Animals
Dreaming of a gecko in Islam
In short
For al-Nabulusi, the gecko represents an isolated man of little renown who enjoins evil and forbids good, or a slanderer who sows discord. The Muntakhab attributed to Ibn Sirin describes it as a misguided man of little renown who enjoins evil and forbids good.
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
هو في المنام رجل معتزل يأمر بالمنكر وينهى عن المعروف خامل الذكر والوزغ إنسان نمام باغ يفسد بين الناس.
A gecko in a dream is an isolated man who enjoins evil and forbids good, of little renown; the gecko is a slanderous and unjust man who sows discord among people.
Muntakhab al-Kalām fī Tafsīr al-Aḥlām (attributed to Ibn Sirin)
Attribution to Ibn Sirin rejected: why
رجل ضال خامل يأمر بالمنكر وينهي عن المعروف
The gecko is a misguided man of little renown who enjoins evil and forbids good.
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
- SnakeIn both books the snake stands first for an enemy, whose strength matches the animal’s size and venom; killing it means prevailing over that enemy.
- ScorpionFor al-Nabulusi the scorpion is a slanderer or an enemy among one’s relatives; killing it means overcoming that enemy.
- SpiderFor al-Nabulusi the spider stands for a weak schemer — or, in another view, an ascetic — and its web for fragility.
All the symbols in the dictionary