Unconventional Duha Research Unitary

Within the Mujaddid Model of Intelligence (MMI), Creative Intelligence (CI) is not merely artistic expression, but the faculty that transforms khayāl (imagination), basīrah (insight), and ilḥām (inspiration) into vehicles of divine remembrance and discernment. Among the profound ways Islam cultivates this faculty is through ruʾyā ṣāliḥa (true and righteous dreams).

The Qur’an itself records dreams as turning points of history: Ibrāhīm عليه السلام seeing himself sacrificing his son (Q 37:102), Yūsuf عليه السلام interpreting dreams that shaped destinies (Q 12:4, 36–49), and the Prophet ﷺ being shown the vision of entering Makkah, which became reality at Ḥudaybiyyah (Q 48:27). Far from superstition, dreams are part of divine pedagogy, a subtle training of the inner imagination to prepare the heart for guidance and action.

The Case of Ibn ʿUmar (raḍiyAllāhu ʿanhu)

A striking example is the dream of ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar, recorded in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī (Kitāb al-Taʿbīr, 1121). He dreamt of being taken to the Fire, seeing familiar faces within it, and crying for refuge. An angel reassured him:

“Do not be afraid, you are a righteous man — if only you would pray more at night.”

This was not a condemnation, but a diagnosis. Ibn ʿUmar was already righteous, yet the dream revealed his deficiency: lack of qiyām al-layl (night prayer). From that day, he became renowned for his devotion in night worship.

This illustrates three essential principles:

1. Dreams as Mirrors: They expose hidden weaknesses or areas for growth.

2. Dreams as Training: They prepare the believer’s imagination for righteous action.

3. Dreams as Divine Mercy: Even the righteous are invited to ascend higher maqāmāt (stations).

Classical Understanding of Dreams

1. Ruʾyā ṣādiqah (true dreams) are considered part of nubuwwah’s remnants. The Prophet ﷺ said:

“The true dream is one forty-sixth part of Prophethood.” (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, no. 6989; Muslim, no. 2263).

2. Imām al-Nawawī explains that such dreams are glad tidings, warnings, or inspirations for action — never legislative like revelation, but motivational and diagnostic.

3. Ibn al-Qayyim noted that dreams operate within khayāl (the imaginative faculty), which when purified, becomes a channel of ilhām (inspiration). The righteous imagination aligns with divine truth; the corrupted imagination breeds illusion.

Thus, dreams are a school of khayāl — they refine the believer’s imaginative perception to see signs (āyāt) more clearly in waking life.

Neuroscience of Dreams and Imagination

Modern research reinforces this insight. During REM sleep, the brain’s default mode network (DMN) and limbic system are highly active, especially regions tied to emotion, memory, and imagination (Hobson & Pace-Schott, 2002). Dreams allow the brain to:

Rehearse future actions (Cartwright, 2010).

Integrate emotional experiences into long-term memory (Walker & van der Helm, 2009).

Foster creativity by connecting remote associations (Stickgold et al., 2001).

In this light, Ibn ʿUmar’s dream functions as a neural rehearsal of moral-spiritual reality: the imagination was “trained” at night so that his will (irādah) could transform in the day.

Dreams as a Path in Creative Intelligence

Within the MMI framework, we can situate dreams as follows:

Khayāl (Imagination): Dreams exercise the symbolic faculty, turning abstract truths into vivid forms.

Basīrah (Insight): When interpreted correctly, dreams sharpen discernment, distinguishing ego-driven illusions from divine hints.

Ilḥām (Inspiration): Dreams deliver direct encouragement or correction, as in Ibn ʿUmar’s case.

Ruʾyā (Vision): True dreams become imaginative rehearsals for righteous destiny.

Thus, dreams are not escapist fantasies but creative training grounds. They align with the Qur’anic vision of imagination as a faculty that perceives symbols, parables, and deeper realities (Q 24:35 – the Verse of Light).

Contemporary Implications

For Parents: Children’s dreams can be treated gently as windows into their moral-emotional world, guiding adab and bedtime dhikr.

For Teachers: Educators can integrate symbolic thinking (poetry, metaphors, Qur’anic parables) as imagination-training akin to the dream faculty.

For Seekers (Salikīn): Like Ibn ʿUmar, a salik may see deficiencies revealed in a dream. Instead of fear, this is an invitation to higher worship and presence.

Dreams are divine classrooms of the imagination. In them, khayāl is purified, basīrah is sharpened, and irādah is redirected. Just as Ibn ʿUmar rose from his dream to transform his nights, the believer too may treat dreams as symbolic mirrors, gifts from Allah guiding the ascent toward Him.

In the Mujaddid Model of Intelligence, then, dreams are a vital pedagogy of Creative Intelligence — sanctifying imagination, training perception, and transforming the soul into a vessel of light.

References

Al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ. Kitāb al-Taʿbīr, ḥadīth 1121.

Muslim, Ṣaḥīḥ. Kitāb al-Ruʾyā.

Al-Nawawī, Sharḥ Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim.

Ibn al-Qayyim, Madarij al-Sālikīn.

Hobson, J. A., & Pace-Schott, E. F. (2002). The cognitive neuroscience of sleep: Neuronal systems, consciousness, and learning. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 3(9), 679–693.

Walker, M. P., & van der Helm, E. (2009). Overnight therapy? The role of sleep in emotional brain processing. Psychological Bulletin, 135(5), 731–748.

Stickgold, R., et al. (2001). Sleep, learning, and dreams: Off-line memory reprocessing. Science, 294(5544), 1052–1057.

Cartwright, R. (2010). The twenty-four hour mind: The role of sleep and dreaming in our emotional lives. Oxford University Press.