and that he saw those very things themselves, is mistaken—like someone who believes that the actual sun in the sky, the moon, and the stars left their places and prostrated before Joseph, and that seven fat cows existing outside the mind ate seven lean ones. This is false.

Accordingly, a person may see his Lord in a dream and speak to Him. This is true within the dream, but it is not permissible to believe that Allah in Himself is like what was seen in the dream. Other things seen in dreams need not be exact likenesses of their realities either. Nevertheless, the form in which he sees Him must correspond to and resemble his belief about his Lord. If his faith and belief are true, he is shown images and hears words that accord with that; otherwise, the reverse is true.

One of the shaykhs said: “When a servant sees his Lord in a form, that form is a veil between him and Allah.”

The righteous and others have always seen their Lord in dreams, and He speaks to them. I do not think any rational person would deny this, for its occurrence cannot be denied: dreams come to a person without his choosing. This is a well-known issue, discussed by scholars of our school and others in their treatments of the foundations of religion, and they have reported that a group among