There are three sources of thoughts in our heads – ourselves, Allah and the enemy, so as dreams.

• Dreams from the enemy bring fear, are often dark, hopeless, and full of temptation; nightmares are obvious examples. Allah may show or tell you about negative things that are going to happen, but there has always been a message of hope within the dream. Allah never adds fear to your life; He always reduces it. You might see a dream that shows you the cause of your fear but then provides a solution.
• Dreams from ourselves can be processing of events and trauma, or reactions to the environment.  They can highlight our own desires and fears.

Someone gave eight questions to help understand a dream’s meaning:

• What is the major feeling/emotion in the dream? The most significant clue to what the dream is about is the emotional element. Were you afraid? Confident? What caused the emotion?
• Does any of this dream remind you of anything yesterday? If yes, then it is an association dream.
• Where does it take place? What does that place remind you of? Does it have any special significance to you? How did that place make you feel emotionally? Is it a safe and loving or a dangerous and threatening place for you?
• Can you quickly summarize the dream? Do not reorganize the dream to make it make sense!
• Focus on the major characters – who do they remind you of? What feelings did they give you? What part of yourself is in that person? The dream is about you, not the other person, so do not try to apply your dream to someone else.
• Look for symbolism. Do you have any idea what the symbols mean?
• How does this impact your personal growth?
• What spiritual potential of yours might the dream be about?

For a dream to be from Allah:

• Agree with Scripture: scripture forbids many kinds of spiritism, including sorcery and consulting psychics (Tawrat, Leviticus 19:31). If Allah uses symbols, He chooses them based on what they mean to you. Biblical symbols often point to a dream coming from Allah.
• Carry the character of Allah and fit His personality: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (Injil, 2 Timothy 1:7)
• Be truthful, accurate
• Bear good fruit: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Injil, Galatians 5:22–23)
• Point to Allah. In the Tawrat, Deuteronomy 13 and 18, God gives keys to recognizing true and false revelation.
• Be full of color and light. Dreams from God may be bright, full of color, bring hope, accompanied by a sense of peace and wonder, and highlight an aspect of God’s character.