Actions and situations
Dreaming of killing 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, killing someone in a dream indicates a grave sin, while being killed announces a long life and much good. The Muntakhab attributed to Ibn Sirin associates fleeing death or murder with the nearness of one’s appointed time.
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
أنه قتل إنسانا فإنه يذنب ذنبا عظيما كما لو رأى أنه أذنب ذنبا عظيما قتل إنسانا.
[Whoever sees himself] killing a human being commits a grave sin, just as if he saw himself committing a grave sin by killing a human being.
أنه يقتل فإنه تطول حياته ويصيب خيرا كثيرا من القبائل.
[Whoever sees himself] being killed will have a long life and obtain much good from the tribes.
Muntakhab al-Kalām fī Tafsīr al-Aḥlām (attributed to Ibn Sirin)
Attribution to Ibn Sirin rejected: why
ومن رأى الفرار من الموت أو القتل دل على قرب أجله لقوله تعالى (قل لن ينفعكم الفرار إن فررتم من الموت أو القتل) الآية
Whoever sees fleeing death or murder, this indicates the nearness of his appointed time, according to the words of the Exalted: “Say: Flight will not benefit you if you flee death or murder,” to the end of the verse.
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
- BloodFor al-Nabulusi blood mostly means unlawful wealth or a sin; but blood flowing from a wound or out of necessity means health and relief, and blood on a garment, a lie told against oneself.
- WarFor al-Nabulusi, war indicates rising prices, turmoil, sedition, an epidemic, or plague; war between the ruler and his subjects foretells rising food prices, while weapons and occupations connected with reform bode well for those who practice them. The Muntakhab attributed to Ibn Sirin associates war between rulers with sedition or an epidemic, war between the ruler and his subjects with lower food prices, and war among the subjects with higher prices.
- KnifeFor al-Nabulusi, a knife may signify strength and money obtained through a servant, or victory and established proof in a legal dispute. The Muntakhab attributed to Ibn Sirin associates it, among other things, with a worldly benefit, a bond, or a companion.
All the symbols in the dictionary