The Meaning of Dreams in Sufism

Before the silent meditation today, I would like to say a few words about the meaning of dreams in Sufism.

While there is no consensus among scientists as to why we dream at all, many feel that dreams have a meaning, and they may be messages from the world of our unconscious or, as the Sufis call it, the unseen world.

According to modern psychology, most of our thought processes—including fears, hopes, wishes, self-deceptions, and traumas—exist at the unconscious level, which means that we do not have any direct access to them. Freud was the first one who spoke about dreams as the key to our unconscious minds, and he developed a system to interpret the dreams of his patients. For Freud, dreams are gateways to our repressed memories, desires, and wishes (mainly sexual) that have been largely formed in early childhood and that find their way to our conscious mind during our sleep. Carl Jung, on the other hand, thought that dreams may consist of universal symbols, which he called archetypes, and that through these archetypes they offer insight into our collective human experience. Interpreting dreams correctly requires an understanding of the hidden hopes, fears, aspirations, and self-deceptions which are being revealed to us. Jung believed that dreams reveal our internal conflicts, and that through proper analysis and interpretation of them we can bring a resolution to our conflicts, thereby becoming a whole person.

The Sufi understanding of dreams is much closer to that of Carl Jung than to Freud's. Sufis too view dreams as the gateway to the unseen world عالم غیب, which is hidden from the spiritual traveller’s conscious experience. The dreams reveal the Sufis’ problems, setbacks, aspiration, and progress on the spiritual path. A proper interpretation of a dream can help the Sufi to understand their internal conflict or point to an encouraging sign on their journey. But not every dream has a spiritual significance. A dream that you are driving on a road may just be a dream that's processing a memory, with no spiritual significance. Spiritual dreams usually occur after long periods of meditation or periods of striving against one’s ego, which sometimes result in conflicts in the spiritual traveller. However, correct interpretations of dreams that help unravel their spiritual significance can only be provided by those who have travelled the spiritual path and know the hidden dangers, struggles, conflicts, and pitfalls on the path.

In the past, some Sufis have tried to provide a meaningful lexicon or dictionary for the things, events, and colours we see in a dream. For example, to see gold in a dream means that the dreamer is in the state of sincerity, or to see a panther in a dream shows that the person is suffering from pride, or seeing a wolf shows that the person suffers from greed. I think this way of interpreting dreams is very simplistic and inaccurate. The reason is that dreams usually mean something in the context of an individual's personal history and psychological and spiritual background. As people have different psychological backgrounds, different childhoods, and different experiences and aspirations in life, it cannot be the case that one symbol can mean the same thing in the dreams of all individuals and across all cultures and civilizations.

To uncover the meaning of a dream, we need to first understand the psychological and spiritual background of the person who has the dream. The same dream may have different interpretations for different people. Take for example the following dream: one may dream that they are a pigeon flying over a desert, that is suddenly hit by an arrow and starts to fall, only to be transformed into an eagle that soars over the mountains. Such a dream may have different interpretations depending on one’s personal history, which would include their intentions and motivation for pursuing a spiritual path. If the dreamer is someone who has entered the spiritual path in search of spiritual power and dominance over others, the dream may reveal their desire for spiritual power, represented by an eagle flying over mountains. If the dreamer is someone who has entered the spiritual path with sincerity and with a desire to transform themselves into a better human being, such a dream may reveal their readiness for the death of their ego and their transformation to some higher consciousness that can enter the divine realm.

Understanding dreams in the context of the spiritual and psychological history of the individual requires that the person who interprets the dream have personal and accurate knowledge of the person who comes to them for dream interpretation. Traditionally, Sufis used to live in communities where a spiritual guide had knowledge of each individual’s past history and could observe their conduct on a daily basis so that they would have intimate knowledge of each individual coming to them for the interpretation of dreams. The telling of the dream by the Sufi and its interpretation by the guide can also create a close bond between the spiritual guide and the spiritual travellers in Sufism, the same way that one may feel a close connection with one’s therapist in the process of therapy.

It is well understood in traditional societies, as well as modern therapeutic psychology, that one cannot be the interpreter of one’s own dreams. The reason is obvious. We are biased when it comes to our dreams; we cannot detect our unconscious motivations, desires, and wishes, and as such, our interpretation of our own dreams would be more or less self-serving. The same principle holds true in Sufism. People who have travelled the Sufi path are well suited to interpret dreams of the novices on the path. People who do not have the authority and training to interpret dreams may create more confusion by providing wrong interpretations, just in the same way that a bad therapist can create more problems for their patients than provide solutions. It is in this spirit that the people who are initiated on the Sufi path are asked not to share their dreams with people who do not have authority to interpret them.

According to experts, everyone dreams between 4 to 6 times every night, but most of us don’t remember what we dream. Some people claim that they never remember their dreams. So the question arises here as to whether dreaming is a necessary component on the spiritual path. Can someone who does not remember their dreams make progress on the spiritual path as much as someone who has many dreams? In fact, dreams are just one of the gateways to discover the unconscious and the inaccessible spiritual and psychological world. There are many other ways that the content of one’s unconscious can be revealed, often involving the observation of one's speaking and actions by a trusted guide. Sufi masters have always used the spiritual traveller’s behaviour and social conduct as clues to understand their inner world and inform spiritual travellers on their progress or failures on the Sufi path. So in short, I do not think that dreams and dream interpretations are necessary to travel the spiritual path, as they are only one method among many for unlocking the unconscious world of spiritual seekers on the path of love.

Finally, dreams in Sufism are pathways to encounter the beloved in various shapes and forms. When one is in the state of overwhelming love, the unconscious will respond by creating dreams in which we witness the beloved.

As Hafez says:

ماییم و آستانه‌ی عشق و سر نیاز
تا خواب خوش که را برد اندر کنار دوست

We are needy lovers waiting at the threshold of love
Hoping that our sweet dreams take us to the beloved.

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