Seeing the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in a dream

This is a message we received from the questioner (A. A. S.) from Baqubah, Iraq. We presented one of his questions in a previous session, and now we are continuing to present the rest of his questions to His Eminence the Shaykh. He says in his question: Some people claimed that they saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in a dream, and that he (peace and blessings be upon him) told them: “I am shy in my grave because the war has not stopped between Iran and Iraq.” Another person said that he saw him (peace and blessings be upon him) and that he told him: “The war will continue for thirty-six months,” and now four years have passed since the war began. What is the ruling in Islamic law regarding such visions that contain what contradicts reality?
Answer: Many people claim that they saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and they are either liars, or they did not recognize the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and thought it was the Messenger, when it was not the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). It is authentically reported from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: So whoever sees him in his form (peace and blessings be upon him) has seen him, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) does not say anything but the truth. However, these visions are to be evaluated based on what is known from the Shari'ah. If they agree with what is known from the Shari'ah, they are true; otherwise, they are a deception upon their owner… a deception upon their owner… they did not see the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), but it was imagined to them, and they thought it was the Messenger, when it was not the Messenger. Some people may see him in the form of a young beardless man, some may see him in the form of an old man whose hair has turned white, some may see him in the form of a short man, some may see him in the form of a tall man, some may see him in the form of a black man, and some may see him in other forms. This is not the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). The Messenger was of medium stature among men… white in complexion… with a reddish tinge (peace and blessings be upon him), one of the most handsome of men (peace and blessings be upon him). His hair was black, with only a little whiteness… a few gray hairs. He did not wear a ghutrah or the like as we do, no, he wore a turban (peace and blessings be upon him). He wore a shirt, an izar, and a rida (peace and blessings be upon him). Therefore, the seer must have seen him in his known form, otherwise he did not see him. For this reason, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: He did not say: He said: This indicates that if a person sees him in a form other than his true form, it is not the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Then, if one sees a vision, it must be evaluated against what the Shari'ah has brought. If it relates to rulings and acts of worship, it is evaluated against the Shari'ah. If it contradicts the Shari'ah, it is not from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). As for what relates to wars or the affairs of people, if one sees that the Messenger said to him such and such, or said to him such and such, or something that does not relate to acts of worship and rulings, then he may have seen him, or he may not have seen him. He may have seen him, but this vision has a meaning that the seer did not understand, or the interpreter did not understand. The interpretation of visions varies, and people are divided into categories in this regard. Some know interpretation, and some do not know interpretation. Some make many mistakes in interpretation. Therefore, a person of intellect should not be definitive in interpretation except with certainty, after presenting it to the people of knowledge and insight who have known the interpretation of visions and interpreted them, and who are known for this… attested to for this matter. Otherwise, he should hold back and not rush in matters, and not interpret them other than with what the scholars who know this matter interpret them with.
So the conclusion is that this is a matter of consideration and detail. The seer should not rush to interpret his vision with what he does not know, and he should not present it except to the people of knowledge and insight. Then, his saying: “shy” is not from the language of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him); this is from the language of the present age. This is evidence that he did not see the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), but rather he saw someone else. Then, he (peace and blessings be upon him) does not know the unseen, and revelation has ceased. So he did not know the unseen in his lifetime; he only knew what Allah revealed to him and explained to him, Glorified and Exalted is He. And what did not come through revelation, he (peace and blessings be upon him) did not know from the matters of the unseen. So he did not know about the war between Iraq and Iran, and revelation ceased with his death (peace and blessings be upon him). This is among the evidences that this vision is fabricated and is not from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), but rather it is from some of the Shayatins who appeared to the man who claimed it, or that he is a liar in his vision and did not see anything. And Allah is the One to be sought for help. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you.