Islamic Dream Dictionary — Complete A

B

Baby: A baby in a dream, on the interpreters' reading, oscillates between glad tidings and trial
Bee: A bee in a dream, on the interpreters' reading, is a sign of blessing and uninterrupted labour
Bird: A bird in a dream, on the interpreters' reading, signifies the person himself — his soul, which rises and descends, or a deed by which his name takes flight — or news arriving from afar
Black: Black, for one accustomed to wearing it, is dignity and authority
Blood: Blood in a dream is wealth, sin, and lineage
Book: A book in a dream, on Ibn Sirin and Al-Nabulsi's reading, is a symbol of what a person encounters of his deed, his knowledge, or news reaching him
Bread: Bread in a dream, on the interpreters' reading, signifies provision, lifespan, and what sustains life itself
Bridge: The bridge in a dream is among the symbols not detailed by the great masters of interpretation as they detailed others — so no chain-supported report comes down from Ibn Sirin, Al-Nabulsi, or Ibn Shahīn that may correctly be ascribed to them with specificity
Brother: A brother in a dream, on Ibn Sirin and Al-Nabulsi's reading, is a closely-bound symbol in the dreamer's life — his support in hardship and his partner in lineage

C

Camel: A camel in a dream, on the interpreters' reading, signifies a far journey and an authority that bears the burden of people, or a foreign man whose origin may be hidden from the dreamer
Cat: A cat in a dream, on Ibn Sirin and Al-Nabulsi's reading, is a symbol that revolves around close company that is not free of a hidden mischief
Clothing: Clothing in a dream, on the interpreters' reading, signifies religion, standing, and the state by which a person appears among people
Cloud: Clouds in a dream, on Ibn Sirin and Al-Nabulsi's reading, are a sign of knowledge and wisdom, and of the imām or sovereign who benefits people as rain benefits when Allah sends it down
Cow: A cow in a dream, on the interpreters' reading, signifies a year of provision — for this is the root that the Qur'an pointed to in the king's dream that Yusuf (peace be upon him) interpreted: "I see seven fat cows being devoured by seven lean ones
Crying: Crying in a dream is one of the established rules of interpretation, called by the masters "the rule of inversion" — and what is well-known on Ibn Sirin and Al-Nabulsi's reading is that silent crying, without voice or wailing, resolves into relief and joy, for the soul discharges its grief in the dream and is then seen in waking life in lightness and mercy

D

Dates: Dates in a dream, on Ibn Sirin and Al-Nabulsi's reading, are lawful provision gathered after toil — the Qur'anic foundation being the saying of Allah to Mary (peace be upon her), "And shake toward you the trunk of the palm-tree
Death: Death in a dream is transformation, passage, and at times repentance
Deceased Person: The deceased in a dream is a soul from beyond the veil
Desert: A desert in a dream is among the symbols which the interpretation works of Ibn Sirin and Al-Nabulsi did not detail as they did others
Dog: A dog in a dream, on the interpreters' reading, signifies an enemy weak in religion, or a foolish man given to much speech, or in some states a faithful guardian
Donkey: A donkey in a dream, on Ibn Sirin and Al-Nabulsi's reading, is a doubled symbol: a burden the dreamer bears in his waking life — and this is the Qur'anic foundation in the verse "as the example of the donkey carrying volumes" — and a share of provision that comes to him according to the donkey's state in the vision
Door: A door in a dream is the woman of the house or the man who manages its affair

E

Eye: The eye in a dream, on Ibn Sirin and Al-Nabulsi's reading, is the organ of sight by which the light of the world is perceived

F

Falling: Falling signifies a drop in station, loss of standing, or commercial loss
Father: The father is the pillar of the household, the dreamer's refuge, and the source of his safety
Fear: Fear in a dream is the security that will follow in waking life in measure of its intensity — a Qur'anic promise of substitution from fear to peace
Finding: Finding the lost in a dream is the return of what departed or provision from an unreckoned direction
Fire: Fire is a force that either illuminates or consumes
Fish: In dream symbolism, fish is provision dispatched from afar or from a windfall not earned by visible toil — a gift that arrives from where the dreamer does not reckon
Flying: Flying is elevation, travel, and high aspiration

G

Garden: A fruit-bearing garden in a dream, on the interpreters' reading, signifies religion, a righteous wife, or the noble Qur'an — for a person gathers its fruit as one gathers the fruit of knowledge
Gold: The interpretation of gold in a dream splits along the dreamer's sex on a firm shariʿa basis — the hadith of ʿAlī: "These two are forbidden to the males of my Ummah and lawful for its females" — so gold is grief, sorrow, and a fine for men because it is forbidden adornment for them, and joy and lawful ornament for women
Grapes: Grapes in a dream, on Ibn Sirin and Al-Nabulsi's reading, are an early provision arriving before its time if out of season, or in its time if in season
Green: Green in a dream is the sign of faith, Islam, and the Sunnah — the colour of the garments of the people of Paradise in the verse "Upon them will be green garments of fine silk" — so one who wears it clean is reckoned among the upright

H

Hair: Hair is wealth, lifespan, and adornment
Honey: Honey in a dream, on the interpreters' reading, signifies beneficial knowledge, the Qur'an, and healing — grounded in the saying of Allah, exalted is He, in Sūrat al-Naḥl: "From within their bellies comes forth a drink, varied in its colours, in which there is healing for people
Horse: In dream symbolism the horse is honour, dignity, and power held in check by reason — for Ibn Sirin it is the animal symbol closest in meaning to rank and elevated standing
House: The house in a dream is an image of the dreamer himself, his state, and his lifespan

K

Kaaba: The honoured Kaaba in a dream, on the interpreters' reading, signifies the imam, the caliph, or the holder of the supreme authority
Key: A key in a dream, on Ibn Sirin and Al-Nabulsi's reading, is a symbol of an opening arriving after a closure — the Qur'anic foundation being His saying — "With Him are the keys of the unseen

L

Lion: A lion in a dream, on the interpreters' reading, signifies an oppressive authority, or a brave man of striking force, or an enemy who takes by open violence without concealment

M

Market: A marketplace in a dream, on Ibn Sirin and Al-Nabulsi's reading, is a symbol of the world, the locus of provision, and the place of toil
Marriage: Marriage is a contract and entry into a new undertaking
Mecca: Mecca in a dream is sanctity, safety, and the goal of religion itself — the city Allah sanctified on the day He created the heavens and the earth (as the muttafaq 'alaih hadith affirms), so the sight of it is glad tidings of an unshakeable settled peace
Milk: Milk in a dream is a settled symbol of sound innate nature (fitra) and beneficial knowledge, with its prophetic basis well known from the Isrāʾ hadith: when the Prophet ﷺ was offered a vessel of milk and a vessel of wine, he chose the milk — and Jibrīl (peace be upon him) said: "You have been guided to the fitra, you have been guided to the fitra
Mirror: A mirror in a dream is among the symbols which the masters of interpretation did not detail as they did others
Money: Money in dream symbolism is speech, trusts, and worries proportional to its count
Moon: In dream interpretation, the moon signifies a person of noble standing — a ruler, a beautiful spouse, or a distinguished son — and its meaning shifts with the lunar phase and the moon's position in the sky
Mosque: The mosque in a dream is the assembly of believers, the refuge of righteousness, and the seat of knowledge
Mother: The mother is the dreamer's origin, refuge, and the seat of his mercy
Mountain: The mountain in a dream, on Ibn Sirin's reading, is a man of great rank and firm standing whom nothing dislodges save a momentous affair

O

Olive: An olive in a dream, on Ibn Sirin and Al-Nabulsi's reading, is a sign of blessed barakah and light

P

Pen: The pen in a dream is among the symbols that have come in the Qur'an in a place of exaltation, while the masters of interpretation did not expand upon it as they expanded upon others
Prayer: Prayer in a dream, on the interpreters' reading, is the discharge of duties and the rendering of trusts
Pregnancy: Pregnancy in a dream, on Ibn Sirin and Al-Nabulsi's reading, is a doubled symbol: its outer face is increase and the loading of a person with a matter veiled from others
Prison: A prison in a dream, on Ibn Sirin and Al-Nabulsi's reading, is among the clearest symbols whose interpreters rest upon the Qur'an, since Allah mentioned in Sūrat Yūsuf the imprisonment of His prophet Yūsuf (peace be upon him) in detail — "And he remained in prison several years" — and within it the vision of the two young men and their interpretation

R

Rain: Rain in a dream is mercy and provision when it falls in measure, watering land and beneficiaries — a foundation repeated across the dream-interpretation literature
Red: Red is joy and adornment for women, and a potential trial for men
Ring: A ring in a dream, on Ibn Sirin and Al-Nabulsi's reading, is a symbol of what one seals one's affair with — an authority assumed, a marriage contract concluded, or a secret concealed
River: In dream interpretation, a river signifies a man of authority and abundant provision whose benefit reaches those who live alongside him
Rooster: A rooster in a dream, on Ibn Sirin and Al-Nabulsi's reading, is a non-Arab herald or a loud, dignified man — grounded in the noble hadith that singled out the rooster for the sight of an angel and the summons to virtue

S

Scorpion: A scorpion in a dream, on Ibn Sirin and Al-Nabulsi's reading, is an enemy from among one's closest people who stings in secret with his tongue
Sea: The sea in a dream is a king or a vast affair
Ship: A ship in a dream, on Ibn Sirin and Al-Nabulsi's reading, is a symbol of deliverance from hardship and the vehicle of one's prudence in a great affair
Shoes: Shoes in a dream, on the interpreters' reading, signify the woman by whom the dreamer is fortified and his foot is covered, or the journey by which the dreamer traverses distance
Snake: In dream symbolism the snake represents the hidden enemy and stealth
Spider: The spider in a dream is among the symbols on which the early masters of interpretation paused at considerable length, and no well-known reports have come down upon which one may rely as has come down for the dog, the wolf, and other animals
Star: A star in a dream, on the interpreters' reading, is a sign of nobles, leaders, and people of remembrance
Sun: The sun in a dream, on Ibn Sirin's reading, is the symbol of the father, the king, or the supreme ruler — a foundation settled by consensus across the dream-interpretation literature
Swimming: Swimming in a dream is among the symbols which the books of Ibn Sirin and Al-Nabulsi mention briefly, without the detail given to others
Sword: A sword in a dream, on Ibn Sirin and Al-Nabulsi's reading, is a multiply-faced symbol: authority and the decisive cutting of an affair

T

Teeth: Teeth represent the dreamer's family and kin: the upper teeth the men, the lower the women, and upon them turn the affairs of the household and lineage
Tree: The tree in a dream, on Ibn Sirin's reading, signifies a man rooted in his lineage and origin — and in the authentic hadith it is likened to a Muslim, in the Prophet's ﷺ words: "Among the trees is a tree whose leaves do not fall, and indeed it is the likeness of the Muslim," meaning the date palm

W

Water: Water is the symbol of life, beneficial knowledge, and lawful provision
Well: A well in a dream, on the interpreters' reading, signifies the woman who is a source for her husband, or wealth stored in a fixed foundation, or the hidden scheming in which the dreamer is entangled
Wheat: Wheat in a dream, on the interpreters' reading, signifies lawful wealth and provision earned by toil — for it is one of the staple foods of the sons of Adam
White: White in a dream is purity, the innate nature (fitra), and uprightness in faith — it is the colour of the garments of the people of Paradise in the texts, and of the burial shroud that signals departing this world with a clean record
Wind: Wind in a dream, on Ibn Sirin and Al-Nabulsi's reading, is a symbol of an affair that proceeds without the dreamer's choosing — a sovereign decree or a decree that runs irresistibly
Wolf: A wolf in a dream, on the interpreters' reading, signifies a cruel, scheming, oppressive enemy, or a thief who lies in wait for people in their heedlessness
Writing: Writing in a dream, on Ibn Sirin and Al-Nabulsi's reading, is a multiply-faced symbol: a covenant the dreamer ratifies, knowledge he transmits to people, or an affair he traces for himself which then settles upon him

Y

Yellow: The colour yellow in a dream, on Ibn Sirin and Al-Nabulsi's reading, is a colour of varying meaning according to its degree in the vision