Is it necessary for one who sees the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, in a dream to see him exactly مطابق to his descriptions mentioned in the Sunnah, and if some of his descriptions differ, such as seeing him without a beard, would it then not be him, peace and blessings be upon him?

The hadith (definition) indicates that Satan cannot appear in the form of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. Some scholars are of the view that a true vision (ru'ya) can only occur if the seer beholds him in the form he truly had. However, Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar maintained that the correct view is to generalize, provided that the image seen is his true form at some point in his life, whether in his youth, manhood, old age, or at the end of his life.

Al-Qarafi mentioned that seeing the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, is only valid for one of two types of individuals: a Companion who saw him and thus knew his characteristics, or a person who has repeatedly heard descriptions of him until they became imprinted in his mind. As for anyone else, it is not permissible for them to be certain, as it might be a deception from Satan, and the statement of the one seen, "I am the Messenger of Allah," is not beneficial in such a case.

Al-Qarafi also clarified that seeing the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, with characteristics other than his true ones, may indicate the state of the seer. For example, blindness in the vision signifies the seer's lack of faith, and blackness indicates his injustice.