Islamic dream interpretation: sources and limits

What kinds of dreams do the hadith describe?

Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, reports that the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, divided dreams into three kinds (source 1). The first is a good dream, which is good tidings from Allah. The second is a dream that saddens, which comes from Satan. The third is a dream from what a person's own mind is occupied with.

1AuthenticSahih Muslim 2263a

A person who sees something he dislikes, the report continues, should stand up and pray and should not relate it to people (source 1). It does not say how long to pray or what to pray. Whether prayer is a required step is a question for a scholar you trust.

The same report calls a Muslim's dream a part of prophecy. We take that wording as it stands and draw no conclusion from it about any particular dream.

Near its end, the report includes a remark about an image seen in a dream. The narrator says he is not sure that remark belongs to the report, so we do not use it.

These are categories from one report, not a method for reading dreams. They do not say which category any particular dream belongs to.

What does the Quran report about the dream of Yusuf, peace be upon him?

Yusuf, peace be upon him, told his father about a dream he had (12:4). Later in the same story, he says that this was the interpretation of that earlier dream, and that his Lord made it come true (12:100) (source 7).

This is a Quranic account with its own context. It is not a method for reading other people's dreams, and we do not treat any detail of Yusuf's dream as a symbol with a fixed meaning.

What should I do after a dream I dislike?

Sahih al-Bukhari 6985 says that a dream a person likes is from Allah, so he should praise Allah for it and tell it. A dream he dislikes is from Satan, so he should seek refuge from its evil and not mention it to anyone, "for it will not harm him" (source 2).

2AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 6985

None of these reports mentions doctors, and none tells a person not to seek medical help. The NHS advice on regular nightmares is below. If you are unsure how the advice about not mentioning a disliked dream fits with talking to a GP, a scholar you trust can advise.

Two further reports also tell a person to seek refuge: Sahih al-Bukhari 6986 (source 3) and 3292 (source 5).

3AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 6986

5AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 3292

In 6986 the Arabic says to seek refuge "from it" (minhu) without naming what "it" is; the sunnah.com English gives "from Satan". Both reports also describe spitting to the left. We report that wording as it stands and do not set it out as a ritual step; a teacher you trust can explain it.

Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him, reported the Prophet describing one response to a disliked dream in Sahih Muslim 2262 (source 6). In Sahih Muslim 2262 the response is to spit to the left three times, seek refuge with Allah from Satan three times, and turn over from the side one was lying on. It is one reported response. We do not set it out as a checklist, and whether any step is required is a question for a scholar you trust.

6AuthenticSahih Muslim 2262

Is there a dua for bad dreams or nightmares?

Three of the reports cited here tell a person to seek refuge after a disliked dream: from its evil (source 2), "from it" (source 3), and with Allah from its evil (source 5). They give no fixed Arabic wording, no number of times to repeat it, and no set time or place. Sahih Muslim 2262 adds seeking refuge with Allah from Satan three times, also without a fixed wording (source 6).

So we give no Arabic supplication for bad dreams or nightmares. If you want one, learn it from a teacher you trust and check its source and grading first. The report about the disliked dream says it "will not harm him" (source 2). We do not extend that to any other outcome.

Can a book or website tell me what my dream means?

The sources cited here do not support that kind of answer. Yusuf's dream is part of a Quranic account (source 7). The hadith here name kinds of dream and responses to them, not meanings (sources 1 to 5).

Symbol lists often claim an early interpreter as their author. We have not checked any such claim, so we cite no interpretation book and attribute no list to anyone.

The next section gives a reported case in which an interpretation offered in the Prophet's presence was only partly right.

What does the reported exchange of interpretation show?

Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, reports that a man told the Prophet about a dream, and Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, asked to interpret it. The Prophet said that he was right about some of it and wrong about some of it (source 4). When Abu Bakr asked which part was wrong, the report gives only the answer "Do not swear".

4AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 7046

We do not repeat the interpretation that Abu Bakr gave, and we do not work out which part was wrong, because the report does not say.

Even when an interpretation is given in the Prophet's presence, the report shows it can be only partly right. A reader today has no such check, which is why we leave interpretation alone.

When should frequent nightmares be checked?

The NHS advises seeing a GP if you have regular nightmares that affect your sleep and everyday life (source 8). For most people, it says, nightmares get better on their own. Psychological therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy can help adults who have frequent nightmares.

Religious counsel can sit alongside that care. A scholar you trust can advise you on your own situation, which we cannot do.

Practice

1. Which of the three kinds in Sahih Muslim 2263a comes from a person's own mind? The third kind (source 1).
2. After a disliked dream, what does Sahih al-Bukhari 6985 advise about telling it? Not to mention it to anyone (source 2).
3. Does Sahih al-Bukhari 7046 say which part of the interpretation was wrong? No. It gives only "Do not swear" (source 4).