Actions and situations
Dreaming of falling in Islam
In short
Falling from a high place indicates, for al-Nabulusi, a change of situation; where one lands tells the outcome: a green meadow or a safe place announce a good end.
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
(تردى) من علو إلى أسفل فإنه يدل على تنقل الأحوال من خير إلى شر ومن زوجة إلى غيرها أو من صنعة إلى صنعة أو من بلد إلى بلد أو من مذهب إلى مذهب
Falling from high to low indicates a change of circumstances: from good to bad, from one wife to another, from one trade to another, from one land to another or from one doctrine to another.
ويستدل بحسن العاقبة في ذلك كله بما صارت إليه في المنام فإن كان الذي نزل إليه في المنام مرجا أخضر أي مأكولا طيبا أو قويا صالحين فإن ذلك وشبهه دليل على حسن حاله فيما يؤول إليه
In all these cases, a good outcome is judged by where one ends up in the dream: if one lands in a green meadow, good food, or among strong and righteous people, that — and the like — indicates a good state in the end.
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
- FlyingFlying in a dream is, for al-Nabulusi, a journey — a restful one if flying on one’s back —; for one who is not travelling, a time of idleness. Flying over a mountain announces authority obtained without effort.
- TeethTeeth stand for family members: men above, women below. What happens to a tooth concerns the relative it represents, and where it falls changes the meaning.
- HouseThe house stands for the dreamer’s life and those who live in it: a new, well-equipped house announces ease and relief; what happens to the house happens to its occupants. The “bayt”, the room one retires to, stands for the wife.
All the symbols in the dictionary