When Souls Meet in Sleep

DAILYREFLECTION

There are moments in sleep that feel too real to be imagination.
You wake with tears still drying on your face, or a calm that lingers as if someone you loved was truly just there. According to Ibn al-Qayyim in Kitab al-Ruh, this is not fantasy. It is part of the unseen design of how souls move between worlds.

When a person dies, their soul exits fully from the body, rising through the mouth as the Prophet ﷺ described, and the eyes follow it as it departs. That is why the dying often gaze upward in their final moment as if watching their own soul ascend.

But when a person sleeps, something gentler happens. The soul does not depart completely. Ibn al-Qayyim wrote that it leaves partially, passing like a ray through the nostrils, still tethered to the body by an unseen thread.

And here lies the mystery: a truthful soul, one purified by sincerity and remembrance, is allowed to travel far. It ascends to the heavens and returns, while a deceitful soul, one darkened by lies or heedlessness, becomes entangled with the whispers of shayateen mid-air. Its dreams are distorted, its visions confused.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the believing souls of the living and the dead meet in the dream world, asking each other about what they left behind. Then Allah holds the souls of the dead and sends the souls of the living back to their bodies by morning.

It is a nightly reunion only Allah allows.

If you have ever seen a loved one who passed away, a parent, a friend, a child, know that it is not always your mind replaying memories. Sometimes it is your soul being granted permission to meet theirs in a world where words are not spoken, but hearts still recognize. The dead cannot choose who they visit. The living cannot summon who they see. These moments are gifts chosen, timed, and permitted by Allah alone.

So if you dream of a loved one and they appear radiant, peaceful, smiling in a garden or wearing their favorite clothing, take comfort. Such dreams are a mercy. They are signs from the One who controls both life and death, giving you a glimpse of reunion to ease your heart and strengthen your faith.

And if you long to see someone but never do, know that the gift lies not in the dream, but in the connection that never ended. Allah has kept it safe, beyond time, beyond distance.

The Prophet ﷺ taught that true dreams are messages from Allah. They either call you to do good, forbid you from harm, come to pass as truth, or increase you in faith. They are part of Allah’s mercy, the same mercy that allows souls to find one another across realms.

So the next time you wake with that lingering sense of presence, whisper Alhamdulillah. Because what you just experienced was not just a dream. It was a visit. A meeting written in the unseen a reminder that love does not die, it only changes its world.

REFLECT ON THIS:

When was the last time you felt a presence in your dream that stayed with you after waking, and what might Allah have wanted you to feel or remember through it?

^{Share your reflections in the poll at the end of the email.}

WATERMELONWATCH

• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel will decide which foreign troops may join the proposed international stabilisation force in Gaza under a U.S.-backed ceasefire plan. This reflects both a new diplomatic push and the ongoing challenge of Gaza’s future security architecture.

• Humanitarian access into the Gaza Strip remains severely constrained despite the ceasefire, with aid deliveries still trickling in and major shortages of food, water and fuel reported, yet local community-groups are organising to distribute aid where they can.

• Hamas has expanded its search for the bodies of Israeli hostages in Gaza, working with the International Committee of the Red Cross and Egyptian teams; this is occurring even as rubble-clearing and access remain major obstacles.

• A new boundary has started to take shape within Gaza, with Israeli forces erecting concrete markers every 200 metres across what’s meant to be a “temporary” ceasefire line; many fear it may become a de-facto permanent border even as displaced families hope for safe returns.

• A targeted strike by Israeli forces on a member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in central Gaza was declared not to violate the ceasefire by U.S. officials, while this underscores lingering tensions, dozens of Gazan volunteers continue clearing debris and mapping destroyed neighbourhoods in an effort to help reconstruction.

QURANCORNER

Each day, you’ll be introduced to one of the 300 most common Qur’anic words. The Qur’an has about 77,430 words in total, all built on just 2,000 root words. By learning these frequently recurring ones, you’ll recognize 70–80% of the Qur’an’s vocabulary and begin connecting more deeply as you read.

Amal (عَمَل) - Action / Deed

Amal is more than effort; it’s what the heart believes, put into motion. In the Qur’an, faith and ʿamal walk side by side: alladhīna āmanū wa ʿamilū aṣ-ṣāliḥāt, those who believe and do good deeds. It's a reminder that belief is not just what we feel, but what we do. Every sincere ʿamal, no matter how small, is seen, recorded, and rewarded.