Can sinners have true dreams too?

Yes. Out of His goodness God can speak to any person, sinners included. So a true dream does not prove that someone is righteous.

Many people believe that only very devout people can have dreams that come from God. Islam takes a wider view. God’s goodness is like rain, which falls not only on the fields of the good but everywhere. So God can speak to any person, even to someone who does much wrong.

There are good reasons for this. A true dream can awaken the spark of truth that is present in every human being. It can keep alive the belief that God communicates with people. And sometimes God warns a whole nation of disaster through the dream of one individual.

The best known example is the King of Egypt in the time of Joseph (as). He was not a believer, and yet he saw the dream of the seven fat cows and the seven lean ones. Joseph (as) interpreted it, and the land was able to prepare for the years of hardship. The two men in prison with Joseph (as) also saw dreams that came true exactly.

How then can one tell a believer from a sinner? Not by the dream alone. A true dream is a gift, not a testimony to the character of the dreamer. Who a person really is shows in their life and conduct.

How one recognises a dream from God is a different matter. It speaks in a symbolic language that the dreamer could not invent, and later events confirm it. This holds for the devout and for the sinner alike.