In the Quran it is stated,
"Allah receives souls at the time of their death, and that which die not in its sleep. He keeps that for which He hath ordained death and dismisses the rest till an appointed term. Lo! herein verily are portents for people who take thought." (Quran 39:42)
During sleep a person leaves this realm of existence and travels to the next world (returns to God). In the world of sleep, a person will dream. A person will dream of all sorts of things; family, friends, pleasant and scary scenarios, mythical and magical beings, and sometimes a person will be granted some sort of power like flying.
Purpose of Dreaming
There is a story in the Quran to illustrate what information dreams can relate and their purpose.
"When Joseph said unto his father: O my father! Lo! I saw in a dream eleven planets and the sun and the moon, I saw them prostrating themselves unto me. He said: O my dear son! Tell not thy brethren of thy vision, lest they plot a plot against thee. Lo! Satan is for man an open foe…" (Quran 12: 4-5)
As the story progresses it becomes evident that the sun and moon represent Joseph's parents and the stars his brothers. They all would bow before him when he becomes royalty in Egypt by way of his ability of interpreting the King's dream.
This story accomplishes two things. First, it shows that dreams have symbolic meaning and can be interpreted. There are no prophets among today’s society to interpret so the dreamer must rely on intuition, life experiences, and those closest among family and friends.
Secondly, it makes the Muslim aware of the importance of symbolism in the stories of the Quran. This is more indirect but can be implied. This will be discussed more fully in another article.
Dreams are given to everyone
As another part to Joseph's story indicates, it does not take a prophet to experience these special dreams.
And the king said [to his wise men]: Lo! I saw in a dream seven fat kine which seven lean were eating, and seven green ears of corn and other (seven) dry. (Quran 12:43-49)
Eventually Joseph was summoned from his imprisonment to interpret the king’s dream. The king's men were unable to do so and thus failed pharaoh.
Joseph with his keen God given insight realized that with pharaoh, being the ruler of the land would naturally be susceptible to dreams pertaining to his responsibility. In effect, part of the reason a person dreams and what she/he dreams about has to do with responsibilities in life. The more responsibilities a person has will determine the type of dreams she/he receives. It is a perfect system created by God.
Whereas pharaoh’s men told him that his dream of fat and skinny cows and ears of corn were wanderings in the mind, Joseph had a different perspective. He informed the pharaoh that his dream referred to his responsibility as caretaker of the land. He informed him to prepare for bad times ahead. He also instructed the king in how to prepare for those bad times. For the king's dream presented both problem and solution.
Dreams are a gift from God
So dreams are the method by which the Divine communicates to the soul. During the unconscious state the dreamer is returned to its Lord. While existing in this sleeping state, the human is returned briefly to the Divinity that created all. If the dreamer but listen to the message being conveyed perhaps some knowledge of ones course in life, problems and solutions, will be gleamed.
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