Short answer
No. Life is real, and it is a test with a purpose. Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzŭ), a Taoist teacher of the 4th century BCE, once dreamt he was a butterfly. On waking, he asked which was the dream: the butterfly or the man. His book also says a Great Awakening will come, and then "we find out that this life is really a great dream". Islam agrees on one point. This life is short, and it can deceive. The Qur'an calls it "goods and chattels of deception" (3:185). It says people will wake on the Last Day with sharp sight (50:22). But the Qur'an also says the world was not made in play (44:38). What you do here is real, and it will be weighed. A sleeper is not held to account for his dream. Each of us will answer for this life.
| Test | A dream | Life, in the Qur'an |
|---|---|---|
| What happens in it is real | ||
| It was made for a purpose | ||
| Your deeds in it are recorded | ||
| You will answer for it |
- Yes
- No
Full explanation
Zhuangzi and the butterfly
Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzŭ) lived in China in the 4th century BCE. The book that bears his name is one of the two best-known books of Taoism, beside the Tao Te Ching. Its second chapter ends with a short story. Zhuangzi dreamt he was a butterfly, "fluttering hither and thither". As a butterfly he knew nothing of being a man. Then he woke, "and there I lay, myself again". He writes that he no longer knew which was true. Was he a man who had dreamt of a butterfly, or a butterfly now dreaming it was a man? He adds that there must be a barrier between the two. He calls the passing from one to the other the transformation of things. Giles, the translator, puts this as "Metempsychosis". The story is loved because it is honest. Everyone has woken from a dream that felt real.
“Once upon a time, I, Chuang Tzŭ, dreamt I was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither, to all intents and purposes a butterfly. I was conscious only of following my fancies as a butterfly, and was unconscious of my individuality as a man. Suddenly, I awaked, and there I lay, myself again. Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly dreaming I am a man. Between a man and a butterfly there is necessarily a barrier. The transition is called Metempsychosis.”
The Great Awakening
Earlier in the same chapter, a teacher named Chang Wu Tzŭ goes further. People who dream do not know that they dream, he says. Only when they wake do they know. Then he says: "By and by comes the Great Awakening, and then we find out that this life is really a great dream." He says fools think they are awake now. He even counts himself in: "I who say you are dreams,--I am but a dream myself." Just before this he asks, "How do I know that love of life is not a delusion after all?" So the dream is used to loosen a person's grip. If life may be a dream, there is less to cling to and less to fear in death. Many readers find calm in that.
“While they dream, they do not know that they dream. Some will even interpret the very dream they are dreaming; and only when they awake do they know it was a dream. By and by comes the Great Awakening, and then we find out that this life is really a great dream. Fools think they are awake now, and flatter themselves they know if they are really princes or peasants. Confucius and you are both dreams; and I who say you are dreams,--I am but a dream myself. This is a paradox. Tomorrow a sage may arise to explain it; but that tomorrow will not be until ten thousand generations have gone by.”
“How do I know that love of life is not a delusion after all? How do I know but that he who dreads to die is not as a child who has lost the way and cannot find his home?”
What follows if life is a dream
The thought has a cost. In a dream, no one is truly helped and no one is truly wronged. If life is a dream, the same is true of life. Kindness to a parent, a promise kept and a cruelty done all weigh the same, which is nothing. The saying also turns on itself. If the speaker is "but a dream", his saying is part of the dream too. The book admits the difficulty. Chang Wu Tzŭ calls his own words "a paradox". He says a sage may arise to explain it, but not until "ten thousand generations have gone by". So the book raises the question and leaves it open. This matters because a person cannot live by an open question. Each day he must decide whether his deeds count.
“While they dream, they do not know that they dream. Some will even interpret the very dream they are dreaming; and only when they awake do they know it was a dream. By and by comes the Great Awakening, and then we find out that this life is really a great dream. Fools think they are awake now, and flatter themselves they know if they are really princes or peasants. Confucius and you are both dreams; and I who say you are dreams,--I am but a dream myself. This is a paradox. Tomorrow a sage may arise to explain it; but that tomorrow will not be until ten thousand generations have gone by.”
Common ground: this life is short and can deceive
Islam shares part of what Zhuangzi saw. The Qur'an says the life of this world is "play and amusement, pomp and mutual boasting". It calls it "goods and chattels of deception". It says of the next life, "that is life indeed". It also tells how short this life will seem. On the Last Day people will be asked how long they stayed on earth. They will answer, "We stayed a day or part of a day". And the Qur'an speaks of an awakening. Each soul will be told: "now have We removed thy veil, and sharp is thy sight this Day!" So Islam too says that most people are heedless now and will see clearly later. That is where the likeness ends.
“Know ye (all), that the life of this world is but play and amusement, pomp and mutual boasting and multiplying, (in rivalry) among yourselves, riches and children. Here is a similitude: How rain and the growth which it brings forth, delight (the hearts of) the tillers; soon it withers; thou wilt see it grow yellow; then it becomes dry and crumbles away. But in the Hereafter is a Penalty severe (for the devotees of wrong). And Forgiveness from Allah and (His) Good Pleasure (for the devotees of Allah). And what is the life of this world, but goods and chattels of deception?”
“Every soul shall have a taste of death: And only on the Day of Judgment shall you be paid your full recompense. Only he who is saved far from the Fire and admitted to the Garden will have attained the object (of Life): For the life of this world is but goods and chattels of deception.”
“What is the life of this world but amusement and play? but verily the Home in the Hereafter,- that is life indeed, if they but knew.”
“He will say: "What number of years did ye stay on earth?" They will say: "We stayed a day or part of a day: but ask those who keep account." He will say: "Ye stayed not but a little,- if ye had only known!”
“(It will be said:) "Thou wast heedless of this; now have We removed thy veil, and sharp is thy sight this Day!"”
| Teaching | The Zhuangzi | The Qur'an |
|---|---|---|
| This life can deceive | ||
| An awakening is coming | ||
| The world itself is real | ||
| Every deed will be weighed |
- Says so
- Leaves it open
- Does not say so
The world was made in truth
The Qur'an does not say the world is unreal. It says the opposite, in plain words. "We created not the heavens, the earth, and all between them, merely in (idle) sport: We created them not except for just ends". And again: "Not without purpose did We create heaven and earth and all between!" People are asked whether they thought they were created in jest, and would not be brought back to God (﷾). So this life is short beside the next one, and it is real. Its pleasures deceive only when a person takes them for the whole of life. This matters because it changes what waking means. In Zhuangzi's book, a person wakes to find that life was a dream. In the Qur'an, a person wakes to find that life was real, and that he was the one asleep to it.
“We created not the heavens, the earth, and all between them, merely in (idle) sport: We created them not except for just ends: but most of them do not understand.”
“Not without purpose did We create heaven and earth and all between! that were the thought of Unbelievers! but woe to the Unbelievers because of the Fire (of Hell)!”
“"Did ye then think that We had created you in jest, and that ye would not be brought back to Us (for account)?"”
“Not for (idle) sport did We create the heavens and the earth and all that is between!”
A test, not a dream
The Qur'an says why life was made. God (﷾) "created Death and Life, that He may try which of you is best in deed". What is on the earth is a test of who is best in conduct. A test and a dream differ in one great way. A dreamer is not answerable for his dream. Islam itself says so. The Prophet (ﷺ) said the deeds of three are not recorded. One of them is a sleeper, until he wakes. Yet the Qur'an says every waking deed is recorded. On the Last Day people will find all that they did placed before them, small and great. Anyone who has done an atom's weight of good will see it, and so with evil. So the record itself tells us that we are awake. This matters because it gives weight to every ordinary day.
“He Who created Death and Life, that He may try which of you is best in deed: and He is the Exalted in Might, Oft-Forgiving;-”
“That which is on earth we have made but as a glittering show for the earth, in order that We may test them - as to which of them are best in conduct.”
Ali ibn Abi Talib reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said there are three whose deeds are not recorded: a sleeper until he wakes, a boy until he reaches puberty, and an insane person until he comes to reason.
“And the Book (of Deeds) will be placed (before you); and thou wilt see the sinful in great terror because of what is (recorded) therein; they will say, "Ah! woe to us! what a Book is this! It leaves out nothing small or great, but takes account thereof!" They will find all that they did, placed before them: And not one will thy Lord treat with injustice.”
“Then shall anyone who has done an atom's weight of good, see it! And anyone who has done an atom's weight of evil, shall see it.”
- This life
A test of who is best in deed
- Death
Every soul tastes it
- The awakening
The veil is removed, and sight is sharp
- The record
Each person finds all that he did
- The Hereafter
The home that is life indeed
How can I know that I am awake?
Zhuangzi's question is fair. No one can step outside his own mind to check it. Islam's answer is that the One who made the mind has spoken. The Qur'an says God (﷾) brought people from their mothers' wombs knowing nothing. He gave them hearing, sight and understanding, so that they would give thanks. It says each of these will be asked about. A just Lord does not question people about senses that deceive them at every turn. The Qur'an also says that God (﷾) takes souls in sleep and returns them for an appointed time. So sleep and waking are both in His hand, and He tells us which is which. Zhuangzi's book waits for a sage to explain the paradox. Islam says God (﷾) did not leave people waiting. He speaks to them through messengers, and the last of His books is the Qur'an.
“It is He Who brought you forth from the wombs of your mothers when ye knew nothing; and He gave you hearing and sight and intelligence and affections: that ye may give thanks (to Allah).”
“And pursue not that of which thou hast no knowledge; for every act of hearing, or of seeing or of (feeling in) the heart will be enquired into (on the Day of Reckoning).”
“It is Allah that takes the souls (of men) at death; and those that die not (He takes) during their sleep: those on whom He has passed the decree of death, He keeps back (from returning to life), but the rest He sends (to their bodies) for a term appointed verily in this are Signs for those who reflect.”
“It is not fitting for a man that Allah should speak to him except by inspiration, or from behind a veil, or by the sending of a messenger to reveal, with Allah's permission, what Allah wills: for He is Most High, Most Wise.”
“While they dream, they do not know that they dream. Some will even interpret the very dream they are dreaming; and only when they awake do they know it was a dream. By and by comes the Great Awakening, and then we find out that this life is really a great dream. Fools think they are awake now, and flatter themselves they know if they are really princes or peasants. Confucius and you are both dreams; and I who say you are dreams,--I am but a dream myself. This is a paradox. Tomorrow a sage may arise to explain it; but that tomorrow will not be until ten thousand generations have gone by.”
Calm without calling life unreal
Zhuangzi's dream offers calm by making life lighter. Islam offers calm by another road. It keeps life real and puts it in God's (﷾) hand. The Qur'an says hearts find rest in the remembrance of God (﷾). It tells people to seek the Home of the Hereafter, and adds, "nor forget thy portion in this world". The Prophet (ﷺ) told a young companion to live in this world as a stranger or a traveller. A traveller does not think the road is a dream. He knows it is real, and he knows it is not his home. This matters because it lets a person love his family, keep his word and face death, all at once.
“"Those who believe, and whose hearts find satisfaction in the remembrance of Allah: for without doubt in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction.”
“"But seek, with the (wealth) which Allah has bestowed on thee, the Home of the Hereafter, nor forget thy portion in this world: but do thou good, as Allah has been good to thee, and seek not (occasions for) mischief in the land: for Allah loves not those who do mischief."”
Ibn Umar reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) took hold of his shoulder and said: be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveller. Ibn Umar used to add his own advice: do not expect the morning when evening comes, and take from your health for your sickness and from your life for your death.
| Road | How it works |
|---|---|
| Zhuangzi's dream | Life may be a dream, so hold it lightly |
| Islam | Life is real and in God's (﷾) hand, so live in it as a traveller |
Islam's answer
So life is not a dream. It is brief, it can deceive, and it is real. It was made by God (﷾) for a purpose, and every deed in it is kept. The awakening Zhuangzi spoke of is coming. Islam calls it the Day of Resurrection. On that Day no one will find that nothing mattered. Each will find that everything did. The Qur'an asks to be weighed: a book from anyone but God (﷾) would hold much contradiction. Read it in a translation you trust. The page "Can anyone live for ever?" looks at Zhuangzi on death. The page "I'm Taoist: why consider Islam?" takes up the whole question.
“(It will be said:) "Thou wast heedless of this; now have We removed thy veil, and sharp is thy sight this Day!"”
“And the Book (of Deeds) will be placed (before you); and thou wilt see the sinful in great terror because of what is (recorded) therein; they will say, "Ah! woe to us! what a Book is this! It leaves out nothing small or great, but takes account thereof!" They will find all that they did, placed before them: And not one will thy Lord treat with injustice.”
“Do they not consider the Qur'an (with care)? Had it been from other Than Allah, they would surely have found therein Much discrepancy.”
“And if ye are in doubt as to what We have revealed from time to time to Our servant, then produce a Sura like thereunto; and call your witnesses or helpers (If there are any) besides Allah, if your (doubts) are true.”
Perspectives
Taoist: no one can tell the dream from the waking
Zhuangzi could not tell whether he was a man who had dreamt of a butterfly or a butterfly dreaming it was a man. This life may be a great dream, and a Great Awakening will show it. So hold life lightly, and do not fear death.
The Zhuangzi, chapter 2
After his dream, Zhuangzi could not say which he was. He might be a man who had dreamt of a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming it was a man.
Rebuttal
He asks this after waking, when he could tell the dream for a dream. He adds that between the two "there is necessarily a barrier". The Qur'an says God (﷾) gave people hearing, sight and understanding, and will ask about each (16:78; 17:36).
A Great Awakening is coming, and then we shall find that this life is a great dream. Fools think they are awake now.
Rebuttal
The Qur'an also speaks of an awakening, when the veil is removed and sight is sharp (50:22). But people wake to a record of real deeds: they find all that they did placed before them (18:49). A dream leaves no record.
If life may be a dream, there is nothing to cling to in life and nothing to fear in death.
Rebuttal
The same thought empties love, duty and justice of their weight. The Qur'an says people were not created in jest (23:115). It gives calm by another road: hearts find rest in the remembrance of God (﷾) (13:28).
The matter is a paradox beyond words. A sage may explain it, but not for ten thousand generations.
Rebuttal
Then the book leaves its own question open. Islam says God (﷾) did not leave people waiting. He speaks through messengers (42:51), and He says plainly that the world was not made in play (44:38-39).
The Islamic perspective
This life is short and can deceive, and people will wake to the truth on the Last Day. But the world is real. God (﷾) made it for a purpose, as a test, and every deed in it is recorded and will be weighed.
The life of this world is play and amusement beside the next, and its goods deceive those who take them for everything.
God (﷾) did not create the heavens and the earth in play, but for just ends.
Death and life were created to test which of us is best in deed.
A sleeper's deeds are not recorded until he wakes. Every waking deed is recorded, and an atom's weight of good or evil will be seen.
On the Last Day the veil is removed and each person's sight is sharp.
God (﷾) gave people hearing, sight and understanding, and He speaks to them through messengers, so they are not left to guess.