Fatwa ID: 02343

Answered by: Mufti Abdullah al-Ma’mun

Question:

Salam. Can the Ahkam of Sharia be taken or derived from, with or without exception, from (1) Kashf, (2) Ilham, (3) a blessed dream of Nabi Karim Sallallahu alaihi wa Sallam or (4) Ziara whilst awake of Nabi Karim, Sallallahu alaihi wa Sallam? I mean can something become fard, wajib or Sunna? Can someone’s actions be considered kufr and he is placed outside of Islam based on these four ways of guidance? For example the highest wali of the time says to someone based on a blessed dream or ziara whilst awake that something a person has done or is doing is kufr, so he has to renew his shahadah? Please give references from all schools of fiqh, aqida and tasuwwuf, with or without exceptions.

Answer

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

The commandments of Shariah cannot be derived from dreams as they are not a means of evidence in Islam when it comes to establishing that which is Fardh (obligatory) or Wajib (necessary). The same applies to Kashf (divine revelation) and Ilham (divine inspiration), both of which come to Awliya'ullah (friends of Allah). Hence a person cannot be declared a Kafir or even sinful based on something a person sees in his dream or is made aware through Kashf or Ilham.

Mufti Ibn Adam al-Kawthari states:

“…dreams are not a source of evidence in Shariah. Therefore, if one received any order or guidance in the dream from the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace), then there are two possibilities:

1) If the order and command is in accordance with the laws of Shariah, then it will be a source of evidence, but only for the one who saw the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) in his dream and not other people. The one who was ordered by the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) to carry out a certain act, should attempt to implement it. However, it will not be binding on him similar to the other injunctions that are established in the Qur’an and Sunnah, neither will this dream be a source of evidence for others.

2) If the command is contrary to the established teachings of Shariah, it will not be accepted; neither will it be a source of evidence for anyone. It will not be permitted to act according to the dream. The reason for this is that, the science of interpreting dreams is very complex and not every individual is privileged to understand and interpret dreams. One may make a mistake in remembering or understanding a dream. People’s dreams could differ according to their own personality and condition of their faith (iman).

(http://www.daruliftaa.com/question?txt_QuestionID=q-21441470)

Only Allah Knows Best

Written by Mufti Abdullah al-Ma’mun

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham