Home, wealth, objects
Dreaming of a ring in Islam
In short
For al-Nabulusi, a ring may symbolize authority, a wife, a child, property, or an office; losing it means that something unwelcome comes into what it represents. The Muntakhab attributed to Ibn Sirin gives it similar meanings and specifies that a gold ring is unfavorable for a man.
A summary of the passages quoted below. These are authors’ interpretations, not a prediction: a dream is understood through the dreamer and all its details.
What the interpretation books say
al-Nabulusi — Taʿṭīr al-Anām fī Taʿbīr al-Manām
في المنام أمان وسلطان وزوجة وولد وعمل على قدر جوهره ويدل على الجارية والمال
A ring in a dream signifies security, authority, a wife, a child, and an occupation, according to the value of its material; it also indicates a servant woman and money.
أنه ضاع فإنه يدخل في سلطانه أو فيما ينسب إليه شيء يكرهه ويصير إليه.
[Whoever sees] his ring lost will have something unwelcome enter into his authority or what it is associated with, and it will come to him.
Muntakhab al-Kalām fī Tafsīr al-Aḥlām (attributed to Ibn Sirin)
Attribution to Ibn Sirin rejected: why
وقيل الخاتم يدل أيضا على الولد والمرأة أو شراء جارية أو دار أو دابة أو مال أو ولاية وإن كان من ذهب فهو للرجل ذل
It has also been said that a ring indicates a child, a woman, the purchase of a servant woman, a house or a mount, money, or an office; if it is gold, it signifies humiliation for a man.
Keep in mind
- An interpretation is a human effort: Abu Bakr himself was partly wrong before the Prophet ﷺ. (al-Bukhari 7046 and Muslim 2269)
- Appearances deceive: an unpleasant-looking dream may be interpreted as good, and vice versa. (al-Nawawi, Sharh Sahih Muslim 15/18)
- A dream is not a fatwa: make no serious decision on its strength alone. (al-Nawawi, Sharh Sahih Muslim 1/115)
If this dream upset you: what the Sunnah asks
The Prophet ﷺ taught that an unpleasant dream comes from Satan, and that it does not harm the one who does the following. (al-Bukhari 7045 · al-Bukhari 3292)
Seek Allah’s protection, three times
Against the evil of this dream and against Satan. The wording given by al-Nawawi: “aʿūdhu billāhi mina sh-shayṭāni wa min sharrihā” — I seek refuge with Allah from Satan and from the evil of this dream. (al-Bukhari 7044 · Muslim 2262 · al-Nawawi, Sharh Sahih Muslim 15/18)
Blow lightly three times to your left
The narrations say “blow” (nafth), “spit lightly” (tafl) or “spit” (basq): a light breath, to drive Satan away. (Muslim 2261 · al-Bukhari 7044 · Muslim 2262)
Turn over onto your other side
Change the side you were sleeping on. (Muslim 2262)
Get up and pray
If you can; al-Nawawi recommends two units of prayer (rakʿa). (Muslim 2263 · al-Nawawi, Sharh Sahih Muslim 15/18)
Tell no one about it
Neither recount it nor seek to have it interpreted. A Bedouin dreamt that his head was cut off; the Prophet ﷺ told him: “Do not tell of how Satan toys with you in your sleep.” (al-Bukhari 7045 · Muslim 2263 · Muslim 2268 · al-Nawawi, Sharh Sahih Muslim 15/18)
“It will not harm him”: that is the promise of the hadith. Al-Nawawi adds that doing only some of these acts is enough, by Allah’s leave. (al-Bukhari 7045 · al-Nawawi, Sharh Sahih Muslim 15/18)
Related symbols
- Gold, jewelleryFor both authors gold is not a good sign for a man — its name, dhahab, evokes what goes away — with exceptions: a bracelet worn is an inheritance, a large piece received is authority. For women, wearing jewellery is praiseworthy adornment.
- Marriage, weddingIn al-Nabulusi, marriage in a dream has contrasting meanings: Allah’s care, a repaid debt and relief for the worried, but also a burdensome commitment or a worry.
- Money, coinsThe books speak of coins: silver dirhams and gold dinars. They mostly see in them speech, knowledge and religion; receiving money is better than giving it. Banknotes, later than these books, do not appear in them.
All the symbols in the dictionary