“A good dream (that comes true) of a righteous man is one of forty-six parts of prophethood.” [Sahih al-Bukhari]
There are good and bad dreams: “If anyone of you sees a dream that he likes, then it is from Allah and he should thank Allah for it and narrate it to others; but if he sees something bad, then it is from Satan and he should seek refuge with Allah from its evil and he should not mention it to anybody, for it will not harm him.” [Sahih Muslim].
Direct dream: Dreams are of two types: a clear evident dream like somebody would dream about himself giving dates to someone and during the day time he would give somebody dates. Secondly, a dream that comes in symbols and this type you would not understand its meaning unless one gets it interpreted by a person who has knowledge because sometimes the symbols are very delicate and sophisticated.
Presumptive: Dream interpretation is not certain but presumptive and Allah confirms this “And he said to the one he presumed to be saved…” Surah Yusuf: 42}.Ibn Kathir mentions in his An-Nihayah wal Bidayah that there was a caliph (not a good one) of Ibn ‘Abbas who saw dream that he was climbing a step with 28 steps. The one who interpreted his dream told him, “He will rule for 28 years.” But he died six months later. He died at the age of 28 so the steps were representing his age not the time for his rule.
Short and Concise: If one sees a dream that is very long like a movie or someone is chasing you and it never ends then most likely that dream does not mean anything. True dreams are short, concise and dreams of day time are equal to the dreams of night. [Sahih Muslim].
Be Secretive: Do not mention the dream for interpretation except to a scholar or a person who would advise you sincerely. “O my son! Relate not your vision to your brothers, lest they arrange a plot against you. Verily! Shaitân (Satan) is to man an open enemy! {Surat al-Yusuf: 4-5}.Prophet said, “A dream is hanging on the leg of a bird (and in another narration on the wing of the bird) as soon as it is interpreted, it happens as it was interpreted.”
Falsification of Dreams: It is haram and a great sin to claim that one has seen a dream whilst he has not seen it. The Prophet said, “Whoever claims to have seen a dream that he has not seen, would be told to tie between two hairs on the Day of Judgment.”AbduLlah ibn ‘Abbas.
Dream of Seeing the Prophet: Narrated Anas, the Prophet said, “Whoever has seen me in a dream and then no doubt, he has seen me, for Satan cannot imitate my shape. [Sahih al-Bukhari].
A repetition of a dream is a sign of its truth. It does not matter if the same person sees the dream more than once or more than one person. ‘AbduLlah ibn ‘Umar reported that some people were shown the Night of Qadr as being in the last seven days (of the month of Ramadan). The Prophet said, “I see that your dreams strengthen each other that Night of Qadr is in the last seven nights of Ramadhan.
Signs of what to come: Most of the times, a dream can either be a glad tiding or warning from Allah. If it is a glad tiding, it would take a long time for it to occur, while if it is a warning it would occur swiftly. For example, Yusuf’s dream took about forty years for it to happen around 40 years later.
Symbolic Meanings: Same symbol in a dream could mean different things for different people. For example: A man came to Ibn Sirin and told him that he had seen himself in a dream giving Adhan. Ibn Sirin replied, “You will make Hajj.” Another man came with the same dream and Ibn Sirin replied, “You are a thief!” Ibn Sirin was asked the reason for giving different interpretations he said, “Because I saw in the first man’s face, righteousness, and saw evil on the face of the other man.
Allah knows best. However, there are other opinions regarding this issue.