Faith and worship
Dreaming of a grave in Islam
Did this dream upset you?Seek Allah’s protection, blow lightly three times to your left, turn onto your other side, pray if you can, and tell no one: “it will not harm you”.Details and sources
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)
In short
For al-Nabulusi, a grave may symbolize a prison, a distant journey, estrangement, or spouses; digging or building a grave may signify building a house, while filling one in signifies a long life and lasting health. The Muntakhab attributed to Ibn Sirin associates rain on graves with mercy for their occupants and digging one’s own grave with building a house.
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
والقبور تدل على الأسفار البعيدة والوحشة والأزواج والسجون.
Graves indicate distant journeys, estrangement, spouses, and prisons.
أنه يردم قبرا فإنه تطول حياته وتدوم صحته.
[Whoever sees himself] filling in a grave will have a long life and lasting health.
Muntakhab al-Kalām fī Tafsīr al-Aḥlām (attributed to Ibn Sirin)
Attribution to Ibn Sirin rejected: why
ومن رأى كأن القبور مطرت نال أهلها الرحمة فإن رأى قبرا في موضع مجهول فإنه يخالط رجلا منافقا
[Whoever sees] as though rain fell on the graves, their occupants receive mercy; if he sees a grave in an unknown place, he associates with a hypocritical man.
فإن رأى كأنه يحفر لنفسه قبرا فإنه يبني لنفسه دارا
If he sees as though he is digging a grave for himself, he builds a house for himself.
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)
Related symbols
- The dead, deathSeeing a deceased person looking happy is, for both books, a good sign for him; seeing him alive announces relief. Dreaming of one’s own death has varied meanings: a journey, poverty, repentance or even marriage.
- Day of JudgmentFor al-Nabulusi, the Day of Judgment is a warning against sin and a sign of justice for the oppressed; it may also herald safety from enemies. The Muntakhab attributed to Ibn Sirin sees it as the establishment of justice according to whether the people of the place are unjust or oppressed.
- PrayerFor both books, dreaming of prayer is praiseworthy for religion and worldly life alike: fulfilling a duty, a debt or a trust. Asking Allah’s forgiveness facing the qibla after prayer announces an answered supplication.
All the symbols in the dictionary