Do Dreams Have Any Truth?

By: Ayatullah al-Uzma Shaykh Nasir Makarim Shirazi
& Ayatullah Ja'far Subhani
Question: Sometime dream scrolls are prohibited by the caretakers of the Prophet's shrine. These scrolls prohibit people to commit sinful acts and in addition to this it also informs about the progeny of the Prophet (s.a.) that the reappearance of Imam az-Zaman (a.s.) is going to be within a year. Is there any truth about such publications?
Answer: Unfortunately the above evil act is being done by the enemies of Islam since many years. Every year the caretakers of the Prophet's shrine see a new dream while they do not have any personal merit. They issue a new date for the reappearance of Imam az-Zaman (a.s.). When the dream is proved wrong they see another dream.
Apparently these falsifiers of dreams, on the basis of their defective beliefs intend to create doubts in the reappearance of Imam az-Zaman (a.s.) so that simple-minded people are influenced by this propaganda. But they are ignorant of the fact that Muslims (however simple minded people they may be) never pay attention to these concocted things. In any case even if someone really has such dreams, it is certainly not reliable from the religious point of view.

What Is the Islamic View Regarding the Sneeze?
Question: Has Islam commended that while beginning a particular work if someone sneezes the work has to be postponed?
Answer: There is no such command in Islam and basically the spirit of Islam does not agree with such superstitions. Rather it commands that if you are going to begin some work and someone is doing divination against it, you must not pay attention to that person, you must rely on Allah and begin your work. Islam has even considered divination a sign of polytheism.
Although it is commanded with regard to the sneeze that if one of you sneezed one should utter Alhamdo lillaah (Praise be to Allah) and the others should say Yarahamokumllaah (May Allah have mercy on you). The person will then respond with the prayer: Yaghfirullaaha lakum (Allah shall forgive you).
However, to refrain from doing something or to delay for even a little, or to discriminate between one or two sneezes are all baseless things. Therefore a true Muslim should avoid such useless superstitions.