Food and drink
Dreaming of dates in Islam
In short
For al-Nabulusi, dates may signify rain for whoever sees them, pure sustenance for whoever eats them, or the sweetness of faith. The Muntakhab attributed to Ibn Sirin associates eating unripe dates with the sweetness of faith.
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
وهو في المنام لمن رآه مطر ولمن أكله رزق عام خالص يصير إليه ولا يشركه فيه أحد وربما كان تأويله أن يقرأ القرآن وينفعه في دينه
In a dream, for whoever sees it, it signifies rain; for whoever eats it, general and pure sustenance that comes to him, with no one sharing it. Its interpretation may also be that he recites the Qur’an, which benefits him in his religion.
كأنه أكل تمرا فإنه يجد حلاوة الإيمان.
[Whoever sees himself] eating dates finds the sweetness of faith.
Muntakhab al-Kalām fī Tafsīr al-Aḥlām (attributed to Ibn Sirin)
Attribution to Ibn Sirin rejected: why
ورأى أنس بن مالك في المنام كأن ابن عمر يأكل بسرا فكتب إليه إني رأيتك تأكل بسرا وذلك حلاوة الإيمان
Anas ibn Malik saw in a dream that Ibn Umar was eating unripe dates. He wrote to him: “I saw you eating unripe dates; that signifies the sweetness of faith.”
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
- TreeFor al-Nabulusi, trees can represent men and women, and sitting beneath a tree with people who remember Allah indicates His approval of the dreamer. Planting a tree signifies prestige, while planting trees in one’s garden is associated with the birth of children whose lifespans correspond to those of the trees.
- HoneyIn a dream told to the Prophet ﷺ, Abu Bakr interpreted honey dripping from a cloud as the Quran and its sweetness (al-Bukhari, Muslim). For al-Nabulusi honey is lawful wealth, and for people of religion the sweetness of faith and recitation of the Quran.
- FigFor al-Nabulusi, the fig can symbolize great wealth and abundance; eating it can signify numerous offspring or income without hardship. Its fruits and leaves can also signify worry, grief, and regret; the black fig in season and the white fig are favorable.
All the symbols in the dictionary