Animals
Dreaming of a hen in Islam
In short
For 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.
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
وقيل إن الدجاجة وريشها مال نافع.
It was said that a hen and its feathers are beneficial wealth.
وربما دلت الدجاجة على ذات الأولاد ودخولها على المريض عافية
A hen may also signify a woman with children, and its entering upon a sick person signifies recovery.
Muntakhab al-Kalām fī Tafsīr al-Aḥlām (attributed to Ibn Sirin)
Attribution to Ibn Sirin rejected: why
ومن صادها أفاد مالا حلالا طيبا
Whoever catches one gains lawful and good wealth.
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
- EggFor 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.
- BirdThe bird is often honour, power or good news; perched on oneself, it stands for the dreamer’s deeds, pure or mixed according to its colour.
- 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