Dreams and Their Interpretation

What the Qur'an and the Sunnah say, with Arabic, translation and Tafsir Ibn Kathir.

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From the Qur'an

Yusuf

إِذۡ قَالَ یُوسُفُ لِأَبِیهِ یَـٰۤأَبَتِ إِنِّی رَأَیۡتُ أَحَدَ عَشَرَ كَوۡكَبࣰا وَٱلشَّمۡسَ وَٱلۡقَمَرَ رَأَیۡتُهُمۡ لِی سَـٰجِدِینَ
˹Remember˺ when Joseph said to his father, “O my dear father! Indeed I dreamt of eleven stars, and the sun, and the moon—I saw them prostrating to me!”
Tafsir (Ibn Kathir)
Yusuf's Dream Allah says, `Mention to your people, O Muhammad, among the stories that you narrate to them, the story of Yusuf.' Prophet Yusuf (Joseph) mentioned his dream to his father, Prophet Ya`qub (Jacob), son of Prophet Ishaq (Isaac), son of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham), peace be upon them all. `Abdullah bin `Abbas stated that the dreams of Prophets are revelations from Allah. Scholars of Tafsir explained that in Yusuf's dream the eleven stars represent his brothers, who were eleven, and the sun and the moon represent his father and mother. This explanation was collected from Ibn `Abbas, Ad-Dahhak, Qatadah, Sufyan Ath-Thawri and `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam. Yusuf's vision became a reality forty years later, or as some say, eighty years, when Yusuf raised his parents to the throne while his brothers were before him, وَخَرُّواْ لَهُ سُجَّدَا وَقَالَ يأَبَتِ هَـذَا تَأْوِيلُ رُؤْيَـى مِن قَبْلُ قَدْ جَعَلَهَا رَبِّى حَقًّا (and they fell down before him prostrate. And he said: "O my father! This is the interpretation of my dream aforetime! My Lord has made it come true!")
Surah 12 · Ayah 4

Yusuf

وَقَالَ ٱلۡمَلِكُ إِنِّیۤ أَرَىٰ سَبۡعَ بَقَرَ ٰتࣲ سِمَانࣲ یَأۡكُلُهُنَّ سَبۡعٌ عِجَافࣱ وَسَبۡعَ سُنۢبُلَـٰتٍ خُضۡرࣲ وَأُخَرَ یَابِسَـٰتࣲۖ یَـٰۤأَیُّهَا ٱلۡمَلَأُ أَفۡتُونِی فِی رُءۡیَـٰیَ إِن كُنتُمۡ لِلرُّءۡیَا تَعۡبُرُونَ
And ˹one day˺ the King said, “I dreamt of seven fat cows eaten up by seven skinny ones; and seven green ears of grain and ˹seven˺ others dry. O chiefs! Tell me the meaning of my dream if you can interpret dreams.”
Tafsir (Ibn Kathir)
The Dream of the King of Egypt The King of Egypt had a dream that Allah the Exalted made a reason for Yusuf's release from prison, with his honor and reputation preserved. When the king had this dream, he was astonished and fearful and sought its interpretation. He gathered the priests, the chiefs of his state and the princes and told them what he had seen in a dream, asking them to interpret it for him. They did not know its interpretation and as an excuse, they said, أَضْغَـثُ أَحْلَـمٍ (Mixed up false dreams), which you saw, وَمَا نَحْنُ بِتَأْوِيلِ الاٌّحْلَـمِ بِعَـلِمِينَ (and we are not skilled in the interpretation of dreams.) They said, had your dream been a vision rather than a mixed up false dream, we would not have known its interpretation. The man who was saved from the two, who were Yusuf's companions in prison, remembered. Shaytan plotted to make him forget the request of Yusuf, to mention his story to the king. Now, years later, he remembered after forgetfulness and said to the king and his entourage, أَنَاْ أُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِتَأْوِيلِهِ (I will tell you its interpretation,) he interpretation of this dream, فَأَرْسِلُونِ (so send me forth.) to the prison, to Yusuf, the man of truth. So they sent him, and he said to Yusuf, يُوسُفُ أَيُّهَا الصِّدِّيقُ أَفْتِنَا (O Yusuf, the man of truth! Explain to us..) and mentioned the king's dream to him. Yusuf's Interpretation of the King's Dream This is when Yusuf, peace be upon him, told the interpretation of the dream, without criticizing the man for forgetting his request that he had made to him. Neither did he make a precondition that he be released before explaining the meaning. Rather, he said, تَزْرَعُونَ سَبْعُ سِنِينَ دَأَبًا (For seven consecutive years, you shall sow as usual) `you will receive the usual amount of rain and fertility for seven consecutive years.' He interpreted the cows to be years, because cows till the land that produce fruits and vegetables, which represent the green ears of corn in the dream. He next recommended what they should do during these fertile years, فَمَا حَصَدتُّمْ فَذَرُوهُ فِى سُنبُلِهِ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً مِّمَّا تَأْكُلُونَ (and that (the harvest) which you reap you shall leave it in the ears, (all) except a little of it which you may eat.) He said, `Whatever you harvest during those seven fertile years, leave it in the ears so as to preserve it better. This will help the harvest stay healthy longer, except the amount that you need to eat, which should not be substantial. Stay away from extravagance, so that you use what remains of the harvest during the seven years of drought that will follow the seven fertile years.' This was represented by the seven lean cows that eat the seven fat cows. During the seven years of drought, they will eat from the harvest they collected during the seven fertile years, as represented by the dry ears of corn in the dream. Yusuf told them that during these years, the remaining ears will not produce anything and whatever they try to plant, will not produce any harvest, so he said, يَأْكُلْنَ مَا قَدَّمْتُمْ لَهُنَّ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً مِّمَّا تُحْصِنُونَ (which will devour what you have laid by in advance for them, (all) except a little of that which you have guarded (stored).) He delivered the good news to them that after the consecutive years of drought, there will come a fertile year, during which people will receive rain and the land will produce in abundance. The people will then press wine and oil as usual.
Surah 12 · Ayah 43

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These verses and narrations are gathered for study and reflection. They are not a fatwa. For a ruling on your specific circumstances, please consult a qualified scholar in your community.

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