Abu Huraira (may Allah be well pleased with him) said:
“Allah’s Messenger said (ﷺ): ‘If someone sees me in his sleep, he has indeed seen me, for Satan cannot appear in disguise as me’(or: ‘cannot imitate me’).”
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، قَالا: حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ أَبِي حُصَينٍ، عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم: مَنْ رَآنِي فِي الْمَنَامِ فَقَدْ رَآنِي، فَإِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ لا يَتَصَوَّرُ أَوْ قَالَ: لا يَتَشَبَّهُ بِي.
“Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said: ‘If someone sees me in his sleep, he has indeed seen me, for Satan cannot imitate me!’ The father then related this to Ibn Abbas, saying that he had seen the Prophet. He also mentioned al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali, noting that he resembled the Prophet. To this Ibn 'Abbas replied, ‘Yes, he resembled him.’”
Yazid al-Farisi, who used to inscribe copies of the Qur’an said:
“I saw the Prophet (ﷺ) in my sleep in the time of Ibn 'Abbas, so I said to Ibn 'Abbas: ‘I saw Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) in my sleep!’ Ibn 'Abbas said: “Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) 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.”
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ أَبِي عَدِيٍّ، وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ، قَالا: حَدَّثَنَا عَوْفُ بْنُ أَبِي جَمِيلَةَ، عَنْ يَزِيدَ الْفَارِسِيِّ وَكَانَ يَكْتُبُ الْمَصَاحِفَ، قَالَ: رَأَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي الْمَنَامِ زَمَنَ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ: فَقُلْتُ لابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ: إِنِّي رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي النَّوْمِ، فَقَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ كَانَ، يَقُولُ: إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ لا يَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ يَتَشَبَّهَ بِي، فَمَنْ رَآنِي فِي النَّوْمِ فَقَدْ رَآنِي، هَلْ تَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ تَنْعَتَ هَذَا الرَّجُلَ الَّذِي رَأَيْتَهُ فِي النَّوْمِ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ، أَنْعَتُ لَكَ رَجُلا بَيْنَ الرَّجُلَيْنِ، جِسْمُهُ وَلَحْمُهُ أَسْمَرُ إِلَى الْبَيَاضِ، أَكْحَلُ الْعَيْنَيْنِ، حَسَنُ الضَّحِكِ، جَمِيلُ دَوَائِرِ الْوَجْهِ، مَلأَتْ لِحْيَتُهُ مَا بَيْنَ هَذِهِ إِلَى هَذِهِ، قَدْ مَلأَتْ نَحْرَهُ، قَالَ عَوْفٌ: وَلا أَدْرِي مَا كَانَ مَعَ هَذَا النَّعْتِ، فَقَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: لَوْ رَأَيْتَهُ فِي الْيَقَظَةِ مَا اسْتَطَعْتَ أَنْ تَنْعَتَهُ فَوْقَ هَذَا.
[commentary] قال أبو عيسى: ويزيد الفارسي هو يزيد بن هرمز وهو أقدم من يزيد الرقاشي وروى يزيد الفارسي عن ابن عباس أحاديث. ويزيد الرقاشي لم يدرك ابن عباس، وهو يزيد بن أبان الرقاشي وهو يروي عن أنس بن مالك. ويزيد الفارسي ويزيد الرقاشي كلاهما من أهل البصرة وعوف بن أبي جميلة هو عوف الأعرابي. [/commentary]
"The Prophet (ﷺ) said (ﷺ): 'If someone sees me in his sleep, he has indeed seen me, for Satan cannot impersonate me!' He also said: 'The vision of the believer is one of forty-six parts of Prophethood.'"