“I saw the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) in my sleep in the time of Ibn 'Abbas, so I said to Ibn 'Abbas:‘I saw Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) in my sleep!’Ibn 'Abbas said: “Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) used to say: ‘Satan cannot imitate me, so if someone sees me in his sleep, he has indeed seen me!’ Can you describe this man whom you saw in your sleep?” “Yes,” he said. “I shall describe for you an average man: his body and his flesh were brown-to-white; he was black eyed, endowed with a pleasant smile and handsome facial features; his beard went from here to here, and it came down over the top of his chest.”'Awf said: "I do not know what could be added to this description,” and Ibn 'Abbas said: "If you had seen him in the state of wakefulness, you could not have described him more accurately than this.”
The Seeing Of Rasoolullah In a Dream - Ash-Shama'il Al-Muhammadiyah 412
This narration from Ash-Shama'il Al-Muhammadiyah establishes the profound Islamic doctrine that seeing the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) in a dream constitutes a true vision, as Satan cannot assume his noble form.
Scholarly Commentary on the Hadith's Meaning
The statement "Satan cannot imitate me" demonstrates the unique spiritual protection afforded to the Prophet's appearance, making any dream vision of him authentic. This is a special distinction granted to the Seal of the Prophets.
Ibn Abbas's request for description serves as verification methodology - confirming the vision's authenticity through matching known physical characteristics of the Prophet (ﷺ).
Analysis of the Physical Description
"Brown-to-white" complexion indicates the moderate, luminous color between extreme darkness and pallor, described in other narrations as "neither extremely white nor brown."
"Black eyed" refers to the intensity and beauty of his eyes, not mere color, indicating depth and spiritual presence.
The pleasant smile and handsome features reflect his inner character manifesting outwardly - the perfection of both physical form and moral excellence.
The beard description indicates moderate length, neither excessively long nor short, reaching the chest in dignified manner.
Legal and Spiritual Implications
Classical scholars unanimously agree that seeing the Prophet (ﷺ) in dream is a great blessing and indicates the dreamer's sound faith.
Such visions are considered true encounters, though distinct from seeing him in waking life, and carry spiritual benefits and glad tidings.
The accuracy of description validation shows the importance of transmitting the Prophet's appearance correctly through chain of reliable narrators.