death of Imam Hasan al-Basri (Rah).
