Animals
Dreaming of a lion in Islam
In short
The lion stands above all for a formidable man of power; avoiding it or escaping it announces deliverance from what one fears.
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
(الأسد) في المنام سلطان شديد ظالم غاشم مجاهر مسلط لجراءته
A lion in a dream is a harsh, unjust, oppressive ruler who imposes himself openly through his boldness.
ومن رأى الأسد من حيث لا يراه وهرب منه الرائي فإنه ينجو مما يخاف وينال الحكمة والعلم
Whoever sees the lion without the lion seeing him, and flees from it, escapes what he fears and gains wisdom and knowledge.
(ومن رأى) الأسد قرب منه واستقبله ناله هم من سلطان ثم ينجو منه
Whoever sees the lion come near him and face him suffers worry from a man of power, then escapes it.
Muntakhab al-Kalām fī Tafsīr al-Aḥlām (attributed to Ibn Sirin)
Attribution to Ibn Sirin rejected: why
(الأسد) سلطان قاهر جبار لعظم خطره وشدة جسارته وفظاعة خلقته وقوة غضبه
The lion is a dominating, tyrannical ruler, because of its great danger, its boldness, its fearsome appearance and the strength of its anger.
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
- DogThe dog is most often a foolish man or a lowly enemy; its bite, harm coming from an enemy. A dog guarding the house, by contrast, stands for the protection of the home.
- 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.
All the symbols in the dictionary