Food and drink
Dreaming of an egg in Islam
In short
For al-Nabulusi, eggs can symbolize children, wives, and female servants; a large number evokes abundant possessions, while eating them raw is associated with unlawful wealth or worry.
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
فإن رأى أن عنده بيضا كثيرا فإن عنده مالا ومتاعا كثيرا يخشى فساده
If he sees that he has many eggs, he has much money and many possessions, whose deterioration he fears.
فإن رأى أنه أكله نيئا فإنه يأكل مالا حراما أو يزني أو يصيبه هم
If he sees that he eats it raw, he consumes unlawful wealth, commits adultery, or is afflicted by worry.
والبيض يدل على الأولاد والأزواج والإماء
Eggs indicate children, wives, and female servants.
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
- HenFor al-Nabulusi, a hen may represent a woman, a servant, or a woman with children; its presence with a sick person signifies recovery, and its feathers may be beneficial wealth. The Muntakhab attributed to Ibn Sirin also associates the hen with a woman and says that catching one brings lawful wealth.
- Baby, childFor al-Nabulusi, carrying an infant is a worry; but a baby girl found, carried or born announces relief for the prisoner, the debtor or the bewitched. A handsome child entering a besieged town heralds deliverance.
- Money, coinsThe books speak of coins: silver dirhams and gold dinars. They mostly see in them speech, knowledge and religion; receiving money is better than giving it. Banknotes, later than these books, do not appear in them.
All the symbols in the dictionary