Body and health
Dreaming of hair in Islam
In short
Hair is, for al-Nabulusi, wealth and long life: hair growing longer announces a long life. Shaving the head is fulfilling a trust and being safe; for a woman, hair cut outside the pilgrimage announces a quarrel with her husband.
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
(شعر الرأس) هو في المنام مال وطول عمر فمن رأى أن شعر رأسه طال فإنه يطول عمره
Head hair in a dream is wealth and long life: whoever sees his hair grow long will live long.
وحلق الرأس أداء الأمانة والأمن من الخوف
Shaving the head is returning a trust and being safe from fear.
وإن رأت المرأة أنه قطع من شعرها في غير إحرام ولا أيام الموسم وقع بينها وبين زوجها خصومة وشر فإن كان في هذه الأوقات فإنه صلاح في دينها ودنياها وأمانتها
If a woman sees some of her hair cut outside the state of ihram and the pilgrimage days, a quarrel and trouble arise between her and her husband; if during those times, it is good for her religion, her worldly life and her trustworthiness.
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
- TeethTeeth stand for family members: men above, women below. What happens to a tooth concerns the relative it represents, and where it falls changes the meaning.
- HennaHenna is, for al-Nabulusi, an adornment in wealth and family; dyeing grey hair with henna is following the Sunna. Hennaed hands, however, warn of a risk to one’s wealth or trade.
- EyesThe eye stands, for al-Nabulusi, for the dreamer’s religion and insight, which tells guidance from error; seeing many eyes on one’s body announces an increase in religion and righteousness.
All the symbols in the dictionary