Food and drink
Dreaming of figs in Islam
In short
For 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.
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 مال وخصب كثير لمن أصاب منه وشجرته رجل غني كثير المال نفاع يأوي إليه أعداء الإسلام لأن الحيات تأوي إليها وليس في الثمار شيء يعدله.
A fig in a dream signifies great wealth and abundance for whoever obtains some. Its tree represents a rich, wealthy, beneficent man, to whom the enemies of Islam resort because snakes resort to it; no fruit equals it.
ومن رأى) أنه يأكل منه فإنه يكثر نسله وقيل التين رزق من قبل العراق ومال مجموع يخصب منه صاحبه بلا تعب ويظهر عليه أثره ولا ينكتم لمنفعة التين وأكل القليل منه رزق بلا عسر
[Whoever sees himself] eating it will have numerous offspring. It has been said that the fig is income from Iraq and accumulated wealth, from which its owner benefits without hardship and whose effects become apparent and cannot be concealed, because of the fig’s usefulness. Eating a little of it is income without difficulty.
وقيل ثمر التين وورقه هم وحزن وندامة فمن أكلها أصابه هم على أمر أتاه أو يأتيه
It has been said that the fruits and leaves of the fig tree signify worry, grief, and regret. Whoever eats them is afflicted with worry about a matter that has happened to him or will happen to him.
والتين الأسود في وقته خير والتين الأبيض خير
The black fig in its season is favorable, and the white fig is favorable.
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
- GrapesFor al-Nabulusi, grapes signify good and abundant provision; white grapes are associated with goodness and healing, while black grapes may signify worry, illness, or fear. The Muntakhab attributed to Ibn Sirin associates white grapes in season with the good of this world, and raisins with goodness and wealth.
- DatesFor 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.
- 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.
All the symbols in the dictionary