called “dream interpreters” are causing immeasurable harm to stable families and causing divorce and destroying human bonding, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Abdullah Aal Al-Sheikh, Grand Mufti of the Kingdom and Chairman of the Board of Senior Ulema (Scholars), has said. These charlatans, he said, are also minting money in the business of dream interpretations. The Grand Mufti denounced the false innovation of dream interpretation and the proliferation of TV channels and Internet websites which are approached by gullible viewers with a request to interpret their dreams. “All these are based on intentions to make money from innocent viewers. The so-called dream interpreter, satellite channels and telecommunication companies divide among themselves the ill-gotten profits they gather from people,” the Grand Mufti was quoted by Al-Madina Arabic newspaper as saying. “Dream interpretation has become a lucrative trade. Actually, many of the interpretations cause only concern and harm,” he was quoted as saying. Owing to this phenomenon, he said, several couples have resorted to divorce and stable families have been broken up and destroyed. People have been seen neglecting or even boycotting their relatives due to such bogus dream interpreters, he said. A believer, the Grand Mufti said, should not cause any sadness to his brother Muslim if he realizes that the dream is true and foretells some sad event. Instead, he should guide him to the truth and if he sees it is otherwise, then he should give general advice and calm him down. He should not tell the person anything that might lead to committing what is forbidden. Most of these dream interpreters lack knowledge; they are just using their power of persuasion to make money, he said. The Grand Mufti cited verses from the Holy Qur'an to put forth his point of view. Speaking of Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) Allah said: “Thus will your Lord choose you and teach you the interpretation of dreams (and other things) and perfect His favor on you and on the offspring of Ya'qub (Jacob),….” (Qur'an, 12:6) And in another verse, Prophet Yusuf (pbuh) said, “My Lord! You have indeed bestowed on me of the sovereignty, and taught me something of the interpretation of dreams – the (Only) Creator of the heavens and the earth!” (Qur'an, 12:101) The Grand Mufti denounced bogus dream interpreters as dishonest whose only aim is to make money. These people interpret the dream, the Grand Mufti said, depending on the money they get from the client. They will interpret the dream to make their clients happy, he said. But if the clients do not pay enough, the so-called dream interpreter will talk about other more sinister matters. Aal Al-Sheikh stressed that some satellite TV channels and Internet websites resort to such shameful methods. “Genuine dream interpreters are those who are conscious of Allah Almighty and always fear Him. They do not cause any inconvenience or concern for people seeking their services nor do they harm them,” Aal Al-Sheikh stressed. Al-Madina's Al-Resalah supplement had earlier carried interviews with the most well-known dream interpreters. Most prominent among these are Dr. Muhammad Al-Roumi, Professor at Imam Muhammad Bin Saud Islamic University; Dr. Fahd Bin Muhammad Al-Ossaimi; Sheikh Ayidh Bin Muhammad Al-Ossaimi and Sheikh Muhammad Bin Hussein Al-Falgi Al-Asiri, who warned that bogus dream interpreters have entered this field and have made a lot of money. “There are among them those who have destroyed families and have even caused some women to commit immoral acts after telling them that their dreams indicated that they would never get married, thus, causing them to slip into immorality,” the scholars said. These scholars are earnestly calling for the organization of dream interpretation and of the elimination of bogus interpreters and those using it as a get-rich-quick formula.
