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Dreaming of a knife in Islam
In short
For al-Nabulusi, a knife may signify strength and money obtained through a servant, or victory and established proof in a legal dispute. The Muntakhab attributed to Ibn Sirin associates it, among other things, with a worldly benefit, a bond, or a companion.
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
سكينا فإنه ينال قوة ومالا على يدي خادم.
[Whoever sees] a knife obtains strength and money through a servant.
بيده سكينا وكان في محاكمة فإنه ينتصر وتثبت له حجة وبرهان لأنها من السلاح وتقيه الأعداء.
[It is said that] whoever sees a knife in his hand while involved in a legal dispute is victorious, and proof and an argument are established in his favor, for the knife is a weapon that protects him from his enemies.
Muntakhab al-Kalām fī Tafsīr al-Aḥlām (attributed to Ibn Sirin)
Attribution to Ibn Sirin rejected: why
فمن أفادها في المنام أفاد زوجة غن كان عزبا وإن كانت امرأته حاملا سلم ولدها وإن كان معها ما يؤيد الذكر فهي ذكر وإلا فهي أنثى وكذلك الرمح وإن لم يكن عنده حمل وكان يطلب شاهدا بحق وجده فإن كانت ماضية كان الشاهد عدلا وإن كانت غير ماضية أو ذات فلول جرح شاهده وإن أغمدت فستر له أو ردت شهادته لحوادث تظهر منه في غير الشهادة فإن لم يكن في شئ من ذلك فهي فائدة من الدنيا ينالها أو صلة يوصل بها أو أخ يصحبه أو صديق يصادقه أو خادم يخدمه أو عبد يملكه على إقرار الناس وإن أعطى سكينا ليس معها غيرها من السلاح فإن السكين حينئذ من السلاح هو سلطان وكذلك الخنجر والسكين حجة لقوله تعالى {وآتت كل واحدة منهن سكينا} وقيل من رأى في يده سكين المائدة وهو لا يستعملها فإنه يرزق إبنا كيسا فإن رأى كأنه يستعملها فإنها تدل على انقطاع الأمر الذي هو فيه
As for the knife, whoever acquires one in a dream acquires a wife if he is unmarried. If his wife is pregnant, her child will be safe; if the indications she bears point to a boy, it will be a boy, otherwise a girl. The same applies to the spear. If he has no pregnancy in the household and is seeking a witness for a claim, he will find one. If the blade is sharp, the witness will be upright; if it is not sharp or is chipped, his witness will be injured. If it is sheathed, this will be concealed from him, or his testimony will be rejected because of events that appear on his part outside the testimony. If none of this applies, it will be a worldly benefit he obtains, a bond he forms, a brother he accompanies, a friend he befriends, a servant who serves him, or a slave he owns, according to people’s judgment. If he is given a knife with no other weapon accompanying it, the knife is then a weapon and represents authority; the same applies to the dagger. The knife is proof, according to the words of the Exalted: “And each of them gave her a knife.” It is said that whoever sees a table knife in his hand without using it will be granted an intelligent son; if he sees himself using it, it indicates the end of the matter he is engaged in.
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
- SlaughterFor al-Nabulusi, slaughtering someone may signify the completion of one’s affairs, while slaughtering a person who must not be slaughtered signifies injustice. The Muntakhab attributed to Ibn Sirin likewise states that slaughtering what must not be slaughtered is injustice.
- KillingFor al-Nabulusi, killing someone in a dream indicates a grave sin, while being killed announces a long life and much good. The Muntakhab attributed to Ibn Sirin associates fleeing death or murder with the nearness of one’s appointed time.
- BloodFor al-Nabulusi blood mostly means unlawful wealth or a sin; but blood flowing from a wound or out of necessity means health and relief, and blood on a garment, a lie told against oneself.
All the symbols in the dictionary