What is the ruling on testifying that someone is in Paradise or Hell based on a dream vision?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : May Allah reward you. The hadith regarding testifying that someone is in Hell or Paradise based on a vision.
The Shaykh : A vision may be true if it is supported by circumstances, and it is acted upon. But if there are no circumstances, or if it contradicts Islam, it is not acted upon. If a person came to us, for example, and said: "I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and spoke to him, and he spoke to me, and said, 'O so-and-so, it is difficult for you to stand for the Fajr prayer on the white days, so there is no blame on you if you delay it until you wake up from your sleep.' We would say: Did you truly see the Messenger? He would say: I truly saw him. Do we accept this vision? Why?
The student: It contradicts the Shari'ah.
The Shaykh : It contradicts the Shari'ah, but a vision that is supported by circumstances and does not contradict the Shari'ah, or that the Shari'ah supports, is permissible.
For this reason, they mentioned regarding Thabit ibn Qays ibn Shamas (may Allah be pleased with him), and you know his story, that he had a loud voice, and he was one of the orators of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). He had a loud voice, so when the word of Allah the Exalted was revealed:[Al-Hujurat 49:2] he confined himself to his house and began to weep. He could not face the people for fear that his deeds had been nullified and he was unaware of it. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) missed him, so they said: "O Messenger of Allah, since this verse was revealed, he has been in his house weeping." So he sent a messenger to him and said to him, "Good news: Sahih Ibn Hibban 64:74. Fear of Allah is the shore of safety, it is the shore of safety. Whoever knows Allah best is most afraid of Him.
He was given this good news. He lived (may Allah be pleased with him) with a good reputation, and was killed as a martyr in the Battle of Yamamah, and we testify for him that he is in Paradise based on the saying of the Messenger:. But when he was killed, one of the soldiers passed by him, and he was wearing armor, so the soldier took his armor and placed it at the edge of the army under a large pot. I do not know if Ahmad knows what a large pot is? What is a large pot? What is it?
The student: A vessel, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Yes, a vessel made of pottery. He placed the armor under this vessel, and around it was a horse neighing. The horse that neighes, they say, is the one that raises one of its legs. A companion of his saw him in a dream and informed him of the news, saying: "I think so-and-so passed by me and took the armor and placed it under a large pot at the edge of the camp, and around it was a horse neighing. When morning comes, go to him." Then he gave a will to Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), the Caliph. When morning came, the man informed the commander Khalid ibn al-Walid of the news, and they went to the place and found the armor exactly under the large pot, with a horse neighing around it.
So this vision was supported by what? By circumstances. So the will was carried out; Abu Bakr carried it out. The scholars said that no one is known to have made a will after his death and had it carried out except Thabit ibn Qays ibn Shamas (may Allah be pleased with him). So if circumstances indicate that, there is no harm.
Similarly, Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said in his book *I'lam al-Muwaqqi'in*: "It was difficult for Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah to understand certain issues in fiqh, so he saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in a dream and asked him about them, and he answered him and issued a ruling for him". This is among the miracles of Allah for Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him). Among the things he asked him about, he said: "Funerals were brought to us to pray over, and we doubted the faith of the deceased?" So the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: "Stick to the condition, O Ahmad, stick to the condition," meaning: "O Allah, if he was a believer, forgive him." This is what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned in the dream; if he had not testified to it, we would have said it is not acted upon based on what came in the Book and the Sunnah.
The point of that is his statement regarding the verse of li'an: What? [An-Nur 24:7] And she says [An-Nur 24:9] So that indicates that making a supplication conditional on deserving it is permissible.
The student: The time is up.
The Shaykh : The time is up.
The reader: (may Allah preserve him): "And we believe in the bliss of the grave for the believers[An-Nahl 16:32].
And we believe in the punishment of the grave for the wrongdoers, the disbelievers[Al-An'am 6:93].
And the hadiths on this are numerous and well-known. So the believer must believe in everything that came in the Book and the Sunnah regarding these unseen matters, and not contradict them with what is seen in this world, for the matters of the Hereafter are not measured by the matters of this world, due to the great difference between them, and Allah is the One to be asked for help".
The Shaykh : Yes.
The Shaykh : A vision may be true if it is supported by circumstances, and it is acted upon. But if there are no circumstances, or if it contradicts Islam, it is not acted upon. If a person came to us, for example, and said: "I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and spoke to him, and he spoke to me, and said, 'O so-and-so, it is difficult for you to stand for the Fajr prayer on the white days, so there is no blame on you if you delay it until you wake up from your sleep.' We would say: Did you truly see the Messenger? He would say: I truly saw him. Do we accept this vision? Why?
The student: It contradicts the Shari'ah.
The Shaykh : It contradicts the Shari'ah, but a vision that is supported by circumstances and does not contradict the Shari'ah, or that the Shari'ah supports, is permissible.
For this reason, they mentioned regarding Thabit ibn Qays ibn Shamas (may Allah be pleased with him), and you know his story, that he had a loud voice, and he was one of the orators of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). He had a loud voice, so when the word of Allah the Exalted was revealed:
O you who have believed, do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet or be loud to him in speech like the loudness of some of you to others, lest your deeds become worthless while you perceive not.
يا أيها الذين آمنوا لا ترفعوا أصواتكم فوق صوت النبي ولا تجهروا له بالقول كجهر بعضكم لبعض أن تحبط أعمالكم وأنتم لا تشعرونYou will live with a good reputation, be killed as a martyr, and enter Paradise
إنك تعيش حميدا وتقتل شهيدا وتدخل الجنةHe was given this good news. He lived (may Allah be pleased with him) with a good reputation, and was killed as a martyr in the Battle of Yamamah, and we testify for him that he is in Paradise based on the saying of the Messenger:
and enter Paradise
وتدخل الجنةThe student: A vessel, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Yes, a vessel made of pottery. He placed the armor under this vessel, and around it was a horse neighing. The horse that neighes, they say, is the one that raises one of its legs. A companion of his saw him in a dream and informed him of the news, saying: "I think so-and-so passed by me and took the armor and placed it under a large pot at the edge of the camp, and around it was a horse neighing. When morning comes, go to him." Then he gave a will to Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), the Caliph. When morning came, the man informed the commander Khalid ibn al-Walid of the news, and they went to the place and found the armor exactly under the large pot, with a horse neighing around it.
So this vision was supported by what? By circumstances. So the will was carried out; Abu Bakr carried it out. The scholars said that no one is known to have made a will after his death and had it carried out except Thabit ibn Qays ibn Shamas (may Allah be pleased with him). So if circumstances indicate that, there is no harm.
Similarly, Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said in his book *I'lam al-Muwaqqi'in*: "It was difficult for Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah to understand certain issues in fiqh, so he saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in a dream and asked him about them, and he answered him and issued a ruling for him". This is among the miracles of Allah for Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him). Among the things he asked him about, he said: "Funerals were brought to us to pray over, and we doubted the faith of the deceased?" So the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: "Stick to the condition, O Ahmad, stick to the condition," meaning: "O Allah, if he was a believer, forgive him." This is what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned in the dream; if he had not testified to it, we would have said it is not acted upon based on what came in the Book and the Sunnah.
The point of that is his statement regarding the verse of li'an:
And the fifth is that the curse of Allah be upon him.
والخامسة أن لعنة الله عليهif he should be among the liars.
إن كان من الكاذبينthat the wrath of Allah be upon her if he was of the truthful.
أن غضب الله عليها إن كان من الصادقينThe student: The time is up.
The Shaykh : The time is up.
The reader: (may Allah preserve him): "And we believe in the bliss of the grave for the believers
The ones whom the angels take in death, [being] good and pure; [the angels] will say, "Peace be upon you. Enter Paradise for what you used to do."
الذين تتوفاهم الملائكة طيبين يقولون سلام عليكم ادخلوا الجنة بما كنتم تعملونAnd we believe in the punishment of the grave for the wrongdoers, the disbelievers
And if you could but see when the wrongdoers are in the overwhelming pangs of death while the angels extend their hands, [saying], "Discharge your souls! Today you will be awarded the punishment of [extreme] humiliation for what you used to say against Allah other than the truth and [that] you were, toward His verses, being arrogant."
ولو ترى إذ الظالمون في غمرات الموت والملائكة باسطوا أيديهم أخرجوا أنفسكم اليوم تجزون عذاب الهون بما كنتم تقولون على الله غير الحق وكنتم عن آياته تستكبرونAnd the hadiths on this are numerous and well-known. So the believer must believe in everything that came in the Book and the Sunnah regarding these unseen matters, and not contradict them with what is seen in this world, for the matters of the Hereafter are not measured by the matters of this world, due to the great difference between them, and Allah is the One to be asked for help".
The Shaykh : Yes.