Nature and elements
Dreaming of the sun in Islam
In short
The sun is, for both books, the greatest ruler — or the father, or a beautiful woman. Sitting in the sun means receiving favour and strength; the sun and moon rising over oneself, pleased parents.
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
(شمس) هي في المنام الملك الأعظم أو الخليفة أو الأب أو الذهب أو أمير من الأمراء أو امرأة جميلة
The sun in a dream is the greatest ruler, or the caliph, or the father, or gold, or a prince, or a beautiful woman.
فإن قعد في الشمس ودنا منها فإنه ينال من ملك نعمة ومالا وقوة وتأييدا
If he sits in the sun and draws near to it, he obtains from a ruler favour, wealth, strength and support.
فإن رأى الشمس والقمر طالعين عليه فإن والديه راضيان عنه
If he sees the sun and the moon rising over him, his parents are pleased with him.
Muntakhab al-Kalām fī Tafsīr al-Aḥlām (attributed to Ibn Sirin)
Attribution to Ibn Sirin rejected: why
(الشمس) في الأصل الملك الأعظم لأنها أنور ما في السماء من نظرائها مع كثرة نفعها
The sun is basically the greatest ruler, for it is the brightest of its peers in the sky and the most beneficial.
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
- MoonThe moon is a vizier, a just ruler or a great scholar, for it guides in the night. Holding it in one’s lap announces a marriage; seeing it in one’s house, the return of someone absent.
- StarsFor al-Nabulusi a star stands for a noble person; bright stars gathered in one’s home announce notable visitors, and a star in one’s hand, a noble child. The Quran also recounts Joseph’s dream of eleven stars bowing to him.
- FireFire has opposite meanings: power, trial or sin, but also guidance and knowledge, since one is guided by its light. Fire in the heart is, for al-Nabulusi, intense love.
All the symbols in the dictionary