The Soul’s Journey Through Sleep, Time, and Beyond
Every night, your soul leaves your body — not metaphorically, but literally. According to the Quran and Sunnah, sleep is a temporary death and a preview of the unseen world. In this post, we explore how dreams may reflect the condition of your soul, how time behaves differently across realms, and why your spiritual state may determine your experience in the grave and beyond.
The Soul Leaves Every Night
Allah says in the Quran:
This verse reveals something profound:
Sleep is a temporary death — the soul is taken.
Some souls are held, others are returned.
Waking up is not automatic — it’s a mercy from Allah.
This is why the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say before sleeping:
And upon waking:
Dreams: Reflections of the Soul — or Something Else?
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
In Surah Yusuf, Allah shows us the power of true dreams — seen by Yusuf (peace be upon him), prisoners, and a king. These dreams held symbolic meaning and foretold real events:
However, not all dreams are meaningful. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also said:
So we must be careful:
Some dreams may reflect your soul’s state
Others are just mental noise
And some are deceptions from Shaytan
Dreams can sometimes be personal signs, if aligned with righteousness and interpreted wisely.
Barzakh: Between Death and Resurrection
Barzakh is:
A real, conscious phase between death and resurrection
Where the soul exists in a state that reflects its deeds and belief
Not like sleep — but something far more real and personal
Time Across Realms – Not Like We Know It
The Quran hints at different experiences of time across realms:
Soul State | Time Experience | Quranic Reference |
|---|---|---|
Wakefulness | Linear and structured | 25:47 — “...the day for rising.” |
Sleep | Disconnected or symbolic | 39:42 — “˹It is˺ Allah ˹Who˺ calls back the souls” |
Dreams | Non-linear, sometimes meaningful | 12:4 — “Indeed I dreamt…” |
Barzakh | Soul-dependent and mysterious | 23:100 — “And there is a barrier behind them until the Day...” |
Resurrection | Instantaneous shock | 36:52 — “Who has raised us up…?” |
Judgement Day | Vast and cosmic | 70:4 — “a Day fifty thousand years in length.” |
Akhirah | Timeless and eternal | 2:25 — “...and they will be there forever.” |
These descriptions are not exact timelines — they are divine clues. Only Allah fully knows how time flows across realms. What we do know is that the soul’s condition affects how that time feels — peaceful or painful, fast or endless.
The Grave is Not Sleep — It Is More Real
Some will say on the Day of Judgement:
This does not mean the grave was like sleep — it means that, to those unprepared, resurrection feels like a rude awakening.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
For the righteous, the grave is full of light, peace, and spaciousness
For the sinful, it is tight, dark, and frightening
The soul remains conscious and aware of its experience
You Will Soon Come to Know
And for those who were too distracted in this life to prepare for it, Allah says:
This verse echoes a powerful reality:
Death will reveal what the ego tried to deny.
And the grave — far from being sleep — will expose the state of your soul with absolute clarity.
Are Dreams Glimpses of Barzakh?
Possibly — but not always.
Some scholars believed the soul may partially enter the unseen realm during sleep. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also said:
This hadith suggests that souls have a kind of natural familiarity, and that they may meet and interact — including in sleep or after death. This supports the idea that dreams can reflect real spiritual states or connections, even if we don’t fully comprehend them.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also said:
These narrations remind us that:
Some dreams reflect deeper truths
Others depend on the soul’s purity and state
And while not all dreams are meaningful, some may offer glimpses of Barzakh-like awareness
Final Reflections
Every night, your soul is taken.
Every dream is a potential glimpse.
And every morning is a return — a reset, a reminder, a mercy.
You don’t have to wait for death to begin your journey.
The journey has already started. You live it every night.
Sometimes, sleep is a taste of peace.
Sometimes, it's a warning.
And always — it’s a sign.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught us to see sleep as a form of death, and waking as a return to life. The Quran reminds us that what lies ahead depends on the soul — not the body, not the clock, not the grave.
Let sleep remind you.
Let dreams caution you.
Let your soul be prepared for what’s beyond.