Animals
Dreaming of fish in Islam
In short
Fresh, plentiful fish is, for both books, wealth gained like spoils; small fish are worries. Fishing in water announces pleasing news.
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
(سمك) هو في المنام إذا عرف عدده نساء وإن لم يعرف وكثر فهو مال مغتنم
Fish in a dream: if their number is known, they are women; if countless and plentiful, wealth gained like spoils.
فإن رأى أنه يصيد سمكا في الماء فإنه يسمع كلاما يفرح به
If he sees himself catching fish in water, he will hear words that please him.
Muntakhab al-Kalām fī Tafsīr al-Aḥlām (attributed to Ibn Sirin)
Attribution to Ibn Sirin rejected: why
(السمك) إذا كان طريا كبارا كثير العدد فهو أموال وغنيمة لمن أصابه وصغار السمك أحزان لمن أصابه بمنزلة الصبيان
Fish, if fresh, large and numerous, are wealth and spoils for whoever gets them; small fish are sorrows for whoever gets them, like [the cares of] young children.
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
- SeaThe sea stands for a king or anyone with authority over people; seeing it means obtaining what one hoped for. Swimming means overcoming an opponent; walking on water, firm faith.
- WaterFor both books clear water is life, knowledge and ease, and drinking it is a good sign. Al-Nabulusi also reports the view attributed to Ibn Sirin: water can be a trial in religion.
- MeatFor al-Nabulusi cooked meat is wealth, raw meat pains and illnesses; eating a human being’s flesh means backbiting him, as the Quran likens backbiting to eating one’s dead brother’s flesh (49:12).
All the symbols in the dictionary