The Principles of Dream Interpretation in Islam

The Art of Dream Interpretation is among the first structured online programmes designed to introduce students to the ethics, boundaries, and methodologies associated with understanding dreams in Islamic tradition. It offers a reflective overview of dream-related content in the Qur’ān and Sunnah, explores the symbolic language found in historical sources, and highlights the cautions issued by scholars regarding interpretation.

The course does not train participants to become dream interpreters. Instead, it aims to offer valuable insights into how the early Muslim community approached dreams, the types of dreams recognised in Islam, and how classical and modern scholars have understood their spiritual and psychological relevance. It also includes lessons from rare and significant dreams reported in Islamic history, including those of the Prophets (‘alayhim as-salām), while placing emphasis on the proper adab (etiquette) in discussing or sharing dreams.

This course is particularly beneficial for Muslims seeking a deeper appreciation of Islamic knowledge, as well as for students, professionals, and researchers interested in cultural studies, spirituality, and the intersection of Islam and psychology.

Dream interpretation is one of the earliest sciences of knowledge revealed to humankind. There are many questions scholars address in relation to dreams, like the principles of how to interpret your dreams, who witnesses the dream, the soul or the self, what does it mean to see oneself doing something unnatural and what is the difference between true and false dreams. This course has been specifically designed to provide the response to these questions and more.

In Islam, dreams are seen as a form of spiritual perception. Dream interpretation is also generally termed, ‘‘tafsir’’ or ‘‘ta'bir’’. Multiple Muslim intellectuals and philosophers have devised various Islamic dream interpretation theories and observations over the past 1400+ years. Many of these reflections and statements match with many recent theories and ideas proposed by modern psychologists associated with the psychology of mind.

Muhammed Ibn Sirin, the most popular dream interpreter in the history of Islam, formulated a framework for dream interpretation, with both Hadith and the Qur’an as its foundation. There are false attributions to him and those which are true. It is important to be able to differentiate the two. One thing is sure, there is valuable psychological and spiritual importance of a true dream experience. According to Ibn Sirin, the interpretation of a dream depends entirely on the dreamer’s life circumstances and personal characteristics, along with the meaning of the dream. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) classified these dreams when he informed us, “There are three types of dreams: a righteous dream which is glad tidings from Allah, the dream which causes sadness is from Shaitan and a dream from the ramblings of the mind.”

This beginner-level course is a must-attend for professionals, intellectuals, psychologists, Muslim scholars, students, and people from different walks of life who have an interest in understanding Islamic perspectives on dream interpretation.