Q: The questioner said that they had received a paper which said that Shaykh Ahmad, the servant of the Prophet's room, saw the Prophet (peace be upon him) in a dream. He said that he told him about the increase of corruption in the world and that every Friday, 160,000 people from the Ummah (Muslim nation) die, who are following something other than Islam. He also told him about some of the signs of the Hour, which is near, and asked him to give this advice to people. He said that those who believed this message and made an effort to spread it would be granted many favors, and threatened those who denied, hid, or did not tell people what he saw in his Ru'ya (true dream).

A: It is possible for a Muslim to see the Prophet (peace be upon him) in a dream in the form and shape that Allah created him. This would be a true Ru'ya, because Satan cannot imitate him, according to what the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Anyone who sees me in a dream has in fact seen me, as Satan cannot appear in my form." (Related by Imam Ahmad and Al-Bukhari from Anas). However, some people have lied and falsely claimed that they have seen the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the form that Allah created him, but from what we have been told, they saw someone else in their dreams whose description was different from that of (Part No. 3; Page No. 107) the Prophet (peace be upon him). Satan had made them believe it was the Prophet (peace be upon him), but it was not, so the Ru'ya was false.The Ru'ya that has been attributed to Shaykh Ahmad, the servant of the Prophet's room, unless it is falsely attributed to him, and this is what it appears to be, he is still an unknown person who is calling himself Shaykh Ahmad and claiming to have seen this Ru'ya. Shaykh Ahmad, the servant of the Prophet's room, died a long time ago. According to his family and those closest to him, when they were asked about this, they denied the attribution of this Ru'ya to him, and they are the people who knew him best. If the Ru'ya is proven to be attributed to him, it is either a lie that he told about the Prophet (peace be upon him) or it was a confused dream and a deceptive trick played by Satan, not a true dream. The evidence that indicates that this is a lie, fabrication, or trick, is that it includes some aspects that contradict reality and the Shari`ah (Islamic law) brought by the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).As for its contradiction with reality, this has been claimed and distributed many times, years after the man's death, even though his family and those close to him denied it when they were asked about it.As for its contradiction with the Islamic Shari`ah, this includes the following matters: Firstly: It gives information about a specific number of people from the Ummah who die, (Part No. 3; Page No. 108) who are following other than Islam, between one Friday and the next, this is one of the matters of the Ghayb (Unseen) that no human being knows. This is only known to Allah and those of His Messengers to whom He sent the Wahy (Revelation) during their lifetimes. The Wahy ended on the death of the Prophet (peace be upon him), as Allah (Exalted be He) says: Say: “None in the heavens and the earth knows the Ghaib (Unseen) except Allâh” He also says: "(He Alone is) the All-Knower of the Ghaib (Unseen), and He reveals to none His Ghaib (Unseen)." Except to a Messenger (from mankind) whom He has chosen (He informs him of unseen as much as He likes), and then He makes a band of watching guards (angels) to march before him and behind him. He also says: Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allâh and the last (end) of the Prophets. Secondly: It reports that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "I am so ashamed of the hateful deeds performed by the people, that I cannot face my Lord or the angels." This is a despicable false statement, because the Prophet (peace be upon him) does not know the condition of his Ummah after his death; in fact he even did not know about it during his lifetime, unless he saw it, it was told to him by someone else, or it was revealed to him by Allah. Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) gave a Khutbah (sermon) in which he said, "You will be resurrected barefoot, naked, and uncircumcised." Then he recited: As We began the first creation, We shall repeat it. (It is) a promise binding upon Us. Truly, We shall do it. Then he said, "Some people from my Ummah will be brought to the left, so I will say, 'O Lord! These are my people.' It will be said to me, (Part No. 3; Page No. 109) 'You do not know what they brought about after you.' So I will say what the righteous man said: And I was a witness over them while I dwelt amongst them, but when You took me up, You were the Watcher over them; and You are a Witness to all things. (This is a great admonition and warning to the Christians of the whole world). It will be said to me, 'They became apostates until their ends from the time you left them.'" Related by Al-Bukhari. Even if he did know the condition of his Ummah after his death, he would not be harmed, ashamed, or affected by their many sins. It is authentically reported in the Hadith of Shafa`ah (intercession) that when matters intensify the people who are standing on the Day of Judgment, whether they are Muslims or Kafirs (disbelievers), will ask the prophets to intercede for them one after the other. They will all excuse themselves from interceding with Allah for them, until they come to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). They will ask him to intercede for them with Allah, and he will agree to do so, and they will not be denied this due to their numerous sins or their Kufr (disbelief). He will not be ashamed of this, in fact he will go and perform Sujud (prostration) below the Throne, praise his Lord, and laud Him for His Praiseworthy Actions, until Allah will tell him to raise his head and intercede for people. After this will be the Reckoning and the Rewards. Nothing will prevent him from meeting his Lord or facing the angels, and he is not shamed at all. Thirdly: It tells of a great reward that will come from this message for those who distribute it from one place to another or to different countries, though specifying what the reward for (Part No. 3; Page No. 110) these efforts will be is specifying matters of the Ghayb, which are only known to Allah. The Wahy came to an end on the death of the Seal of the Prophets (peace be upon him), therefore claiming knowledge of this is false. However, it is claimed by Shaykh Ahmad in his false advice that, "Anyone who writes this and sends it from one country to another and from one place to another, will have a palace built for them in Jannah (Paradise)." He also said, "If a poor person writes it, they will be made rich by Allah; if an indebted person writes it, their debt will be discharged by Allah; and if a sinner writes it, they will be forgiven by Allah, along with their parents." This is all lies, as is the strong threat of what will happen to those who do not write it and send it to others, as it specifies that they will be denied the Shafa`ah of the Prophet (peace be upon him), and their faces will be darkened in this world and in the Hereafter. He even said, "Those who do not write it and spread it among people will be deprived of my Shafa`ah on the Day of Resurrection," and, "Those Servants of Allah who do not write it, will have their faces darkened in this world and in the Hereafter." This is also a lie and alleged knowledge of the Ghayb, which is only known by Allah. Saying this after Wahy has ended is foretelling the Ghayb and a lie, as is these words: "Anyone who believes in this will be saved from the punishment of the Fire and anyone who denies it is a Kafir." This is also falsehood, as belying a Ru'ya seen by anyone other than a prophet is not considered to be Kufr, according to the Ijma' (consensus) of the Muslims. Fourthly: It mentions specific things that he threatened people with to encourage them to copy this advice, (Part No. 3; Page No. 111) and spread it amongst people. He wants people to do the work and believe what is in it, hoping for the reward that he specifies. The message also includes a prohibition against neglecting to forward it and a warning that those who withhold it will be afflicted by the great threats they were warned of, such as the deprivation of the Shafa`ah and darkening of their faces. Fifthly: There is no proportionality between these deeds and their consequences, and that is proof of the fabrication and lies, in addition to the other matters. It is obligatory for Muslims to beware of this alleged advice and they should try hard to eliminate it.May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.