Dreams and visions have, through recorded history, often guided mankind. God has frequently made use of dreams in communicating his will to men. The following special dreams are recorded in the Tawrat's Book of Genesis written by the Prophet Musa (Moses, pbuh):
- Yaqub (Jacob, pbuh) (28:12 & 31:10)
- Laban (31:24)
- Yusuf (Joseph, pbuh) (37:9-11)
- Abimelech (20:3-7)
- Egypt's Pharaoh (41:1-8). (Pharaoh is also mentioned in the Qur'an in Surah 10, Ayat 90-92)
- Egypt's Pharaoh's chief butler and baker (40:5)
And in other books of what is known as the Old Testament, also sometimes referred to as the Tawrat:
- Gideon (Book of Judges, 7),
- King Sulaiman (Solomon) (Book of 1 Kings, 3:5)
- The Midianite People (Book fo Judges, 7:13)
- King Nebuchadnezzar (Book of Daniel, 2:1; 4:10, 18)
And in the Injil (New Testament), we find:
- Joseph, husband of Maryam (Mary), the mother of Jesus
"...an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.' 'She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.' Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 'BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,' which translated means, 'GOD WITH US.' (Book of Matthew, 1:20. See also 2:12, 13, 19) - The wise men from the east who were led to the birthplace of Isa al Masih (Jesus) (Book of Matthew. 2:12)
- Pilate's wife (Book of Matthew 27:19)
- Paul In a night vision a "man of Macedonia" stood before Paul and said, "Come over into Macedonia and help us" (Acts 16:9; see also 18:9; 27:23)
God is Great! Just as He did in the past, God is showing His mercy and guidance to Muslims throughout the world today! Read the following story portions from Muslims worldwide who have reported such dreams and now follow Isa al Masih as their Savior:
"...two angels dressed in white robes stood on top of the mountain. Jesus was standing between the angels. He left the angels and came to where I stood watching. As he approached me, I knelt down and he laid his hands on my head..." [read more]
"...['D.'] dreamt he was sitting with his arms tied to a chair. Then he saw a man he recognized as Jesus coming. Jesus touched the ropes and they fell from his arms..." [read more]
"...In the dream, Jesus told me to come to Him and read the Bible and He would show me the way, truth and the life..." [read more]
"...I was standing in a cross shape with a low wall around it. In my right hand, I had a big stack of white unwritten papers. I was standing at the cross beam, and I was looking to a small group of people who were standing at the top. They all wore long white clothing, but one of them was different. He was standing at the right side, and with his left hand he was leading the people through a door in the wall. Beyond the door was light, and I could not see what was in there. One moment I was standing in the dream, and the next moment I was seeing the cross from above..." [read more]
"...I saw some Christians standing in line to get into Heaven. I tried to get into this line also, but a very tall being blocked my path and I started to cry because the side I was on was really horrible but the side they were on was a beautiful place, so beautiful, so blue..." [read more]
"...I went back to bed after a short prayer and saw a second dream. This time it was Jesus as I saw him in the Jesus film years ago and I had trashed his video. He was hanging on the cross, the nails were in his hands and feet, yet he was smiling at me and talking to me. Though he was dying he seemed so beautiful. The cross was huge and I seemed like a little boy. My neck was falling back trying to see the whole face of Jesus and suddenly a huge big circle of light came from above the cross and down upon me..." [read more]
"...I was swimming. It was very dark, without any stars in the sky. After swimming for a while, I stopped and looked up at the sky. Suddenly, I saw a star shining. I closed my eyes and made a wish. I said, 'Morning Star, teach me the secret of life'...I kept having this dream for years almost every other month and this pattern continued until a few months after my conversion, when I read Rev. 22:16, which says, 'I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star'..." [read more]
More Stories
Filipino Muslims. Stories from the Zamboanga and Basilan regions of the Southern Philippines are starting to come in. Yakan and Tausug Muslims are reporting having dreams of Isa during and after Ramadan. [read more]
A Vision. The story of one Malay's trip to Mecca for the hajj and the strange incidents that occurred there. [read more]
The Battle. The story of one Turkish man's spiritual journey while studying in the Caucasus. [read more]
From Mosque to Church. Yilmaz, a Turkish man, decides to follow after Isa Mesih. [read more]
Out of Kundalini. (non-Muslim) The story of one Indonesian man's journey to Christ. [read more]
Power to Heal. (non-Muslim) The story of one Malaysian man's miraculous healing. [read more]
A magazine published in California reports the following (based on questionnaires completed by over 600 Muslims who placed their faith in Jesus) [1]:
“Though dreams may play an insignificant role in the conversion decisions of most Westerners, over one-fourth of those surveyed state quite emphatically that dreams and visions were key in drawing them to Christ and sustaining them through difficult times. Rick Love, International Director of Frontiers, has recognized the pattern as well. He writes that, 'Just as God used a vision to convert Paul, in like manner He reveals Himself to Muslims through dreams and visions. Just as God prepared Cornelius to hear the Gospel through a vision, so God is preparing a multitude of Muslims to respond to His good news.” [2]
One believer from Guinea recounts the dream of a figure whom he later believed to be Christ. The figure was in a white robe, calling the man to come to Him. In a related dream, he recalls that the same figure's arms were extended, beckoning him. Dreams of this type have become recognized as a pattern of work among Muslims. Though there are variations, Christ appearing in a white robe is a recurring image among those who have had dreams and visions. Similarly, a Muslim Malay woman was drawn by a vision she had of her Christian parents who had died. She saw them rejoicing with others in heaven. Jesus, appearing in a white robe, said, "If you want to come to me, just come." Feeling that she had tried her entire life to reach God without success, she now saw God initiating the effort to reach her through Jesus.
A convert from the Middle East who had been afflicted with severe headaches was lying on his bed after having prayed for his sick son. A man with a beautiful, peaceful face appeared. Dressed in white, the figure walked to the head of the man's bed and touched him three times on the head. The next morning his headaches were gone. His son, too, was fully healed. Understandably, he now recounts with confidence, "I believe in prayer in the name of the Christ."
The great majority of dreams seem to fall into one of two broad categories. The first could be considered the preparatory dream. Like Christ appearing in a white robe, the vision confirms thoughts or conversations one has been having about Christ or the Christian faith. The second could be called the empowering dream. Here the dream or vision commonly gives the believer strength in the face of persecution. Short of persecution, it may embolden believers, strengthening the nature of their witness.
Preparatory. One Sunni woman from the Arabian Peninsula had a figure appear to her in a dream, telling her to visit a Christian woman she knew. The figure, who she was later convinced was Christ, told her this woman would teach her.
Prior to his conversion, a Persian man had a vision. In it, he was falling in darkness over a cliff and was saved by a light holding onto his back.
In a fascinating twist on God's use of dreams and sleep, one Algerian recounted how she heard her sleeping Muslim grandmother say, "Jesus is not dead. I want to tell you He is here."
A West African man recounts a succinct, yet powerful vision he had prior to conversion. He saw a devout Muslim in hell and a poor Christian who couldn't afford to give alms in heaven. A voice explained to him that the difference was belief in Jesus.
Empowering. A North African believer found the needed strength to face his imprisonment from a dream he had while imprisoned for his faith. In it, he saw thousands of believers pouring through the streets of his city, openly proclaiming their faith in his restricted country. While in prison, he was tortured, suspended upside-down naked for hours, beaten with electrified rods and repeatedly threatened with execution. His vision of a day when people of his country would openly proclaim their faith in the streets gave him great strength to persevere through this most difficult time.
Encounter. Though not strictly a dream or a vision, a number of Muslim-background believers have had a significant supernatural encounter that was instrumental in drawing them to Jesus. One Egyptian Muslim was reading the Injil (Gospel), when he came to Luke 3, where the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus in the form of a dove. God said, "This is my son, in whom I am well pleased." As he read those words, a stormy wind broke into his room. A voice spoke to him saying, "I am Jesus Christ, whom you hate. I am the Lord whom you are looking for." He recalls that he "wept and wept, accepting Jesus from that time."
Whatever personal perspective one has on dreams and visions and the Christian walk of faith, it is difficult to consider engaging in ministry to Muslims without a recognition of and an openness for God to continue drawing people to Himself through what may be viewed as unconventional means.
The Story of Al-'Uris
Al-'Uris was a historical figure associated with the family of Saladin and the journals of the Ayyubids and their conflicts with the Crusaders. Muslim history records a dream he had which sounds very similar to the stories above:
“Al-'Uris saw in his sleep Christ Jesus Son of Mary, who seemed to turn his face toward him from heaven. Al-'Uris asked him, 'Did the crucifixion really happen?' Jesus said, 'Yes, the crucifixion really happened.' Al-'Uris then related his dream to an interpreter, who said, 'The man who saw this dream shall be crucified. For Jesus is infallible and can speak only the truth, yet the crucifixion he spoke of cannot refer to his own, because the Glorious Qur'an specifically states that Jesus was not crucified or killed. Accordingly, this must refer to the dreamer, and it is he who shall be crucified.' The matter turned out as the interpreter said.” (p. 205) [3]
Sadly, it is recorded that Al-'Uris met a horrific death sometime after telling his dream to someone who did not believe in the resurrection of Jesus. If this story is true, it is clear that Jesus was trying to tell him the truth of his death and resurrection to call Al-'Uris unto himself. Perhaps Al-'Uris put his faith in Jesus as his Savior as this account records that he himself was crucified. As a searcher of the truth, perhaps he was willing to follow the truth even though it led to an untimely death.
The Next Step
Have you had dreams or visions of Isa? He is trying to tell you something of great importance: the assurance of salvation and the acceptance of God.
If you have not had dreams of Isa, don't be alarmed. He does not speak to everyone in such ways. Pray for guidance from God and ask that He would show you the way of truth in the person of Isa al Masih.
Footnotes:
- This material is a portion of an article originally published in Mission Frontiers magazine, March 2001. www.missionfrontiers.org. Reprinted with permission.
- Rick Love, Muslims, Magic and the Kingdom of God
- The Muslim Jesus: Sayings and Stories in Islamic Literature by Tarif Khalidi, Harvard University Press, 2001. Jamal al-Din Wasil (d. 697/1298), Mufarrij al-Kurub, 1:248. Cf. al-Abshihi, al-Mustatraf, 2:83 (variant).